Church In Zimbabwe Research Articles

Funnel Representation of Catholic Women in Church Councils

This article problematises the low uptake of higher leadership roles by guild women of the Roman Catholic Church in Zimbabwe. This is despite the fact that they are “over-represented” in the small Christian communities, which they almost “own.” They far outnumber men at the funnel base of the organisation, though they are grossly outnumbered by males from the parish council to national levels. Those that make it to higher positions in the church committees, are often relegated to clerical portfolios. What is intriguing, is the fact that the small Christian communities, which have meticulously absorbed more women in all lay ranks, are the foundational bases of the church. They are the praxis units exposing Catholic dogmas to the community; during celebrations and bereavements, in the absence of the top brass mainly comprised of their male counterparts. They are the conduits that help the catechumens live their faith, and the veins and arteries that feed the Catholic establishment with resources. A similar scenario of firm ecclesiastical control has been noted regarding the same sodality in South Africa. The Manyano/Ruwadzano sodality of the women of the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Southern Africa (used as a control group for the research study that directed this article), presented an equally low uptake of leadership posts, despite the existence of women clergy. The disabling institutions were noted as the guild constitutions crafted or passed by male clergy against women, fear of scandal, inculturation and gender. The study recommends the fulfilment of church documents advocating parity between men and women in the election of office bearers. This article acknowledges the life work and career of the late Mary-Anne Elizabeth Plaatjies-Van Huffel, who dedicated all of her remarkable talents to promote gender-equality and social justice.

Language and identity politics in the American Board Mission church in Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT The convergence of Americans and Africans (Ndau and Zulu) at the Mt Selinda mission created a new order that was marked by significant ethical and metaphysical contradictions. Navigating through such a sticky reality with potentially pliable political, linguistic, cultural and social cleavages, American board missionaries adopted strategic interventions that enfeebled the predominant Ndau identity in Chipinge. Using archival data from the mission, government and personal archives, this article argues that missionaries engaged in manipulative language politics that, in addition to pitting African identities against each other, bended, twisted and subverted the revered traditions and normative sociocultural belief systems that had sustained the foundational values of the Ndau identity for centuries. Contrary to Eurocentric literature that extols missionaries’ role in developing African languages and societies, we provide evidence that missionaries instituted linguistic and cultural reorientation initiatives to foist western policies and ideologies upon the church and the school. The upshot of this was the delegitimisation of traditional Ndau identities within the vicinity of the mission as well as the birth of new linguistic, educational and sociocultural identities subservient and apologetic to the cause, principles and values espoused by missionaries in Ndau speaking societies.

Media Engagement with the Abuse and Deception Narrative in the Church in Zimbabwe: A Critical Discourse Analysis

Media Engagement with the Abuse and Deception Narrative in the Church in Zimbabwe: A Critical Discourse Analysis

Religious Gullibility and Female Leadership in Pentecostal Churches in Zimbabwe: A Feminist Inquiry

Religious Gullibility and Female Leadership in Pentecostal Churches in Zimbabwe: A Feminist Inquiry

‘Accepting the unacceptable’: The Clash between Faith and Reason in New Pentecostal Churches in Zimbabwe

‘Accepting the unacceptable’: The Clash between Faith and Reason in New Pentecostal Churches in Zimbabwe

PREDICTORS OF E-MARKETING ADOPTION BY ZIMBABWEAN CHURCHES

Electronic marketing has transformed marketing practices. However, the acceptance of e-marketing applications and principles in churches has been moderate. This study examined the predictors of e-marketing adoption among Zimbabwean churches. The study was quantitative in nature, and a positivist orientation was adopted. Two hundred and fifty self-administered questionnaires were distributed to clergymen from various churches in Zimbabwe. Structural equation modelling using Smart PLS software was employed during the data analysis phase. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were manipulated in this study. The results indicate that marketing orientation, marketing innovation, church youth marketing, competitive intensity, and dynamic marketing capabilities have a significant influence on e-marketing orientation among Zimbabwean churches. Lastly, e-marketing orientation spurs an increase in religiosity and spirituality of church members.

A comparative analysis of pilgrim identities in Matthew 21:12-13 and that of Bernard Mzeki’s pilgrimage

The paper is a comparison of pilgrim identities between the Passover Feast and Bernard Mzeki pilgrimages. Bernard Mzeki is one of the most celebrated martyrs in the Anglican Church in Zimbabwe and worldwide. 18 June is reserved as the day of celebrating his martyrdom. Anglican pilgrims from all over the world travel to Bernard Mzeki shrine in Marondera, Zimbabwe in honour of his sacrificial life towards the propagation of the gospel. The form critical approach helps in the reconstruction of the identities of Passover pilgrims and the Comparative analysis help in comparing the two. The paper established some significant similarities in terms of the pilgrim identities of the two, while certain peculiarities had been considered as well. Though religious pilgrimages are purpose of worship and encounter the Holy One, not all pilgrims attend the festival for these primary focuses. Some have different purpose hence the quest for these different pilgrim identities.

Derailed by the Search for Greener Pastures? A Socio-Cultural and Religious Dilemma of the Youth in Epworth Circuit of the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe

Derailed by the Search for Greener Pastures? A Socio-Cultural and Religious Dilemma of the Youth in Epworth Circuit of the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe

Rising against all odds: An analysis of the leadership experiences of three female clergy in the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe

The Methodist Church in Zimbabwe (MCZ) was established in 1891. In 1977, it was granted autonomy by the British Methodist Church. From 1891, top church leadership has been dominated by male clergy. This article explores three instances of a challenge to this trend. The first occurred in 1994 when there was a leadership crisis in one of the districts, and for the first time, a woman was appointed district chairperson. The second followed the election in August 2004 of a male presiding bishop. However, allegations of moral impropriety were made against him. He approached the secular courts, and it led to his withdrawal from the position. The church appointed a woman to the position of acting presiding bishop. When the time came for the substantive post to be filled in August 2005, she was not confirmed in the position; a man was elected instead. The third relates to the controversial appointment in 2017 of a woman to one of the five vacant positions of district bishops. The aim of the research was to analyse the way in which these three women rose to positions of leadership in a male-dominated church. A qualitative research methodology was followed, with data being collected through open-ended interviews. The study highlighted that to be a female clergy leader in the MCZ entails rising against all odds. The study concluded by encouraging the MCZ to support women on their path to leadership rather than overlooking or, worse still, undermining them.Contribution: In spite of the challenges female clergy face in their quest for leadership roles, this feminist ecclesiological study shows stories of rising against all odds, describing the momentum-gaining progress of the ecclesiastical effort in the MCZ to accommodate female leaders, despite slow-moving processes.

Towards redeeming marriage custom from ‘triangular captivity’: The missional dilemma of the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe

Marriage in the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe (MCZ) is under siege. This scenario was bequeathed by the British imperialists. This siege is evident because the ecclesiastical theology of marriage in the MCZ is fastened on both African culture and the civil order. Firstly, marriage is anchored on African culture because the MCZ is an African church and it grows its mission using African epistemology. Secondly, marriage in the MCZ is affixed on civil authority because adult membership in the the MCZ is defined by being ‘properly married’ for those who have spouses. The triangular net is evident because marriage starts and proceeds culturally, the government legalises marriages and the MCZ uses marriage certificates to grow its membership, whilst the clergy solemnise marriages as government agents using the civil Marriage Act Chapter 5:11. The aim of this article was to investigate how the MCZ’s mission is informed by both African culture and civil order given that it regards marriage as the canon of adult membership, blousing of women and badging of men, participation in the sacrament of Holy Communion, confirmation into full membership, leadership positions, accredited as local preachers and acceptance into ministry. In responding to this aim, the article uses a qualitative research method to interrogate the MCZ policy books and minutes of conferences that address the theology of marriage. The research will conclude by challenging the MCZ to come up with a theology of marriage that unties itself from the cultural and civil net of this rite to interpret its ecclesial mission.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article is interdisciplinary in the sense that it addresses the issues of ecclesiology, missiology, theology, African culture, gender, church polity and the power of civil authority. The research calls the MCZ to define its marriage theology not contaminated by civil ideologies and African philosophy.

Religious Artefacts, Practices and Symbols in the Johane Masowe Chishanu yeNyenyedzi Church in Zimbabwe: Interpreting the Visual Narratives

This study was carried out at a time when most African Indigenous Churches (AICs) in southern Africa were busy rebranding their spirituality and theology. This rebranding was as a result of serious competition in an environment where a new church was emerging every day. Thus, we argue that, due to this religious contestation, the Johane Masowe Chishanu yeNyenyedzi (JMCN) Church has inculcated/borrowed certain religious artefacts, symbols and practices which had never been part of African Christianity in Africa. As a result, this religious movement has inculcated certain African/Islamic religious objects of faith in a bid to demonstrate inclusivism and religious tolerance. In this paper, we discuss the JMCN Church’s religious artefacts, symbols and practices such as clay pots (mbiya), big clay pots (makate), the wooden staff, decorated religious flags, congregating on Fridays and the use of crescent and star as its religious symbols. Artefacts, symbols and practices are borrowed from both African Traditional Religions (ATRs) and Islam. However, what remains critical in this study, is whether the JMCN Church, after its inculcation of such African traditional religious and Islamic religious elements of faith retains the tag, “a Christian church,” in the rightful sense of the traditional taxonomy of the term, “Christian church,” even though the movement itself claims to be a Christian church in Zimbabwe.

Kairos consciousness and the Zimbabwean ecclesiology’s response to crisis

The Christian church in Zimbabwe radically indicated the courage and consciousness to identify itself with the struggle for liberation of the marginalised, the oppressed and the impoverished, more specifically in the context of chimurenga or the armed struggle. Thus, the Kairos model of ecclesiology consistently and unequivocally supported masses who were the majority Zimbabweans during the protracted struggle of the 1970s against racial system, thereby assuming such designations as the church of struggle, the Church of chimurenga, the church in trenches and combat with the people; hence, the liberationist language signalled a symbol of Kairos consciousness for Zimbabwean ecclesiology. Kairos consciousness implies the liberationist methodological framework of ecclesiology when the church becomes the interlocutor and articulator identified and associated with non-persons. Furthermore, the non-persons, the impoverished and the marginalised occupy the epicentre of epistemological space in ecclesiological discourse. Precisely, the socio-economic and political landscape of Zimbabwe radically shifted from 2000 onwards, marking the genesis of a crisis. This article based on ecclesiology investigates prophetic role and the impact of the church in the context of Zimbabwean crisis.

Child Sexual Abuse Dialogue: The Place of Religious Sermon Discourses

This article investigates the Apostolic Faith Mission in Zimbabwe (AFM) church’s responses to the problem of child sexual abuse, through a discourse analysis of its sermons. Studies on this topic are scarce, and this study makes a modest contribution to this seemingly understudied area. AFM church was chosen as it is the oldest and fastest growing Pentecostal church in Zimbabwe. The study employs Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as both a framework for conceptualising the sermon discourses and a methodological thrust. In the CDA scheme, discourse is perceived to be in a dialectical relationship with social reality. A total of thirty sermons collected using the Library Research technique, and purposively sampled, were analysed using Fairclough’s five-step model of data analysis. This involved identifying trends in discourse, interpreting the discourse patterns, evaluating the interpretations, drawing generalisations and lastly suggesting recommendations. It is indicated that, although religious sermons are organs of moral, social and political education, those delivered in the AFM church fail to address the horror of child sexual abuse, owing to various socio-cultural factors such as ideologies, taboos, gender inequalities and patriarchal attitudes. Recommended is the need for preachers to address this dilemma, given their power of influence in the society. Keywords : Child Sexual Abuse; Sermon Discourse; AFM Church; Critical Discourse Analysis. DOI : 10.7176/JPCR/46-01 Publication date: November 30 th 2019

What about the Vapostori now? The ambivalence of politics of relevance among indigenous churches in Zimbabwe

In this theoretical article, I problematise the role of Zimbabwe’s Vapostori movement in the country’s political and religious landscape. I contend that the Vapostori (white-garment churches) has, over the years, been active in attempting to ensure that the former president of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, remained in power, while at the same time casting aspersions on political players of other persuasions and on other churches, and acting as a mobilisation tool of the political party, Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front. In a quest for relevance, the Vapostori promoted the politics of hero worship. In problematising the role of the Vapostori in the political arena, I respond to two questions, namely, what themes or trajectories emanated from the nexus of the Vapostori and the Mugabe era; and how can an indigenous church achieve politics of relevance that are devoid of political capture and hero worship? To respond to these questions, I couch my views in critical emancipatory research, which advocates for social justice, emancipation and improvement of human conditions. The main argument of the article is that the Vapostori, in their quest to achieve a politics of relevance, should avoid centring their narratives around the idolisation of leaders, and hero worship, and instead, champion a theology that values social justice and religious collaboration.

Open Space Worship: A Religious Identity of the Johane Masowe Chishanu Church in Zimbabwe

This study examines ‘open space’ worship that has typified the religious identity of the Johane Masowe Chishanu Church (‘John of the wilderness’ Church that congregates on Fridays) in Zimbabwe. The Johane Masowe Chishanu Church (JMCC) is a Zimbabwean African indigenous church with branches in many countries. These congregations, being in Zimbabwe and other countries, are recognizable by their white garments and gatherings in open spaces for church services. The practice of congregating in open spaces has been condemned by city fathers, town planners, and government autho-rities guided by health policies and by-laws (Lubinda 2015; Ncube 2016). In spite of these condemnations, the JMCC has continued to use available open spaces for its services. Our understanding is that congregating in open spaces has become an integral part of the JMCC’s history and theological identity. In this article, we examine the veracity and provenance of this assumed identity by interrogating the church’s traditions, its relations with colonial authorities, and its theology of open spaces. Borrowing from the theory on identity formation (Dominelli 2002), our contention is that a combination of factors contributes to the JMCC’s continued practice of gathering for worship in open spaces. These factors include the sectarian influences on the JMCC, the African spiritual ethos within which it was founded, as well as the colonial ‘othering’ and subsequent marginalization. Keywords: Johane Masowe Chishanu Church (JMCC), African indigenous churches (AICs), colonial government, identity formation, ‘othering’, open spaces, sect, pseudo-religious movements

TAPIWA PRAISE MAPURANGA (ED.), POWERED BY FAITH: PENTECOSTAL BUSINESSWOMEN IN HARARE

This interesting and timeous book examines the relationship between faith and economics amongst Pentecostal businesswomen in Harare. Four churches were studied in this book: Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries (PhD), Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa (ZAOGA), United Family International Church (UFIC), and Christ Embassy Church. These are four of the largest and most popular churches in Zimbabwe at the moment. The book shows that in the churches investigated by the contributing authors, faith played an important role in helping businesswomen to set up and run their businesses in a variety of ways.

A Socio-historical Hermeneutical Analysis of Pauline and Lukan Pneumatological Traditions: A case study of the Apostolic Faith Mission in Zimbabwe

Pneumatological traditions shaped the life and identity of the Early Church and has an impact on the pneumatological traditions in the churches today. However, most readers have a tendency of reading pneumatological passages in a linear sense (which some scholars like Dunn 1990 calls literal interpretation), therefore, this article seeks to apply a socio-historical hermeneutical analysis of the Pauline and Lukan pneumatological tradition. A socio-historical analysis brings to the fore the context of these pneumatological trends by assessing the intention of the author and establishing the purpose or the reasons which led to the development of pneumatological traditions. This article will focus on debates associated with the notion that glossolalia is an initial evidence of baptism in the Spirit. The selection of this pneumatological tradition has been inspired by the different interpretations of pneumatological passages in churches today especially among Pentecostals. We will have a case study of the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) which is the oldest Pentecostal church in Zimbabwe. The article concludes that most churches including AFM have a selective reading of pneumatological passages and lack depth on the socio-historical background of pneumatological traditions in the New Testament. The article demonstrates that New Testament pneumatological traditions developed independently of each other and served a specific purpose in each Christian community even though in essence we encounter unity and diversity in these pneumatological traditions. Hence churches, theologians, pastors, prophets, prophetesses, apostles and the laity must be exposed the socio-historical background of key pneumatological traditions in the New Testament to avoid manipulation of pneumatological passages for personal interest and pneumatological fundamentalism.

Zimbabwe’s New Constitution: Reactions and Reflections from the Ecumenical Movement in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s political waters have been turbulent for more than a decade now. The political terrain has been characterised by political bickering, intimidations, violence and allegations of vote rigging. It is believed that the Lancaster House Constitution in a way aided these vices; hence the call for Zimbabwe to come up with a new constitution should be understood in this context. After the formation of the Government of National Unity, it was agreed that a new constitution be put in place before new elections are held. Thus, in February 2013, Zimbabwe held a referendum on a new constitution which was ‘resoundingly’ accepted by the people. This constitution was a result of negotiation between the three parties in the Government of National Unity, though consultative meetings were held across the country and stakeholders were asked to contribute. The church in Zimbabwe is one of the key stakeholders which made submissions for input in the new constitution. This article, therefore, explores the ecumenical bodies’ reactions and reflections on the new constitution. Data gathered through interviews and documents analysis show that the ecumenical movement’s response to the new constitutional provisions which deal with abortion, homosexuality and freedom of conscience is by and large negatively skewed.

The Conferment of Martyrdom: Retracing Bernard Mzeki’s Life from his Formative Years in the History of the Anglican Church in Zimbabwe until his Death (1890–2013)

The conferment of martyrdom is a thorn in the flesh in the Anglican Church today. Bernard Mzeki has been commemorated annually since the late 1930s as a martyr in the Anglican Church of Zimbabwe. This is because Mzeki died a mysterious death on 18 June 1896 during the period of the first War of Liberation (Chimurenga) in Zimbabwe. Although there are other factors that might have contributed to the death of Mzeki, the church strongly believes that he died for his Christian faith. Whilst it is a fact that the Church of the Province of Central Africa does not have official, written criteria to confer martyr status, the mystics surrounding the death of Mzeki—as documented by Farrant (1966) and Broderick (1953)—authenticated his martyr status. In this regard, the martyrdom of Mzeki remained unique from the 1940s during the bishopric of William Paget, who accepted the unwritten “bottom-to-top” procedure in canonising his martyrdom. It is interesting to note that from the 1990s the church in Zimbabwe has had figures like Rev. Peter Wagner and Mrs Mandeya, who were presumed to have died for their faith, but were not recognised as martyrs. In the same period, Zimbabwean Bishops like Ishmael Mukwanda and others were advocating for an official, written procedure to canonise them. It is based on the above analysis that this article will examine

Moratorium to Preserve Cultures: A Challenge to the Apostolic Faith Mission Church in Zimbabwe?

This historical study will demonstrate that each age constructs an image of Jesus out of the cultural hopes, aspirations, biblical and doctrinal interfaces that make Christ accessible and relevant. From the earliest times, the missionaries and the church were of the opinion that Africans had no religion and culture. Any religious practice which they came across among the Africans was regarded as heathen practice which had to be eradicated. While references to other Pentecostal denominations will be made, this paper will focus on the first Pentecostal church in Zimbabwe, namely the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM). Scholars are not agreed on the origins of Pentecostalism. However, there is a general consensus among scholars that the movement originated around 1906 and was first given national and international impetus at Azusa Street in North America. William J. Seymour’s Azusa Street revival formed the most prominent and significant centre of Pentecostalism, which was predominantly black and had its leadership rooted in the African culture of the nineteenth century. Despite this cultural link, when Pentecostalism arrived in Zimbabwe from 1915 onwards, it disregarded African culture. It must be noted that in preaching the gospel message, missionaries have not been entirely without fault. This has resulted in many charging missionaries with destroying indigenous cultures and helping to exploit native populations for the benefit of the West. The main challenge is not that missionaries are changing cultures, but that they are failing to adapt the Christocentric gospel to different cultures. Often the gospel has been transported garbed in the paraphernalia of Western culture. This paper will argue that there is a need for Pentecostal churches to embrace good cultural practices in Zimbabwe.