IT is heartening to note that while some African presidents shun the Church to participate or even comment on national issues, President Edgar Lungu welcomes ecclesiastical input for development.
We say this after noting that the President is happy that the Church has heeded his call to participate in the country’s politics to stimulate economic transformation based on Christian principles.
Like the Head of State, we believe Zambia’s political and economic responsibilities would be difficult to attain if Christians continued taking a back seat.
The relationship between Christianity and politics is a historically complex subject and a frequent source of disagreement throughout the history of Christianity.
There have been a wide variety of ways in which thinkers have conceived of the relationship between Christianity and politics, with many arguing that Christianity directly supports a particular political ideology or philosophy.
Along these lines, various thinkers have argued for Christian communism, Christian socialism, Christian anarchism, Christian libertarianism, or Christian democracy.
Others believe that Christians should have little interest or participation in politics or Government.
To the contrary, we feel all these isms are useless since the only language that makes sense to the citizenry is development which the Church should enhance.
We also feel religious groups have the right to speak out on political and social issues so long their contribution is progressive and not confrontational and intended to discredit the Government of the day.
However, having said this, we feel the Church should not cross the line by getting involved in partisan politics, which even liberal countries like the United States of America discourage.
In America, the Federal law prohibits most tax-exempt bodies, including houses of worship, from intervening in elections by endorsing or opposing candidates for public office.
This should be extended to Zambia where churches should understand that they are not political action committees and should, therefore, not act like them.
The clergy should also abide by the law and refrain from turning their congregations into cogs in a political machine.
If used properly, Christian principles can greatly enhance development and highlight the rights of the poor in what is called Liberation
Theology, which has been described as “an interpretation of Christian faith out of the experience of the poor.”
Although the best-known form of Liberation Theology is that which developed in Latin America in the 1950s, other forms of Liberation Theology have since developed, including Asian, Black and Palestinian liberation theologies.
Although Liberation Theology has grown into an international and inter-denominational movement, it began as a movement within the Catholic Church in Latin America in the 1950s and 1960s.
Since both political parties and the Church strive for a common goal of improving the standards of living for people, they could be partners in the development of the citizenry.
President Lungu has extended his good will, it is up to the Church to contribute positively to ensure that God’s people are treated fairly the way the Creator intended them to be treated. Comment