Technologization of Religion: The Unstoppable Revolution in the Zimbabwean Mainline Churches

In Beatrice Dedaa Okyere-Manu (ed.), African Values, Ethics, and Technology: Questions, Issues, and Approaches. Palgrave-Macmillan. pp. 263-280 (2021)
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Abstract

Since the colonization of Zimbabwe, mainline churches dominated the religious landscape; however, they continued to concentrate on their traditional identities and forms of worship. Pentecostal Christianity took advantage of this sluggish pace to embrace newer technological ways to their worship. Pentecostal churches became relevant to most young people who are the majority of technology users. Scholars have concluded twenty-first century to be a period of the Fourth Industrial Revolution where technology that used to be an appendage to humanity made humanities to be appendages to technology. While humanity embraced current trends of educational technology, information technology, biotechnology, robotics and artificial intelligence, incorporation of technology among mainline churches has not been common. The research used Zimbabwe Council of Churches to analyse the extent to which technologization of religion had impacted mainline churches. The chapter argued that traditional theology and forms of worship and dogmas of the mainline churches deprived them from growth resulting in their membership declining. The chapter challenged mainline churches to embrace technology because it is an unstoppable revolution. It is a new culture and form of entertainment since a number of people spend most of their time on technology. Above all, technology improves the revenue base for churches.

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