On being a Christian Nation!

I am excited about the response that I have been receiving from some of you. Writing a book certainly appears to be a significant contribution towards the reconstruction of our nation. However, I am of the opinion that we should also use this opportunity to brainstorm through what we need to do. The first step towards this brainstorming was my first posting. The second step is that Rev. Erick Ruwona has send us an email containing some interesting aspects that we also need to look at closely. I hope you will post your comments directly on to my blog where all can access them through this link: http://takudzwagunda.blogspot.com/
On the issues that Rev. Ruwona has raised there are some that I will highligt here and further problematize for our consideration. There is the idea that Christianity is essentially a default partner of democracy. The idea is that since Zimbabwe is a democratic nation, the majority will always decide what the whole country should do. For me, this aspect brings to the fore the question of the relationship of the individual to the majority. Is democracy simply what the majority wants or is it the sum of what individuals freely decide they want? Here is what I have in mind, where majorities are dealt with as abstract entities, the danger is that frequently, the majority is not free to decide but acts on the decision of a few inividuals. While we have been told time and again that the current political leadership is democratically elected and yet, it would appear that the majority of the people have no reason for voting such a group into power. Christianity, it would appear to me has been abused by leaders as a way of legitimizing their leadership by appealing to God as being responsible for electing them.
On the current status where, Christians are the majority and have enjoyed a default status of being the official religion in Zimbabwe. This is an important observation. However, it is also true that Mugabe transformed himself into a dictator under the noses of our Christian leaders. What has been the role of Christianity and the Bible in this development? Under the current set up, Church leaders, politicians and various forms of Merchants have all become wealthier while the common people have been wallowing in poverty despite their overflowing faith! As Christianity has remained the dominant religion in Zimbabwe, the outcome has been terrible for the majority of ordinary people. Is the current state-church relationship the ideal one for the development of Zimbabwe?
Rev. Ruwona also asks: what does it mean to be Christian? In lay men's terms, being Christian simply means being "a follower of Christ". At this level, everything appears to be simple and straightforward yet, I think things become even more complicated. The first question that comes to mind is: who are the followers of Christ? Assuming that the followers are those who follow the way of Christ, the question is then, which way is Christ's way? This is especially important because we are all aware of the multiplicity of ways leading to Christ, from the Pentecostal/Evangelical, mainstream and all the other strands of Christianity which are perculiar to themselves. With all these differences, if Zimbabwe is declared a Christian nation, which strand of Christianity will constitute "official doctrine"? This is the central question on this issue for me.
The example of Chiluba in Zambia clearly shows what can happen when people can hide behind some divine authority when asked to account for their activities. Many times, I have heard leaders invoke the Bible to deflect questions of accountability. In Zimbabwe, Christianity has not effectively played the role of watchdog on behalf of Christians as leaders have all been happy to protect their offices only. The issue is that elected leaders must always remain accountable to the people that elect them. As Zimbabweans, I am sure we are aware that now and then, leaders have been abusing the Bible inorder to justify their positions. New Christian leaders have been created to continue with this use of Christianity where it serves the interests of the leaders only.
It is also important to closely analyse the rise of what I prefer to call "sponsored conservative fundamentalism" clearly manifesting itself in the Pentecostal/Evangelical movements (maybe not all of them). If anything can be said about this fastest growing brand of Christianity, it is that, it has almost been associated with "authoritarian leadership". This kind of Christianity is interested in legislating people's lives according to some statutes of the Bible that they themselves choose. This kind of leadership is easily translated to other civil offices. The end result is that we may end up again with another dictatorship. It is not surprising that in these forms of Christianity, the history of the Bible, of biblical interpretation, and most importantly the question of whether Christianity is based on the meaning of bilbical texts or on the truth of such texts becomes central. These are areas that require our attention and I hope some of you will add more comments.
This is what I have for now. Till later

Religion Post-Government of National Unity: Some Issues

The decision by the MDC National Council to join the GNU as stated by the SADC communique has opened a new chapter in the history of Zimbabwe. As we begin the necessary journey to restoration of our beloved country, we are all called to action. This is so important that we all should play a part, if not for orselves then for succeeding generations. Economists are working flat out on how our economy can be revived. Medical doctors are thinking of how our health system can be reconstructed. Everyone should be thinking about they can make a difference in their own fields for the common good. I have been thinking and am still thinking about how I can make a contribution of my own. Its clear to me that as life continued to deteriorate in Zimbabwe, we have been demonstrating our religiosity. Everywhere you go, people always look at their faith communities as their refuges. Despite this centrality of religion in our lives, we happen to have relegated religion to the level of mystery through and through. I hope as we discuss these things, we will learn more about how religion remains one of the most subtle influences in our lives. Unless we seriously, critically and deliberately seek to understand religion and how as in our recent past, religion becomes entangled with politics of domination, we may find ourselves returning to where we are coming from.
Today's talking point for me is connected to the drafting of a new democratic constitution. The last time a new constitution was attempted, there were moves by some Christian denominations and organisations that were pushing for Zimbabwe to be declared a Christian Nation. I hope this kind of selfishness on the part of Christians must never be entertained because fundamentally Zimbabwe is a multi-faith nation. No one religion should seek to gain unfair advantage over other religions on the strength of their being the dominant group. The new constitution must not only uphold the freedom of religion but must effectively define the principle of the separation of state and religion. Religious beliefs are essentially private beliefs and belong to voluntary organisations, they should never be used as the basis of public law in a nation that has different religious beliefs and practices. No single religion must gain an unfair advantage over other religions in the new democratic constitution. The constitution must address the citizens of the whole country and must avoid cases of clear transplantation of religious injunctions as public policy or law.
This is my position on the new constitution. What is your contribution? Join the debate!