When political skies dampen Advocate Nelson Chamisa
Advocate Nelson Chamisa addresses one of his rallies in this file photo

Advocate Nelson Chamisa addresses one of his rallies in this file photo

Stephen Mpofu

Food, specifically relish, when prepared without salt is tasteless, flavourless.

Life in many African countries, including Zimbabwe and elsewhere abroad has at times become tasteless without being flavoured by the salt of the earth that were it ever possible to live in a skeletal form, people would vomit their tasteless lives and soldier on as it were.

But thank God, Christians are supposed to be the salt of this earth to flavour life so that it is lived in accordance with the desires of our Creator.

The tragic irony, however, is that Christians who should be counted on both hands as the salt of the earth continue to dilly-dally in performing that role or relent altogether to be trodden underfoot so that the devil continues to wreck havoc by authoring political machinations that include violence, corruption and allied evils against humanity.

Examples of the Church/Christians appearing to throw in the towel for Satan to flaunt his inverted might are replete in Africa with Christians or the Church raising what only passes in the eyes of the general public as a whimper when speaking against political violence in, for instance, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo among other countries where the rule of law has become a mere proverb.

But should not the ideal situation be for the Church watching happenings in societies with an eagle’s eye to weigh in heavily at any signs of political upheavals, corruption or scandal mongering of sorts to thwart these evils with the message that, “God is watching you” as a scare-crow?

This pen believes that the church’s alertness and intervention before all hell breaks loose on earth would make our globe a better place for all to live and with the Almighty smiling at the way Christians run with their role as the salt of the earth to flavour the lives of humanity.

Yet what does one see?

When the political skies darken in many countries as well as in our own motherland, Christians have tended to merely twinkle, like little stars, instead of shining to expose wrongs in society for the evils to be got rid of.

It is God’s will for His people to enjoy good governance and so it behoves on Christians to ensure that those in power live up to God’s expectations.

But lo and behold! It is not unusual even here in Zimbabwe for congregants to listen and watch, as an indignant preacher frothing at the mouth behind the pulpit and denouncing this or that unnamed church for pilfering church funds or for having liaisons with congregants among other sinful acts, the wages of which is death in the lake of fire.

One is to be forgiven for believing that the man or woman of God, as the case might be, expects the congregants to go and confront or manhandle the wrong doers themselves.

But should not the Church use crusades, print or electronic media to preach the “good news” while denouncing evil as a way of providing flavour to life in accordance to God’s will?

It is therefore to be hoped that the Church in Zimbabwe will go all out in support of the new political dispensation and against prophets of doom who continue to paint a dark picture of what the government is doing to improve the economy as well as the social and economic climate and with that put Zimbabwe on a sound march into a brave new future.

In that regard the Church should be seen to be against violence, any form of violence in the run-up to the elections and after the polls regardless of who wins the presidential vote.

Repeated threats by the MDC-T’s new leader, Mr Nelson Chamisa, to “stop” the forthcoming elections taking place if the government does not implement “reforms” demanded by his party — one of which should be a provision for thousands if not millions of Zimbabweans in the diaspora to cast their votes in the countries of their temporary residence — has the effect of darkening the political sky in the run-up to the polls.

Yet all that one hears from church leaders are saintly calls for Zimbabweans to participate fully in the elections. But should not these leaders tell Mr Chamisa and his party to promote an atmosphere conducive to free, fair, transparent and credible elections with no implied violence in utterances by any leader of a political party?

Those Zimbabweans who are busy de-campaigning the new government wittingly or unwittingly in collusion with this country’s sworn imperialist enemies should realise that they are also de-campaigning the future of their kith and kin and therefore, shooting themselves in the mouth.

Therefore, when the political sky darkens, the Christian stars should shine for all the more brighter to illuminate the way forward for all patriotic and peace-loving Zimbabweans.

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