Christian Warfare in Rhodesia-Zimbabwe: The Salvation Army and African Liberation, 1891-1991

Christian Warfare in Rhodesia-Zimbabwe examines the history of the Salvation Army in Rhodesia-Zimbabwe and its relationships with the state and with the rest of the church. In particular, it examines parallels between events of the first Chimurenga, a rising against European occupation in 1896-97, and the second Chimurenga in the 1970s, the civil war that led to majority rule. At the time of the first, the Salvation Army was barely established in the country; by the second, it was part of the establishment. The book explores the enmeshment of this Christian mission in the institutions of white rule and the painful process of disentanglement necessary by the late twentieth century. Stories of martyrdom and colonial mythology are set in the carefully researched context of ecumenical relations and the Salvation Army's largely unknown and seldom accessible internal politics. ""This book deals with significant issues, offering challenge on the basis of considerable research and setting the scene for necessary discussion among those familiar with the issues and also the periods covered. A recommended read."" –Commissioner John Swinfen, retired International Secretary for Africa, Salvation Army's International Headquarters, London, UK ""In this carefully researched history, Norman Murdoch focuses on the Salvation Army's involvement in Zimbabwe's history, charting its erratic missionizing career there and revealing hitherto undisclosed attitudes and influences regarding its partisan support of British colonialism. This book deserves to be read not only by Salvationists but by all who are interested in the missionary impulse or the history of British colonization in Africa."" –R.G. Moyles, Professor Emeritus, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada ""This is a fascinating, well-researched history. Telling the truth about the past can still be a hard thing to do, but Norman Murdoch has made an excellent attempt to lay out the truth about the relationships between missionaries, the settler regime, and the Shona and Ndebele peoples. I recommend this candid and helpful book."" –Commissioner Stuart Mungate, retired Salvation Army leader, Zimbabwe, Africa """Christian Warfare in Rhodesia-Zimbabwe" tells a riveting and little-known story of Salvation Army operations in Africa. This is a no-holds-barred account of how William Booth's devotion to his London East End evangelical enterprise led him to be entangled in Cecil Rhodes's dubious scheme of colonization. . . . The book deserves a wide readership not just in Africa but in every country touched by Salvation Army operations."" –Norman Etherington, Professor of History Emeritus, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia ""It is high time someone produced a book that explains the Salvation Army in contemporary Africa. This case study on their history in Zimbabwe is a most refreshing piece of writing on a country where armies usually bring to mind questions of politics and social justice. This book fills a gap in knowledge about religion in modern Zimbabwe."" –Isabel Mukonyora, associate professor, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY Norman H. Murdoch is Emeritus Professor of History, University of Cincinnati, Ohio, where he taught from 1968 until 2005. He is the author of Origins of The Salvation Army (1994) and numerous other books and articles.