| abstract |
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many in the Cushite (African American) community came face to face with disparities that many did not understand as a planned and significant attempt to further marginalize those communities, especially in the healthcare sector. How, then, did the pandemic affect theology? Has the pandemic been instructive in our ministerial context?
This work investigates the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the methodology and theology of Pentecostals participating in social and political engagement in their respective communities. Exploring the role of pastors, I argue that Pentecostals have always been active agents in social and political engagement. Specifically, ministry to the marginalized community carries with it certain dynamics that help to shape minds, hearts, and nature. The Pentecostal thinker who needs to function despite his or her surroundings exemplifies a courageous leader. How did the pandemic affect leadership? How did pastors develop hermeneutics in this strange context of trying to engage the holy in a pandemic?
There is a need to hear our community so that we can properly serve our community, which often involves listening to the blood of our fallen brother or sister that cries out to God. In this context, is the past prologue? Our way forward means we need to be aware of our context, our past, and what God wants for our future.
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