Since the reign of the late Robert Gabriel Mugabe, Zimbabwe has been seized by retrogressive puppetisation of partisan gospel ministers and churches, worsened by state victimisation of those who stand against political ills. Church and state relations were compromised and fear gripped most citizens. At his inauguration, the incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa pledged a ‘new dispensation’ but contrarily remained similar to the preceding regime. Today, Church and state relations remain compromised as leaders appear accommodative when supported and vindictive when critiqued. The prevailing situation divided the Church, leaving some pastors dining with oppressive leaders whilst others side with the oppressed, culminating in disturbing polarisation. Ruling politicians captured some gospel ministers to sanitise the ‘new dispensation’ and vilify its critics. Although multiple researches have been carried out on Church and politics in Zimbabwe, the lack of clarity on how churches should engage with the state remains an ongoing challenge. Using a literature-based approach, this article evaluates ecclesial engagement with national politics in view of the Old Testament’s fearless prophetic involvement in politics and the New Testament’s understanding of the Church as the salt and the light of the world (Mt 5:13–16). Results of this assessment are that Church engagements with politics have been defined by economic volatility, polarisation, corruptibility, hermeneutical weaknesses and theological differences. The article concludes that the Church should contextually apply the Old Testament’s prophetic stance and the New Testament’s ‘salt and light’ engagement in Zimbabwe.
Assessing Church and political engagement in Zimbabwe under the new dispensation in light of the Old Testament’s prophetic involvement in politics and the New Testament’s conceptualisation of the Church as salt and light (Mt 5:13–16) is a contextually critical contribution that interfaces ecclesiology with Christian, biblical, public and political theologies.
Since the end of the 37-year reign of the late former president Robert Gabriel Mugabe, Zimbabwe has been seized by retrogressive puppetisation of partisan gospel ministers and churches. In addition, the government has ratcheted up the victimisation of those who dare to stand against political ills. Consequently, Church and state relations have become compromised (Mujinga
In order to achieve its objective, the article commences by providing a brief background of the research and all the issues embedded in it. Thereafter, it will proceed by giving the conceptual definition of Church and politics. The second section will give an overview discussion of the Old Testament’s fearless prophetic involvement in politics and the New Testament’s understanding of the Church as the salt and the light (Mt 5:13–16), so as to inform the Church’s political engagement with the state. The article will conclude by recommending a contextualisation of the biblical Old Testament’s valiant prophetic involvement in political affairs and the New Testament’s ‘salt and light’ (Mt 5:13–16) application in Zimbabwe.
Hitherto, the discourse of Church and political engagement has been historically contentious even before Zimbabwe gained independence. A number of scholars advance a thesis that political leaders and the Church had a love–hate, bittersweet relationship since the colonial era. Like their counterparts in the successive post-independence regimes, the colonial-era politicians were only accommodative of praise-singers and vindictive towards critics (Majome
When Zimbabwe regained her independence in 1980, Reverend Canaan Banana was the first president of independent Zimbabwe. In that view, Paradza (
On the one hand, the Church was a major beneficiary of land, which the white settlers violently grabbed from the native people. However, upon realising that the colonial government was systematically violating the human rights of the native people, denominations such as the Roman Catholic Church rose outstandingly in defence of citizens, whilst some denominations supported white hegemony and others took a neutral position. Since then, issues of independent engagement, co-option and disengagement wreaked havoc on Church and political engagements. In concurrence, Dombo (
Chitando, Taringa and Mapuranga (
Some more clergymen such as Bishop Levee Kadenge and Sifiso Mpofu of the Christian Alliance, Bishop Anselm Magaya of the Zimbabwe National Pastors’ Conference and their associations endured harassment and persecution whenever they advocated for the opening up of democratic space in Zimbabwe. In an effort to complement what established Church bodies were doing in engaging the state, the above-named leaders organised ‘prayer meetings’ and involved civil society and political opposition leaders. State security agents descended on the meetings and assaulted the members. Such leaders are reminiscent of Ndabaningi Sithole, Abel Muzorewa and Canaan Banana, who actively participated in the struggle for Zimbabwe (Chitando
A close analysis of the history of Church and politics in Zimbabwe indicates that the two tend to cleave together and discard each other when it is convenient. Other scholars such as Paradza (
The nature of Church and political engagement in Zimbabwe has forced countless pastors and congregants into conformity. That has left the state to relentlessly violate the rights of the citizens without censure. However, in a case of history repeating itself, the few pastors who have commendably developed the courage to raise their prophetic voices have been misunderstood, misjudged and mistaken as enemies of the state (Hove & Chenzi
It can also be contended that the Church herself cannot enter into effective engagements because of a number of other reasons such as factionalism, economic instability and corruptibility. Chitando (
Meanwhile, we also note that the Church has not only been struggling with the notion of whether she can engage in politics but also with the modalities and the extent thereof (Goronga & Dimingu
Following their meeting with Mugabe, the Church leaders produced a document termed
Prophet Andrew Wutawunashe formed Faith for the Nation Campaign in 2000, claiming that God had spoken to him to establish a platform on which the body of Christ would unite, rally and look to God for guidance and answers on national issues. The Faith for the Nation Campaign was criticised for bearing close resemblance to ZANU PF’s Pan-Africanist ideologies and blocking open debate on democratisation in Zimbabwe. Wutawunashe also continued to praise ZANU PF’s land reform programme whilst criticising the European Union and the United States for imposing sanctions on ZANU PF leaders (Zakeyo
Traditionally, the Church in Zimbabwe has always had multiple faces, ranging from neutral to co-opted to independent, daring and God-fearing. During and after the reign of Mugabe, some young church leaders rose to fame for fearlessly critiquing state excesses. One such leader is Pastor Evan Mawarire, who was victimised, criminalised and persecuted for leading a vicious social movement codenamed ‘ThisFlag’, which organised protests against ill-governance by the Mugabe regime (Moyo
Conversely, some young religious leaders have declared their support for ZANU PF. Panganai Java, better known as Prophet Passion Java, recently got appointed as the deputy president of a partisan empowerment organisation called the Affirmative Action Group (AAG). The AAG was founded by popular businessman and ZANU PF apologist Philip Chiyangwa (ZimEye
Dube and Nkoane (
Against the volatile context delineated here, this article proposes that the Church should reconsider reigniting
The term ‘Church’ is often given different meanings depending on circumstantial references (cf. Howard
Lindsay (
The New, if it is to be lasting, must always have its roots in the Old; and the phrase ‘My Ecclesia’ recalled the past and foretold the future. The roots were the memories the word brought both to Jew and to Greek; and the promise and the potency of the future lay in the word ‘My’. The Ecclesia had been the congregation of Jehovah; it was in the future, without losing anything of what it had possessed, to become the congregation of Jesus the Christ. (p. 19)
Given this, the Church is a visible, redeemed (by the Christ’s salvific work) and united community or society of God’s people, both Jews and Gentiles, who confess Jesus Christ as the Lord and Saviour of their lives, who transformed them from death to life
The notion of the visible community of God is buttressed by Moo (
[
In view of the discussion considered so far regarding the meaning of the Church, together with Shekhar (
The term politics is historically complex in Zimbabwe and the whole world. A number of scholars observe its convolution and indicate a multiplicity of conceptualisations and references. Modebadze (
Books such as
Is politics a universal feature of all human societies, past and present? Or is it confined to some types of society only and, if so, which societies and why? Is it possible that some societies have been, are or will be without politics? Is politics tied to certain sites, which is institutional arenas where it takes place? Is it solely concerned with issues and decisions affecting public policy, that is, the whole society? Or may politics be found in all groups and organizations, large or small, formal or informal? And how, if at all, is it to be distinguished from other social and economic activities? For instance, do wars, civil conflicts and revolutions represent extreme forms of politics? Or are they the result of the failure, or collapse, of politics? Does bargaining between businesses over prices and terms of contracts, or between managers and workers over pay and conditions, count as politics? Or are they simply expressions of economic processes in the form of market forces? Can they be both? And what of discussions in a family as to whether to redecorate the kitchen or go on holiday? Is that politics? Is politics an activity which is confined to the human species alone? (pp. 1–2)
The definitions assembled in the above-cited book contradict the editor’s own introductory definition. The editor suggests that politics is about all the activities of cooperation, negotiation and conflict, within and between societies, whereby people go about organising the use, production or distribution of human, natural or other resources in the course of the production and reproduction of their biological and social life. Alexander (
For the past decades, politics has been associated with the state and that has kept it in harness. Without the state, politics often seems to be anything and everything. The problem with such conception is that if politics potentially encompasses everything, it can as well amount to nothing. Beard (
Beard (
[
From several deep and wide discussions about politics in the 20th century, it is agreed that there is certainly no obvious way that one could reconcile any of them. It is in reflecting through the problem of definitions that one can realise that the only way to reconcile submitted attempts is to take steps backwards and consider what is common to all of them (Alexander
Amongst various opinions that have been recently raised about the meaning of politics, we infer that it is sometimes abstracted as one of the aspects of human relations and interactions in all the different domains of life (Van der Eijk
Callinicos (
Generally, when most Zimbabwean Christians hear the word politics, they immediately think of party politics and reserve themselves in fear of getting soiled, usually because of publicised traditional conceptions which portray it as a virulent, violent and intolerant dirty game (Chikerema & Chakunda
Drawing from different perspectives of politics in Zimbabwe, the discourse of Church and politics is commonly associated with evil. Thus, it is important to start by noting that God is sovereign; hence, he is concerned with politics. One may observe that the Bible begins and ends with God doing what and as he wishes, in infinite power and authority, as the first ruler: setting up the first government, raising and deposing rulers (Dn 2:21), installing his will across the entire Earth (Dn 4:35) on all things (Is 46:11), ruling all nations (Ps 22:28), including kings. Humanity must be awakened to represent him in this broken world as he guides (Olinger
We are well aware of diverging perceptions about the relationship between Israel and the Church (McLain
In order to show that the Old Testament Church had a fearless prophetic voice, one must begin by relating the encounters of the prophets with the relative affairs and politics of their times. The authors note, together with Albrektson (
Strydom (
As God’s mouthpieces, the Old Testament prophets were always active participants in all the affairs of their contexts (Familusi
Having that in mind, the authors concur with Wax (
Writing from Kenya, Bariu (
Having observed the Old Testament’s political engagement, it is remarkable that the New Testament comprehensively integrates with life and alludes to Church and politics in many instances (Cranfield,
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 5:13–16 clearly identifies those who should live according to God’s will. The audience of the given passage (the disciples) are metaphorically labelled as the ‘salt of the earth’ and the ‘light of the world’. It must be observed that God created salt, which seasons, flavours and preserves food, thus preventing it from decay. Our bodies need salt to be healthy. As Adams (
Talking of the light, it is useful in many ways, such as dispelling darkness and lighting the way. If light is absent, chaos may reign (as reflected in Gn 1:1–4). The metaphorical portrayal of believers by Jesus Christ as the salt and light of the earth means that his disciples should be the salt and light of the world (Anthony
In the ancient and contemporary world, salt has been the most common preservative used to keep things from going bad and rotten. In the world today, the Christian, as the salt of the earth, must keep the Earth from corruption. The present-day Zimbabwean context has been a theatre of social, political and economic evils (Davidson & Purohit
Anthony (
Bearing in mind that historically Zimbabwean politics have been tragically militarised, intolerant and violent (as indicated by numerous scholars such as Beardsworth, Cheeseman & Tinhu
Whilst Niringiye (
Matikiti (
Whilst they observe 1 Timothy 2:1–3 by offering supplications, prayers and intercessions for those in authority, most believers misconstrue eschatology. According to Penn (
Biblical wisdom in the book of Proverbs reflects that when the righteous are in authority, people rejoice, but when wicked leaders rule, people mourn (Pr 29:2). If Christians neglect politics, they give room for evil people to enter into governance and allow ills to flow unabated. Insights from biblical Proverbs suggest that what makes politics good or evil is the calibre of the people who get involved in it. If Christians, as the ‘salt and light of the world’, participate in politics, the citizens will enjoy good governance and decent standards of living. We therefore argue that Zimbabwean Christians ought to get involved in politics and demonstrate what is good for the world eschatologically, as outposts of heaven. Agreeably, Tutu (
This article unravelled Church and political engagement in Zimbabwe under the new dispensation. It uncovered that there is an ongoing challenge of clarity on how the Church can engage with the state. The authors traced the historical background of the Church and politics in Zimbabwe and observed that factionalism, economic volatility, corruptibility, hermeneutical weaknesses and theological differences amongst churches have defied ecclesial engagements with politics from the pre-independence era to the present day. It is contended that the prophetic voice of the Church was weakened after Zimbabwe’s political independence when suppressive ruling elites used and abused churches as their riding horses for conquest and retention of power. Perceiving that the meanings of the terms ‘Church’ and ‘politics’ have been compromised and confused by ruling party politicians and their enablers to brainwash citizens, the definitions were revisited and complexities were unearthed which buttress the article’s argument that political engagement by the Church is an ongoing conundrum in Zimbabwe. The Old Testament’s fearless prophetic nexus with politics was reviewed, as was the New Testament’s reflection of the Church as the salt and the light of the earth (Mt 5:13–16). Our discernment of the interactions between the Old Testament prophets and kings, as well as the New Testament’s metaphoric reflection of believers as the salt and the light of the world, provides a definitive model of holistic ecclesiology that engages with all issues in all areas of life, through which we find that the Church and politics are inseparable. Our reflection on the Old Testament indicates that word-bearers of God should be firm and fearless in living, delivering and applying the word of God in broad terms. This article’s New Testament appraisal proposes that the Church must be sound, exemplary and influential towards the conversion and reconciliation of humanity from evil to Godliness. In Zimbabwe’s volatile political context of prevalent evils such as selfishness, corruption, intolerance and violence, it is concluded that the Church must rise as the ‘salt and light’, to engage in politics as ambassadors of God by contextualising the firm, bold and fearless prophetic tenets of the Old Testament. In keeping with the New Testament principles, the Church must season and influence national politics towards curbing injustice, oppression, corruption and other evils that have been haunting Zimbabwe for decades.
The authors declare that they have no financial or personal relationships that may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this article.
Both authors contributed equally to the writing of this article.
This article followed all ethical standards for research without direct contact with human or animal subjects.
This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analysed in this study.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any affiliated agency of the authors.
We are aware that there are some scholars who uphold the theological concept of the
We agree with Lindsay (