The Changing Face of Zambia's Christianity and its Implications for the Public Sphere: A Case Study of Bauleni Township, Lusaka

Researchers have described President Chiluba's political victory in 1991 and his subsequent Christian Nation declaration as the outcome of the rise of Charismatic Christianity in Zambia. While appreciating the resurgent attention to the role of religion in Zambian politics, we are concerned about recent generalising interpretations of the significance of Pentecostalism in Zambia's public domain. Should it be the dominant analytical lens through which to view Zambia's recent past, as suggested by many scholars? By presenting the findings of an in-depth, longitudinal study of Pentecostalism in Bauleni, a high-density township in Lusaka, we question accounts that aspire to all-encompassing explanations but lack empirical backing. Pentecostalism – with due respect to its exponential growth in the last two decades – has elbowed out neither the historical mission churches nor other forms of Christian expression, and the Pentecostal landscape itself is plural, sending out different signals to the social and political world. This article considers the implications of the changing face of Christianity and politics in Zambia within their unique historical trajectory and their current complex forms.