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African biblical scholars postulate that biblical interpretation in Africa involves linking biblical texts to African contexts. This means that the African interpreter of a biblical text focuses on its possible relevance in an African context rather than on the socio-historical background of the community that produced the text or on its literary form. The primary task of the reader of the Bible is then to engage the biblical text with an African context in order to (re-)construct a meaning that by Africans is perceived as life-affirming. This article considers the interpretation of Exodus 3.1-14 in the Lumpa Church of Alice Lenshina in Zambia, showing how the African context shapes an understanding of the Bible. The Lumpa Church was an African Independent Church, founded by Alice Lenshina in opposition to the teachings of the Free Church of Scotland missionaries in North Eastern Zambia.

The bible has been differently received, read, interpreted and appropriated in African communities. Political freedom fighters in Zambia used the bible to promote black consciousness and an awareness of African identity. The first group of freedom fighters who emerged from the Mwenzo and Lubwa mission stations of the Free Church of Scotland in North Eastern Zambia read and interpreted the bible in a manner that encouraged resistance against colonialism and the marginalization of African culture. This paper adds to current shifts in African biblical scholarship by considering Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe’s interpretation of Exodus 20:1–17 in the context of Zambia’s movement for political and ecclesiastical independence. Kapwepwe belonged to the first group of freedom fighters - fighting alongside Kenneth Kaunda who would become the first President of Zambia. The present paper shows how Kapwepwe brought the biblical text into dialogue with the African context to address urgent issues of his time, including colonialism.

Climate change and health challenges such as the HIV and AIDS have motivated religious leaders to rethink their beliefs and practices, considering how to apply these to health crises. Christian theologians and biblical scholars have risen to the occasion and developed new ways of interpreting the bible that offer a response to current situations. The new ways of interpreting the bible include approaching the text with a degree of wariness and traditional readings of the bible are often transgressed. The experience of the marginalised or the dismembered is used as a starting point for bible interpretation and theological reflection. This paper contributes to the shifts in bible interpretation and theological reflection by offering an eco-theological interpretation of Deuteronomy 23:14–15 in the context of cholera. The paper shows that, in the context of cholera in Zambia, an eco-theological interpretation of the biblical text can foster hygiene and proper management of human waste which would be an important contribution to the prevention of cholera outbreaks.

The realities of the current ecological crisis require us to develop a biblical hermeneutics that is life giving to both women and non-human nature. This paper does so by offering an African ecofeminist reading of the book of Job. The paper argues that traditional, patriarchal interpretations of the book of Job have contributed to the subjugation of women and the natural world. The paper analyses the book of Job, focusing on ways in which patriarchy and the theology of retribution have served to dominate women and the natural world. Finally, the paper shows how reading the book of Job from an African ecofeminist perspective can pave the way for interpreting the biblical text in a way that is empowering for women and the natural world in the context of the current ecological crisis.

The history of Christianity in Africa contains selected information reflecting patriarchal preoccupations. Historians have often downplayed the contributions of significant women, both European and indigenous African. The names of some significant women are given without details of their contribution to the growth of Christianity in Africa. This article considers the contributions of Peggy Hiscock to the growth of Christianity in Zambia. Hiscock was a White missionary who was sent to serve in Zambia by the Methodist Church in Britain. She was the first woman to have been ordained in the United Church of Zambia. Hiscock established the Order of Diaconal Ministry and founded a school for the training of deaconesses in the United Church of Zambia. This article argues that although the nineteenth- and twentieth-century missionary movement in Africa is associated with patriarchy and European imperialism, there were European women missionaries who resisted imperialism and patriarchy both in the Church and society.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) commemorated its 70th anniversary in 2018. Over the years, the WCC has engaged with issues that affect women in the Church and society. It has challenged patriarchy in Church structures; calling for justice, partnership in mission and the ordination of women. The WCC initiated a decade of Churches in solidarity with women (1988 to 1998) to promote the visibility of women in the Church. Using storytelling as a heuristic tool and in the spirit of the WCC’s decade of Churches in solidarity with women, the present paper documents the life and work of the Rev. Dr. Peggy Mulambya Kabonde of the United Church of Zambia (UCZ). Firstly, a brief narrative of her life and work is presented. Secondly, her work and experience in the Church is analyzed in order to engage with the issues affecting women in ordained ministry in Africa and other parts of the world. The paper concludes by proposing a model of ecclesiology that embraces inclusivity and the equality of men and women in the Church.

This paper considers the origins and development of Mindolo Mission of the London Mission Society in Zambia. First, the factors that led to the formation of the mission are analyzed. Second, the paper traces the shifts in ownership of Mindolo Mission and the negotiations to attain church union and increased ecumenism resulting in the foundation of the Church of Central Africa in Rhodesia (CCAR), United Church of Central Africa in Rhodesia (UCCAR), the formation of Mindolo Ecumenical Foundation (MEF) and the United Church of Zambia (UCZ). Third, the present paper discusses the ownership of the mission land. The paper concludes that Mindolo Mission is an offspring of the ecumenical movement and the churches who were the forerunners of the UCZ and the MEF.

This article examines the role of Prophecy and divination in the success of the Lumpa Church of Alice Mulenga Lenshina in Zambia. Concurring with James Amanze (2013), the article argues that the rapid growth of Christianity in Africa is to a large extent due to its engagement with prophecy and divination. Strong growth in African Christianity takes place mainly in the African Initiated Churches (AICs) which are Pentecostal-charismatic in their outlook. In these Churches the emphasis is on the prophetic ministry of the Church, evident in the performance of divination, healing and in predictions of the future. A good example is the Lumpa Church of Lenshina. Taking this Church as a case study, the article argues that Lenshina’s success and that of her Church are based on the fact that divination, prophecy and a search for gender justice were taken seriously.

This article explores the contribution of indigenous African women to the growth of Christianity in North Eastern Zambia. Using a socio-historical method, the article shows that the Presbyterian Free Church of Scotland in North Eastern Zambia evangelized mainly through literacy training and preaching. The active involvement of indigenous ministers and teacher-evangelists was indispensable in this process. The article argues that omission of the contribution of indigenous African women who were teacher-evangelists in the standard literature relating to the work of the Presbyterian Free Church of Scotland in North Eastern Zambia exposes a patriarchal bias in mission historiography. In an effort to redress this omission, the article explores and evaluates the contribution and experience of an indigenous African woman, Helen Nyirenda Kaunda. Based on relevant research the article concludes that indigenous African women were among the pioneers of mission work in North Eastern Zambia.

This article considers the contribution of the Mindolo Ecumenical Foundation to the political and socio-economic development of Zambia. First, the introduction and growth of Christianity in the mining areas of the Copperbelt are explored. Next, the article traces the formation and development of the Mindolo Ecumenical Foundation. In the third place, it analyses the role played by the Mindolo Ecumenical Foundation in the politics and development oj Zambia during the first decades of its formation, including its participation in Zambia's struggle for independence. After political independence, the foundation continued to fulfil a major part in facilitating reconciliation between blacks and whites. The article argues that the participation of the church in God's mission in the world cannot be divorced from socio-economic and political realities. There are many studies about missionaries and their activities in Zambia. (1) However, very few of these concentrate on the work of the missionaries in the Copperbelt province and on the activities of the Mindolo Ecumenical Foundation in particular. (2) The Mindolo Ecumenical Foundation (MEF) is one of the Christian institutions that developed a critical view of colonial power structures in pre-independence Zambia. (3) This article considers the origins and development of the MEF and its contribution to development and the growth of Christianity in Zambia. The origins of MEF can be traced back to the struggles of the African miners and their families to access welfare and educational facilities and to the initiative of the mission church to respond to these needs. The expansion of mines in Zambia's Copperbelt province led to rapidly increasing rural-to-urban migration. People from the rural parts of Zambia and neighbouring countries in southern Africa moved to the mines, where they faced many challenges. First, there was the loss of family ties and of African cultural values due to their exposure to Western lifestyles. Second, there was segregation of whites and blacks in the mines. The colonial government promoted a racial policy called "the colour bar" under which whites and blacks were not allowed to mix socially. (4) Blacks in the mines got less pay than their white counterparts while doing the same jobs. Whites went to good schools, exclusively for them, while blacks had to attend poor-quality schools. The colonial government had no proper welfare and education policy for blacks in the Copperbelt. (5) It was for this reason that the mission church took the initiative to provide education and welfare facilities for African miners and their families. Morrow records: There was a move in 1931, stemming from the Merle Davis Commission of that year, to commence systematic mission work on the Copperbelt. However, it was not until 1933 that the London Missionary Society, the main Protestant mission society working in the area of Northern Rhodesia that supplied much of the labour of the Copperbelt, followed the advice of the International Missionary Council's Commission of Enquiry, and made an appointment to the Copperbelt. (6) In 1932 the International Missionary Council (IMC) sent Merle Davis and a team of sociologists to survey the Zambian Copperbelt to define how the church could do holistic mission there. (7) The survey report recommended the strengthening of ecumenism in the area. In 1934, the London Missionary Society (LMS) founded the Mindolo Mission in the Copperbelt. Mindolo mission station "became the centre of much of the Copperbelt missionary work." (8) The Rev. R.J.B. Moore, the founding missionary of Mindolo mission station, raised a strong voice of protest against the injustices, perpetrated by the colonial government and authorities in the mines. In 1935, African workers in the mines on the Copperbelt went on strike to protest against tax increases. Colonial government forces shot dead a number of African miners. …

In the recent past, eco-theologians have blamed Christianity for its contribution to (post)modern economic systems that don’t support ecological wellbeing on the planet earth. The Christian emphasis on future life in heaven, while neglecting the importance of life on earth, and the belief that human beings are superior to other forms of life play a role in the exploitation of the natural world. On the other hand, eco-theologians have identified resources in the bible and the Christian tradition that could promote the concept of human responsibility for the natural world. In addition, theologians in Africa are searching for resources in local cultures that may enable African Christianity to provide adequate responses to the ecological crisis. This article deals with present shifts in Christianity by analyzing certain ecological features of worship in Africa that could help to advance ecological wellbeing. Considering the concept of lex orandi, lex credendi, espoused by Prosper of Aquitaine, the article contends that worship as expressed in African thought forms may lead to greater unity and ecological wellbeing.

Abortion is a controversial and complex matter that has been debated since the dawn of modernity. Current anti-abortion protests in some parts of the world are only the most recent examples of resistance against the legalisation of abortion. Anti-abortion protests continue to trigger debates on whether abortion is permissible from a Christian point of view. This article analyses the question of whether abortion is permissible from an African ecofeminist perspective. The article analyses ongoing protests against abortion, considers the question of moral rights and the Christian understanding of the sacredness of life, and discusses circumstances in life that may render abortion permissible. The article’s contention is that life is a sacred gift from God but there are situations in life when abortion should be allowed as a painful last resort.

This article demonstrates the relevance of the legacy of David Livingstone for the promotion of sustainable tourism. The life and work of Livingstone as a missionary-explorer are analyzed with the aim of distilling those of his thoughts and actions that can contribute not only to the development of plans for sustainable tourism but also to increased ecological justice. The article furthermore shows that current international policies on trade and tourism are not based on principles of equal distribution of resources. A third aim of this article is to consider ways in which David Livingstone’s commitment to the promotion of Christianity, commerce, and civilization in Africa has thus far served to promote legitimate trade and tourism. Finally, the need for economic and developmental policies built on the equal distribution of resources is discussed. The contention of this article is that David Livingstone considered western civilization, Christianity, and commerce as building blocks for the development of Africans, promoting their human dignity and for opening possibilities to create a sustainable tourism industry.

The spread of Pentecostal-charismatic churches is changing the Christian landscape in Africa. In the process mainline churches, including the Roman Catholic Church, are getting transformed. The present article considers the impact of the Pentecostal-charismatic movement on one African mainline church, namely the United Church of Zambia (UCZ). Based on relevant research and using social change theory as an analytical tool, the article concludes that the Pentecostal-charismatic movement in Africa is challenging mainline churches to redefine ways in which they do mission and respond to people’s spiritual, physical, social, and economic needs.

This article builds on the theme of a symposium held in October 2015 for female church workers in the United Church of Zambia in Kabwe, Zambia, and devoted to the impact of globalization on mission. The article discusses the effects of globalization on missionary activities in Zambia and offers some background to both the tensions and the opportunities that arise when doing mission in an Africa that is part of a globalized world. It discusses some insights that have emerged from the symposium with specific reference to the challenges faced by women doing mission in a globalized Zambian context. It concludes that globalization is setting the agenda for how mission should be done. To be relevant to Zambians, the church should seriously engage with the challenges and opportunities presented by the current uni-directional globalization to make it into an instrument of liberation rather than a force of oppression.

In recent years, there have been numerous tragic incidents resulting from the special vulnerability of migrants in Africa and Europe. In South Africa, threats against foreign nationals have been precipitated by the myth that their presence contributes to high unemployment levels in the country. This development has led many observers to turn their attention to the state of democracy in Africa. The present article examines the underlying causes of both the recent xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals and the removal of the Rhodes statue at the University of Cape Town. First, the felling of the Rhodes statue is analysed. Thereafter, the problem of xenophobic attacks by black South Africans on foreign nationals in townships is examined. The article argues that xenophobia and the removal of the Rhodes statue are both forms of protest against political oppression and economic exploitation in South Africa. Lastly, the article proposes an African-Christian model of political praxis that re-affirms the Christian mandate to make positive contributions to the creation of a life-giving democracy in South Africa.

This article documents the narratives of David Julizya Kaunda and Paul Bwembya Mushindo, first and foremost so that their stories will not be lost—that is, to preserve their memory. Secondly, they are told in order to demonstrate the contribution of indigenous Africans to the 19th-and 20th-century missionary enterprise in Africa, particularly Zambia. Thirdly, they are told as stories of resistance to colonial forces that often have sought to diminish the power and status of black Africans. Lastly, their stories represent a possibility to retrieve some of the values on which the United Church of Zambia was founded and that may inform its future missiological vision.

Following resolutions of the World Missionary Conference of May 1948, Norman Goodhall and E. W. Nielsen were assigned by the International Missionary Council to conduct a survey of theological education in southern Africa. The present article discusses the Goodhall-Nielsen report and its recommendations for theological education in Africa. It reflects on how the Goodhall-Nielsen report inspired the formation of the United Church of Zambia Theological College at Mindolo mission station in Zambia. The article traces the development of this college and its search for a paradigm shift in theological education and ministerial formation.