Where Is Body of Christ?- Dickson Jere

Where Is Body of Christ?
By Dickson Jere

When the political temperature is high, we always need cool heads to lower it. In Zambia, those cool heads have historically always come from the Body of Christ, the Church. We respected the Church because all political players could meet at Sunday service without wearing political hats. We attended funerals in Church without any political colour. Even Chitentes and Cell Groups did not know political affiliation. That is how the Church occupied that middle ground of being a neutral platform to calm down political temperatures.

But in recent years, the Church has lost that moral ground. It has become part of fuelling the political temperature in many instances. Fake prophecies have mushroomed in the political space. Political divisions have found their way into the Church. The Church no longer holds us together in the way it used to.

In 1990 and 1991, when the political temperature was high during the call for multiparty politics, it was the Church that mediated. President Kenneth Kaunda eventually heeded the call for political change, with Church leaders playing an important role in facilitating dialogue. One of the key meetings took place at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Lusaka.

Look at this:

1. When former President Kenneth Kaunda was arrested following the 1997 coup attempt and faced treason related allegations, it took outside intervention to help resolve the matter. Former Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere intervened and helped negotiate Kaunda’s release.

2. When opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema was arrested on treason charges, it took the intervention of Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland to help facilitate negotiations. He was eventually released.

3. When tensions surrounded the 2021 election results, it took former President Rupiah Banda working with foreign leaders to help resolve the impasse. The team included former President of Tanzania Jakaya Kikwete and former President of Sierra Leone Ernest Bai Koroma. Once again, we looked beyond our own institutions and leaders to help calm the political situation.

4. The impasse surrounding the death and burial of former President Edgar Lungu remains unresolved. We have had to bring in other former leaders, including former Malawi President Bakili Muluzi, to try and resolve the matter. So far, it has not worked.

I think Church leaders must introspect. They have lost the moral ground in Zambia. We used to listen to the Church. We used to be on our knees with Church leaders because they represented that spiritual aspect of our lives. They represented a voice that could speak to both government and opposition without being seen as belonging to one political camp.

Whatever happened, we need the Church back.

We need the Church to reclaim its position as a voice of reason, reconciliation and peace. We need Church leaders who can speak truth to power without fear or favour and bring political opponents to the same table. We need Church leaders who can counsel the opposition with straight talk.

When the political temperature rises, Zambia needs cool heads.

We need the Body of Christ back.