President Frederick J.T. Chiluba of Zambia: The Christian Nation and Democracy

Abstract

This paper focuses on the career of Frederick Chiluba from his election as President of Zambia in October 1991 to his renunciation of standing for a third term in April 2001. The paper argues first that, in his book on democracy and in his declaration of Zambia as a Christian nation, Chiluba set up the criteria by which his presidency would be judged and ultimately found wanting. Second, it argues that the Christian nation concept has had the inadvertent consequence of giving evangelicals a clear basis on which to judge Chiluba and the Zambian state, and hence has served as a catalyst for more energetic and extensive evangelical political engagement.

Christianity in Africa: From African Independent to Pentecostal-Charismatic Churches

“…Whereas in the era of one-part dictatorial regimes (aptly analyzed by Mbembe 2001) the state sought to contain Christianity outside the public realm (and often fiercely resented mainline churches' criticisms leveled against its politics), the situation changed significantly with the onset of democratization and liberalization, when politicians (to be) voted into power depended on the consent of their often largely born-again constituencies. In such a situation, becoming Pentecostal may be a seductive political strategy, although, as Phiri (2003) has shown, declaring Zambia a Christian nation was of no help for the born-again president Chiluba to 466 MEYER stay in power. It is fruitful to proceed along these lines in the future because the rise of particular PCCs and their public role can be understood only in reference to the reconfiguration of the political field in general, and the state in particular (Marshall-Fratani 1998).…”

Why Can't a Pastor Be President of a “Christian Nation”? Pentecostal Politics as Religious Mediation

“…After announcing that Zambia would be a Christian nation, Chiluba set about making political changes that would reflect the declaration. These included establishing diplomatic ties with Israel (like many conservative Protestants, Zambia's Pentecostals are Zionists) and making it easier both for people to register new churches and for missionaries to come into Zambia (Phiri , 409). In addition, under Chiluba, a few prominent pastors, including Mumba, were given diplomatic passports, as they were to be “ambassadors of the Christian nation” (Lockhart , 65).…”

“…Analysts have typically attributed Mumba's lack of political support among Pentecostals to a perceived belief on the part of the latter that politics is a less worthy calling than the pastorate (Phiri , 412–415). It is true that Pentecostals routinely accuse Mumba of abandoning the pulpit in favor of the podium, so to speak, and in so doing of abrogating his calling as a man of God.…”

‘Pilgrimage to Chipundu’: Livingstone's Legacy among Scottish Missionaries in Northern Rhodesia/Zambia, 1950s–1970s

“…Hence, in the 1950s, missionaries, like Livingstone, confusingly found themselves accused of destroying aspects of African culture as modernist cultural imperialists at the same time as they were celebrated for bringing the universal truth of Christianity to the region (Comaroff & Comaroff 1991). In what can be read as a continuation of Livingstone's problematic legacy, Zambian civil society continues to debate what it means to be a postcolonial 'Christian Nation' (Phiri 2003). Although British colonialism ended in 1964, Zambians have overwhelmingly adopted European forms of Christianity, with 95.5% of the population reporting affiliation with a Christian religion in the 2010 census (Government of Zambia 2012).…”