The church in dire need of redemption

The church, or what passes for it, is evidently an institution facing a crisis of existential proportions. With its values, standing, integrity and character in tatters, the church finds itself grappling with the bitter reality that it is no longer the moral paragon that we should all look up to for comfort, counsel and direction.
What should have been the line separating the church from other social institutions is blurred at best and non-existent at worst. The vices that have ripped societies to shreds are very much the stock-in-trade of the church.
In the news now are the conflicts convulsing CCAP synods of Livingstonia and Blantyre. At the core of the rifts lies the unbridled pursuit of human ambitions and aspirations, a far cry from the citadel of service that we have been made to believe the church is. This is coming against the background of the fights between Livingstonia and Nkhoma synods over boundaries. Although the two warring parties declared some sort of ceasefire, the tensions between the synods remain palpable. All the efforts by the General Synod to resolve the differences in what should historically have been one family have failed.
Now, if the church cannot put its house in order, what authority does it possess to stand on a moral higher ground and try to make peace among politicians and in families? If the church cannot fight corruption and abuse in its household, where do organisations like the Public Affairs Committee (PAC) get the courage to come out forcefully to condemn these problems in government and among individuals? Is it like something becomes a wrong only when it happens outside the church?
Once upon a time, I used to believe that the church is entitled to 10 percent of my earnings in the form of tithes. Although not a regular member of the ‘tithes club’ I could nevertheless drop a few coins into the kitty of my church once in a while. I wish I could return to those days, but why should I give my hard earned money to an organisation that, in all likelihood, will abuse it? Why should I support an institution when the money will only end up lining the pockets of some people?
There is the argument that when you pay tithes or give the church other forms of support, you are giving to God, not individuals or an organisation. But let’s face it; God does not have a bank account, so when I pay my tithes the money goes to an organisation called the church. If this organisation abuses the resources, the idea that it is God who ultimately receives what we give to the church falls by the way side. The fact remains that the money, which would have benefitted my children and family, has ended up in wrong hands.
One would begin to ask and wonder why the church has sunk to such depths. Perhaps the issue is not why the church has declined and deteriorated as the light of the world. The issue is that this has always been the case, only that for some reason we have tended to look the other way while the rot has been piling up in the church. In some instances, we have been bullied by those who lead us into keeping quiet in the face of obvious decay. Besides, there is the problem of blind faith, the idea that we should support the status quo because leaders of the church are beyond reproach having been ordained by God.
That is why while child abuse by priests and other clergy reached epic proportions, silence reigned in the church. Even as church leaders live in opulence while their flock sinks deeper into poverty, we take it on the chin and assure ourselves that our turn on the high table will come. Years fly by as we enrich church founders, deacons, apostles and bishops while we take one tentative step forward and three robust steps backwards in our vein search for some promised land.
The bottom line is that the church and religion in general are part and parcel of all the ills that afflict our world. If you talk about war and terrorism, you will find some elements of the church in the justification for killings and bloodletting. The church has its unmistakable imprint on abuse, nepotism, regionalism, tribalism, theft, corruption and other evils. Why such an institution should continue claiming the pedestal of purity and moral authority is beyond me.
My last word is that it is high time we demolished the artificial lines that separate the church from other social institutions. What should be the light of the world is dim. The church, like the rest of us, is in dire need of redemption.

When the law makes no sense
Lawyer Frank Mbeta is in a position that any suspect in a crime would drool at with envy. Mbeta, who is being accused of bribery by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), is walking free in town despite being charged with the alleged crime. According to ACB deputy director Reyneck Matemba, there is a law that makes it regular to charge somebody of a crime without arresting them.
That’s quite interesting, if not mind boggling. A suspect not being arrested? I mean, I have grown up believing that all suspects are arrested unless they disappear into thin air or the case against them is deemed weak. Get me right here. I am not suggesting any wrongdoing on the part of Matemba or Mbeta with regard to the fact that the bribery suspect has not been arrested. My worry is that there is a law in a Malawi of the 21st Century that allows suspects to walk free before being arrested and granted bail.
I will not argue over whether Sections 83 and 84 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Code allow this to happen because that is beside the point. Whether this is supported by the law or not is immaterial. The issue is that it should never happen. The law should never regularise the irregular. It shatters all sense.