Abstract:
In this article the view that the Covid-19 pandemic – especially the lockdown that went hand
in hand with it – revealed both the indispensability and fragility of morality was substantiated
and the response of the church to the moral challenges posed by the pandemic discussed.
Findings were based on information gained from South African media regarding the
pandemic and the response to it in the South African context interpreted with the assistance
of research in academic publications. Various respects in which the pandemic underlined the
indispensability of morality were discussed first. This was followed by a discussion of ways
in which the pandemic also demonstrated the fragility of morality. The fragility of morality
was traced back to the undermining influence of modern life on morality. Finally, the mixed
record of South African churches in providing guidance on the moral challenges the Covid-19
pandemic posed, was noted. It was pointed out that the challenge remains to the church to
provide moral guidance on life after the pandemic. The church would also have to effectively
deal with the challenge to overcome the curtailment of its ability to provide such moral
guidance in contemporary modern societies.
CONRIBUTION: The contribution of the article lies in identifying the moral issues posed by the
Covid-19 pandemic and in gauging the response of the church in the South African context to
these issues. The challenges that remain to the church to also after the pandemic provide moral
guidance and overcome obstacles in providing such guidance were also highlighted.
