The South African Council of Churches and the Science and Religion Debate during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract The relationship between science and religion has been a topical issue in the Western world, both in academic and popular literature. It has, however, been a peripheral issue in Africa, the epicentre of Christianity and where both religion and science play a prominent role. Where African scholars have written about it, it has largely focused on Pentecostal and Charismatic churches to the negligence of mainline churches. This article examines the views and responses of the South African Council of Churches ( SACC ), the largest ecumenical body in the country, to the COVID -19 pandemic in the light of the science and religion debate. The views and responses of the SACC to the pandemic were gathered from the various press statements and documents that the ecumenical body produced between March 2020 and September 2021.