The Kairos of COVID-19 Pandemic and the Quest for a New Life: A Paul Tillich Interpretation of History

Charles Amarkwei ORCID iD

Issue: Vol.8  No.5 June 2022 Issue  Article 1 pp.109-120
DOI : https://doi.org/10.38159/erats.2022851  |   Published online 3rd June 2022.
© 2022 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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This article brings alive Paul Tillich’s theological interpretation of history during COVID-19 as kairos. Kairos is explored in relation to three themes: creativity in science and its consequence of utility; psychological wellbeing and psychological illness; and the demonic and the profane. All the three themes which raise questions in existence in view of the inherent ambiguities are answered by the Eternal Life, the Kingdom of God, and the Spiritual Presence espoused by Paul Tillich. The article delves into human life in all its ambiguities and the quest for the new life under COVID-19. In this article, the creative and destructive realities of science under COVID-19 are explored. Furthermore, psychological issues related to the pandemic are discussed and the religious elements are also discussed. All the above show how under kairoi such as in COVID-19, human actualizations from potentialities manifest in life in the quest for the ultimate. Besides, the work shows that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to scientific creations which would have never been explored for many years. In the intervening time, potentially, it raises concerns about human safety. The work also reveals how psychological wellness has been attained by some while the majority struggle to be whole under COVID-19. Additionally, in this article, there is a view on how the profane threatened the religious and how the demonic manifested in church and state. It further demonstrates that the Spiritual Presence present in secular or human institutions must be engaged to resolve the ambiguities in life generated by COVID-19.

Keywords: Kairos, Ambiguity, Spiritual Presence, COVID-19, Paul Tillich

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Charles Amarkwei PhD, is a Lecturer of Systematic Theology at the Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon. He is also a Minister of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana.

Amarkwei, C., “The Kairos of COVID-19 Pandemic and the Quest for a New Life: A Paul Tillich Interpretation of History,” E-Journal of Religious and Theological Studies, 8 no.5 (2022): 109-120.  https://doi.org/10.38159/erats.2022851

© 2022 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Publishers. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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