Department of Church
History and Church Polity
ABSTRACT
There are many misconceptions about the Church’s role
in any society. This is so because the Church is neither a political
institution nor a social organization but a mystery of grace. The Church can
best be defined or understood in terms of its mission or its work. One cannot talk about the Church without
reflecting on Jesus Christ’s mission. The Church is thus the body of Christ,
the true representative of the broken body of Jesus Christ. Paradoxically,
while the church leaders say that they are concerned about the poor, the
downtrodden, the oppressed, they seem not to fight against harmful
socio-economic and political structures that dehumanize some of God’s
creation. The Church, as God’s compass
to direct humanity to the total good of all creation, should always advocate
for peace and social justice. Christian leaders should
have a moral and social responsibility in their proclamation of the gospel of
Jesus Christ in an environment which is characterized by despondency,
uncertainty and fear. This paper identifies moments of prophetic resistance to
social evil. It is to be noted that such
a prophetic dimension is an enduring reality of the life of an authentic Church
despite the complex, and at times compromising, relationship between Church and
State. Predominantly, this paper
attempts to propose possibilities for a new paradigm shift in Christian
ministry toward a rebirth of a socially conscious Church within the established
platform of Christian ministry.
1. Introduction
The greatest challenge
today, for the Church in Zimbabwe, is how to be relevant and authentic in a broken
society characterized by conflict, corruption, selfishness, fear and despair in
the midst of a polarized political environment. In the context of such a
society, people tend to question the justice of God and the relevance of the
Church as a primal move toward the search for justice. Theologically, the
Church is an assembly of the faithful who are called out to be instruments of grace
in a broken world. The understanding of the Church as an instrument of grace to
a broken world is based on the Biblical text that the believers/disciples are
the salt and light of the world – a metaphor of justice and righteousness
(Matthew 5:13 – 16). The Church as an instrument of grace defines the
missiological nature of the Church in terms of its authority to “preach ---,
and provide humanitarian work to improve economic development, --- health care”
(www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission). Calvin P. Van Reken
in his Social Justice writings argues that the Church as
an institution has a legitimate responsibility to the people that she exists
for:
“The church as an institution is formal organization that
sets outto accomplish a specific purpose. It is an agent. It can do things; it
can saythings; it has its own voice. As an institution, it has its own purposes
and plans,its own structure and officers, and its own mission. It has its own
proper sphere.It many ways it parallels other institutions, like governments or
schools.Working for the church makes you a church worker, and the work you do”
(www.calvin.edu/academic/philosophy.pdf:accessed 26/10/2014).
However, in Zimbabwe
today,there is general suspicion that the Church may have lost its being ‘salt
and light’ through the glaring silence of the Church’s leadership in the midst
of the political and social evils which characterize the society. This
assertion is based on the lack of a clear prophetic voice of the Church in the
context of the imploding economic and political catastrophic trends which are
glaring. What remains paramount is the fact that the mandate of the Church is
its divine designation which does not depend on the sinful nature of the
Church’s leadership. The Church’s leadership only plays an instrumental
function and not a substantive role. The Church’s leadership merely acts as the
conveyer belt. In his article
Prophecy, Politics and Power: Changing Relations between the Catholic Church
and the Zimbabwean State (1980-2007), Paul Gundani observes:
At the heart of Christianity is the conviction
that God has a purpose for creation, and that her will impinges on the history
of the world. In keeping with this conviction, the Church, as a community of
believers, consistently tries to interpret God’s will in order to align their
lives and the lives of those around them to God’s will (Gundani: accessed 23/07/2013).
From an authentic
theological perspective, the
mission of the Church cannot be understood and fulfilled outside the world
where it exists because its concern is not only the individual’s relationship
with God but also the relationship between the same individual and the world in
which she lives. In a time when
ideological pragmatism distorts seeing and deafens hearing (Villa-Vicencio
1986:viii), an authentic Church with relevant modes of ministry remains the
only option for promoting a faithful and practical discourse in the present
reality in an attempt to move toward a ‘meaningful future’. Theologically, an
authentic Church is modelled around action and praxis propelled by the desire
to image Christ’s desire to redeem the World from all form of social evils: “I
came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10b). The Church’s prophetic role in the context of
social disintegration and national polarization demands a practical
socio-political and economic engagement with the relevant agents of governance
and political players toward a socio-political contract which will give birth
to peace and democratic space for all. Any other option would be a disgrace to
the Church of Jesus Christ who came to declare the good news to all.
- Lessons from History: Church–State Relations
The full text of my
argument is grounded in the primary lessons of history because Christianity is
an historical religion hence the need for a brief historical analysis of the
key lessons of Church history. The story of Christianity shows that it is
possible “to read the Bible as a textbook on the pathology of religion giving
rise to hypocrisy, idolatry, group egotism and collective blindness”
(Villa-Vicencio 1986: xv) while on the other hand the Bible can be read as a
therapeutic text-overcoming the maladies of society by being a source of
political renewal (Baum 1975:62-84). The Christian Church has always played an
ambiguous socio-political role throughout its history. In some cases, the Church
has blessed and legitimated the State (post-Constantine era) while at times,
the Church (observably some individual characters) has rejected the status quo
by affirming the reign of God by calling for social justice against political
evils of the State.
The first Christians were uncompromisingly
confrontational with regard to the secular order. They believed that the State
was ungodly while on the other hand the State also viewed Christians as being
in a “deadly collision with the Roman Empire” (Hastings 1926:208).The writings of Tacitus (60 – 120) as preserved
in Documents of the Christian Church (1964: 1 – 6) show that the Early
Church was uncompromisingin its mission: “All the endeavours of men, the entire
emperor’s largesse and the propitiations of the gods, did not suffice”
(Bettenson, 1964:1 – 2) to destroy the resolve of the Church Fathers. The case of Bishop Polycarp, a Christian martyr who took a
clear stance against the evil systems of the Roman Empire justifies the
theology of the Early Church when he said:
“spiritual authority impinged on the political realm in both judgment
and renewal” (Epistle Concerning Martyrdom of Polycarp 1:37).
The post Constantinian
era (312CE) allowed the Church to become an ally of the State; the Emperors
became compatriots of the Bishops. In the same spirit “the sovereign autocrat
was inevitably and immediately involved in the development of the Church, and
conversely the Church became more and more implicated in high political decisions”
(Chadwick 1988:125). The Emperors saw Christianity as a means of promoting
social stability for the common good of the empire. During the Medieval era, St
Augustine’s imperial theology promoted a critical solidarity between Church and
State hence he could argue that at times the Church has to say no and at times
yes to State ideologies (Brown: 1969:289). Augustine argued that it was the
obligation of the Christian to bring the State into order because Christiansare
“an assembly of reasonable beings bound together by a common agreement as to
the objects of their love” (St Augustine, Civitas
Dei, Chapter XIX: 24). Augustine operated at a thin trajectory level
because he also believed that even though the Church was superior to the State,
the State was also obliged to help the cause of the Church whenever it mattered
most. Clearly, such thinking has some parallels in Zimbabwe today!
TheReformers alsosought
to maintain rapport between Church and State hence Martin Luther argued that
“God has ordained two governments: the spiritual by which the Holy Spirit
produces Christians and the righteous people under Christ; and the temporary,
which restrains the un-Christian and wicked so that – no thanks to them – they
are obliged to keep still and to maintain an outward peace” (Villa-Vicencio
1986:50). In the same vein, John Calvin argued that people must obey the law
but they also must be mindful that God is higher than the human law. However, Calvin
believed that even though the State was a necessary institution it was never
perfect because it was managed by fallible mankind (McNeill 1965:31-32). In his
work (Institutes of the Christian Religion; Book 1V);Calvin argues that civil
disobedience to evil systems of governance is a right to all people just as we
learn through the actions of Daniel who refused to obey the impious decree of
Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 6:22) (Calvin: accessed 12/04/2013). In the mind of
Calvin, it is clear that the Church is meant to be the final arbiter for peace
in the world where sin and evil seek to destroy that which is good.
The modern Church is
characterised by powerful justice-conscious movements within the established
church-denominations. These movements have promoted popular pastoral
declarations and affirmations which have become the rallying point of the
social renewal spirit in Church circles. The Barman Declaration (1934) is one
such statement during the crisis of Nazism. The declaration rejected the
established Church agenda by refusing to theologically absolutise a particular
political programme. Dietrich Bonheoffer
was inspired by the Barman Declaration and “he acted as a responsible and brave
man” (De Gruchy 1984:16). Bonheoffer defended the weak and the poor by
attempting to affirm God’s love and justice in the context of political and
social evils. This is a good lesson as to the meaning and cost of discipleship
and there is no neutral ground for the Church when it comes to matters of faith
and justice.
In Latin America, the
Medellin Conference (1968) addressed issues of faith and justice in an honest
way. This conference was a culmination of small theological reflection groups
which began in the climax of political subjugation. Medellin declared that the
authentic message of the gospel of Jesus Christ was against false and evil
“political, social and economic systems which were responsible for the
oppression of the masses” (Medellin 1968).In South Africa, the Kairos Document (1985)was the climax of
active participation in the socio-political arena by individual Christians. The
Kairos Document deplored apartheid system as an evil crisis which impinged on
God’s justice for all creation. It condemned the abuse of religion for
political gain (Kairos, Chapters 1
& 2). It called for a prophetic theology which is the authentic message of
the gospel truth (Kairos, Chapter 4).
The lessons from bothMedellin and Kairosare enough to inspire the
Zimbabwean Church to act as the salt and light of the nation in the search for
peace and justice for all.
- Kairos for Mission: Whither to Church in Zimbabwe?
Eugene Bianchi argues
that the Church “as one of the principal agents whereby the human community is
made to stand under the judgment of the enduring values of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ” (Dulles 1987:96) must act within the structures of our contemporary age rather than parallel to them if it were
to be a relevant instrument of grace to the hurting world. In this perspective,
the Church must be “a herald - one who receives an official message with the
commission to pass it on” (Dulles 1987:76). In his missiological analysis of
the role of the Church today; Roger Bowen argues that the Church can only
survive when it is able to develop through different phases that affect people
in real life (Bowen 1996:70).
The
relevant and authentic Christian ministry is borne out of the Church’s Kairos moment. Kairos implies a sense of urgency, the decisive or crucial moment
or point (Kittel 1968:456). The Kairos
for mission, therefore, becomes the destiny which calls the Church for decisive
action in its salvific work. Through the Church, “God issues a challenge to
decisive action ... It is a dangerous time because if missed, and allowed to
pass by, the loss for the Church, for the Gospel” (Kairos 1985:1) and for humanity will be immeasurable. We deduce
from Christ’s message that the abiding motive for mission “is love, and we have
seen that Christian love is the self-giving that lets-be” (Macquarie 1977:444).
This notion evolves from the cry: “come over to Macedonia and help us” (Acts
16:9-10).For the Church to realise its mission, it must take cognisance of the
fact that the modern world order has sought to be independent from God hence
the chaos and disorderliness of our times. In this regard, the Church’s mission
must always shine with new splendour, radiate new light and activate new
insights in reaching out to a broken world.
The Zimbabwe Council of Churches’ (hereinafter
called ZCC) role in the promotion of democracy and good governance in Zimbabwe
must be driven by the desire to make this world a better place for all
creation. This role of the Church (her calling and her mission) is stated in
Luke 4:18 “... to set free the oppressed”. This aspect of mission must be
visible and audible through the Church’s social gospel movement. In the
article, Church Activism: a Mission
and a Calling to be Attained,Sifiso
Mpofu observes that:
If the Church’sprogrammes are far removed from
issues of social justice, good governance, thedemocratic rights of the citizens
and a concern for a quality life for all, then such aChurch cannot truly claim
to be a manifestation of the Kingdom of God on earth (Mpofu
accessed:13/08/2013)
Theologians
are generally agreed that the Church is ‘a living and loving community,’ it is
a manifestation of ‘the kingdom of God on earth’. This understanding of the
Church shows that the Church is a transforming and empowering community; it is
the continued presence of Jesus the Christ on earth. From this realization, the
Church cannot afford to be indifferent and isolated in the face of the glaring
socio-political and economic decay in Zimbabwe which has become both a disgrace
and a scandal to the goodness of God’s beautiful creation. Perceiving the
mission of the Church from this perspective, Dietrich Bonheoffer
says the Church is truly the church when it fights for the salvation of others
(Bonheoffer 1993:174).The Church has to appreciate the reality that the world
needs its ministry hence it must pray to the Lord of Life for divine help as it
seeks to bring sanity and peace where humanity has failed to realise these
fundamental principles of life.
The
basis for an authentic, relevant and practical ministry is motivated by divine
justice and compassion for the marginalised children of God: “I have heard the
cry and seen the suffering of my people” (Exodus 3: 7) as well as Jesus’ declarations:
“I came that all may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10: 10); “My peace
I leave with you” (John 14: 28). Interestingly, the ministry of Jesus Christ
points to the fact that Jesus’interest was the common good of the people he
preached to. He was interested in the people’s everyday experiences hence the
declaration: “Come to me all who labour and are heavy burdened and I will give
you rest” (Matthew11:28). The lesson from this text is a warning against an indifferent
attitude by the church institution when the same people that she seeks to serve
suffer pain and perpetual suffering from the social evils. What is currently
obtaining in Zimbabwe is that the Council of churches tend to shy away from
making public comments which rebuke those who trample down the rights of the
ordinary citizens and yet in the early years of Zimbabwe’s Independencethe
Council issued out pastoral letters which spoke to the situation without fear
or favour. A good example is the April 1980 Pastoral Letter, Our call to Peace and
Justice as the Nation is born, the ZCC observed that “there is need for the
government to unite the nation for the common good of all. --- the institution of the Church becomes one of the
few places of hope toward social dialogue and social healing”. The 1980 message
has to be re-lived by the churches in Zimbabwe today for the ZCC to be authentic
and relevant.
In the context of a politically polarised
nation, the Church institution becomes one of the few fountains of hope toward
national reconciliation and healing. The preaching of the gospel of Christ
should not be mere polemics when people need practical guidance on issues of
life and death. The Church can either support the status quo or call for its
overhaul. If the Church chooses the first option then it will have chosen to
side with the ‘devil’ in co-oppressing the suffering masses who are calling for
liberation and justice. The second option of calling for the overhaul of the
situation follows the Jesus methodology of bringing liberty to the oppressed:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me ... He has sent me to proclaim liberty to
the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who
are oppressed, ...”(Luke 4:18 – 19). The proclamation of liberty to the
captives is the essence of being Church as defined by the ministry of Jesus
Christ. Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s theology in the crisis of World War 2 declares
that the Church is the place where testimony and serious thought are given for the reconciliation of the World
which she seeks to save. (Bonhoeffer 1993:127) must motivate preachers to be
honest. A holistic approach toward an
authentic theological discourse takes note that God’s salvific plan is
non-selective and is premised on the call for peace, justice and restoration
without fear nor favour. A living theology of the Church has to appreciate that
there is need for both internal and external critique of ministry and service
alike, as well as rulers and systems of governance, without fear. Failure to
take note of this aspect can result in a selective approach to the Church’s
prophetic responsibility.
3.1 The Zimbabwe Council of Churches’
PastoralResponsibility Today
A brief description of Zimbabwe and its
political state of affairs as well as the ZCC’s ecumenical responsibility will
serve the interests of this paper.Zimbabwe is a landlocked country in southern
Africa, bordered by the Zambezi River to the North and the Limpopo River to the
South. Zimbabwe attained its Independence from the British rule on 18th
April 1980 under a Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU PF)
government. Hallencreutz (1988:12) observes that the ZANU (PF) election
manifesto of 1980 promised to “respect and promote the role of the Church and
avoid completely interfering with the spiritual work of the Church”. However
the same document also added a particular close which provided that, “the
Church and the state must thus feature as partners in the promotion of the
welfare of the human being” (Hallencreutz (1988:12). Can this be the beginning
of the Church’s polarisation? Since 1980 Zimbabwe has been ruled by one
political party under the leadership of President R.G. Mugabe. For over a
decade now:
Zimbabwe has a fragile
political environment, and the Zimbabwean economy is underdeveloped due to
decades of economic mismanagement and political uncertainty. ... Much of the
country's infrastructure is in disrepair and emergency medical care is limited
(“Human Development
Report 2013" United Nations Publications. 14
March 2013. Retrieved 18 May 2013)
Zimbabwe is predominantly a Christian nation
constituted by many Christian denominations. The major protestant churches come
together under an umbrella body called theZCC. The ZCC was formed in 1964as a fellowship of Christian Churches and
the founding goal was to co-ordinate the work of the Church “in response
to the political and socio – economic problems” (www.zcc.co.zw accessed 16/08/2013).Today, the ZCC argues that it exists to bring “together the
Church and Christian organizations for joint action, witness, and coordination,
particularly to adopt a united and common response to the political and
socio-economic problems” (www.zcc.co.zw accessed 16/08/2013). Clearly, the socio-political challenges in Zimbabwe present a huge
pastoral potential and challenge in carrying out the mandate of Jesus Christ
for the ZCC and Church in particular.
What is of interest to
this paper is that while around 75% of the population claims to be Christian,
very few seem to live by the letter and spirit of the Christian values of love,
peace and justice when it comes to the political ideologies as the political
field is characterised by violence. Observably, there is no common mind in
theological traditions concerning the means at the Church’s disposal to deal
with social evils manifest through unjust systems and structures of governance.
But running through the numerous accounts of God’s revelation in history it is
crystal clear that God’s majesty is inextricably bound to social justice and
holiness hence Gregory Baum observes; “the sacred becomes the bearer of a
judgment on human life and society; and of a promise for the righting of
present ills” (Baum 1980:35).
What is crystal clear is
that true religion has to concern itself with human and social transformation
as it does with the spiritual dimensions.
It is this reality which must inform the Christian leadership that God’s
justice makes men and women tremble because God judges the sinful world, and
God’s holiness is attractive not because it offers consolation but because it
promises to turn right-side up a world that has been placed upside-down because
of sin and evil. Seeking to be relevant in the context of the prevailing
national challenges, the ZCC declared in its pastoral letter: Work for Peace in
Zimbabwe: Pray for It! Speak It! Spread It! Do It! (Isaiah
60:1-22)
We have a God given Biblical and theological mandate
to guide the nation and all leaders in making God’s voice to be heard at
particular times when He chooses to speak to His people on issues of justice,
peace, reconciliation, poverty and the liberation of the oppressed (Luke
4:18-19). As the custodians and facilitators of God’s mission, we are
obliged to “stand up and proclaim” the will of God, whenever His people are
faced with difficult situations that seem to deny them fullness of life (John
10:10). In the same way we applaud and encourage positive actions and
developments. We continue to do so as in conformity with our calling through
preaching the Gospel of truth, justice, peace and love as entrusted to us by
the Lord Jesus Christ (21 January 2013).
In the aforesaid
pastoral letter,the ZCC sought to exercise its priestly, prophetic and pastoral
responsibility in a responsible manner. This thrust learned from Jesus’ message
in Luke 4:18ff: “…he has anointed me to preach deliverance to the captives, to
heal the broken hearted, to preach the gospel to the poor, and recovering of
sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised”. Therefore, the Church cannot afford to ignore
the daily human tragedies if it seeks to remain relevant. From this message of Jesus, it is clear that
Christianity is about the moral, social, political and spiritual transformation
of the whole being and his/her environment.
Therefore confessing faith in the transcendent God of the Bible within
our socio-political context is also a call to challenge the contemporary
political and social ills of our day. The vision of ZCC which is the establishment
of a “compassionate society that is one, just, peaceful, prosperous, dignified
and passionate for holistic salvation” must motivate it (ZCC) to be a means of
grace to the nation (www.zcc.co.zw accessed: 16/08/2013).
- Relevant Modes of Pastoral Ministry for today’s Church
In the Zimbabwean
situation today, pastoral ministry develops and grows around the Pastoral,
Priestly and Prophetic Offices. These
three offices symbolize the significant roles of pastoral ministry.
Collectively, the three offices represent both the evangelical and social
responsibility of the Church. These offices complement each other toward
achieving the purpose of making this world a better place to live in.
In the priestly role, a
priest represents people to God. In
general priests are mediators between the human and the Divine. Priests follow
obedient ethics as they seek to interpret the Word of God through ethics of
grace and goodwill in order to balance the deontology and teleology (obedience
and results). In today’s language a
priest stands in the gap. The key role of intercession is representative of the
priestly office in the true spirit of meditation. This is popular in the
Catholic tradition.
In the pastoral office,
a pastor is a shepherd. The key role of
a pastor is to tend/feed the flock. A
pastor is a visitor and a healer of the broken souls through his/her message of
comfort and restoration. A pastor is more concerned about the end goal/results
–teleology. In essence, pastors look for
utilitarianism (the greatest happiness for the greatest number). They drive or
lead people toward eternal life (the goal).
Pastors spend their energy trying to get people to the door-steps of
heaven.
A prophet is a
charismatic and fearless messenger of God.
A prophet speaks/declares divine oracles of faith without any attempt to
edit the message. A prophet calls people
to order and right action. A prophet warns, corrects, rebukes and encourages
people toward keeping a clean sheet in one another. Prophets seek to make a difference; they
fight for both moral and social justice. They are concerned about deontology
(obedience to the will of God). A Prophetic ministry does not compromise the universal
truth that the Church believes in.
5. What then should be the Church’s Mission in
Zimbabwe today?
Hodgson (1988:23) says “... what formed ecclesial
existence is the power or act or work of God”. The Church has its beginning in
the mind of God but it exists for the good of the people of God. This shows
that the Church exists for the good of the world hence the need for the Church
to be an agent of peace in a hurting world. The message of Isaiah 2:2, Joel
2:28-29 and Daniel 2:44 visualises the kingdom of God being established in the
last days and all nations flowing to it and the Lord pouring His Spirit upon
all flesh. The fulfilment of these prophetic oracles implies that the Church is
actively engaged in the business of saving lives and building institutions of
peace for the common good of God’s people.
Like any Institution, the Church’s
mission provides the reasons for its existence.When one
talks about the mission of the Church therefore, one talks of that unique and
profound task of both the Church in its corporate sense and every Christian
person. “Mission is first and last about God. He initiates it (and) completes
it. God is always the subject of mission” (Autton1971:78-79). The Gospel ethics
is paramount to the Church’s missionary agenda hence it has been argued that “mission creates the Church, so mission comes before the Church’s
theology …” (Richardson 1983:316). The
Mission of God emanates from Jesus’ commissioning of the disciples - the Church
“Go, therefore and make disciples of all Nations ...” (Matt. 28:19-20). From
this perspective, the ZCC states that it seeks “to develop more effective ecumenical witness, study and
action at local, national and international levels” (www.zcc.co.zw accessed: 16/08/2013) by committing itself to:
Ø “Continue
calling for divine calmness and unity of purpose for all Zimbabweans.
Ø Work
together in healing the wounds and making Zimbabwe a great nation once again
Ø Be
prophetic in rebuking all forms of injustices from any quarter,
Ø Provide
pastoral care to those who are in need,
Ø Continue
to preach peace, love and justice in all our churches more so now and in future
and
Ø Avail
ourselves to actively observe the forthcoming elections.
Ø Finally,
we challenge the nation to rise above party petty politics and, in humility and
under the guidance of God be constructively engaged in prayer and finding
positive approaches to nation building. Let us live in peace and encourage
peace as the Lord says “Peace I give to you, my peace I leave with you” John
14: 27” (ZCC Statement on forthcoming
2008 harmonised elections, 17 March 2008).
The Church is therefore called upon to be an instrument of grace through
which Christ’s salvific mission is proclaimed for the good of all creation.
This can only happen if and when the Church adheres to its mission. The mission
of the Church, therefore, “describes what God is like and also what the Church
is like ... (it) bridges the gap between the Church and the Kingdom of God …” (Bowen
1996:12). This implies that the Church “exists by mission as a fire does by
burning …” (Bowen 1996:12). What then is the motive of mission? We deduce from
Christ’s message that the “abiding motive ... is love, and we have seen that
Christian love is the self-giving that lets-be” (Macquarie 1977:444). Mission,
therefore, is the task of the Church to identify itself with the world, even to
‘lose’ itself for the sake of the world it seeks to serve. This evolves on the cry of the oppressed:
“come over to Macedonia and help us” (Acts 16:9-10). In its press statement of
the 16th March 2008, the ZCC noted issues of violence that
dehumanized the dignity of the people of Zimbabwe and declared the need for
tolerance and non-violence:
“The church believes in non violence and it is
our hope that all stakeholders should resort to non violent acts when carrying
out their political activities. Even
Jesus as He was facing death did not believe in violence (Luke 22 vs. 49 – 51)”
(ZCC Press release: 16th March 2007).
What does it mean to be
a Council of churches in light of the prophetic role of the Church? What does
it mean to be engaged in the Mission of God today, in light of the great
commission: “Go ye and make this world a better place to live in” (Matthew
28:19)(The verse has been paraphrased to suit the context of my argument). The
above stated rhetorical questions help me to contextualise my argument. If the
mission of the Church is to make sense in the Zimbabwean context today; then
those who preach the word of God must ask themselves the following questions:
What is our own contribution to social decay and what can we do to salvage the
situation? What is Christ saying to us
today in the context of his mission to the world? In the pastoral letter of the
21st January 2013, the ZCC notes the need for the politicians and
Church leadership to“work together
to offer the fruits of love, which are, among others: reconciliation, tolerance, peace, and justice (Galatians 5:22).”
However, the only disturbing thing is that these press statement always remain
academic. The reason for lack of action on the press statements can be
associated with the Council’s failure to be prophetic in the proper sense as
did the Old Testament prophets who made noise until they were heard or listened
to (the case of Elijah and Ahaz – 1Kings18: 20 – 46).
In Zimbabwe’s socio – political challenges, the role
of the ZCC is to advance the unfinished business of the Church by fighting for justice
and peace in the land. Peace is Jesus’ gift to the Church: “Peace l leave with
you; my peace l give to you. Not as the world gives do l give to you” (John
14:27). In this context the mission of the Church must not point to itself but
to the event of God. In affirming this, Dulles argues that the Church’s“... mission
is not additional to its being. It
exists as it is sent and active in its mission” (Dulles
1987:78). It is the responsibility of the ZCC
(Church) to measure up to the ideals of the community. The Church should have
its roots in the common needs of the people since it is expected to liberate
the people just as Jesus declared “The Spirit of the Lord has sent me to
proclaim liberty to the captives … to set at liberty those who are oppressed”
(Luke 4:18). It is of fundamental interests that the Church is shaped primarily
by social structures in terms of its vision, mission setting and implementation
strategies. However, the Church is
unique in that it remains the creative work of the Spirit of God. The ZCC believes that there is no salvation or
liberation outside the boundaries of the Church hence the Church must: “bring total salvation to all and total
elimination of poverty --- toward enabling the Church to take up its prophetic
role” (www.zcc.co.zw accessed 16/08/2013).
The only way through which the ZCC can fulfil its mission of promoting
peace and justice in the land is through its commitment to advocate for open
structures of governance and respect of people’s rights. The Church must link
people to God and to one-another so that there is trust and mutuality. With the
Lordship of Jesus Christ as its banner, the Church should justify its faith
through its works. As James Cone (1986:114) notes: “The transcendent origin of
the Church (must never be) used as a camouflage to cover up the gross
shortcomings of so-called Christian churches”. Sadly, many Church leaders
readily declare that they are concerned about the downtrodden, the oppressed
and neglected citizens yet they seem not to be willing to fight against the
dangerous and barbaric socio-political conditions which are a travesty to
justice and peace. The Zimbabwean crisis in not only politically motivated, it
is also economically motivated. There is a temptation to focus on things that
will give “relief
from poverty, sickness or family problems” (Maxwell 2006:185) while the focus
must be on the promotion of justice, peace and righteousness. The struggle for survival by the poor reveals an enormous contradiction
between the rich and the poor who share the same values and worship in the same
Church. One is forced to pose a question: Is the affluence of the elite the
cause of poverty for the wretched masses? It is from this paradigm that the
Church should give birth to a vision that seeks to eradicate the social
injustices that create negative class struggles.
Sadly, the Church is not spared from the demon of wealth accumulation
while its congregants go hungry. The money is used for two things: a) The
building of mansions on earth (state of the art church buildings) and b) The
extravagant bonus payments to the pastor. The prophet Ezekiel decried such a
situation: “Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: she and her
daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did
she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy” (Ezekiel 16:49). Interestingly,
the picture of the Messiah in Isaiah 61:1-2 portrays a king who protects the
oppressed and the poor. In Zimbabwe, the
rich and powerful continue to prey on the poor while the pastor is praying. Therefore,
the Church should set a clear agenda toward redeeming the situation caused by
socio-economic injustices because it is a disgrace to all good and loving
citizens just as God is against all forms of oppression which are implicit or
explicit in our communities. Thus, the Church should stand up and directly
attack the structures that promote economic suffering of the masses. In its
pastoral letter of January, 2013
the ZCC spoke:
“We condemn in the strongest terms possible the cancerous
and toxic scourge of corruption that is spreading within our society and call
upon the authorities to take decisive measures to end corruption. Zimbabwe’s
development is retarded on account of millions of dollars lost to corruption”.
(www.zcc.co.zw accessed
08/08/2013).
If the Church takes a back sit in the journey of human
existence, then it loses its taste as the salt of the world. Such a Church
becomes irrelevant to the people because it is seen to be a part of the
structure of exploitation and exclusion. Therefore, the message of the Church
should promote the total liberation of humanity from all structures and forms
of evil which deprive people of the enjoyment of their God given life, freedom
and peace. As the presence of Christ in the world, the Church must shape a new
vision toward the total good of all. This is why James Cone (1986:144) says “we
should never allow a theological interpretation of the Church (of a
transcendent origin) to obscure the empirical behaviour of churches that deny
what Church people affirm in their ecclesiological confessions”. So, even if the origin of the Church is
beyond this world, the theological understanding of the Church should be
considered in tandem with the prevailing socio-political and economic
conditions.In the face of socio-political conflicts between the powerful and
less powerful, the Church should not wash its hands like Pontius Pilate or
pretend to be neutral. Rather, the Church must act like Jesus Christ who stood
up against the powerful Sadducees and Pharisees without fear or favour:
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, The scribes and the
Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, 3 so practice and observe whatever they tell
you—but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up
heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they
themselves are not willing to move them with their finger (Matthew 23:1 – 4)
The tendency that the Church leadership is comfortable
in their enjoyment of the pleasures and goodies of this world while the people
they preach to are trampled down by the evil structure of the society which are
promoted by the rich and powerful is ungodly and must be condemned as such.
Christianity should not be simply spiritualized because it is basically a way
of life in its holistic sense: It is an essential ingredient for existence and
the promotion of good. This perspective of Christianity projects a clear
prophetic responsibility which demands an honest condemnation of the
socio-political structures in which violence and conflicts are bred. The call
for prophetic responsibility challenges the Church to be more pragmatic in its
mission. Sadly, the ZCC has tended to be academic in regard to its prophetic
responsibility; merely issuing press statements that remain on paper without
action. There is clearly lack of
sufficient organisational capacity, inadequate staff in economic justice and
legal aid support.
According to A. Kambudzi (2000:35) the
Church must stand above national political interests and be seen by any citizen
and political authorities to be a non-partisan, neutral and human-centred in
its nature, just as it did during the 1960s – 1970s, during Zimbabwe’s
liberation war. During Zimbabwe’s liberation war, the Church stood up to the
political structures that promoted social injustices and proclaimed life for
all. Seemingly, the Church tends to play a low profile which is non-prophetic.
I am aware of the varied pastoral letters which have been issued by the ZCC,
but most of these pastoral letters have made no impact and the churches have
not acted in pursuit of its mandate. It would seem that the pastoral letters
are simply meant for public relations and nothing more. This is justified by
the pronouncements made by Bishop Peter Nemapare during the Church’s mediation initiatives on the crisis
that gripped the nation post 2008 disputed general elections:
We know we have a
government that we must support, interact with and draw attention to concerns.
Those of us who have different ideas about this country must know we have a
government which listens” (The Zimbabwean: 15-21 June 2006: 22).
Many citizens tend to interpret the
lukewarm attitude of the Church as compliance with the state institutions of
repression and its ideology. Yet it is the divine mandate of the Church to be
concerned about the well-being of God’s people just as God was concerned about
the welfare of the Hebrews who were slaves in Egypt: “I have surely seen the
affliction of my people who are in Egypt ... and l have come down to deliver
them out of the hand of the Egyptians ---” (Exodus 3:7 – 8). In his fight for
the oppressed Paulo Freire (1970:55) argues: “The oppressed have been destroyed
precisely because their situation has reduced them to things”. The Church’s agenda
today should be to fight for the restoration of people’s identity and dignity
in the face of their suffering by naming and shaming sin and evil. Sadly, many
Church leaders seem to be dining with the same political figures that are at
the centre of oppression, brutality and the abuse of the rule of law. Such Church leaders have become empty vessels
that are never taken seriously by anyone. The declarations of Mr Denson Mafinyane,(then General
Secretary of ZCC) justifies this view point when he says “the Church fully supports Government’s actions
as its members were also in need of land…the two must consult and maintain
their partnership” (The Zimbabwean, 15-21 June 2006: 22).
In pursuit of justice for all, the
ZCC should empower people to seek justice, enable them to visualise a new
society that they aspire to live in; and motivate them to take part in God’s
acts of salvation toward the enjoyment of a new world order. The avenues for
pursuing justice are available through the Church and Society Desk which can
easily produce fliers, banners and pamphlets on issues of justice and peace as
well as conduct workshops through mobile and immobile clinics for both clergy
and laity. Such a prospect is clearly
visualised in Revelation 21:1 – 4:
Then
I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth
had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, New
Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for
her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the
dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be
his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away
every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be
mourning nor crying nor pains anymore, for the former things have passed away.
Historically, the willingness to change (on the part of political
players) comes about when ecclesiastical Institutions rise to challenge the
stakeholders who are beneficiaries of the unjust social structures and
ideologies. Toward this goal, in September 2006, the ZCC, working with other
ecumenical bodies like the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference (ZCBC) and the
Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe (EFZ) scored a ‘pastoral coup’ when they
produced a document entitled The Zimbabwe We Want; this document “expresses the Church’s perceived
National Vision”. However, the document did not bind anyone to action since it
was called a discussion document. Nevertheless,The Zimbabwe We Want
observes “Unpleasant instances of political intolerance, violence, impunity and
lack of transparency and accountability continue to rear their ugly head within
our evolving National Democratic Culture” (The Zimbabwe We Want, 2006:
5). Sadly, the document remained an academic paper in the library shelves. This
lack of action demonstrates the ZCC’s lack of authentic sense for mission in
the context of a national crisis.
In the context of the varied socio-political evils
that bedevil the nation of Zimbabwe, one is forced to ask: For how long should
the Church leadership remain in their cocoons when its membership lives in fear
and under oppression? Does the pulpit
not provide the kairos moment to take
action and condemn the injustices that have scandalised the nation for a decade
now? The Church has to rise above fear and be a beacon of hope for the sake of
the poor and oppressed citizens who also tend to be the majority in the
Church’s membership. As the centre of hope, the Church should engage in the
fight for radical but positive change for the liberation of humanity. The Church, therefore, must
be the active subject and the world as the object that the Church acts upon or
seeks to reform.
It is noted that many Zimbabweans have been
dehumanized through tyrannical structures which promote bad governance to the
point of voluntary servitude. It is from this context that I agree with Jimmy
Dube (2006:67) when he says that some Church leaders “... have been buried
alive religiously, culturally, economically and politically”. The Church should
demystify the false image of the state which creates fear amongst the ordinary
poor citizens. It has to be remembered that the power of a tyrannical state
thrives on fear and ignorance hence the Bible says “where there is no prophetic
vision the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). The Church’s mission of promoting
life and peace in the land also entails its willingness to expose all forms of moral
and social evils. The Church should have the courage to speak truth to power.
Silence by the Church leads to an element of hopelessness amongst the oppressed
masses thereby leading them to question the love of God; later on God’s
existence in the context of sin and evil. It is the role of the Church to
liberate people; to preach freedom from all forms of socio-political injustices
which bedevil the society.This is the Kairos time for the Church, to restore
fallen humanity back to God.
In the context of human existence, the Church’s mission must shine with
new splendour, radiates new light and activates new conquests in search for
peace and salvation for all. Just
as the ZCC declared in April 1980: “We acknowledged the promising positive
national developments that we anticipated following the attainment of
Independence and pray that those entrusted with the powers to govern will do so
for the common good of the nation” it is also desirable that the ZCC rebukes
those who have scandalised the vision and promises that came with the country’s
Independence. Indeed peace, justice and freedom are the
motto of any corporal values of any society hence the mission of the Church
must not only focus on the spiritual aspect but also seek to address the real
socio-political and economic aspects of life. The Church that fulfils this
mandate becomes the true image of Jesus Christ who came to this world so that
all can have life in its abundance: “l came that they may have life and has it
abundantly” (John 10:10b).
The Church
must be conscious of the fact that throughout the biblical text the accounts of
God’s activities relate very closely to the marginalized communities and the
ordinary citizens whose existence is threatened by those who rule over them.
Therefore, in response to the glaring social evils of our times, the Church has
to make its Sunday worship services, weekly Bible studies, prayer sessions and
other services both pastoral and prophetic in a priestly manner. The repentance
which is proclaimed must be named. The
sin which is often talked about must be named.
All of the Church’s worship services must be a kairos (a moment of truth) for its audience.Once it is established
that there is moral and social evil in the land the Church has to engage in
special programmes to name and shame the evil.
These social campaigns must be clearly focused and properly managed so
that the Church avoids falling into a political trap by becoming the third
force (a force between the oppressor(s) and the oppressed). This is amoral and social responsibility of
the Church. It is a non-violent approach
or campaign in the context of civil disobedience. It is the brave ACT of
faith.
Conclusion
In Africa, it is common
for people to look to religion and religious Institutions for solutions on
those things that they lack power to deal with.
The Christian Church, as the biggest single religious Institution in the
land, has a moral responsibility to guide and counsel people toward total
good. It becomes imperative for the
Church to be pro-active in educating people about their rights and duties as
citizens. To emphasize social stability at the cost of renewal or to insist on
the indiscriminate dismissal of the social order in affirmation of God’s
eschatological kingdom is to fail to be Christo-centric.
In conclusion,
it is clear that without the Church’s vision and guidance, the Zimbabwean
society, which is largely Christian, stands in danger of becoming moribund. The established fundamental thrust is that the Church must be the face
of Christ in a hurting world so that it can bring about peace, justice and
freedom to all. It is therefore paramount that Church leaders should be able to
discern God’s plan for an effective ministry in any setting.Both theologians and church
leaders have a moral obligation to show the face of Christ in their society and
at any time as duty calls.
In my analysis of the mandate of the Church in
Zimbabwe today, I do not want to claim special theological analysis of the role
of the Church as l have just touched on certain salient factors and areas which
are critical for the moral options for relevant and practical Christian
ministry in Zimbabwe today. I therefore conclude that a Church without a
relevant ministry to a crisis situation is like a lost coin in the sea. As a
motivating factor the post-modern Church in Zimbabwe can learn from the
examples of the Early Church through the Modern era. I salute Peter C. Hodgson
(1988:137) who argues that: “The fundamental purpose of ministry is to guide
and serve the process of ecclesial formation, ecclesial preservation, and
ecclesial mission – that is, to enable the Church to realise its ecclesial
essence, to be a community of faith, hope and love, a sign and sacrament of the
kingdom of God”
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