Kairos theology and church exclusion in Zimbabwe: COVID-19, suffering, and ecclesial agency

Abstract

This article critically examined the exclusion of the church from Zimbabwe’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis management, focusing on the government’s reliance on scientific and health expertise to the neglect of ecclesial contributions. Employing a liberative reconstruction methodology and guided by the Kairos liberation perspective, the study interrogated the implications of church marginalisation for public theology and social justice. The article broadens the theological discourse on suffering by engaging with the perspectives of Rudolf von Sinner and Zeferino on pandemic religion in Brazil, thereby positioning the Zimbabwean experience within a wider framework of contemporary theological reflection. The key findings reveal that government strategies reinforced the separation of church and state, weaponised the pandemic to silence religious critique and prompted the church to reassess its prophetic mission.
Contribution: This article critically explores ecclesial agency and theological responses to suffering during Zimbabwe’s COVID-19 crisis, using the Kairos Liberation Perspective. It contributes to contextual theology by highlighting church exclusion and prophetic witness, aligning with the journal’s focus on faith, justice, and the church’s role in socio-political transformation.