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Pentecostalism, to which the Apostolic Faith Mission in Zimbabwe belongs, is one of the fastest growing brands of Christianity in Zimbabwe. Most Pentecostal churches promise divine health, deliverance, miracles and prosperity to their members. In the Apostolic Faith Mission of Zimbabwe, women constitute the greater percentage of the church membership. Despite the fact that Pentecostal churches make promises of a good life, a church is generally expected to be a safe haven to its members. This paper wished to examine whether the Pentecostal church response to COVID-19 helped to build or destroy the mental health of its majority members, the women. The findings however show that the church mostly affected women's mental health in a negative way as it grappled with the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. This article therefore contests the claim of providing a good life as done by some Pentecostal churches. This was a qualitative study and utilized findings from a sample of 15 members of the Apostolic Faith Mission in Zimbabwe who were selected using purposive sampling. The findings suggest that the women were stressed by the teachings on marriage and emphasis on collection of money, discrimination against single women, the prosperity gospel, and patriarchy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the role of mega size African Pentecostal/charismatic prophets and charismatic figures in the public response to Covid-19. There were responses to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in late 2019, and in Africa, a lot of these were religious. This article examines the intersection between religion and the Covid-19 pandemic, in the context contemporary African charismatic-prophetism. The data is sought mainly from oral and media sources of the various charismatic figures at the center of the discussion. The same religious interpretations that inform the understanding of events in society and human life in Africa were extended to the interpretation, diagnosis, and response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The charismatic power and influence of Pentecostal/charismatic church leaders, such as Emmanuel Makandiwa of Zimbabwe, was evident through the public role that the prophets played as these churches articulated their responses to the pandemic as a public health issue with spiritual implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When applied to Pentecostalism in Zimbabwe, the concept of cultural hybridity provides a framework for understanding how global religious movements can adapt to and incorporate local cultural elements. This process results in a unique form of religious expression characterised by convergence and syncretism, reflecting cultural and religious identity's dynamic and fluid nature. This hybridity in religious practice is a testament to the ongoing, interactive cultural exchange and adaptation process. This article delves into the intricate cultural hybridity, convergence, glocalisation and syncretic tendencies within the characteristic features of New Religious Movements (NRMs) in Harare, Zimbabwe, illuminating their multifaceted role in addressing spiritual and material needs. Through a comprehensive exploration of selected NRMs that emerged from the Catholic Church in Zimbabwe, including Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries and Grace Oasis Ministries, this article unravels the central role of prophets and pastors in shaping the fundamental ethos of these religious entities. A striking and thought-provoking parallel emerges between the hallmark features of these NRMs and the tenets of African Traditional Religion and many other religious traditions. This parallel extends to practices such as exorcism, worship, healing, and deliverance, thus manifesting a profound form of religious expression informed by cultural hybridity, convergence, syncretism, and glocalisation. While there are ambiguities around scholarly debates on the definition of these terms, the article delves deep into the intricate religious elements embedded within the NRMs' characteristic features, such as hymns, modes of worship, healing rituals, and deliverance ceremonies. These elements are tangible manifestations of their unique position at the crossroads of diverse belief systems. The cultural hybridity, convergence, syncretism, and glocalisation tendencies within NRMs offer gateways to invaluable networks, fostering social cohesion and the sharing of critical information. Consequently, these characteristics have become instrumental in the holistic development of individuals and communities within the vibrant religious landscape of Harare. Thus, this article provides profound insights into the nuanced dynamics of NRMs in Zimbabwe, shedding light on their various dimensions. It contributes substantially to our comprehension of the intricate interplay between spirituality, material prosperity, and the rich tapestry of religious traditions in Harare and the broader context of religious studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pentecostalism has experienced massive growth and evolution, both within Africa and beyond, as is evident through the emergence of dynamic neo-Pentecostal movements, including independent, prophetic, and charismatic churches. However, all its establishments have been primarily characterized by problematic governance. While neo-Pentecostal founders and leaders often asserted that they were breaking away from regressive bureaucracy and supposedly "cold" spiritual practices to embrace a more dynamic approach that advances the missio Dei and missio ecclesiae through expressive and demonstrative ministries, they paradoxically ended up becoming similarly, if not more, regressive. Rather than being focused on serving others (being other-centred), they became self-centred in their actions and priorities. Drawing on missional ecclesiology, extensive engagement with relevant literature, and in-depth phenomenological observation, this paper undertook a qualitative examination of their polities. It interpretively and descriptively assessed and explored the fact that all ecclesial governments exhibit both strengths and weaknesses. In light of this analysis, the paper argues and proposes that churches should integrate their predominant governmental systems with inclusive and empowering principles from other polities. By doing so, they can transform their administrative structures and enhance their missionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the Christian church came to Zimbabwe, women have been its backbone. Today, even more than before, women are the ones who keep the church spiritually and numerically alive. Paradoxically, women are treated as objects of a male-created, monitored and imposed power structure and theology. Power seems to be located within a multidimensional system of oppression in which people can be oppressors and the oppressed simultaneously. Miracles involving exorcisms of demons continue to play an important role in defining sainthood, while possession itself has become increasingly the experience of women. With particular reference to selected Pentecostal churches in Zimbabwe, the study explores the nexus between the gendered African traditional beliefs on the status of women in society and the spiritual devaluation of women and their decimation as witches or as keepers of demons in Christian churches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This ethnographic study explores how church membership and Pentecostal beliefs afford Nigerian migrant traders living in Harare an opportunity to embed themselves within the spaces of Harare's Downtown informal settlement, which are characterised by entrenched and heightened forms of exclusion and hostility. Their church membership and Pentecostal beliefs enable them to gain a voice, negotiate place and space, and align themselves flexibly with their hosts. Displacement and migration have been explored in the Zimbabwean context, but the focus has been on Zimbabweans as migrants to surrounding countries. Whilst internal displacement has received some attention, not much has been given to the experiences of migrants from other African countries in Zimbabwe. This article addresses this omission by documenting how the church membership and Pentecostal beliefs of Nigerian migrants allow them to map a symbolic landscape and construct a symbolic dwelling amidst heightened forms of exclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexuality has always been a closely guarded subject in both Christianity and African Traditional Religions (ATRs), and regarded as a sensitive topic unfit for public discussion. In Zimbabwe, there is an emerging trend of sex gospel in Pentecostal Christianity. This has stirred mixed feelings among Christians and ATR adherents. Deploying the religion and social transformation perspective, this netnographic study of Christopher Kapandura of ZAOGA (FIFMI) and Lucia Gunguwo of Eternal Word Ministries' sermons, explores the eccentric development and argues that sex gospel is inevitable. It is a positive response to social transformation. However, this topical issue grapples with challenges of dissemination methods in the broad public space. The study shows preachers' creativity and innovation in brand formation in a highly competitive religious market. This is a timely contribution to the meagre scholarship on sex gospel in Pentecostal Christianity, especially its relevance in the context of social change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zimbabwe has, for the past five decades, experienced a proliferation of Pentecostal churches. Some Pentecostal churches or prophets own television channels and social media accounts, which they have used for communication and preaching. In some instances, Pentecostal churches run several projects and church activities. All these activities and operations have resulted in the creation of financial, personal, prophecy and project records, among others. Although Pentecostal churches are not archives or records centres, they stand to benefit if they engage in Records Information Management (RIM). The Apostolic Faith Mission in Zimbabwe (AFMZ) and the United International Apostolic Faith Church (UIAFC) both experienced splits in 2018, and this has contributed to information loss and the destruction of vital records. This study investigated the efficacy of RIM practices in the AFMZ and UIAFC and was grounded on qualitative and phenomenological research methods. The target population included pastors, secretaries and treasurers from the AFMZ and UIAFC who are part of the RIM chain. The study found that the lack of a RIM policy, trained personnel and physical as well as technological infrastructure contributed to records and information loss. Pentecostal churches are susceptible to splits. Records or information is usually managed by lay workers (volunteers) with less knowledge of RIM; hence this has attributed to information loss and records destruction. It is thus concluded that RIM in Pentecostal churches remains an afterthought. This study established critical RIM factors that Pentecostal churches may find useful, and which can increase their efficiency and effectiveness in operations and business. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study, based on Lederach's conflict transformation (CT) theory, analyses the participation of the local church in CT of political crises in Zimbabwe at the grassroots level -- from 2005 to 2020. It compares the CT interventions of one Pentecostal church denomination and of one African Independent Church denomination in the Dzivarasekwa suburb of Harare. A convergent parallel mixed methods design was used. SPSS software was used to analyse quantitative data while the NVivo application was used for qualitative data analysis. One key finding is that both denominations believe CT entails community engagement. Major challenges to local churches' CT participation include financial constraints, repressive laws and church executives' fear of victimisation. The study concludes that the impact of the local churches is low because their interventions are limited to congregation members and their immediate neighbours. Another conclusion is that CT is politicised in Zimbabwe, which restricts effective church participation. The study makes some recommendations to address this most effective in achieving peace in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much has been written on disability care and support from human rights, cultural, and religious perspectives around the world. However, there is still a paucity of information on the experiences of Persons with Disability (PWD) in their divine healing and deliverance encounter with the African Pentecostal Churches (APC) in Zimbabwe. This qualitative phenomenological study seeks to establish the lived experiences of 28 PWD s within the selected four APC s operating in the Harare province of Zimbabwe. The central questions underpinning this study were whether PWD need divine healing, and are they getting healed? The study used the religious model of disability and the Pentecostal 'hermeneutic of healing' as theoretical frameworks. While healing is essential to physical life, the findings show that PWD need dignity, recognition, and compassion more than the uncertain promises of divine healing. In the premises of the preceding, the study concludes and recommends that PWD receive holistic material and psychosocial support and that they stop endlessly chasing after a physical healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The enjoyment of good health has always been central to the Pentecostal theology of prosperity. The lack thereof has been construed as a sign of being cursed, or that one is not in a good relationship with God. While it has been tradition in Pentecostal churches to lay hands on the sick, a new phenomenon has emerged in Zimbabwe where the sick have to visit guesthouses if they want to have a 'one-on-one' encounter with a 'Man of God'. This paper, proposes that this practice is tantamount to commoditising health by Pentecostal churches in Zimbabwe, going further to argue that the exclusivity of this practice, excludes the poor, who cannot afford the price asked for when one is visiting the guesthouses. This is done from a background where spiritual healing in Pentecostal churches has been conceived as a free gift of the spirit. For this reason, this departure from a perceived 'norm' requires a closer analysis. The research is qualitative in nature, and structured interviews were used to gather data for the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pentecostal Christianity is one of the most dynamic 21st century religions in Southern Africa. The practices enacted within Pentecostal churches in Zimbabwe reflect ambivalence where empowerment of women is concerned. Subsequently, the interplay of religion, spirituality and masculinities in the subjugation of women is an enduring concern, hence, an opportunity for the church to redress the apparent gender injustices that compromise the wellbeing of women. The prevailing situation concerning Pentecostal deliverance altar calls in particular, illustrates gender prejudice, due to the pervasive nature of dominant masculinities and their manifestation in the deployment of the deliverance altar call. We argue that the nature and execution of spiritual rituals such as the Pentecostal deliverance altar call raises more questions than it solves problems. This paper problematises the ambivalent discourses that emanate from crowd-pulling deliverance altar calls that promise relief to individuals in all forms of turmoil, from disease to poverty, in two Pentecostal churches in Zimbabwe: the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) and the Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa (ZAOGA). Findings established that the current deliverance altar calls inevitably relegated women to the periphery, where they are perpetually presumed to be in need of rescue. Furthermore, the altar calls targeted women through a gender-biased practice we have termed feminisation of evil, a practice driven by dominant masculinities in leadership. We recommend a reconstruction of church rituals by a gender conscious leadership with a view to empower women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Persons with Disability (PWD) are the minority group dehumanized in the church. The subject of disability is complicated because of the impact of the Judeo-Christian teachings. The Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) in Zimbabwe is a leading Pentecostal church with a pastoral ministry theology which emphasises divine healing, miracles, signs and wonders. Thus, the space of PWD and how the PWD either connects or benefits from this Pentecostal heritage is a critical gap in this study. Objectives: The objective of this study was to explore the construction of disability through the practices and processes of the pastoral ministry in the AFM. Method: This study followed qualitative research and used the social model of disability as theoretical framework. The data were collected from 26 participants who are PWD and pastors using in-depth interviews, focus groups and participant observations. Results: The results showed the AFM pastoral practices created invisible barriers that militate against PWD. Thus, the pastoral 'divine solutions' and 'triumphalist messages and teachings' are 'prescriptive' and ineffective in reducing 'the plight of PWD in Zimbabwe'. Conclusion: The study concludes that the pastoral ministry should be 'one efficient vehicle' with which the church can care for and 'transform persons with disabilities'. Pastors should break the glass ceiling by expecting pastors to minister better and more effectively creating a safe space for persons with disabilities. A caring community should be the nature of both the AFM and the pastoral ministry responsible for meeting the needs of the persons with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of religion in ecological discourse has gained ground in the quest to improve people's lives in society. Herbal medicine is known to treat complex diseases. However, there are complexities in protecting the environment since herbal medicine entails having an in-depth understanding of traditional knowledge systems, beliefs, and practices. Pentecostal churches in Zimbabwe such as the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) have remained impervious to the widespread campaign promoting the use of herbs as an effective healing treatment. Divine healing is central to the AFM, and thus they view traditional herbal medicines as originating from evil spirits, despite scriptures referring to herbs as both food and medicine. Accordingly, developing a theology of 'greening faith' in the AFM will foster a constructive attitude toward the use of traditional herbal medicines. This article examines the position of the AFM on traditional herbal medicine and utilises ecotheology as its theoretical framework together with data gathered through in-depth interviews. The article concludes that the AFM should consciously use faith to protect the environment and promote the health and well-being of its believers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do we explain the emergence of the 'spiritual parenting' concept within African Pentecostal churches especially in urban Zimbabwe? From ethnographic studies conducted in Harare, Zimbabwe, these seem to usurp the traditional roles associated with mother, father, or Auntie within the household of counselling, instructing, protecting, guiding and other functions associated with parenthood. This study explains the emergence of spiritual parenting as a development plausibly explainable through social variables such as (1) the disintegration of traditional patriarchal values because of growing urbanisation and (2) socio-economic insecurities that seem to produce alternative kinship ties. Using a constructive postmodern approach, the concept of spiritual parenting may be understood as providing alternative 'fatherhood' spaces, thus implicitly reinventing traditional hegemonic models under the pretext of Christian spiritualities. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: Using social scientific approaches, the study explains the emergence of particular spiritualties in modern African Christianity, viewing such spiritualties as influenced by particular explanatory social variables. It argues that new spiritualties and practices within African Pentecostalism may be plausibly explained vis-à-vis from particular cultural realities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the controversial 2008 presidential elections in Zimbabwe, there was a flurry of claims from children, young adults and some ex-combatants possessed by the spirits of guerrillas who died in Zimbabwe's Liberation of the 1970s. Some members of political opposition parties in the country dismissed this cultural and spiritual phenomenon as another example of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU PF) party's gimmick to create new narratives with which to perpetuate the party's monopoly of power (which began in 1980). Some Christian and Pentecostal churches dismissed the spiritual phenomena as either faked, works of quacks or the doing and manifestation of the handiwork of demonic spirits despite the fact that spirit possession is not new to Shona people. Since time immemorial, spirit possession announced its authority as another way of knowing, explaining and arriving at contested historical and religious truths. The aim of this article is to critically interrogate oral stories narrated by the dead combatants through the agency of spirit possession. I do not focus on the original stories in their oral forms. Instead, I analyse the spiritual voices of dead guerrillas as published narratives contained in the book, Ndangariro dzeHondo dzeVachakabvu muZimbabwe (hereafter, NDDM) or Reflections on War by the Dead in Zimbabwe (Makanda & Vambe, eds, 2015). The main objective of the article is to explore what happens when oral stories drawn from the context of spirit possession are fixed as written narratives. This central objective informs other objectives of the article which are related to the agency of spirit possession in identifying the remains of dead guerrillas for decent reburials. The article argues that the modernity of spirit possession is that it asserts the presence of the departed in human life and that the possessed speak the language of national reconciliation, attack greed, corruption and bemoan the shrinking democratic spaces of freedom in Zimbabwe. Other themes that are voiced through narratives of spirit possession in the book relate to the voices of the forgotten dead combatants: voices viewed in the book as cultural sites of public memory and remembrance. The article asserts that spiritual voices in spirit possession mark the existence of an indigenous knowledge system that can generate political narratives which can be used to counter and alter officially-sanctioned monolithic narratives of war and peace. Furthermore, the possession of children and young adults as represented in the book complicates the very cultural practice normally associated with established adult mediumistic practices built around clan authorities in Zimbabwe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many scholars have examined masculinities in African societies. However, these examinations cannot be generalised across Africa, given the socio-cultural, economic, political and historical factors that infringe with religious beliefs. This article offers a case study of masculinities in a specific religious context, the Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa (ZAOGA), a Pentecostal church. It utilises ZAOGA'S teachings on masculinities against the background of Shona religion and culture (the dominant ethnic group in Zimbabwe). The analysis specifically focuses on the role of the Jesus-figure in the discourse on masculinity in ZAOGA, exploring whether Jesus presents a model of 'redemptive masculinity' or rather reinforces hegemonic notions of masculinity. The article highlights the ambiguity of Pentecostal masculinity and offers an overall critique of the effects of masculinities upon Pentecostal faith and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses how Pentecostal churches in Botswana and Zimbabwe have appropriated media technologies in their worship. It identifies which media technologies are used by the churches and considers how they are used, the theological justifications for this appropriation, and the effects of this appropriation on the Christian faith. Media technologies discussed include radio, television, the Internet, e-mail, mobile phones, and various print media. The article concludes that Pentecostal churches have fully embraced media technology, in contrast to churches like the African Independent Churches that consider such technologies as trivializing Christianity. The article argues that media technologies have allowed Pentecostal churches in Botswana and Zimbabwe to spread the gospel faster and wider. Possible negative effects of media technology appropriation, such as the commodification of the Christian religion, are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study seeks to look at the meaning and significance of Glossolalia1 in the Apostolic Faith Mission in Zimbabwe.2 This paper has also been influenced by debates surrounding speaking in tongues in most of the Pentecostal churches in general and the Apostolic Faith Mission in Zimbabwe in particular. It was the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) that brought Pentecostalism to Zimbabwe.3 The paper situates the phenomenon of glossolalia in the Zimbabwean socio-economic, spiritual, and cultural understanding. The Pentecostal teachings on the meaning and significance of speaking in tongues have caused a stir in psychological, linguistics, sociological, anthropological, ethnographical, philological, cultural, and philosophical debates. Yet those in the Apostolic Faith Mission in Zimbabwe argue that their concept of glossolalia is biblically rooted. Surprisingly non-glossolalist Christians also use the Bible to dismiss the pneumatic claims by Pentecostals. The emphasis on speaking in tongues in the AFM has rendered Zimbabwean ''mainline'' churches like Anglicans, Catholics and Methodists as meaningless. This is the same with African Indigenous Churches which have also been painted with ''fault-lines'', giving an upper hand to AFM in adding up to its ballooning number of followers. This is as a result of their restorationist perspective influenced by the history of the Pentecostal Churches that views all non-Pentecostal churches as having fallen from God's intentions through compromise and sin. The AFM just like other Pentecostal churches in Zimbabwe exhibit an aggressive assault and intolerance toward certain aspects of the African culture, which they label as tradition,4 for example, traditional customs, like paying homage to ancestral spirits ( Kurova Guva or bringing back the spirit of the dead ceremony), and marriage customs (polygamy, kusungira or sanctification of the first born ritual). The movement has managed to rid itself of the dominance of the male adults and the floodgates were opened to young men and women, who are the victims of traditional patriarchy. Besides glossolalia being one of the pillars of AFM doctrines, the following also bear some importance: personal testimonies, tithing, church weddings, signs/miracles, evangelism and prosperity theology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]