Building the Christian Church on a Rock

Munyaradzi Mawere, Simbarashe Munamati, Mernard Musendekwa

• Publisher: Langaa RPCIG
• Year: 2026
• eBook ISBN:
  9789956004744
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Index: Social Sciences

Building the Christian Church on a Rock is a multidisciplinary theological volume that critically interrogates the persistent crisis of church fragmentation across Africa. Despite the rapid growth and influence of African Christianity, the church faces deep-seated challenges – including leadership disputes, doctrinal tensions, socio-political entanglements, and ethical failures – that undermine its unity and transformative mission. Bringing together diverse scholarly voices, this book situates contemporary ecclesial crises within historical, cultural, and theological trajectories, tracing their roots from pre-colonial religiosity and missionary Christianity to postcolonial and Pentecostal developments. The contributors demonstrate that church divisions are not merely doctrinal anomalies, but are deeply embedded in complex intersections of colonial legacies, power dynamics, gender relations, governance failures, and contested biblical interpretations. Using case studies from Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and other African contexts, the volume explores how authoritarian leadership, prosperity theology, the politicisation of faith, and weak theological formation drive fragmentation. Concurrently, it advances constructive frameworks for renewal, championing Ubuntu-informed ecclesiology, ethical leadership, restorative justice, and ecumenical collaboration. Ultimately, the book calls for a paradigm shift toward proactive, contextually grounded strategies that prioritise accountability, inclusivity, and spiritual integrity. It envisions an African church firmly rooted "on the rock" – characterised by unity, moral responsibility, and a renewed commitment to its prophetic role in society. This volume is an essential resource for students and scholars in Theology, African Studies, Religious Studies, and Social Anthropology.

Table of contents

• Front cover
• Title page
• Copyright
• Notes on Contributors
• Table of Contents
• 1 | A Christian Church on the Rock and Not on Sand: An Introduction
• 2 | From Rock to Sand? A Historical Trajectory of the African Church and the Roots of Division
• 3 | “From Sanctuary to Scandal”: Biblical Interpretation, and Underdevelopment in Africa
• 4 | Church Vestments as Signs of Schism or a Mark of Differentiation: A Case of Johane Masowe Apostolic Sects in Zimbabwe
• 5 | Addressing Church Divisions in Africa through Ubuntu-Informed Restorative Ecclesiology, Conflict Transformation, and Governance Reform for Unity Building
• 6 | Church, Politics of Deception, Power and National Vision: The (Re)construction of Prophetic Political Theology as the Voice of Zimbabweans
• 7 | Leadership Devoid of Roa Leb: A Rereading of Nehemiah 1:1-4 and 2:1-3 in the Context of the Nigerian Church
• 8 | The Role of Theological Libraries in Promoting Ecclesial Unity among Churches in Zimbabwe
• 9 | Church Disunity as a Legacy of Colonialism: A Historical Perspective on the Divisions and Schisms Ripping Apart the Contemporary African Church
• 10 | Christian Education as a Viable Tool for Mitigating Divisions and Splits in the African Church
• 11 | Gender, Culture, and Religious Authority in the Formation and Perpetuation of Church Divisions in Africa
• 12 | Unity in Peril: An Examination ofLeadership Conflicts, Doctrinal Disputes, and Church Splits in Zimbabwean Christianity
• 13 | Fragmentation of the African IndependentChurches and the Consequences of Ecclesial Divisions
• 14 | An Ubuntu–Christian Ethical Reading of 1 Corinthians 3:6–7 and the Crisis of Leadership in Nigerian Churches
• 15 | Gendered Authority, Cultural Contestation, and Church Fragmentation in African Pentecostal Churches
• 16 | Isaiah and the Slogan of Relaxed Confidence in Yahweh: A Critique of Political Maxims Inciting Violence and Divisions Both the Church and Society in Zimbabwe
• Back cover