Zambeziu (2002), XXIX (ii).BOOK REVIEWSZimbabwean Realities and Christian Responses, By Frans J. Verstraelen,Gweru, Mambo Press, 1998, 152pp, ISBN 0-869-227-297.Christian missionaries have a long history in Zimbabwe, some of them,such as Goncalo da Silveira and Robert Moffat, having lived and workedin the country long before the country became a British colony in 1890.Colonial occupation opened the door for greater missionary involvementin the life and society of the indigenous people of the country. Indeed,throughout the colonial period to 1980, Christian missionaries establishednumerous mission stations and schools and converted thousands ofAfricans to Christianity. For much of this period, the major denominationsrepresented in the country were the well-known traditional ones, such asthe Anglicans, Roman Catholics, and Methodists, among others.In the past two decades, however, Zimbabwe has seen an explosionof churches or denominations going under a confusing variety of names,such as the New Life Centre, the Faith World Ministries, the RhemaChurch, the House of Prayer Ministries, and the King's Church, amongmany others. Indeed, according to Verstraelen, there were no less than220 different denominations in the country by the mid-1980s, clustered infour main groupings under the Zimbabwe Christian Council (ZCC), theZimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference (ZCBC), and the EvangelicalFellowship of Zimbabwe (EFZ), and what Verstraelen refers to as the NewReligious Movements (NRMs). It is this confusing proliferation of Christianchurches that Zimbabwean Realities and Christian Responses analysesand documents in its eight chapters, which are grouped in three parts.Chapter 1, entitled "Diversity of the Christian Presence" lays thefoundation for the book's subsequent documentation and analysis ofChristian Churches in Zimbabwe by providing a detailed audit of thevarieties of Christian churches in the country and the umbrellaorganisations which represent them. Among the umbrella organisationsare the ZCC, ZCBC, EFZ, and NRMs. The ZCC, the biggest of the groupings,boasts a membership of twenty churches, "seventeen of which belong toProtestant 'established' churches", while three belong to "AfricanIndependent Churches". In its turn, the ZCBC, an all-Catholic organisation,comprises member groups that represent the diverse constituencies ofthe Catholic Church, such as the Zimbabwean Association of DiocesanClergy, the National Council of Priests, the Conference of Major ReligiousSuperiors of Men, and the Conference of Major Superiors of Women.Meanwhile, the EFZ, "a fellowship of church-related organisations and92BOOK REVIEWS 93individuals ... of evangelical persuasion", has a total membership of 86churches and groups, including the Assemblies of God, Africa, Brethrenin Christ Church, United Apostolic Faith Church, Living Bible International,and Youth with a Mission, Zimbabwe, among others.Lastly, mostly of American origin and espousing a fundamentalistreligious theology and openly antagonistic to older established churches,NRMs exploded on the Zimbabwean religious scene since the early 1980s.They include the Jimmy Swaggart Ministries, World Vision International,Rhema Bible Church, also known as "Hearing the Word" church, and theFull Gospel Businessmen's Fellowship International. While, sometimes,African Independent Churches are classified under the NRMs category,Verstraelen points out that the main difference between the two is thatAfrican Independent Churches "sprouted through African initiative", whilethe "New Movements have been imported from abroad with a pre-packaged mission and message". Moreover, as Verstraelen points out,these New Movements, "with their strong foreign orientation and foreigncontrol, represent a rather neo-colonial type of mission which seems tobe anachronistic in the post-Independence era in Africa", yet paradoxically,they seem to appeal to "a good number of people who feel insecure in thecontext of socio-economic and cultural changes taking place in thecountry".Chapter 2 and 3 explore the visions and programmes of the variousChristian groups and their inter-group relationships, respectively, whileChapter 4 analyses how Christian Churches have addressed "the issue of[the Zimbabwean people's] socio-economic context and . . . culture" inthe context of a deteriorating economic environment in the 1990s, thegrowing controversy over the issue of homosexuality in Zimbabweansociety, the role of African traditional religion and religious practices,witchcraft, and sexuality, marriage and the family.Part II, containing Chapter 5, focuses on "Church-State Relations inPre- and Post-Independent Zimbabwe", beginning with an in-depth analysisof the tensions between Church and State in Africa, followed by anexamination of "some general principles and practices of Churchinvolvement in politics", and concluding with a description and evaluationof "Church-State relations in Zimbabwe, from historical and missio-theological points of view". The Chapter ends with a very insightfulobservation that, in Zimbabwe, Churches have not always lived up totheir ideals, which are "to exercise, when needed, a prophetic mission ofdenouncing policies of injustices supported by governments and standingup for the poor or marginalised in society, even at the risk of beingpersecuted". In Zimbabwe, past and present, "instead of taking a propheticstance, . . . several church leaders and/or church members chose toremain neutral, or were co-opted, or accepted unworthy compromises,94 BOOK REVIEWSor tried to mediate between 'good and evil' when they should have takensides".Under the heading "Missio-theological Reflections from Zimbabwe",Part III examines three issues in three separate chapters as follows:Chapter 6 discusses how Africans in general and Zimbabweans inparticular have appropriated and interpreted the Bible to speak to theireveryday lives and their society. Chapter 7 focuses on questions of socio-economic justice, particularly with respect to the land question in thecontext of traditional and Christian mores and concerns for theenvironment, while Chapter 8 analyses "how religious studies areconducted in the major institution of higher learning in Zimbabwe, theUniversity of Zimbabwe", focusing particularly on dissertations and thesesproduced in the Department of Religious Studies, Classics and Philosophyin recent years and their relevance to Zimbabwean society. Finally, in the"Postscript", which concludes the study, Verstraelen traces recentdevelopments in Zimbabwe's socio-political experience and celebratesthe rise and growth of civic society movements and organisations, andthe increasing engagement of the churches in civil rights and justiceissues. It concludes with the encouraging message that:There are also joys and hopes as regards people and churches inZimbabwe, notwithstanding the problems and obstacles hindering thechurch's effective response to these problems. But problems can besolved and obstacles removed (p. 136).At this point in Zimbabwe's history when the country is faced withseemingly insurmountable political, economic, and social problems, thisis a timely message of hope which suggests that the traditionalZimbabwean people's good sense will prevail so that all the people in thecountry will live in harmony and prosperity.Zimbabwean Realities and Christian Responses is an insightful,informative, and well-researched book which contains a wealth ofinformation on Christian churches in Zimbabwe, their programmes andmissions, the historical, political, and cultural context in which they workand the constraints under which they operate. It is highly recommendedto all members of various Christian churches in Zimbabwe, students ofZimbabwe's religious, political, and cultural history and policymakers.PROFESSOR ALOIS S. MLAMBO University of Zimbabwe