‘Religion as a Riding Horse of Politics?’ A Critical Evaluation of Political Influence in the Zimbabwean Ecclesiastical Life

Abstract

Religion and politics in Zimbabwe have always been trading together. The country won the liberation struggle because of the role played by religion. African Indigenous Religion (AIR) and Christianity contributed significantly from opposite angles. In the transitional processes of the post-independent Zimbabwe, religion and politics had marriage of convenience. Some politicians took it upon themselves to use, abuse, and misuse religion. Religion in Zimbabwe currently functions as a political platform, with AIR still dominating the political arena while the church denominations struggle between political puppets and opponents. This has resulted in the Zimbabwean church disintegrating. It has been argued that some politicians have turned African Independent Churches and some mega churches into their own havens while pushing mainline churches to the periphery of politics as anti-progressive. Against this background, the paper seeks to evaluate the extent to which the Zimbabwean church has become a ‘riding horse’ for politics in its socioeconomic and political transformation.