Christianity and the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pastoral and Theological Reflection from the Ghanaian Context

Abstract

ABSTRACT Ghana has since March 2020 experienced the COVID-19 pandemic with its diverse effects the lives of the populace. In spite of various attempts by religious leaders to explain the origin of the pandemic and its remedy, there is still an urgent need for a theological and pastoral guidance for Christians in Ghana. This brief literature-based study was therefore conducted based on historical and biblical data on the COVID-19 pandemic, the main argument being that the COVID-19 pandemic is neither a divine punishment to end the world nor a tool of the Antichrist to suppress Christianity. Though a serious crisis, the historical data available indicate that the current pandemic is not the worse the world has experienced. Therefore, like other pandemics that the world has experienced, the remedy to the present crisis involves primarily calling upon God as Christians and taking responsible actions as responsible citizens.