Letter from Africa: 'There is a God up there, and he is watching' | World news | guardian.co.uk
August 12, 2009
'There is a God up there, and he is watching'
Pentecostal church groups are growing fast in Zimbabwe, where an estimated 70-80% of the population is Christian
David Smith Africa Correspondent guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 11 August 2009 11.23 BST
A new church member is baptized in milk near Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Photograph: John Moore/Getty Images
"Arise with Jesus!" screamed the preacher, "Arise with Jesus!" The semicircle of girls gathered around her stretched out their palms, as if warming them on a fire, and swayed in exultation. Then their knees began to buckle and one by one they dropped theatrically to the ground, prompting women to rush forward with silk blankets.
Under a repressive regime, worse than dire economic conditions, deprivation, and constant difficulty, Pentecostal Evangelicalism is thriving in Zimbabwe.
"Pentecostal church and apostolic groups are growing fast in Zimbabwe, where an estimated 70 to 80% of the population is Christian (though some indigenous belief systems survive). Earlier this year, a 21-year-old woman reportedly "hissed like a snake" and "went into a trance" as a court investigated her claim that she had flown 75 miles in a winnowing basket with two witches."
Many of the manifestations of spiritual vitality would make most American Christians cringe. However, something is happening and people are coming to faith in Jesus.