Justice Matters: Spiritual Care and Pastoral Theological Imaginations in Times of the Covid-19 Pandemic

The nine chapters in this book, along with a critical introduction, address complex theological issues relating to structural inequalities of our society, exacerbated by the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pastoral theology as an academic discipline is not a value-free enterprise. This book strives to speak against all forms of injustice and to advocate for those who suffer under existing structural inequalities because such a liberative and social transformative task constitutes the fundamental work of pastoral theology. Each chapter in this book analyses how private problems of individuals are occurring within the immediate world of experience with public issues historically, socially, and politically. As a whole, this book addresses racial injustice, ableism, foster family care, and issues faced by Christian churches during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Pastoral Theology.

Kyungsig Samuel Lee is Edna & Lowell Craig Professor of Practical Theology, Spiritual Care, and Counselling at Claremont School of Theology, USA, and a leading Asian American pastoral theologian; former President of the Society for Pastoral Theology and Co-Editor of the Journal of Pastoral Theology (2017-2021); and the author of many articles on the topics of spiritual care in multicultural contexts.

Danjuma G. Gibson is Professor of Pastoral Theology, Care, and Counseling at Calvin Theological Seminary, USA, and a licensed psychotherapist. In addition to examining spiritual autobiography and the impact of cultural trauma on individuals and groups, his current research examines the intersection of urban transformation, black religious experience, social psychology, and economics.