Horizontal and Vertical Dimensions in Zambian Sermons about the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

In the contemporary literature about the relationship between religion and COVID-19, vertical as well as horizontal responses can be distinguished. Much of the current literature is based on personal reflection or on quantitative research. This article adds a qualitative research perspective and offers a preliminary analysis of the religious frameworks used by pastors in the Reformed Church in Zambia. Although the pastors acknowledge the need for communal action, their livestreamed services show an emphasis on the vertical dimension, i.e., the relation with God. As this article argues, this can be understood from an African worldview. There is also evidence that the initial vertical dimension of the services shifts to more horizontal concerns as the pandemic progresses.

COVID-19 Pandemic: The Local Community Perceptions and Associated Risks in Guji Society, Southern Ethiopia

“…In this regard, the research carried on in Zambia shows that the congregations and pastors interpret the coronavirus as an evil spirit attack that can only be prevented through prayers to God and obeying his will. 26 In a manner that is similar to these research findings, 27 noted that some people believed that COVID-19 was created by the Illuminati group for the purpose of bringing the world population to its knees and to bring about a New World Order that entails one world religion and one world government. This view strongly supports the assumption that evil spirit attacks in general and the illuminati group in particular are responsible for the outbreak of the pandemic.…”

“God is in Control”: Religious Coping in Sermons About the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Reformed Church in Zambia

“…In this time of crisis, pastors in the RCZ felt the need to encourage their congregations and offer them ways to cope with the difficult circumstances in which they found themselves (Kroesbergen-Kamps, 2020 , p. 82). To see what particular styles of religious coping pastors in the Reformed Church in Zambia offer their audiences, the sermons of the 134 services were analyzed.…”

“…From 28 March to 24 May 2020, most of the Christian churches in Zambia stopped their in-person worship services and other group activities, following the directive from the Ministry of Health. The collective church mother bodies, umbrella organizations in which Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical and Pentecostal churches are represented, supported the adherence to this directive (Mwale & Chita, 2022 , p. 162f) During this time, pastors in mainly urban areas who had not done so before started live-streaming their services on Facebook or posting them on YouTube (Kroesbergen-Kamps, 2020 , p.77f). In this article, the styles of religious coping that pastors in the Reformed Church in Zambia (RCZ) offer to their audiences are investigated.…”

‘These things are real!’ Satanism and epistemic anxiety

“…During the COVID-19 pandemic, a focus on spiritual causes has led some African Christians to seek spiritual help and disregard measures to stop the spread of the virus, such as masking, social distancing and even getting vaccinated (cf. Kroesbergen-Kamps 2020b).…”