Original Research

Competing with Christ? A critical Christological analysis of the reliance on Pentecostal prophets in Zimbabwe

Vhumani Magezi, Collium Banda
In die Skriflig/In Luce Verbi | Vol 51, No 2 | a2273 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/ids.v51i2.2273 | © 2017 Vhumani Magezi, Collium Banda | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 25 May 2017 | Published: 28 September 2017

About the author(s)

Vhumani Magezi, Faculty of Theology, North-West University, South Africa
Collium Banda, Faculty of Theology, North-West University, South Africa

Abstract

How can we make Christological sense of the Zimbabwean Pentecostal prophets’ mediatory role? This article analyses the domineering and mediatory role of the Pentecostal prophets from a Christological perspective. The mediatory role of the Pentecostal prophets is riddled with competition against the mediatory role of Christ between God and humanity (1 Tm 2:5) as it tends to usurp Christ’s role over the church. Instead of being channels that lead people to depend only on Christ for their spiritual security, prosperity Pentecostal prophets present themselves as super spiritual authorities who must be relied upon by the believers in addition to Christ. Prosperity Pentecostalism, also known as the gospel of wealth and health, emphasises that prosperity in material wealth and good health is an integral component of the Christian faith. As super spiritual authorities, Pentecostal prophets project themselves as uniquely anointed by God. This places them closer to God than other people and, in turn, they receive spiritual power and authority over other believers. The prophets mediate their presence in the lives of their followers through anointed objects such as their personal pictures, anointed oil and armbands. This article analyses the distorted views about Christ created by the reliance on the prophets. The article concludes by proposing steps that should be taken to empower Christians to dissuade themselves from reliance on such prophets.

Keywords

Christ mediatory role; Pentecostal prophets and Christ; Pentecostalism Zimbabwe; Christ and Pentecostal prophets; reliance on Pentecostal prophets

Metrics

Total abstract views: 2992
Total article views: 4753

 

Crossref Citations

1. The use of anointed products during Covid-19 lockdown: An African Pentecostal spirituality experience
Mookgo Solomon Kgatle
Pharos Journal of Theology  issue: 104(2)  year: 2023  
doi: 10.46222/pharosjot.104.223