From prophetic voices to lack of voice: Christian Churches in Kenya and the dynamics of voice and voicelessness in a multi-religious space

Abstract

Based on recent ethnographic research carried out in the last five years, this article offers an examination of the changing roles of mainline churches in public life by exploring the perceived loss of prophetic voice on the part of mainline church clergy and the emergence of other voices in the context of increased ethnicity and religious pluralism in a multi-cultural space. It is argued that the emergence of new voices such as those of the Pentecostal and Evangelical clergy have not only seriously challenged the public roles of mainline churches, but have also spawned multiple and sometimes discordant voices that have further complicated an already crowded sociopolitical space. The article equally highlights the role of Christianity during the late 2007 and early 2008 post election crisis that engulfed Kenya after the bungled 2007 presidential elections. The study of Christian churches’ involvement in Kenyan politics not only requires that we go back to history to retrace the ever changing and obviously ever evolving roles of Christian churches in public life, it is also imperative to analyse the collective, individual and institutional relations between Church and state over the last five decades.