The role of the church in Western foreign policies in Africa: Case of Zimbabwe.

Abstract

The Church as an institution has played a very important role in international relations in the past and continues to be a major player. The role of the church in international relations cannot be over emphasized. This study sought to investigate the role that the church plays in international and domestic relations in Zimbabwe pre-dating the colonial period. The purpose of this study was to examine and understand the role of the church in Western foreign policies in Africa with particular emphasis to Zimbabwe. The study used in-depth interviews and documentary search as data collection methods. Purposive sampling was used to isolate informants who would be meaningful in the study; 12 informants participated in the investigation and were drawn from Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC), Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference (ZCBC), Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe (EFZ), pastors and the academics. The investigation was conducted through the lenses of the realist and normative theories. Nevertheless, these theories better illuminated the conclusions of this inquiry when juxtaposed with a strategic theory. Key findings were that the church is an important institution in both internal and international relations and plays a major role in policy formulation and execution but is also a double edged sword. Conclusions made were that the church is actively engaged in forwarding Western foreign policy agendas in Zimbabwe. Recommendations are that the church should actively work with communities in peace-building programs and train more actors within and outside the church to shun violence and the church should have regular interaction with government to discuss grievances of the voiceless. Government of Zimbabwe should take measures to minimise influence from foreign funded churches in policy implementation and execution.