Theology of the pain of God in the era of COVID-19: the reflections on sufferings by three Hong Kong churches through online services

Chu, Calida

Abstract

Suffering is probably a suitable word to describe the experiences of Hong Kong Christians in 2020, who endure the continuous impact of anti-extradition law protests, the imposition of the national security law, and the COVID-19 outbreak. Employing digital ethnography, this article examines the church’s response to the pandemic between 26 January, the first Sunday Service after Wuhan announced lockdown, and 31 May, before most churches reopened. The case studies of three churches complement each other, in light of their different denominational backgrounds and geographical positions, and demonstrate their diverse responses to the pandemic. Despite social distancing, these churches collectively and creatively connect online with the suffering ones. Due to the lack of theological discourse regarding the pain experienced during this pandemic, this article engages with Kazoh Kitamori’s (1916–1998) theology of the pain of God to further develop a theology raised in online worship, which may assist Christians globally in reflecting on this topic.

Citation

Chu, C. (2021). Theology of the pain of God in the era of COVID-19: the reflections on sufferings by three Hong Kong churches through online services. Practical Theology, 14(1-2), 22-34. https://doi.org/10.1080/1756073X.2020.1864101

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 31, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Jan 11, 2021
• Publication Date: Mar 4, 2021
• Deposit Date: Sep 26, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 11, 2022
• Journal: Practical Theology
• Print ISSN: 1756-073X
• Electronic ISSN: 1756-0748
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 14
• Issue: 1-2
• Pages: 22-34
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1756073X.2020.1864101
• Keywords: Philosophy
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/11745687
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1756073X.2020.1864101
• Additional Information: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Practical Theology on 11 Jan 2021 available at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/1756073X.2020.1864101