Browsing tag
By Dave Chikosi
Pastors, preachers, apostles, prophets and priests have a divine duty of care towards the vulnerable and marginalized in society. For this reason, the political is inescapable.
But while church leaders should be political, they should not be partisan. Partisan politics is divisive and always end up bleeding over into church pews occupied by people for whom Christ bled and died.
Bishop Dave Chikosi: “In my view the blame should be placed squarely on the shoulders of two groups of leaders: the papas in churches and the politicians in government. The church papas have not only jumped into bed with politicians to get contracts and concessions, but they have gone a step further to emulate politicians in flaunting ill-gotten gains.”
By Bishop Dave Chikosi
The price for political access is never cheap. The cost of political access for church leaders is usually uncritical support and total alignment with the political status quo. Politics is an “all or nothing” game. You are either with us, or against us. “Choose ye this day whom ye will support, us or them.”
Total alignment to a political order by church leaders usually comes with a compromised ability to speak truth to power. The preacher, pastor or prophet begins to speak FROM politics rather than TO politics.
Bishop Dave C Chikosi: “Voting folk are somewhat similar to church folk. One usually doesn’t join a church because it has a better version of the theology of the Trinity, or of the doctrine of eschatology. People join churches because they felt like their lives were touched and changed by the message and the warmth of current members. This is why church members will stick with their pastor long after he has gone off the rails theologically and the church has become heretical. In politics, folk will stick with their party and principal long after both have veered off their founding faith and ideology. Again, Donald Trump is a case in point.”
By Dave C. Chikosi
“I don’t like that. It doesn’t matter that it’s Jesus saying it, I don’t like that!”
My first response to this now-gone-viral visceral reaction by Rev Makandiwa to Jesus’ command to “bless those who curse” you was to give the good Reverend benefit of the doubt, and dismiss it as just another rhetorical device designed to catch the listener’s attention. Every preacher uses them every now and then.
But I also wondered if he had gone too far. I had only seen a very short video clip posted by critics and I don’t like sermon critiques based on three minute video clips. I recall the college professor saying something about a text without a context being a pretext? Or words to that effect.
By Bishop Dave Chikosi
I am not even going to pretend that this is not controversial theologically because it is. But I figured since both Catholics and Protestants generally seem to be now singing from the same hymn book vis-à-vis government corruption, mismanagement and abuse of power, they may want to take things up a notch in letting government leaders know they are not happy with the way Wakanda is being governed.
I am arguing here that a case can be made theologically for excluding from Holy Communion unrepentant politicians and public officials who stubbornly persist in perpetrating, justifying and/or enabling acts of misgovernance that are deleterious to the welfare of the general populace.
By Dave C. Chikosi
Most Christians have no problem with the veneration of heroes of the War of Independence. Most would have no problem with erection of statues of regular revolutionaries like Chitepo, Nkomo, Masuku, Parirenyatwa, Tongogara, Takawira, Tangwena etc.
However, Mbuya Charwe (Nehanda) was no regular cadre. She was also a spirit medium and therein lies the problem for most Christians. Spirit mediums are supposedly the spokespersons for dead ancestors.
By Dave Chikosi
‘Forgive us for every act of injustice or corruption that has made the poor to suffer or the innocent to die.”
This was a worthy and very commendable prayer by President Mnangagwa at Zimbabwe’s National Day of Prayer and Fasting a few days ago. Indeed the Psalmist tells us that the LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.
But is praying to God enough? How does that put food on the table for the hungry masses? I submit, Mr President, that your prayer is correct but incomplete. Prayer is only complete if the vertical component to the Creator is accompanied by a horizontal outreach to His creation.
By Dave C. Chikosi
Fast forward to April 2020, and a little known Zimbabwean medical doctor on a social media platform publicly aims a golden arrow at the heart of one of Zimbabwe’s most well-known bachelorette. Not only does Dr Cupid manage to do what a multitude of Zimbabwean eligible bachelors have been too petrified to do, but he also manages to do what their politicians have failed to do i.e. unite these angry and contentious sadza-eaters.
By Bishop Dave Chikosi
This is a generation that worships at the altar of the god of rationality and critical thinking. This god is fashionable because no one, in their rational mind, wants to be called irrational.
There is no quicker way to tee someone off than to dismiss their views or actions as irrational. No one wants that label attached to their good name.
And very few people want their good name attached to a religious activity that has been labelled by mainstream society as irrational gibberish. The religious practice of speaking in tongues or glossolalia has been labelled that way.