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Faith confronting disasters

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In 2010, the coast of central Chile suffered a massive earthquake with a magnitude 8.8 which was followed by devastating tsunami. As part of my dissertation for an MA on Applied Theological Studies at Birmingham University in that year, I decided to analyse the church’s statements and responses following the tragic events. The research led me identify emerging theological insights in the field of natural disasters (as well as potential strategies derived from them). In the aftermath of the most horrendous tragedy in Turkey and Syria last week, I believe the research recommendation still have some valid points, not only for Christian churches, but also for other faith communities that engage with the issue of faith in the face of ‘natural’ disasters. The following is a modified extract of the concluding section of that research.