Church and State relations: the contribution of John Calvin to the understanding of church-state relationships in 21st century Zimbabwe

Abstract

This article deals with the contribution of John Calvin (1509-1564) to the understanding of church-state relations in the 21st century in Zimbabwe. One of the key characteristics of Calvinism and the Reformed tradition is their tendency to produce new confessional statements of faith when new historical situations demand that the church speak out. The point here is that God’s Word is continuously new and there is a need to renew the older confessions in the context of new situations. The influence of Calvin and his brand of Reformed faith can be seen to this day; most of the arguments used in Zimbabwe owe more to Calvin than any other theologian. In his Institutes of Christian religion (1536), Calvin spelled out the sequence of the Christian faith in relation to church-state relations. He believed that the church should not be subject to the state, or vice versa. While both church and state are subject to God's law, they both have their own God-ordained spheres of influence. He espoused that the state should not intrude on the operations of the church. However, it has a duty to protect the church and its ability to function as the church. It can be argued that Calvin’s ecclesiology sowed the seeds of the modern secular democracy. This article will outline the central thoughts of John Calvin on church-state relations and show that Christians in Zimbabwe find a theological ally in him. It will argue that Calvin’s unflinching loyalty to the truth as he saw it in the Word of God for his day provided insights for the faithful in the era of political turmoil for Christians in Zimbabwe