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Biblical Influence on Zimbabwean Mega-Church Prophets

This document discusses the biblical influence on the use of the title "man of God" by contemporary mega church prophets in Zimbabwe. It argues that while the phrase is used once in the New Testament, its predominant usage is in the Old Testament to refer to special individuals chosen by God, like Elijah and Elisha, who performed miraculous acts. Contemporary Zimbabwean prophets extensively use the title, seeking to portray themselves in a similar way as those in the Old Testament who were more than human. The document analyzes the biblical context and usage of "man of God" and how this influences the self-understanding and claims of prosperity-focused prophets in Zimbabwe today.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
200 views13 pages

Biblical Influence on Zimbabwean Mega-Church Prophets

This document discusses the biblical influence on the use of the title "man of God" by contemporary mega church prophets in Zimbabwe. It argues that while the phrase is used once in the New Testament, its predominant usage is in the Old Testament to refer to special individuals chosen by God, like Elijah and Elisha, who performed miraculous acts. Contemporary Zimbabwean prophets extensively use the title, seeking to portray themselves in a similar way as those in the Old Testament who were more than human. The document analyzes the biblical context and usage of "man of God" and how this influences the self-understanding and claims of prosperity-focused prophets in Zimbabwe today.

Uploaded by

katlego
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 13

https://doi.org/10.

20378/irbo-51300

CHAPTER .

Masiiwa Ragies Gunda & Francis Machingura

2 ! % "3
Understanding Biblical Influence on Contemporary Mega
Church Prophets in Zimbabwe

D
Different names are used to refer to various religious functionaries across the
World Religions. In Zimbabwean Christianity, there is a group of Christian offi
cials who are currently popularly known as “men of God.” This article argues
that this title is one of the many influences of the Bible on contemporary Chris
tianity, since its use is dependent on its biblical usage, especially regarding the
extra ordinary and miraculous events surrounding Elijah and Elisha. The title is
used eighty times in the Christian Bible and seventy nine of these are in the
Old Testament. In our analysis of both its Old Testament and contemporary
usage, the title is used to acknowledge the qualitative difference between all
human beings and the few men (and women) who are specially chosen to be
God’s representatives. These specially chosen functionaries are more than
simply human, and do more than simple human beings do. “Man of God” is
understood as a continuation of biblical traditions.

! "& !
The advent of prophets in Zimbabwean Christianity can be traced back
to the early decades of the twentieth century, during the period that Afri
can Initiated Churches were founded and planted across Zimbabwe. The
most prominent among these prophets were Samuel Mutendi of the
Zion Christian Church, Johanne Marange of the African Apostolic
Church as well as Johanne Masowe of the Apostolic Sabbath Church of
God (Daneel 1971:339, Mukonyora 1998:191 207, Gunda 2012:335 36).
Since then, every generation of African Christians, with special refer
ence to Zimbabwean Christians, has seen its own prophets. Some of
these prophets have continued in the heritage of these pioneering
prophets of AICs while others have added on to the heritage, especially
when one focuses on Zimbabwean Pentecostal prophets. This latter

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brand of prophets in Zimbabwe was locally popularized by Ezekiel Guti,


founder and leader of the Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa, Forward
in Faith (ZAOGA FIF). However, the current discussions surrounding
prophets and prophecy in Zimbabwe are largely inspired by another
brand of Pentecostal prophets, the mega church prophets. Among this
class are Emmanuel Makandiwa and Uebert Angel, founders of the
United Family International Church and the Spirit Embassy respec
tively.
There is so much that has captured the imagination of Zimbabweans
when one looks at these two leading figures among the mega church
prophets currently operating in Zimbabwe: from their lavish and mate
rially extravagant lifestyles, including the latest and very expensive cars
such as a Lamborghini and Bentley for Angels and a Mercedes S600 for
Makandiwa. These prophets also claim to possess spiritual healing pow
ers that few can rival, and to being able to bless followers materially,
including the so called “miracle money”1 where followers find money in
their pockets and bank accounts (Daily news, 06 February 2013; Newsday,
16 January 2013; Newsday, 08 January 2013; http://nehandaradio.com/
category/news/page/5/; The Herald, 05 January 2013; Newsday, 30 Janu
ary 2013; The Standard, 06 January 2013) that cannot be accounted for
through normal accounting procedures. Makandiwa has also come up
with his “miracle weight loss”2 where the prophet commands fat to burn
and people instantly lose weight (The Sunday Mail, 13 February 2013).
Makandiwa has also been associated with miracle babies where it is re
ported that the United Family International Church leader assisted a
couple to conceive and give birth after three days (The Herald, 21 Febru

1 Miracle money remains unexplained! There are claims, however, of people finding
money in their pockets, which they did not have previously. Such claims are also made
regarding bank account balances, where accounts are believed to be credited with
money that cannot be accounted for through normal accounting procedures. In a
meeting with the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Makandiwa and Angel
appeared to suggest that all they do is recover lost money and return it to its rightful
owners, which seems to contradict the initial claims surrounding miracle money.
2 Miracle weight loss is among the claims being made by the mega church superstar
prophets. People who have allegedly battled weight problems are prayed for and their
excess fats are commanded by word of mouth to burn instantly. Interestingly, in one
of the videos, it appears that only women lose weight and only from their waist down
wards since only skirts were visibly oversized while their tops remained of the right
size.

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GUNDA & MACHINGURA | The „Man of God“

ary 2013). All these are interesting facets of this new brand of prophets
in Zimbabwe; however, this study focuses on another aspect which has a
bearing on all the claims we have just highlighted above. These prophets
are among the few religious functionaries in Zimbabwe who use the title
“man of God” extensively and exclusively either through self propagating
or by accepting the title when it is used by their followers. This study
therefore traces the biblical roots of the phrase “man of God” and inves
tigates how the biblical texts on “man of God” have influenced the self
understanding and claims being made by Zimbabwean prophets.

2 ! % "3 ! D, G , ! ,F
The phrase “man of God” occurs eighty times in the Christian Bible. Of
the eighty times that this phrase is used, only once is it used in the New
Testament, precisely in 1 Tim. 6:11. The New Testament text (1 Tim.
6:11) seems not to have found favour with the Zimbabwean ‘men of
God’ due to the insinuations of the text especially the preceding verses.
The text, especially 1 Timothy 6:9 10, outlines what the “man of God”
should guard against by saying
9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into
many senseless and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and de
struction. 10 For the love of money is the root of all evils; it is through this
craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced their
hearts with many pangs. 11 But as for you, man of God, shun all this; aim
at righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness (1 Tim.
6:9 10 RSV).
As the only text in the New Testament that talks about the “man of
God”; the text, unfortunately, is in bad taste for many “men of God”
whose messages predominantly focus on the prosperity gospel (Machin
gura, 2011:212). It is our contention therefore that the use of the title
‘man of God’ for contemporary religious functionaries in Zimbabwe is
not overly dependent on this New Testament understanding, especially
since those using it seem to also be the gospel of prosperity preachers.
While the phrase “man of God” is only used once in the New Testa
ment, it is predominantly used in the Old Testament. Interestingly, it is
the Old Testament portrayal of the “man of God” that appears to be the
basis upon which some individuals in Zimbabwe claim to be “men of
God”. The distribution of the phrase “man of God” is interesting to ob
serve. Following the canonical arrangement of the books, the phrase
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appears for the first time in Deut. 33:1 with reference to Moses. Interest
ingly, this is the only time that this phrase is used in the Pentateuch, a
section of the Old Testament that is largely concerned with the law of
the Lord. It then appears again once in Joshua (14:6) and twice in Judges
(13:6, 8). In Joshua the reference is once again to Moses while in Judges
it is used with reference to the angel of God who announced the birth of
Samson. In short, the phrase “man of God” is used four times in the
first seven books of the Old Testament. There are five references to
“man of God” in 1 Samuel (2:27; 9:6, 7, 8, 10) and it occurs seven times
in 1 and 2 Chronicles (1 Chr.23:14, 2 Chr.8:14; 11:2; 25:7, 9; 30:16). In
these texts, it is used to refer to Moses, David and some prophets. It also
occurs once in Ezra (3:2) and twice in Nehemiah (12:24, 36) where it is
used with reference to Moses and David respectively. There is also refer
ence to Moses the “man of God” in Psalm 90:1 as well as Igdaliah the
“man of God” in Jeremiah 35:4. These uses amount to twenty one uses
out of the seventy nine occurrences in the Old Testament, the remaining
occurrences are limited to the books of Kings where the phrase occurs
fifty eight times.
In these fifty eight occurrences, there is reference to Shemaiah, a
prophet (1Kgs. 12:22), while the phrase occurs frequently in 1 Kgs.13
(vss. 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 19, 21, 23, 26, 29, 31) as well as in 2 Kgs.
23: 16 and 17 where it is used to designate the unnamed man of God
who came from Judah. This unnamed “man of God” is credited with
making prophecies against Bethel and foretelling the coming of King
Josiah centuries later (Crenshaw 1971:41 2, Cogan and Tadmor
1988:299 300). There is also reference to another unnamed man of God
in 1 Kgs. 20:28. The title “Man of God” appears in several texts
(1Kgs.17:18, 24; 2Kgs.1:9, 10, 11, 12, 13) as a designation of Elijah and as
a designation of Elisha in 2 Kgs. 4: 7, 9, 16, 21, 22, 25, 27, 40, 42; 5: 8, 14,
15, 20; 6: 6, 9, 10, 15; 7: 2, 17, 18, 19; 8: 2, 4, 7, 8, 11; 13: 19. While the
“man of God” who came from Judah is only identified through this
phrase, however, the manner in which this phrase is used for Elijah and
Elisha coupled with the popularity of these figures in Christian commu
nities means our investigation of the influence of the biblical “man of
God" on contemporary men of God should largely focus on these two
individuals. Of the fifty eight times that the phrase occurs in Kings, on
thirty four occasions it is with reference to either Elijah or Elisha, and it
is often qualified by extraordinary demonstrations of miraculous power.

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GUNDA & MACHINGURA | The „Man of God“

2 ! % "3 ! D, G !
The title “man of God” is one among many titles that are applied to a
select group of individuals alongside and as interchangeable to “proph
et”, “seer” and “prophetess”, especially in the story of the lost donkeys of
Saul where Samuel (1 Sam. 9:6 10) is described as prophet, seer and
man of God (Lamb 2010:176). From this background it is apparent that
the title “man of God” is not a general designation for all created beings
but rather an exclusive title for the few “men (possibly women also)”
who stand in a very intimate and close relationship with God. Indeed,
“the man of God is a specially set aside individual who is essentially a
manifestation of the divine hence protected by the divine and in instanc
es where such divinity is not respected, the divine reserves the right to
avenge” (Gunda 2012:345). This makes sense when one considers that
in the entire Pentateuch; only Moses is labelled man of God. A closer
analysis of Deut. 33:1 shows that “the superscription uses the phrase
‘the man of God’ to refer to Moses as does Joshua 14:6 and Ps. 90. The
same title is frequently used of “prophets or messengers of God” (Driver
1973:389). Texts that refer to Moses as “man of God” clearly show that
there is some qualitative difference between Moses and all other Israel
ites. Moses is different, he relates differently with God and he accesses
God differently from all other created beings. It is this difference be
tween Moses and ordinary men and women that mark him out as man
of God.
“Man of God” is an outstanding individual, an “Übermensch” (Glover
2006:452) suggesting an individual who is literally “above men”. This is
a title that places some mortals above other mortals, especially because
of the things that they can accomplish. Chapter 33 of Deuteronomy is
labelled the Blessing of Moses and it consists of a series of benedictions
pronounced upon the different tribes of Israel (even though Simeon is
not recognized) (Driver 1973:385). Moses stands as the founding father
blessing his descendants, and this comes after he had received the law
from Yahweh and had passed on the same to the Israelites. The law that
is interchangeably called the Law of the Lord or the Law of Moses is cen
tral in understanding why Moses is qualified as “man of God”. No other
individual had been this close to God! Being “above men”, “Moses
thereby gives to each tribe his own gift of divine understanding and
power, and at the same time the diverse gifts and characteristics of each
tribe are recognized and affirmed to be gifts of God” (Clements

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1998:534). This is similarly important that the blessings given by Moses


are as good as blessings given by God because the man of God stands for
God, his actions are God’s actions.
This understanding of “man of God” is equally attested in the Elijah
and Elisha narratives. The outstanding nature of Elijah is suggested in
insinuations that “supports the suspicion that where Elijah, life or
speech are, YHWH is never far away” (Glover 2006:450). Yahweh, the
God of Israel, is always hovering around the “man of God”, suggesting
that proximity to the “man of God” is essentially proximity to Yahweh.
This creates the impression that Elijah “will stride the earth like some
Yahwistic übermensch, unperturbed by the droughts and distances of
earth. He is the prophet who ‘stands before the Lord.’ The words of
Elijah and YHWH share a common authority and ability to shape the
future” (Glover 2006:452, 453). The things that constrain men and
women cannot constrain the man of God who is essentially standing
under the shadow of God, sharing in the authority of God, which gives
him the power to command the “jar of meal not to be emptied and the
jug of oil not to fail until the day that the lord sends rain on the earth (1
Kgs. 17:14 24)” (Gunda 2012:346). The “man of God” represents life
because God is life. As Glover observes, there is much symbiosis be
tween Yahweh and “man of God” that it is difficult if not impossible to
separate their effects on the community. “If the speech of Elijah and
YHWH has a similar effect, so also does their presence. The story begins
with an apparent association between YHWH and certain substances of
nourishment—above all water. Their abundance (e.g. in the widow’s
house, 17.14 16) points to the presence of God. Their scarcity (e.g. the
drought, 17.1 7) is suggestive of divine absence” (Glover 2006:453 cf.
Gunda 2011:146). This is particularly important in searching for the
effects of these narratives on contemporary manifestations, the “man of
God” represents abundance wherever the “man of God” is present and
the same applies to God.
In short, the title “man of God” is used to describe some outstanding
individuals who are believed to have a special relationship with God. It is
mostly used to refer to individuals who are sometimes called “prophets”,
“seers”, and “visionaries.” The title is used interchangeably with these
other titles, especially in 1 Samuel 9. In the narrative of 1 Kings 13 as
well as the Elijah Elisha narratives, the title appears to be simply an
equivalent of prophet. The man of God is associated with extraordinary

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GUNDA & MACHINGURA | The „Man of God“

demonstration of miraculous power, which is seen as the result of being


a direct representative of God (Gunda 2012:340). Being in the presence
of the “man of God” is understood as being in the presence of God since
the “man of God” possesses and uses the power of God.

! ,& ! 2 ! % "3 H ! ! )E F
E
While the authenticity and veracity of the Bible is roundly questioned in
academic circles, African manifestations of Christianity (barring a few
exceptions that disregard the Bible as being “stale food” such as the Jo
hane Masowe groups (Engelke 2004)) has been thoroughly and exten
sively “biblical.” Most African Christians take their Bible seriously as the
be all in terms of deciding what they should do as Christians, if not in
their actual daily lives then at least in public discussions. Biblical exam
ples and injunctions are therefore actively sought to justify and rational
ize what to do, how to do it, when to do it and why to do it. In such con
texts, it should not be surprising therefore that contemporary claimants
to the title “man of God” present themselves as descendants of the line
of the specially chosen few who stood before God and who shared in
God’s authority. In one incident Makandiwa was quoted in the print
media confirming his election in one of his sermons when he said that
(The Herald, 03 January 2013):
The Lord told me “Tell Zimbabweans to change their focus. Everyone is
saying diamonds, diamonds, but I see another precious mineral for
Zimbabwe … gold will be picked up from the ground. Mysteriously gold
will be appearing everywhere. As I was praying I saw a wind blowing and
I saw gold coming to the surface. People are going to be picking up gold
without any drilling. You know what they say about the water table? One
has to dig first before accessing water, but with this one there is no drill
ing needed. Those people who have been looked down upon will be pick
ing up gold like they are picking up stones. The Lord told me ‘This is for
my people’,” said the UFIC spiritual father to wild applause.
The sermon on the night was premised on 2 Kings 7 where the lives of
the Israelites were transformed from poverty to plenty in one day follow
ing the declaration of Elisha, the “man of God”. Makandiwa’s statement
confirms what most of the Pentecostal Christians’ understanding of the
Bible and the pastors involved in ministry as ‘mouthpieces and God’s
representatives’. The contemporary claimants reject the idea of “the end

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of inspiration” as contradicting the dictates of the Bible, the Word of


God. In the Bible, it is clear that “after his dramatic victory over the
prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, Elijah is portrayed as spiraling into a
suicidal depression, in the midst of which Yahweh informs him that he
has chosen his successor” (Lamb 2010:172). In short, the understanding
is that God intended to always have a representative or representatives
among human beings, hence the choice of a successor for Elijah is not
only specific, it is also representative. In reaching this observation we are
indebted to earlier observations by Robert Carroll (1969:401) when he
states: “The institution of prophecy was to be a continuous and perma
nent office constantly supplying the people of Israel with a covenant
mediator who would recreate the role of Moses for the nation.” This
understanding is critical in trying to understand the contemporary man
ifestations of Christian prophets both among AICs as well as among the
Pentecostal movements.
As noted earlier, the biblical “man of God” is essentially more than
simply a human being, he or she is divine human being because he
embodies an amalgamation of his mortal nature and the immortal na
ture of God, sharing in the fate of humanity yet exercising the power and
authority of God. The performance of miracles and other such para
normal activities is understood in the context of their divinity. All things
that God can do can be done by the “man of God” hence the idea that
where the man of God is, God cannot be far away (Glover 2006:450). It is
not surprising that, such ‘men of God’ attract big crowds as in the case
of Makandiwa whose followers stampede in order to have access to the
front seats in the auditorium where they will be closer to the ‘man of
God’ (http://www.intozimbab we.com/top news/zimbabwe/3016 18
injured in stampede to see prophet makandiwa.html). In another inci
dent, the Spirit Embassy Ministries Church founder, Uebert Angel had
to abandon his food from a fast food outlet in Gweru and flee from
members of the public, who had thronged the premises and started jos
tling to greet the “man of God” (The Chronicle, 24 October 2012). The
popular preacher Uebert Angel and his body guards had to dash into
their vehicles and flee, leaving their food which was still being prepared
after members of the public swarmed the food outlet and started jostling
to greet the Harare based preacher cum prophet. Those who managed to
evade the human wall made by Prophet Angel’s bodyguards would kneel
on the tarmac before greeting him. One of the few who had the chance
to shake hands with Prophet Angel claimed that they were “blessed” as a
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GUNDA & MACHINGURA | The „Man of God“

result of shaking hands with the “man of God” (The Chronicle, 24 Octo
ber 2012). The man who appeared to have entered into a trance soon
after shaking hands with Prophet Angel said “Thank God, I am now a
new man. I am blessed to have been greeted by this great man of God”.
The people who flock around the “man of God” or who seek the pres
ence of the “man of God” are in essence seeking the presence of God. In
the case of Zimbabwe, prominent musicians like Leonard Karikoga
Zhakata, gospel diva Joyce Simeti, Mahendere Brothers, Peter Moyo,
Sulumani Chimbetu, Diva Mafunga and Biggie Tembo (Jnr) among
many others have deserted their old churches to join thousands of peo
ple attending Makandiwa’s church (newsdzezimbabwe.com). Followers
of the popular “men of God” have gone to the extent of putting stickers
that identify them with their “men of God” on their cars, office chairs
(where they usually sit) and their Bibles. It is now common in Harare to
see private cars owned by for most of Makandiwa’s followers with stick
ers with the UFIC logo with words like “Ndiri mwana wemuporofita – I
am a child of the prophet”. It is also interesting that, followers of the
“man of God” as in the case of Makandiwa and Angel are very conserva
tive, defensive and sometimes resort to abusive or threatening language
whenever their “men of God” are criticized. Christine Vuta, who chris
tened herself ‘mwana wamuprofita or child of the prophet’ did not take
lightly to people who criticized Makandiwa and Angel on the ‘miracle
baby of three days and miracle money episodes’ by saying:
I write as an ordinary member of United Family International Church
(UFIC). I challenge the critics of my spiritual fathers to pray that they be
granted the spirit of discernment so that they know the spirit behind
these men of God. If you are [a] genuine Christian; then you will see that
these servants of God are led by the spirit of truth. They are vessels (men
of God) that the Lord has chosen to bring about spiritual revival in Zim
babwe. I have heard careless statements like ‘Makandiwa is neither God
nor Jesus’. True but he has heeded the call by Jesus which he told his
disciples in John 14:12. Why should people have problems when greater
miracles are performed, for instance, instant weight loss and gold ap
pearing in peoples’ hands? (The Sunday Mail, 24 February 2 March
2013).
Vuta, just like many followers of these Pentecostal mega churches, re
gards what the “men of God” miraculously do as fulfillment of the ‘word
of God’. Takura Mukwati (The Herald, 10 July 2012; The Herald, 26 Feb

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ruary 2013), a pastor in the UFIC, was quoted in The Herald threatening
those who criticized Makandiwa by saying:
Born of a prophet, in this article, I am going to answer a bit of this ques
tion. A prophet is a man of insight to the will and purposes of God
(Amos 3 v 7). A prophet is a man who sits in the cabinet with the Al
mighty and can hear the discussions of heaven and can bring them to
men. Our father in the Lord Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa, in United
Family International Church, is a typical example of a prophet of that cal
ibre whom the Lord has given to us as a gift. He is amongst the Prophets
who are the eyes and minds of God, members of the heavenly cabinet.
That is why there is always a violent reaction from the heavens when his
prophets (Makandiwa included) are touched, embarrassed, harassed,
persecuted or killed. Touching a prophet is a shortcut to the grave
according to Psalms 105: 14 15, graves of sicknesses, poverty, misfor
tunes, even spiritual and physical death.
If in times past, Elijah’s deeds were a confirmation of the spoken word
of God; contemporary “men of God” see themselves or are seen by their
followers as being legitimized through the written word of God while at
the same time they authenticate the word of God. Josephine Chuma
(Daily news, 07 August 2012) adds her voice by claiming that:
Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa is a real man of God. He does not claim
to have powers but he has got the power of God. He has been anointed
by God to deliver people who believe in God from the evil works of the
devil. Those who believe have been made to prosper in all aspects of their
lives including health, finances, education only to name a few. The
anointing upon Prophet Makandiwa involves a multiplicity of blessings
which includes wisdom, favour, honour and protection from evil forces
and misfortunes.
And in most cases the authentication of their inextricable connection to
the divine is through the performance of miracles as witnessed at
Makandiwa and Angel’s Church services (Daily news, 26 June 2011;
Newsday, 10 August 2012). According to Pastor Ndhlovu of the Apostolic
Faith Mission in Zimbabwe (interviewed, 19 February 2013), the danger
that we have today is that of people who think we can relive the world of
the Old Testament “men of God”. For him, the calibre of prophets we
have are ‘fake, hucksters and empire builders’ who hide behind the Bible
to milk unsuspicious people. Antonia Sigauke (interviewed, 18 February
2013) posed the following questions in response to threats that are usu
ally churned out by followers of the Zimbabwean “men of God”:

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GUNDA & MACHINGURA | The „Man of God“

Why should prophets not be questioned? When they become prophets,


do they cease to be human beings and become infallible? This is setting a
dangerous precedent of not subjecting the prophets to the test of scrip
ture and soundness according to the word of God. Why should the
prophets be afraid of being questioned? Why is it some of them get ar
rested for committing heinous crimes like: rape, theft and murder?
Critics of the contemporary “men of God” find it very difficult to recon
cile the influence of the “man of God” texts on the contemporary Zim
babwean prophets, especially when it comes to their flashy lifestyles in
the context of the poverty of their followers. Yet followers of such “men
of God” see it differently. Not only does the man of God read the text of
the Bible, he acts it out in his own words and the followers become the
recipients of the benefits of the presence of the divine, which is charac
terized by the abundance of health, wealth and well being (Glover
2006:453). The followers and those in the presence of the man of God;
“witness to the inexhaustible jar of meal and jug of oil in their own lives”
(1 Kgs.17) (Gunda 2012:346). This text is re enacted week in, week out
until the followers start proclaiming to themselves, to the man of God
and to others who stand outside: ‘Now I know that you are a man of God
and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth’(1 Kgs.17:24). Such
texts are read to show what God did through a chosen vessel, in a way
that convinces the followers and listeners of the authenticity of what the
contemporary prophet is going to do in the name of God. Elijah and the
contemporary prophet are similar, they are specially chosen by God and
they need each other. The Biblical narrative legitimizes the current
prophet but the current prophet makes an unbelievable Biblical narrative
believable by re enacting it” (Gunda 2012:346). The motto for the con
temporary man of God is simple, the unbelievable is godly! (Gunda
2011:147). The same motto has become the slogan for the majority of
followers in these mega churches where the ‘men of God’ are regarded
as ‘friends of God’ who know the mind of God.

! ,&" !$ D I !
Among the many titles that are being appropriated by contemporary
prophets in Zimbabwe is the title “man of God”. While it has always
been used by Christians, it appears that its use was given a new lease of
life by Pentecostal religious functionaries. Within Zimbabwe, the role of

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Guti in popularizing this title cannot be overstated. However, the rise of


a class of mega church superstar prophets at the end of the first decade
of the twenty first century in Zimbabwe made this title even more popu
lar. Ordinary Christians excite their prophet into prophesying by consis
tently urging him on using the title “man of God.” It is a title that ac
knowledges that some men and women are in a better position to com
mune with God than others. These privileged individuals can become
bridges that help others cross flooded rivers between their sinful lives
and the holy lives demanded by God.

!
“18 Injured in stampede to see Prophet Makandiwa”,
http://www.intozimbabwe.com/top news/ zimbabwe/3016 18 injured in
stampede to see prophet makandiwa.html, Accessed online, 22 February 2013
Carroll, Robert P., “The Elijah Elisha Sagas: Some Remarks on Prophetic Succession
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