Pentecostals and the spiritual war against coronavirus in Africa

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Kirby, Benjamin ; Taru, Josiah ; Chimbidzikai, Tinashe:
Pentecostals and the spiritual war against coronavirus in Africa.
In: The Conversation.
30 April 2020

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Abstract

In Zimbabwe, Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa has been criticised for reassuring his congregants that they will be “spared” from the virus. This will happen through prayer and the divine protection he mediates.“You will not die, because the Son is involved in what we are doing,” he says, calling it the freedom that no medication can offer.
This declaration epitomises a sense of Pentecostal “exceptionalism”, embodied in the claim to be “ in this world but not of this world”. It clearly risks instilling a level of complacency among his followers about the threat of the virus. It amplifies the possibility of noncompliance with government safety measures.