GOSPEL MINISTERS HAVE SHAPED NATIONS – A TRIBUTE TO BISHOP TELESFORE MPUNDU
From my younger days as a journalist, the name and voice of Arch Bishop Telesfore Mpundu were synonymous with public affairs.
They were associated with calls for the rule of law, justice and fair play.
Those in the opposition applauded because they mistook him for being one of them.
Those in power chastised and hated him because they thought he was an opposition sympathizer.
But the Bishop was neither. His agenda was not personal but anchored in eternal Biblical principles – the immutable foundation of good governance.
These are universal principles which informed the civil rights agenda of other Gospel Ministers such as Martin Luther King, Jr, Desmond Tutu and Jersey Jackson.
These are the same principles preached by Pope Leo XIV which politicians in the current US administration find uncomfortable.
In a world where public affairs are often governed by men of no principles, consistent voices tend to confuse rulers.
The latter, often shaped by convenient truths, find the doctrine of fair play and social justice as stumbling blocks.
Accustomed to empty praises, they see Gospel Ministers as threats to their earthly power.
Like Herold in times of Christ, politicians mistake Bishops like Telesfore Mpundu as seeking their thrones.
If their spiritually blind eyes were opened, they will realize that the men of the cloth have their sights set on a kingdom far more precious and indescribably splendid than their temporal thrones.
I hope one day soon, the contributions of Archbishop Mpundu to public affairs shall be preserved in literary form to serve as reference material for those who genuinely want to make this country a better place for all irrespective of their political shed.
The only consolation for now is that the Arch Bishop’s good works will live in the hearts of some of us as long as we live.
By Kellys Kaunda