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Retreat, rebuke, recite : outliers in church responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

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Stoddart_2021_PT_Retreat_AAm.pdf (323.4Kb)
Date
01/05/2021
Author
Stoddart, Eric
Keywords
COVID-19
Public health
Churches
Prosperity gospel
Lock-down
Pandemic
Freedom of religion
BL Religion
RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
T-NDAS
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Abstract
The article considers atypical responses to the COVID-19 pandemic by Christian leaders. In a three-fold classification it first identifies a retreat from civic life in resistance to lock-down restrictions on places of worship, demanding reopening on extreme readings of rights of religious freedom, and refusal of mandatory mask-wearing. A second classification groups as ‘rebuke’ spiritual warfare approaches within the prosperity gospel tradition that take the virus to be demonic, from which there is a promise to be claimed of God’s protection and healing. A third classification gathers a range of conspiracy theories recited by Christian preachers. In evaluating the responses, a parallel classification of entombing conspiracies, endorsing public health measures, and engaging in civic life is proposed. Drawing upon the common good as a theological critique it is concluded that extremist Christian views present a danger to global public health.
Citation
Stoddart , E 2021 , ' Retreat, rebuke, recite : outliers in church responses to the COVID-19 pandemic ' , Practical Theology , vol. 14 , no. 1-2 , pp. 8-21 . https://doi.org/10.1080/1756073X.2020.1860549
Publication
Practical Theology
Status
Peer reviewed
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/1756073X.2020.1860549
ISSN
1756-073X
Type
Journal article
Rights
Copyright © Contact Pastoral Trust 2021. This work has been made available online in accordance with publisher policies or with permission. Permission for further reuse of this content should be sought from the publisher or the rights holder. This is the author created accepted manuscript following peer review and may differ slightly from the final published version. The final published version of this work is available at https://doi.org/10.1080/1756073X.2020.1860549
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  • University of St Andrews Research
URL
https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/yprt20
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10023/25847

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