Church Responses to the Crisis in Zimbabwe
David Kaulemu Wednesday, 9 June 2010
The crisis in Zimbabwe since 2000 has raised a host of profound and urgent questions. Among these: "where is the church?" Unfortunately the answer is that the church's response has been ambivalent because it is itself caught up in the crisis. The church is implicated in both the colonial processes and structures and in the liberation efforts of the country. As the late Professor Canaan Banana noted, there were church leaders who supported "African advancement" and justice, and those who supported the colonial regime. In situations of conflict, churches find themselves divided between a civilizing mission and upholding the interests and dignity of the local majority, between helping to maintain the status quo and helping the forces of change. Church members, including church leaders, have often been divided on what strategies to take.
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