Chisipite Baptist was on the outskirts of the city. It was also on the outskirts of the vibrant life that Christians were experiencing in the centrally located ministries such as Rhema, Christian Life Centre, Faith Ministries and Family of God. Even mainstream denominational churches were experiencing a bit of a rebirth in Harare as they became multiracial.
You would assume, therefore, that Chisipite would be excited at the prospect of holding an evangelistic event on their grounds. There was excitement, but not of the kind for which we hoped. Instead of anticipation of dramatically expanding the size of the African congregation, there was disinterest on the part of the white congregation except for the three deacons. John B attempted to marginalize me by asserting that I was only interested in the African work. For that reason, he should become the senior pastor and leave me to work only with the African congregation. John was thinking like a Rhodesian. In his mind, it was still up to whites to oversee the affairs of Africans. The African pastor, Morgan, should have reveled in the increase in his responsibilities and focused on preparations for evangelistic effort. Instead of taking an active role in a series of events that would conceivably improve his status and income, he joined John B in a scheme to defame me with the white congregation.
While Pegi and I were hanging posters and passing out handbills, John B and Morgan went behind the deacons’ backs to organize a meeting to “examine” my beliefs. It was their contention that since I was friendly with people from Rhema and was working with Felix who believed in praying for the healing of the sick, that I was a “threat” to Chisipite Baptist Church. John and Morgan asserted that Felix had even “spoken in tongues” during a Sunday afternoon service in the African congregation. Somehow, this endangered the future of the congregation.
Fundamentalist Christians often suffer from an irrational fear of “tongues” or any kind of charismatic ministry. As a new Jesus Freak, I had been warned to “stay away from Charismatics and Pentecostals . . . they are dangerous!” During the nine years I was associated with Berachah Church and RB Thieme, I embraced that fear. I was to discover during my own “charismatic” period from 1983-87, that the source of the fear was its illogic.
Faith itself is extra-logical. Faith cannot be rationalized, deduced or formulated. As, the scholar Rudolf Otto explained, faith is “another way of knowing.” It is not subject to the mind. It is “other.” Although I can narrate the events that have surrounded my own experiences of “faith,” I cannot explain them—no one can. Miracles, signs, and wonders also seem to defy rational explanation. That is what makes them “a wonder.”
When apparently rational people encounter unexplainable events, they have two choices. They can either believe in their reality or dismiss them. For the average evangelical, the seemingly miraculous ministry of speaking in tongues and healing was rejected. Unable to “believe” in their reality, many evangelicals dismissed such charismatic ministry as illegitimate. For those evangelicals, such as John B, who saw themselves as “guardians of the true faith,” charismatic ministry was not only invalid, but a dangerous heresy that would pollute the true character of a ministry. In such a mindset, in the manner of generations of inquisitors before them, John B and his camp followers sought to expunge the cancerous heresy from the body of Christ.
If the inquisitor can’t understand it, it must be dangerous! Therefore, the carriers of this vermin must themselves be purged. Of course, you probably recognize that such an attitude is not confined to matters of faith. Turn on the news and listen to the self-appointed guardians of truth who populate the cable channels as they decry anything that they themselves cannot rationalize. For them, it makes no difference if the subjects are political parties, social issues, foreign affairs, immigration, economics, education, etc. It seems that whatever they cannot understand must be evil!
It was pretty clear that Pegi and I were not understood by John B, Morgan and their willing followers. A special meeting was called to discuss our collusion with Felix, “the evil tongues-speaker.” We declined to attend our own lynching! Instead, we continued our preparations for the upcoming evangelistic events.
Afterward, we heard this interesting anecdote. The so-called “tongues” that Felix was accused of uttering had happened on a previous Sunday. Felix had been interpreting for me into Shona. In his excitement, sometimes he would stutter just a bit as he searched for the correct interpretation of my American experience into something that made sense to a largely uneducated group of domestic servants. It was this stuttering as Felix got stuck between English and Shona, “Uh, uh, the, the, . . .” that Morgan and John assumed was “tongues.”
Of course, Felix did often pray in a so-called “tongues prayer language,” but he would never do so in the role of an interpreter. The concept of a special prayer language is an indirect concept inferred from Paul’s writings. Many Pentecostal/Charismatic Christians vouch for its validity nonetheless. Interestingly, the original purpose of the “sign” of tongues in the New Testament in Acts 2 was actual interpretation of the gospel message into languages other than the local Aramaic dialect. In that case, Jewish disciples of Jesus were speaking to the Jews in Jerusalem gathered for the Feast of Shavuot (Weeks), claimed by later Christians as the Feast of Pentecost. These Jewish disciples of Jesus spoke to “diaspora” Jews in their own native dialects, dialects of which the speakers themselves were likely ignorant. So, if somehow a miracle had happened that would have given Felix the interpretation to this African audience of my experience as a diaspora Jew, such a role reversal would at least be interesting!
There was nothing of interest in Felix’s stuttering, except for John B and Morgan as they searched for a way to stop us from ministering at Chisipite. They were right about one thing, however, we were seeking to overturn the current paradigm for ministry at Chisipite. We sought to inject life into a dying church. We taught both the white and black congregations how to praise and worship God using modern music. We replaced dusty hymnbooks with freshly mimeographed chorus sheets. I employed enthusiastic teaching, freely moving away from the pulpit into the congregation. Instead of speaking in third person monologues, I shared personal experiences and directly engaged the listener, often drawing the audience into the discussion.
Instead of a sleepy Sunday experience, Chisipite began to vibrate with activity. Attendance increased at all services and consequently, people began to give sacrificially. I discouraged the tired practice of tithing. Instead, I encouraged “giving from the heart.” In short order, the offerings increased as people freely donated their time and resources for the furtherance of the kingdom of God. To me, the most significant change would be for the African congregation to break free from the Rhodesian paradigm of control by the whites.
As the date of the Saturday evangelistic event approached, Morgan decided to leave the ministry. Actually, it was leave or be fired. After the aborted attempt to oust us, Morgan found himself the focus of his own congregation’s attention. Although we had counseled him not to borrow money from his congregation, things had only gotten worse. In addition, he had begun a side business of questionable morality. Members of the African congregation told the white deacons that they were no longer happy with Morgan. They expressed their willingness to participate in the financial support of their own pastor, but not if that pastor was appointed by the white congregation. They wanted Morgan to leave. He had been hired and appointed over them by the white congregation. They wanted to be involved in “calling” a pastor whom they could trust. When faced with the ultimatum to subject himself to the governance of his own congregation, Morgan decided to leave the ministry.
With Morgan gone and John’s subterfuge “on hold” for the time being, it was time to demonstrate that Jesus was still “alive” at Chisipite Baptist Church.
