Zimbabwe Christian Alliance launched

are here to serve the people and will not focus on the symptoms. Poverty, hunger, these are symptoms; we will engage government in dialogue concerning the root cause of these social ills which is bad governance. Murabatsvina, Gukurahundi, the need for a new constitution; these are among the issues and ghosts from our past that must be satisfactorily addressed in order for us to move ahead and ensure a prosperous future for our nation,” said the convenor, Bishop Levi Kadenge. “After years of silence the church has finally awoken to pursue justice and peace and, if necessary, to defy unjust laws,” said one participant. “We came to meet with one another, and to learn how together we can play our part in bringing our nation closer to the will of God.” CA believes that God created human beings in his own image, thus making them unique, and therefore those who live the life of Christ have a duty to protect human dignity and a fundamental obligation to their Christian faith. The Alliance believes that God has called Christians to proclaim the Gospel as Good News that delivers all people from all vices of sin, including social injustices. It was felt that there was a need to consolidate the visibility of the Christian prophetic voice and action by creating a platform and space for conscious Christian leaders to work together at national level in providing leadership to the work for justice and peace in Zimbabwe. “The CA will give form and action to our goal of mobilizing Christians to give witness to the life of Christ as defined by his core mission statement on earth; “I have come that you might have life and have it to the full.” (John 10:10) We recognise the work of civic groups in Zimbabwe and will seek ways of more collaborative approaches in resolving crisis,” said the organisers. All dialogue will be pursued following Christian principles of non-violence and ethical debate. “The war ethos of all Zimbabweans must be broken, we are not going to war neither do we expect to be attacked, this is simply a platform to engage in meaningful discussion for the greater good of all Zimbabweans,” said Christian lawyer and Pastor Lucky Moyo (CIB). “The leaders in the bible speaking prophetically on behalf of God’s people declared to their leaders ‘Thou shalt not!’ whenever God’s people were unjustly persecuted, it is not about bad governance, we are talking about evil governance. Sleep well though my brothers and sisters because as God was with these ancient prophets so he will be with us,” said political analyst Dr John Makumbe during his analysis of the socio-economic and political landscape in Zimbabwe. CA is a joint initiative of various prophetic Christian bodies in Zimbabwe, including the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe (EFZ), Zimbabwe National Pastors Conference (ZNPC,) Association of Evangelicals in Africa (AEA), Zimbabwe Christian Students Movement (ZCSM), Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP), Ecumenical Support Service (ESS), Zimbabwe Orphans through Extended hands (ZOE,) Churches in Harare (CIH), Churches in Bulawayo (CIB), Churches in Plumtree (CIP), Churches in Gweru (CIG), Churches in Vic Falls (CIV) and Christians Together for Justice and Peace (CJP). The Alliance honoured Christian leaders who have been exemplary in standing up for justice in Zimbabwe, including Archbishop Pius Ncube of the Roman Catholic Church, Pius Wakatama and Sheba Phiri of the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe.