ABSTRACT:
The land reform programme in Zimbabwe has been evaluated from a number of perspectives, for instance, by historians, social scientists, agronomists and political analysts. The present study provides a theological reflection on the contentious issue of land reform in Zimbabwe. Many weird happenings have taken place in the agrarian history of the country, beginning roughly from the momentous year of the land ‘invasions’ in 2000. The contemporary Christian churches are at a crossroad and given their diversity, the earliest views were unclear and watchfully cautious. The lukewarm attitude was largely dictated by the fear of the possibility of inviting unspecified reprisals from the machinations of the State. The study argues that, theologically speaking, the churches were ensnared up with a heavy culpable conscience for back-tracking their historical responsibility as prophetic voices for the voiceless in society. The study further asserts that as Zimbabwe’s myriad of crises continued to escalate in scale and scope, due to the thorny land reform programme, the Christian churches re-considered their existential mandate. They progressively transformed themselves into a determined force ready to get face-to- face with ‘Babylon’, the evil and symbolically the ‘antichrist. Thus, the study has established that some of the current voices and actions of the Christian churches constitute an emerging theological paradigm of liberation in light of the deepening woes in Zimbabwe today.
