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Musoni Phillip

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Location: Pretoria, South Africa

Institution: University of South Africa

Contact: E-Mail

Research Fellow

The study compares the political approaches of older Pentecostal Church leaders to younger Pentecostal church leaders from the time Zimbabwe got its independence in 1980 to the time of the writing of this article. Thus, while the older generation within the Zimbabwean Pentecostalism seems to blindly support ZANU-PF (the revolutionary party), the contemporary youthful Pentecostal Pastors and prophets are seen openly criticizing ZANU-PF. Accordingly, this article suggests that the emergence of youthful Pentecostal church leaders such as Nelson Chamisa and Evans Mawarire among other Zimbabwean youthful Pentecostal Pastors and founders have brought a new dimension into church and politics discourse particularly in Zimbabwe. Nelson Chamisa is an ordained Pastor in the Apostolic Faith Mission in Zimbabwe (mother church of all Pentecostalism in Zimbabwe) and is the leader of the Movement for democratic change (MDC), the main opposition which was narrowly defeated by Mnangagwa during the 30July harmonized Presidential elections according to what was publicized though contested. The youthful Pastor/Politician Nelson Chamisa is popularly known with his rhetorical statement “God is in it”. And Evans Mawarire is the founder of a Zimbabwean Pentecostal Church - the His Generation Church and a political activist who became popular with his four minutes video #This flag. However, though the younger generation within the Pentecostal leadership structures openly criticize the status quo, the older generation within the Zimbabwean Pentecostal Christianity seem to have maintained the uncritical support of the ruling party in Zimbabwe. Thus, the questions raised throughout this study are why the younger generation of Pastors and founders within Pentecostal churches seem to openly confront the ruling party while the older generation of Pentecostal Pastors and founders seem to uncritically support the ruling party? Is it the old versus the new? Accordingly, this article has deliberately compared, Ezekiel Guti of Assemblies of God Africa (AOGA) and Andrew Wutawunashe of Family of God (FOG) to Nelson Chamisa of AFM and Evans Mawarire of the His Generation Church’s approaches to the Zimbabwean party politics.