UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE

NAME TAURAI N MAHACHI

PROGGRAME BEHCRE

COURSE CODE LAR223

LECTURER DR MATUMBU

REG NUMBER R2111 726

QUESTION: DISCUSS THE ROLE OF CHRISTIANITY TO SHORTCUTS TO

AUTHENTIC DEVELOPMENT.
The christianity religion has dated back to the biblical era, when Jesus came and descended
on earth, he came with this religion under his sleeves and gave to the world. The word
shortcut in this context may mean the easiest and fastest way to perform something. The term
authentic may be defined as made or done the same way as an original , Authentic, not false
or imitation, real and actual, according to Webster dictionary. The term development can be
defined as to a specified state of advancement or growth. It could also be used to describe a
new and advanced idea or product; or an event that constitutes a new stage under changing
circumstances. Generally, the term development describes good change, this is according to
Max (March 2016). So in a contextual text, the term authentic development combined
together may mean growth that is trustworthy, not false, not corrupt and actual. Thus the role
of christianity to shortcuts to honest and trustworthy development is done through various
ways and these include education, prayer, preaching against injustice and miracle
performance. However on the other hand there may be limitations to role of christianity to
shortcuts to authentic development and these include political barriers and lack of resources.

Christians role to rush to honest and not corrupt development is done through educating
people. During the biblical era, Jesus has always preached on different topics and some
include corrupt tendencies in the bible, such as the parable of the corrupt farmhands in which
Jesus told another story to the people, according to Bible Gateway, Luke 20 vs 9-19
“A man planted a vineyard. He handed it over to farmhands and went off on a trip.
He was gone a long time. In time he sent a servant back to the farmhands to collect
the profits, but they beat him up and sent him off empty-handed. He decided to try
again and sent another servant. That one they beat black-and-blue, and sent him off
empty-handed. He tried a third time. They worked that servant over from head to
foot and dumped him in the street. Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘I know what
I’ll do: I’ll send my beloved son. They’re bound to respect my son.’  “But when the
farmhands saw him coming, they quickly put their heads together. ‘This is our chance
this is the heir! Let’s kill him and have it all to ourselves.’ They killed him and threw
him over the fence. “What do you think the owner of the vineyard will do? Right. He’ll
come and get rid of everyone. Then he’ll assign the care of the vineyard to others.”
Those who were listening said, “Oh, no! He’d never do that! “But Jesus didn’t back
down. “Why, then, do you think this was written, That stone the masons threw out,
It’s now the cornerstone!? “Anyone falling over that stone will break every bone in his
body; if the stone falls on anyone, he’ll be smashed to smithereens.” The religion
scholars and high priests wanted to lynch him on the spot, but they were intimidated
by public opinion. They knew the story was about them. In this text, Jesus was
teaching about not being corrupt as a good way one may actually make it in the
society, he preached to the masses and also correcting the corrupt leaders who were
there and these can be an example which can be used in today Christian world to
curb and avoid untrustworthy and corrupt development, by educating people on
these, churches today for example, Methodist, Anglican, Zaoga and other Pentecostal
churches practise moral development education to people from Sunday school to
youth fellowships and to adult and these helps very much in authentic development.
They may grow up knowing its bad to do corruption as it costs other peoples living
wellness and some may ethically find it making sense and might change there wrong
doings and this leads to an authentic development. One is therefore brought to
accept the fact that Christians role to rush to honest and not corrupt development is done
through educating people.

Through prayer, Christians play a role to an easy way to authentic development. In the
biblical text, prayer has always been a key element to the Christianity religion, according to
information from Faith comes by hearing website, there is biblical written text which puts
shade on prayer and belief, for instance John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave
his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. This
biblical text is a saying, which is meant for all Christians who believe and should have
faith and therefore pray for what they want and shall be granted, also Jesus went on to
state according to Wittman ( January 2014), Luke 11:9 is where we find the promise that
says, "ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened
to you." Each of those verbs are in the present tense, active voice and could be translated,
"keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking." Jesus does not want us to give up in
prayer, He instructs us to be persistent. Thus spreading prayer in the today world may end
up reaching the corrupt fools and untrustworthy fools who go to church to grasp the power
of prayer and may change due to fact of this text which talks about prayer and may have
belief in blessings and may lower rates of corruption and may lead to authentic
development. One is brought to a situation where he or she has to accept the fact that
through prayer, Christians play a role to an easy way to authentic development through
prayer.

Preaching against injustice may be one of the roles played by Christians in shortcuts to
authentic development. According to Webster, injustice applies to any act that involves
unfairness to another or violation of one's rights, thus by preaching against it, may lead
to one feeling guilt over doing bad things to other people and this may change habits of
certain people in our country. According to Boro (June 28 2020), Sin is sin, no matter
who commits it; therefore, social injustice is wrong and should not be tolerated because the
Word says, Matthew 7:12, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to
them, for this is the law and the prophets.” This is a rich biblical text to the Christians in
Zimbabwe, this verse promotes helping one another and feeling empathy for one another such
that, to be blessed one may need to also do for other for it is stated in the script, and this leads
to incorrupt development as people may come to terms in building there relations with other
people in a good way to avoid punishment from God but rather be blessed also after helping
others. One is brought to bear in mind the fact that Preaching against injusticne of the roles
played by Christians in shortcuts to authentic development.

Miracle performance by Christians may be one of the roles they are instrumental in
to authentic development. A miracle is basically an extraordinary and astonishing
happening that is attributed to the presence and action of an ultimate or divine
power, This is according to Werblowsky. By performance of miracles for people to
see, they will simply repent after seeing the power of God exists, and may have fear
that it might be used against them. In the bible, Jesus performed various types of
miracles such as healing, exorcism and resurrection, and after each miracle Jesus
would receive at least two hundred more followers and these also works for our
Zimbabwean prophets, if there to preform any sort of miracle, they tend to draw
attention, likes of Makandiwa and Magaya Coming through with miracle baby,
miracle money and miracle bricks, and at such crowds gathered at churches like
these tend to have a word preached to them which actually changes the state of
thinking, and because of belief after seeing miracles one may lack disbelief and thus
follow the word. And at such one may change the way they govern or rule due to fear
of God’s power, Thus one is brought to believe the fact that Miracle performance by
Christians may be one of the roles they are instrumental in to authentic development.

However on the other hand it maybe difficult for Christians to play a role in
instrumental shortcuts to authentic development due to political barriers. During the
biblical era of Herod, various rules where put forward for people to fear him and
these included the situation when during that time King Herod  caused terrible
suffering for some members of the church. He ordered soldiers to cut off the head of
James, the brother of John. When Herod saw that this pleased the Jewish people, he
had Peter arrested during the Festival of Thin Bread. He put Peter in jail and ordered
four squads of soldiers to guard him. Herod planned to put him on trial in public
after the festival. While Peter was being kept in jail, this which is according to
information from bible gateway. This which is a barrier with the today political
structure, if one is to act against the government, they may be subjected to have
being in contradiction to the Presidential law and lacking respect and thus receive a
jail sentence. Thus churches tend to distant themselves from such due to fear of
being banned thus being difficult to play a role that is instrumental to shortcuts to
authentic development.

On the other hand lack of resources my be a problem in trying to play a role that is
instrumental to shortcuts to authentic development. Services such as educating people, giving
out pamphlets, setting up crusades and also other services, may be an impediment to the role
played by Christian churches to play a role to shortcuts to authentic development, thus not a
lot of Christian churches are involved in this duties, churches with large gathering such as the
white garment church may lack resources to help in also donating to the poor and also
organising functions. For instance in the biblical era of Jesus, a boy brought forward.
According to Willmington (March 2018 ), With but five loaves of bread and two small fishes,
donated by a small lad, Jesus feeds 5,000 men plus their wives and children, but it would be
exaggerated if one church leader was to perform such a miracle, thus the issue of resources
can barely be scarcely dealt with on ground due to economic breakdown.
In conclusion, one can bring out several points which supports the role of christianity in the
shortcuts to authentic development and these include educating people, preaching against
injustice and miracle performance. However on the other hand, there barriers in trying to
solve and shortcuts to authentic development which include lack of recourses and political
barriers.
References

Bible gateway, The Story of Corrupt Farmhands

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2020%3A9-19&version=MSG

DONOVAN, V.J. 1978. Christianity rediscovered. Maryknoll: Orbis

What is development a definitive guide

March 2016
https://www.mdgmonitor.org/what-is-development-guide/#:~:text=The%20word
%20'development'%20is%20widely,term%20development%20describes%20good
%20change.

Wilmington, H. The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Feeding the 5,000. May 2018, Liberty
University.