Jerusalem and antioch: inter-state, intra-church politics in the Family of God Church in Botswana

Abstract

Most of the literature on religion and politics in Africa celebrates the role that churches have played in fighting the oppressive yoke of colonialism, in fighting the ills of ethnicity and tribalism and in the process of democratisation in post-colonial Africa. There are, however, few academic works that investigate how churches are affected by secular politics. This article contributes to such an investigation. It does so through a critical examination of the reasons that led to the division of the Family of God Church in Botswana. Its argument is that the reasons that led to the division of this church are not only intra-church but also inter-state politics. From a study of the experiences of this church, the article concludes that although the church may have been experiencing internal problems, its division into two groups was also influenced by inter-state politics between Botswana and Zimbabwe.