This book explores religion-regime relations in contemporary Zimbabwe to identify patterns of co-operation and resistance across diverse religious institutions. Using co-operation and resistance as an analytical framework, the book shows how different religious organisations have interacted with Emmerson Mnangagwa’s "Second Republic", following Robert Mugabe’s departure from the political scene. In particular, through case studies on the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference and Pentecostals, African Traditional Religions, Islam, and others, the book explores how different religious institutions have responded to Mnangagwa’s new regime. Chapters highlight the complexities characterising the religion-regime interface, showing how the same religious organisation might co-operate and resist at the same time. Furthermore, the book compares how religious institutions co-operated or resisted Mugabe’s earlier regime to identify patterns of continuity and change. Overall, the book highlights the challenges of deploying simplistic frames in efforts to understand the interface between politics and religion. A significant contribution to global scholarship on religion-regime interfaces, this book will appeal to academics and students in the field of Religious Studies, Political Science, History and African Studies

This book illustrates how religion and ideology were used by Robert Mugabe to ward off opposition within his own party, in Zimbabwe and from the West. An interdisciplinary line up of contributors argue that Mugabe used a calculated narrative of deification – presenting himself as a divine figure who had the task of delivering land, freedom and confidence to black people across the world – to remain in power in Zimbabwe. The chapters highlight the appropriation and deployment of religious themes in Mugabe’s domestic and international politics, reflect on the contestation around the deification of Mugabe in Zimbabwean politics across different forms of religious expression, including African Traditional Religions and various strands of Christianity and initiate further reflections on the interface between religion and politics in Africa and globally. Politics and Religion in Zimbabwe will be of interest to scholars of religion and politics, Southern Africa and African politics.

Religious Leaders and the Regime in the Second Republic of Zimbabwe looks at the nexus of religion and politics in Zimbabwe. Religious leaders and institutes are discussed as either regime enablers, resistors, or transformers. This book focuses on how religion has played a role in thwarting democracy and has acted as a machine to silence dissenting voices, repression, and poor governance. The book addresses religious figures such as Andrew Wutawunashe, Talent Chiwenga, Bishop Mutendi, and Mapostori. In discussing these figures, the book highlights how ZANU PF has taken advantage of religious power to thwart democracy while rewarding regime enablers. The book also discusses the road to 2023 Zimbabwean elections and highlights the role of the church in creating an enabling and catastrophic environment. This book challenges oppressive systems perpetrated by religious leaders and politicians.

This collection focuses on the role of religious leaders and religious institutions in supporting or resisting the democratization process in Zimbabwe. It scrutinizes the actions of religious leaders such Andrew Wutawunashe and Jeremiah Mutendi who were prominent in the political scene and participated as enablers of the undemocratic regime. The contributors to this volume employ a variety of methodological approaches to understand the operational dilemma of the second republic under Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, commonly referred to as Zanupfism. It is an empirical study to determine the impact of religious leaders as regime enablers and assess the effects of such an approach in terms of social development, democracy, and social transformation as espoused in the rise of the second republic. In order to balance the narrative, the book highlights and offers critique of religious leaders and institutes who are the resistors of the regime. It specifically explores the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference, Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Council of Churches, Talent Chiwenga and Shingi Munyeza. This is a critical study of decoloniality in a religious context that documents characters such as Shingi Mayeza, Bishop Mutendi, Mapostori who seldomly appear in scholarship despite their great impact (either positive or negative) on the lives of the people of Zimbabwe.

Religio-political organisations in Zimbabwe play an important role in advocating democratisation and reconciliation, against acquiescent, silenced or co-opted mainstream churches. Reconciliation and Religio-political Non-conformism in Zimbabwe analyses activities of religious organisations that deviate from the position of mainline churches and the political elites with regard to religious participation in political matters, against a background of political conflict and violence. Drawing on detailed case studies of the Zimbabwe Christian Alliance (ZCA), Churches in Manicaland (CiM) and Grace to Heal (GtH), this book provocatively argues that in the face of an unsatisfactory religious and political culture, religio-political non-conformists emerge seeking to introduce a new ethos even in the face of negative sanctions from dominant religious and political systems.

This book tells the truth about what happened and is still happening in Zimbabwe, concerning local religions and Christianity. This book will lead you to seek and search the truth from the Bible so that people will determine their relationship with God. Are you following God the right way or wrong way? This book will help. (A portion of proceeds from the sale of this book is going to help funding some disadvantaged children of Zimbabwe to build their better lives through education)

"This book which fills in a variety of huge gaps in theology literature, graphically presents a tour de force that opens up an entirely fresh terrain of scholarly research, amiable alternative approach to problem-solving and generative dialogue toward peace-building, majoritarian democracy, politics of diversity, and heritage-based development." Munyaradzi Mawere, Prof. Extraordinarius of Interdisciplinary Research & Professor of African Research, GZU. Is the March still on? The volume tackles church-state relations in Zimbabwe, from historical, religious and philosophical points of view. It is particularly seized with the tantrums of the Second Republic in the face of the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference pastoral letter, The March is not ended. The letter criticizes the ruling party's definition of independence, maintaining that the situation is deteriorating and that independence is still futuristic. The various authors tackle the tussle from within their specializations, noting how the church-state tug of war sucked in both continental and international church and political institutions. The volume is a must read interdisciplinary assessment of the Zimbabwean state-church relations.

How does a regime, whose members have been actively involved in the previous one, appropriate and deploy religious ideas and rhetoric to cast itself as “born-again” and attractive? This book examines the invention of Zimbabwe's “New Dispensation,” the regime of Emmerson D. Mnangagwa, which has aimed to separate itself from the previous regime of Robert G. Mugabe. Utilizing the concept of “invention” contributors reflect on how Mnangagwa and his publicists deploy religious ideas, concepts and rhetoric in the quest for legitimacy in a heavily contested political field. The contributors examine the use of time, theological ideas and religious practices to separate Mnangagwa's regime from Mugabe's. They explore how religious ideas and ideals within the religious marketplace become building blocks and material for creating a New Dispensation.

"This book examines the invention of Zimbabwe's "New Dispensation," the regime of Emmerson D. Mnangagwa. The contributors examine the use of time, theological ideas and religious practices to separate Mnangagwa's regime from Robert G. Mugabe's. They explore how religious ideas and ideals within the religious marketplace become building blocks and material for creating a New Dispensation"--

This book tells the truth about what happened and is still happening in Zimbabwe, concerning local religions and Christianity. This book will lead you to seek and search the truth from the Bible so that people will determine their relationship with God. Are you following God the right way or wrong way? This book will help. (A portion of proceeds from the sale of this book is going to help funding some disadvantaged children of Zimbabwe to build their better lives thorugh education.)