Tapiwa Praise Mapuranga
An analysis of the Application of 1Corinthians 14:34-35
and 1Timothy 2:11-14: The Politics of Pentecostalism
and Women’s Ministries in Zimbabwe^1
Introduction
Pentecostalism has brought with it an influx of women pastors and
preachers in the church. This new (or rather revived) phenomenon of
women and leadership roles has sparked fierce social debates. The cen-
tral question being, ‘should women be allowed to preach and teach in
the church?’ The discussion of women’s participation in the church and
ministry has been quite a controversial phenomenon within and outside
the church. This has been attributed to cultural, historical, theological
reasons. Unlike most mainline churches, Pentecostal and neo-Pentecos-
tal movements have accorded women leadership roles as they interro-
gate missionary Christianity. This study takes the discussion on
women’s status in the Pentecostal churches as a political issue. It takes
the assumption that if politics belongs to the public sphere; and the
female body is political, then the role of women in the church becomes a
political issue. With particular reference to Pentecostalism in Zimbabwe,
this chapter discusses the political debates of women preachers and
church leaders with particular reference to selected texts in the New
Testament. It simply illuminates larger societal perceptions about the
politics of women preachers in Pentecostalism. As such, this study ex-
amines the various views that have emerged due to women’s notable rise
to influential leadership within the Pentecostal movement in Zimbabwe.
On the one hand, it contends that these women must be accepted as
pastors and preachers in their own right. It argues that they have appro-
priated the religious significance of women in indigenous culture and
have applied it to the Pentecostal movement. On the other, it lays bare
the societal perception that women should not preach because the Bible
tells us so, with reference to 1Tim 2:11-14, and 1Cor 14:34-35.
This chapter utilises interviews, newspaper articles and scholarly views
to locate contesting interpretations of selected biblical texts. However,
(^1) Appreciation for the support received in the form of an IAHR African Trust Fund
Grant 2011 for this research.