Church and state in Central Africa: aspects of the relationship between church, state and society in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Angola and Mozambique

Abstract

The modern mission period in Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique dates from the late nineteenth century - simultaneous with British colonial expansion, and the consolidation of Portuguese interests in central Africa. This study examines aspects of the relationship between church and state in this region. It begins by looking at the partnership between mission church and colonial state, and the degree of identification European missionaries had with colonial objectives. The development of African nationalism after World War Two obliged the mission churches to reconsider their position, and various aspects of the churches' response to African national movements in central Africa are discussed. In contemporary central Africa, the churches have had to resolve the conflict between developing an African expression of Christianity with the historical background of Christian mission experience in Africa, and the modern churchstate relationship is examined with regard to this.