BiAS 7 – The Bible and Politics in Africa
It is also significant to note here that these women are not all identified
by one title. References such as pastor, prophetess, Apostle, and Bishop,
amongst others are all identities of these women. Whatever titles applied
to them, the point here is, these women are preachers as well in their
churches. Their titles do not in any way strip them off their role as
preachers and teachers of the gospel. As the popular adage says, ‘a rose,
by any other name, would smell a sweet’. In another forthcoming article,
Tapiwa P. Mapuranga argues that ‘with these other male power –ori-
ented titles’,
Are these women not trying to be like ‘men’? Such identities are meant to
install power and authority in these women as leaders, just as their fellow
male leaders would appropriate the same titles to bestow the same identities
and get authority from other men and women in the church. Some of these
titles have been coined from Christ himself. By adopting such identities,
figures in the church want to be associated with the identity, character and
authority that Jesus had, some of which were passed on to his disciples. The
earlier males to get leadership in the church then adopted these titles as
well, and thus, women follow suit. Some of these titles, one can argue, stem
from colonial mentality where there were hierarchies of master and servant,
King and servant, etcetera. (Mapuranga 2011: 14-15).
Resultantly, the appropriation of such titles as women identify them-
selves in Pentecostal Christianity is there to reinforce power and author-
ity, as was/is the case with male Pentecostal leaders. Rieger (2007: 198)
says modern theology therefore has been found with a ‘colonial struc-
ture’, where authority was defined in terms of master and servant.
Whatever titles they use, the point is that Pentecostalism in Zimbabwe
has thus offered a new and unique space for women in the church lead-
ership. With such names increasingly emerging in the Pentecostal
churches in Zimbabwe, one can thus argue that Pentecostalism in Zim-
babwe has become ‘a strong forum for social change’ (Sackey 2006: viii)
for women, and also ‘an exit from the shackles of patriarchy’ (Kalu 2008:
161). Pentecostalism has thus presented a paradigm shift by accessing
women to power in the church. This is supported by J.E.Soothill when
she argues that,
What makes Pentecostal Hermeneutics unique at this time is the vital role
played in Biblical Interpretation. Pentecostals argue that women have an ex-
perience of the Holy Spirit that is identical to men and therefore are able to
minister. (Soothill 2007: 54).
Regardless of the emergence of such names of women preachers as
given above, some have argued that these women are mere appendages