President Hakainde Hichilema has called on the Church to reclaim its role as the moral campus of the country in the social and economic development dissension.
President Hichilema explained that government remains resolute in working with the church in fighting challenges in society such as injustice and poverty.
President Hichilema made the remarks through Minister of Defence, Ambrose Lufuma during the official launch of the first-ever Christians United For National Economic Transformation Summit in Lusaka.
The Head of State emphasized that with the 10,000 churches the country has, economic transformation is attainable if all embraced farming and entrepreneurship.
President Hichilema has since directed his Ministers and other government institutions to put in place measures that will make it easy for the church to acquire land for development purposes.
“According to Matthew 25 vs 34-36 we are all encouraged to embrace the kind of faith that is practical. We have about 4000 churches in Zambia that are Catholic and imagine if all had to have a farm, we could have more than enough food for export and consumption,” the President stressed.
President Hichilema recollected that October 18 was not declared as Day of National Player, Fasting and Reconciliation by accident by his Predecessor Edgar Lungu but was done according to the will of God which should translate into practical faith that changes people’s livelihoods.
President Hichilema placed emphasis that there should be no Christians for Hichilema but for Jesus Christ alone as God deserves honor and glory.
And Christians Business Community (CBC) Chairperson who are the organisers of the Summit, Raphael Lubanga explained that 95% of Zambians are Christians which makes it realistic to transform the economy.
Pastor Lubanga said his organisation is working with traditional leaders as they are custodians of land and the people.
He pointed out that the 26 chiefs who were in attendance represented the commitment of all the 10 provinces to develop the country expeditiously.
The CBC Chairperson said Christianity does not mean poverty and church elders should encourage the worshipers to be hard working so that they change the economic fortunes of their families.
“We want to chuck out the spirit of the devil from development and fellow pastors do not mistake Christianity for poverty. Christianity does not mean poverty and church elders should refrain from depending on brown envelopes but depend on hard work,” he said.
He further called on both believers and non-believers to desist from tribal remarks because the common enemy is poverty.
The Ministry of National Guidance and Religious Affairs was an important interface between Government and the Church. The Church indeed has a critical role to play in the social economic transformation of the country. Step in the right direction.
95% of Zambians are Christians…….and where does theft,massive corruption,adultery,tribal hate,killing each other during elections etc….where does all this come from
Church matters are spiritual and it’s between the individual and his God. Just like politicians, we will always have good and bad people in church. The church is Devine but the individual is human.
Some churches have kept their lane and run away from politics, the president should by all means avoid sentiments suggesting that everything in the country has collapsed and its him correcting them. Zambia has existed before him and some people have made sacrifices for this country. Sometimes its good to do things quietly
“…..The Head of State emphasized that with the 10,000 churches the country has,….”
Only Africans can be so duped……….
Even the owners of Christianity don’t get duped like my people……..
Most of of churches are there only to fleec the vaunrable ………
This is the only weakness of HEHH, he is also takenin by religion………….
@Saulosi you think like a talibani or isis.
HH again?? These K900 journalists.
Man take 2 weeks away at your farm with Mutinta. You went away to UK, how many times you had $ex? Take a break.
Dollar is almost K18.
The jokes in this country, unbelievable, can you imagine we even had Christians for Edgar Lungu instead of Christians for Christ, and the man was enjoying it, he was not even stopping those chaps
” Close your eyes and pray…….”
When you say amen and open your eyes , your country is in the hands of foreigners……
If those 10, 000 churches thought hard work, decpline and trade skills , ……….
Zambia would be onpar with the west, instead Christianity and fake churches have found furtile ground in Africa to dupe the masses and enrich themselves……..
It’s a sad indictment of the the African that the majority who are staunchly religious wallow in abject poverty………
National day of PLAYER and reconciliation….
Keep paying them those 900 kanshi.
Also, this caught my eye “work together to chuck the devil out of developmental programs of the country”.
And the other day, Auditor General claimed that he was threatened with Juju by some companies and they later found owls at the offices.
Our problems in a nutshell.
#10 Jr Ngumbu
That makes really sad reading………..
The 3 worst hinderences to development…….
Fountamental religious fanatics…….
Beliefs in witchcraft……..
Corruption…….
Is it a coincidence that no developed country is taken in by any of the above like the poor countries, like zambia ?????
Worse when you have leaders who follow any of those 3 above ……….
The work of God is a very sensitive issue which needs to be taken with much care by people , don’t take it so much in a hurry as that would spell doom to the spirituality it carries.
The Church that seeks to make money and only and seeks to lift people out of poverty is in itself a big failure to it’s mission.
The number one and most important goal for the church is to win souls for the kingdom of Jesus Christ and not to make people rich in this world.
Dangers come when people become wealth crazy as we have seen in Zambia in the past fifteen years where every message was tailored towards the riches of this world.
The church is a big failure. 95% of Zambians are christians and yet Zambia has serious moral issues. Corruption, incest, thefts, murders, tribalism etc. All these vices are among the 95% of the population- Christians. They are catholics, angilcans, Seventh day adventists, pentecostals, Apostolic churches,. They have bishops, reverands, apostles, priests, pastors, sheperds etc as their leaders. If 95% of the crimes are from these Christians…you ask yourself….Where is the leadership? Is this leadership capable of providing spiritual food to its flock? The answer is a big NOOO. So Mr President do not call on this failed leadership of the 95% OF Zaambians to play any role because it is fake leadership.
The chairman of IDC has spoken
It is very dangerous to have a church which is wealth centered, the Laodecean church was so rich and because it had all the wealth of this world , in fact Satan is able to give much wealth to any compromising church, ( that only teaches about how to make money ) Jesus was tempted in this area but He refused the wealth Satan was promising to give Him.
The bible says the love of money is the root of all evil I mean that the church must continue with it’s mandated ministry of winning souls.
Let other institutions do other worldly works , the pastors must concentrate on prayers and teaching the truth of the word of God and not money.
@Nostradamus
Am busy driving UBER my friend just took a few minutes break to check on Lusaka Times….I don’t think like a talibani….kikikikikiki Maybe Spaka and Tarino Orange