Resistance to the inclusion of aspects of African traditional religion and culture in the ecclesiology of the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe revolves not only around the superiority of the Christian faith and the missionary origins of the ideas, but also on the desire to maintain uncorrupted Methodism as a unique brand. The missionaries and the contemporary Church view Methodism as having unique symbols, marks, and features that distinguish it from other religious traditions and even other Christian denominations. Due to this, the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe, like its missionary predecessors, does not want these symbols, marks, and features soiled by contact with features from other religious traditions including African traditional religion. This is usually done at the expense of the positive features that are found in these religious traditions.
The uniqueness of Methodism as an ecclesiastical brand can be construed in the Presiding Bishop’s address to the ministerial session of conference in 2014.He told the clergy that; ‘Our mission is to make disciples for Christ. As we make disciples lets always remember we are Methodists with a
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tradition to Cherish and preserve’ (MCZ, Minutes of Conference, 2014 p. 97). The presiding Bishop was stressing the need to preserve the Methodist tradition, which gives the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe a unique identity. During the same conference in 2014, there was a heated debate among ministers concerning the phenomenon of healing and deliverance which was threatening to divide the Church, with a section of ministers accusing those who practice it of dividing the Church. In his concluding remarks on the matter, the Presiding Bishop reminded the ministerial session that when practicing healing and deliverance they needed to observe the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe’s traditions and practices and desist from carrying out practices from other Churches and from the television and go back to the original healing and deliverance practiced by Methodists (MCZ, Minutes of Conference, 2014, p. 12). The connexional lay president also weighed in, at the same conference, on the importance guarding the uniqueness of Methodist identity. She remarked;
In my 2012 synods address I was encouraging Churches to invest in modern musical instruments and I would like to reiterate the call. We cannot ignore this need, or should I say phenomenon. On the other hand, there is outcry that there is more use of choruses than hymns. The use of such instruments should not be to the detriment of our hymns. There is need to strike the balance between the two. Let us guard our heritage and identity jealously. The onus is on all of us more so the local preachers and ministers. Music committees should play their role in assisting congregants to appreciate the richness of our hymn book (MCZ, Minutes of Conference, 2014, p. 91).
Although both the Presiding Bishop and the Connexional lay president were not referring specifically to the guarding against the corruption of the Methodist identity by tenets of African traditional religion and Culture, they are showing concern by the Church to preserve uncorrupted the brand of Methodism.
The imposition of discipline especially on the tenants on the Methodist Farms who participated in or invited apostolic sects on their allocated plots can be viewed as an attempt by the Church to preserve its identity from being polluted by the beliefs of these sects. The same can be said when the Church attempts to close its boundaries to regulate African traditional religion, that its concern is its unique identity. It should be noted that the Methodist Church in many cases chooses to preserve its identity, traditions and practices ahead of anything else, even the positives that come from other religious traditions. Udis-Kessler (2008) brings out the extent of this obsession with
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identity among Methodists when she narrates the response of one participant at a forum to discuss the inclusion of homosexuality into the Methodist Church. The participant argued,
If the denominational rules on homosexuality are Changed, Methodists won’t be different from everyone else and we are called to be different, just as the whole Church is called to be different from the world (Udis- Kessler. 2008:154).
The above participant does not care whether it is the right thing or not to include homosexuality in Methodist ecclesiology but is concerned with the Methodist identity more than anything else. So, the only option is to remain different from other at any cost to maintain the uniqueness of Methodism.
The granting of autonomy to Zimbabwean Methodism in 1977 accorded the opportunity to the young conference to deal with issues that they could not deal with when they were still a missionary Church. The issues at hand among others included the research into African traditional religion and culture and the place of polygamous marriages in the Church. The question that begs answers currently is why Church has not made headway in trying to address these concerns. As far back as 1981, then vice President Mr A. Mabeza called for dialogue between Christianity and African traditional religion (MCZ, Minutes of Conference, 1981) and because of the call the African customs and beliefs was tasked to engage in an ongoing exercise of research, to hold seminars and consultations and to bring their findings, resolutions and recommendations to conference which related to the dialogue between Christianity and African traditional religion (Madhiba 2000:63). However, to this day, issues to do with African traditional religion are still topical in Methodist Church in Zimbabwe conferences (MCZ, Minutes of Conference, 2014). The Rhodesia District Synod of 1976 received a proposal from the Area council that an initial legal customary marriage be considered complete when the woman’s family take her to the man’s home, the synod however agreed to have a week-long seminar in Gweru to discuss matters relating to African customs and beliefs with special emphasis on African customary marriages (Minutes of Rhodesia Synod, 1976, CAP E3). The Methodist Church in Zimbabwe conference 2014 had similar discussion and a came up with a similar resolution on customary marriage when it resolved that the Church blesses monogamous customary marriages and remove the stigma that a white wedding is the only true wedding, and that further scrutiny be done on the Church’s view of polygamous marriage (MCZ, Minutes of Conference, 2014, p. 69). Since the missionary Church did not deal decisively with the issue of African traditional religion, Madhiba (2000:78) argues
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that it is the reason the Methodist Church has more foreign concepts and components especially in its worship. Makoti (2012:133) argues that the reason for not dealing decisively with African traditional religion was that the Methodist Church is trying to maintain the characteristics of their founding Church. Makoti’s argument seems to hold water since the Methodist Church has seen the need to engage African traditional religion and probably incorporate some of its positive aspects in its ecclesiology but has chosen not to. This may be due to the need to align its identity with Methodism the world over. The unique identity will help keep the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe connected to world Methodism, and there is fear that changes will affect this identity and therefore the Methodists will not be different from their environment and from other denominations. The failure by the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe to incorporate and change its ecclesiology even after discovering the need to do so is a result of the need to guard and maintain its unique identity.