Christian Ministry: Interdisciplinary Reimaginations in Changing Times

This volume tries to critically engage with the changing times to search for interdisciplinary reimaginations. It demands new hermeneutical stances that take into account the epistemological and existential particularities of the time. It challenges us to revisit the structures of the society in order to emulate a paradigm that can been visioned which reimagines, reinterprets and re-presents the social norms and discourses. This paradigm should enable the community to be shaped and be instilled with a collective consciousness that enlivens counter-discourses.

Imagination is an essential feature of hope. Just as captive imaginations cannot conceive life outside the contours of normalcy, theological engagements devoid of hopeful reimagination are a resignation from its very own essence. Hope requires liberated imaginations. Liberated imaginations rekindle the flame of hope even in times of acute adversity and apathy.

Over the years, theology has developed from the crucible of life-threatening events in history like genocide, global oppressions, pandemic, and natural calamities. The theological response towards these critical issues ignited hope and faith in the almighty. Here, the role of theologians to reimagine the politics and poetics of their times have bolstered the faith community to rely on the transformative power of God. The theological reimaginations in changing times try to critically engage with the dominant and oppressive structures and drive the community towards a hope- filled future.

The era of the new normal is no different. The disruption caused by the COVID-19 has challenged the ecclesia to foster new imaginations for a new humanity. The call is to enliven God's imagination and thereby creatively engage in the building of the kingdom community. However, the key pathology of our time is the reduction of the imagination, thus making us numbed, satiated and, co-opted to do serious imaginative work. The growing culture of indifference strips us of compassion, transforming us as anonymous consumers that leave us unable to imagine life otherwise. It renders us emotionally disconnected from the pathos of the community.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected communities all across the globe. The rampant spread of the pandemic poses challenges to human existence and has forced human beings to thoroughly revisit their socio-cultural, economic, and religious spaces. Through the experience of COVID-19, humanity is enduring an unprecedented reality, the reality of the pandemic, and it has produced a situation that is aptly called the reality of the new normal. The new normal proposes a new perspective on the contemporary realities that delineate social, liturgical, poetic, economic, and cultural relations. It re/deconstructs the liturgical and cultural practices and the epistemological stances, dictating new norms and practices of social and community relations. The new normal creates a socio-politico-religio-cultural environment that thwarts the existing way of life.

Nearly everyone on Earth is, or will be, affected by the COVID-19 pandemic but each of us is affected differently. It works as a political lifeline for the authoritarian bigots, racists, and fascist regimes. It has taunted digital surveillance, biometric control during the immigration checkpoints and every kind of security- measures to curb terrorism. On the other hand, the pandemic has revealed 'endemic injustices' and discriminations that have always existed in our health care, economy, and government. The pandemic is a spotlight that illuminates underlying problems- economic inequality, racism, casteism, patriarchy, among others. In theory, all of us are vulnerable to the viral infection. But this seemingly unbiased statement of "we are all in this together" is awfully redundant and blatantly apathetic-"while the virus does not discriminate, its impacts do."

**Contents and Sample Pages**