With the current state of affairs in Zambia, I wonder, are we really doing justice to the name we profess. I also wonder, is it even right to impose Christianity on a nation when it’s something so personal?

I’m one of those who have rejoiced at the declaration but over recent months I wonder if at all we are not dragging Christ’s name in the mud. I’ve heard it said, “Zambia will be governed under Christian principles” but that has not been the case since the declaration was made. There is no justice in our country and I believe we cannot blame the current situation on the government but ourselves. I do not mean to say that our country has no good happening…there is a lot of good going on. But if we want to keep flying Christ as our country’s banner, there is no room for apathy.

In a Christian nation, children should not be living on the streets fending for themselves. The poor should not be oppressed. Pollution would not be as high because we wouldn’t just bury our heads in the sand while the vulnerable ingest lead. Fear would leave, and the need to do what is right would take over. We wouldn’t be so moved by competing with each other wanting to be the best dressed or to have the best weddings or best cars because Christianity pulls people out of ditches not burying them as we rise to the top.

Yes, we have a rich culture, where we believe in taking care of each other, but then how did corruption become so rampant? If we are a Christian nation, why isn’t it visible in our treatment of prisoners? In our care for the sick? If we are a Christian nation, why isn’t it visible in the integrity of our education system? Why do we pay bribes to those in authority just to get the services that should be and on paper are entitlements? Why isn’t it reflected in how we choose our leaders? Why do teachers just get transferred to another school when they get a school girl pregnant? Is that in any way, a reflection of Christ? When a woman is photographed with her legs in the air, having a papsmear done and pasted on a news website, is that a reflection of Christ? When we allow people to take photos of the vulnerable without their consent and use them to show the plight of our people is that right???

I am not calling for the removal of the clause but for an evaluation of whether Christ sits on the throne in the minds of Zambians as we claim. What do people see when they look at our country, do they see love or greed, a spirit of servitude and humility or one of pride and “what’s in it for me?”? Do they see Christ?