The Church's Communication Practice in Zimbabwe, as Illustrated inPaperback, 13 January 2010

Two prelates, who despite professing to share the same Christian faith, seem far apart in their interpretation of and reaction to events in their native Zimbabwe, epitomise a divided Church in a divided land. After an initial period of cordial Church-State relations - which this thesis refers to as "equilibrium" - a divergence of views on matters of governance and human rights disrupted that relationship. The Government first seemed resigned to this "disequilibrium" and persisted with its own course. But with the emergence in the new millennium of a pro-Government lobby within the ranks of mainstream and fringe churches, it became possible for the State to cultivate a relationship with agreeable Church figures, while chastising and sidelining those it considered a nuisance. This split in the body politic of the Zimbabwean Church is what is scrutinised in this treatment. More specifically, it is the divergent views of Pius Ncube, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Bulawayo, and Nolbert Kunonga, the Anglican Bishop of Harare that are at issue. Of even greater significance are the two men's media profiles and communication styles.