Pentecostal And Charismatic Spiritualties And Civic Engagement In Zambia, By Naar M’fundisi Holloway

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131

Naar M’fundisi-Holloway,Pentecostal and Charismatic Spiritualties and Civic

Engagement in Zambia(Cham,CH: Palgrave Macmillan, 2018). 329 pp. $109.99

hardcover.

Naar M’fundisi-Holloway’s Pentecostal and Charismatic Spiritualties and Civic Engagement in Zambia is a well researched examination of the historical jour- ney of the Zambian Pentecostal/Charismatic church’s efforts at civic engage- ment from 1964 to 2012. M’fundisi-Holloway’s text is expanded from her PhD thesis undertaken at the University of Birmingham (supervised by Allan Ander- son), and is a valuable addition to the Palgrave Christianity and Renewal – Interdisciplinary series (edited by Wolfgang Vondey and Amos Yong). Authors who are published in this series are expected to critically engage with various social/religious aspects of global Pentecostal expression. M’fundisi-Holloway’s text serves as an insight into the intersection of ecclesiological concerns and public engagement of the Zambian church.

The advent of the Zambian church is the stuff of missiological legend. Lured by Robert Moffat’s captivating evangelistic testimony of “the smoke of a thou- sand villages where no missionary had been before” north of the Zambezi River, David Livingstone served as one of the human agents who nurtured the blos- soming of the south central African church in the mid-19th century. Nearly one hundred years later members of the Apostolic Faith Mission sowed the seed of Pentecost in the then British colony of Northern Rhodesia, initiating a move- ment whose exponential scope and reach has touched the very pinnacle of modern Zambian political and social structure.

In 1964 Zambia celebrated her independence and Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, who had been brought up in a mainline Zambian denomination, served as the first president. Kaunda recognized Christianity as one of the five pillars of Zam- bian society (the other four being the Press, Judiciary, Legislature, and Exec- utive, n. 30, 6). Zambia today has nearly 18 million citizens with a predom- inantly Protestant majority, 75.5% of its citizens identifying as such (1). Sig- nificantly, two presidents, Kenneth Kaunda and Fredrick Chiluba, have openly proclaimed Zambia to be a Christian nation. This declaration was enshrined in the Zambian Constitution during the Kaunda era and was strongly reaffirmed under Chiluba and following administrations.

Chapter One is an introductory overview of the Zambian Pentecostal/ Charismatic church and also highlights M’fundisi-Holloway’s research method- ology. In this chapter the author notes importantly that, in its pursuit of impact- ing Zambian society, the Pentecostal/Charismatic church has itself been im- pacted by its desire to shape and influence the public sphere. Wielding civic power, for the historical church throughout the centuries, has been a decid-

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edly mixed bag of believers either working for common good or succumb- ing to the darker side of partisan power. As later chapters will observe, Zam- bian Christians were not immune to such temptations and required further prophetic introspection. While the Zambian church has grown importantly in an awareness of her social responsibility, it must also apply caution upon whom it bestows its unrestricted ecclesial blessing. M’fundisi-Holloway records on several occasions throughout the text that the Zambian church’s prophetic role must remain unsullied even as it seeks to be salt and light in the political realm (173–175).

Chapter Two traces Zambia’s Pentecostal/Charismatic roots and describes the establishment and ongoing ministries of various denominations and move- ments. The author also touches on a noticeable change in the church’s civic engagement, from spiritual complacency to a growing self-activation. The transformation of the Zambian church from seeing civic engagement as a “sec- ular diversion” (60) to being actively committed to serving the various disen- franchised segments of Zambian society has been a remarkable and mostly positive turn. Chapter Three traces the mixed history of the Kaunda adminis- tration (1964–1991). Highlighted here is the work of Pentecostal churches dur- ing that season which, the author reflects, was somewhat minimal due to the church’s view that civic engagement was an impediment to the greater goal of soul-winning and discipleship. Pentecostal churches were attended by mostly those on the margins of Zambian society. Their belief in miracles, speaking in tongues and the conviction of the soon return of the Lord seemed odd to those outside the movement. Mainline churches were far busier with social issues and with challenging the government when legislation was introduced that contravened Christian sensibilities during this season. While Kaunda’s father was a minister ordained with the Church of Scotland and Kaunda himself took his religious beliefs seriously, proclaiming in 1996 that Zambia was a Christian nation.

Chapter Four recounts the extraordinary election to the presidency of Fredrick Chiluba who was a professed Pentecostal. No longer was the Pente- costal movement in the periphery of power in Zambia, but was an influential voice in the public square. After nearly three decades of the Kaunda adminis- tration, and with the economy and political systems badly deteriorated, Chiluba was viewed by some to be a “black Moses”—a man appointed by God to restore the nation and bring it to unprecedented prosperity. In December of 2001, Chiluba, who was desirous of the Lord’s blessing upon the nation, proclaimed Zambia to be a Christian nation. Unfortunately, ongoing corrup- tion within the Chiluba administration hamstrung the credibility of the gov- ernment. Intensifying social problems along with an ill-advised attempt by

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Chiluba to garner a third term through constitutional change left a mixed legacy for Zambia’s first Pentecostal president.

Chapter Five evaluates the new-found Pentecostal/Charismatic influence in the Zambian public square in light of the Chiluba administration. Pente- costal/Charismatic churches began to be important advocates of health care, education and other development works. M’fundisi-Holloway also critiques Pentecostal praxis and the transformed thinking emerging within the move- ment in the early 21st century. Whereas Pentecostals of an earlier generation judged political participation to be a worldly endeavor now pastors began to encourage their constituents to be active to the point of running for political office. Finally, Chapter Six deals with the significant contribution of Pente- costal/Charismatics to the HIV/AIDS scourge which continues to ravage sub- Saharan Africa.

As stated above this text is a worthy project which narrates the transition of the Zambian church from viewing civic engagement with suspicion to it becoming a major player in the social welfare of the nation. While some of the data shared is repetitive the overall value of this text to African Pentecostal Theology cannot be diminished.

Jan B. Drayer

London School of Theology, London, United Kingdom [email protected]

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