https://journals.unza.zm/index.php/ZJRCI <p>The Zambian Journal of Religion and Contemporary Issues (ZJRCI) aims at advancing knowledge and to promoting research as well as to providing a forum for policy discussion and analysis on diverse issues in the Zambian, African and Global context.&nbsp;</p> en-US zambiajournalofreligion@gmail.com (Nelly Mwale) zambiajournalofreligion@gmail.com (Joseph Chita) Tue, 04 Jun 2024 12:17:56 +0000 OJS 3.1.0.1 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 60 https://journals.unza.zm/index.php/ZJRCI/article/view/1206 The act of naming living and non-living things is as old as humankind. Biblically, it started in the time of Adam.. This study explored the logic behind naming children after deceased members of the lineage in Zambian cultures from a Pentecostal perspective. The study used a case study design that involved the use of qualitative methods. The study used 20 selected Pentecostal Churches as the target population. The eligible respondents included 20 pastors, 10 parents, 10 Church Leaders (Deacons and Elders) as well as 8 focus group participants (comprising parents, deacons and elders) bringing the total number to 48 respondents; all of them being 35 years old and above. The participants were selected using purposive and snowballing methods and the data was collected using in-depth interview and a Focus Group Discussion. The data collected were analysed thematically. The study revealed that in the Zambian cultures naming Children after deceased members of the lineage was meant to keep the tradition. The findings show that Pentecostals oppose the naming of their children after the deceased members of the lineage. It is recommended that the Pentecostal churches should find a midway of incorporating Zambian naming culture. That way, the cultural heritage of Zambian Pentecostals would be upheld and valued. Alfred Kapepe, Austin M Cheyeka ##submission.copyrightStatement## https://journals.unza.zm/index.php/ZJRCI/article/view/1206 Mon, 27 May 2024 16:12:54 +0000 https://journals.unza.zm/index.php/ZJRCI/article/view/1207 Women have been holding leadership positions for many years now. They have been leading since biblical times. According to the biblical narrative, when leadership by men proved inadequate for a new era, women rose to the occasion. Nevertheless, this narrative is not the same in some sections of society. Just because the Bible remarks that women are weaker vessels (1 Peter 3:7), many societies regard women as such and many times women have been left out of occupying critical roles and not to talk of leading in critical times. But, this study endeavoured to change the narrative by showing that women are capable of leading successfully in critical moments in that they have been leading since the biblical times and that they can still lead in current times. This study examined women’s leadership in a moment of crisis as a biblical reflection. The study explored women’s leadership characteristics in moments of crisis and evaluated the extent to which women show up in the moment of crisis using the Bible as a point of reference. The study employed a qualitative approach with a case study design, and document analysis, to capture and understand the views and attitudes of women leaders in a moment of crisis. It revealed that women in leadership at different levels and prominence have succumbed to crises and surpassed them. Among the leadership characteristics employed by women leaders, teamwork and situational leadership were prevalent in overcoming crises. They exhibited resilient leadership and dependence on the biblical knowledge system to guide their leadership, especially in times of crisis. The study established that women leadership in Lusaka and Kafue districts of Zambia faced challenges of patriarchal stereotyping to pandemics such as Covid-19. The study recommends that women be given equal opportunities in leadership roles and fair platforms and learn from the leadership roles exhibited by women in moments of crisis. Alfred Kapepe, Armstrong Chanda, Audrey Muyuni Phiri, Ireen Moonga ##submission.copyrightStatement## https://journals.unza.zm/index.php/ZJRCI/article/view/1207 Mon, 27 May 2024 16:16:07 +0000 https://journals.unza.zm/index.php/ZJRCI/article/view/1208 The study explored the Bemba Traditional Religious (BTR) cosmology of mystical powers in Mpika district. Among the Bemba people, these powers are considered impersonal, supernatural, or magical forces that pervade the cosmos, function behind all human activities, act in various ways for good and bad, and impact people’s daily lives. The study employed a qualitative research method and a descriptive case study. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were engaged to generate the appropriate data. Data was analysed using thematic framework analysis. The Bemba people and their traditional leaders made up the population. The sample size of 30 participants was chosen through homogenous purposive sampling. The study established that the Bemba people believed in the existence of the unseen or spirit world, which they thought was the source of magical abilities. Mystical powers manifested through witchcraft, divination, magic, traditional medicine, rituals, vows and oaths traditional healers, witches, diviners and medicine men and women. Armstrong Chanda, Austin M Cheyeka ##submission.copyrightStatement## https://journals.unza.zm/index.php/ZJRCI/article/view/1208 Mon, 27 May 2024 16:17:50 +0000 https://journals.unza.zm/index.php/ZJRCI/article/view/1209 This article investigated the presence of Islam in the Isoka district in Zambia and the influence the religion has had on the local people. The presence of Muslims, their religious establishment and influence on the socio-economic lives of the local community such as the Namwanga people in the Isoka Township seems not to have been written about. In the researchers’ view, this overlooked the significance of the Islamic presence in this part of the nation, depriving the scholars of religion and the concerned people of the knowledge of the existence and impact of Islam in Isoka. To explore these, the article used descriptive techniques of the qualitative strategy where an Interpretivist Research Design served as the foundation for data collection. The research drew upon a sample of 26 respondents; Semi-structured and Open- ended interview techniques were applied to obtain the required primary data. Transcripts of the interviews were analysed thematically for respondents’ perceptions of the kind of Islam being practised in Isoka and the categories of people that benefited from Islam in the area. The type of Islam present in Isoka was determined. Themes of unemployment, business opportunities, the aged, the poor and orphans, bursaries and educational sponsorships emerged from the findings as windows of opportunities that Islam utilised to make its presence in the area more appealing to the local community. It was recommended that more studies should be carried out to highlight the presence and role of Islam in Zambia and that scholars of religion should draw on the insights of the current study in their analysis of the inter religious conversion in Zambia. Kelvin Phiri, Joseph Kayuni Hachintu ##submission.copyrightStatement## https://journals.unza.zm/index.php/ZJRCI/article/view/1209 Mon, 27 May 2024 16:19:14 +0000 https://journals.unza.zm/index.php/ZJRCI/article/view/1210 The study examined the leadership role of women in the church in Zambia, with reference to the views of adherents of different churches in Kabwe District. Using a phenomenological design, it examined the adherents’ views from the contemporary Christian perspective, based on the following principles that are relevant to the current status of women: Since every individual is infinitely worth in the sight of God, humans should demonstrate respect for all persons, seek to create a social order in which neither laws nor customs should sanction any form of injustice; whatever may be the norm in the social order, in the Christian fellowship there should be no discrimination on the basis of sex; and all persons have the right and the responsibility to mature as individuals, to develop their own potential and to use their talents to the fullest extent possible. Basing on these principles, the study was carried out and data was collected from 20 participants using qualitative methods. The study established that the leadership role of women in the targeted churches was a crucial issue in Kabwe Disctrict. In the Catholic Church, for example, women were ineligible for ordination to the priesthood. The sentiments gathered from the majority of the participants favoured women ordination in the Catholic Church, the situation was not likely to change in the near future. This was not the same scenario among the targeted protestant churches in which the converse applied; most of the denominations, such as Bread of Life, accepted women as pastors. The study concluded that the church in Kabwe District remained predominantly patriarchal as far as distribution of leadership roles on the basis of gender was concerned. An equitable application of gender equality within the church was yet to be realised. Judith Lubasi Ilubala Ziwa, joseph Kayuni Hachintu, Nicholas Miyoba Haambokoma, Maligeta Jofuta Njobvu ##submission.copyrightStatement## https://journals.unza.zm/index.php/ZJRCI/article/view/1210 Mon, 27 May 2024 16:20:36 +0000 https://journals.unza.zm/index.php/ZJRCI/article/view/1211 This paper seeks to explore the academic factors behind the low mean pass percentage of Candidates from 2011 to 2022 that Zambia as a country has continuously recorded in RE senior secondary final examination with a view to help teachers of RE and Candidates make the best progress possible in RE. A qualitative study approach with a descriptive case study was used. Data was collected through semi structured interviews, focus group discussions, document analysis and lesson observations. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. The exploration revealed a number of factors responsible for the low mean scores being recorded in RE at senior secondary school final examinations. The academic factors include teachers and candidates negative attitude towards RE, poor instructional materials for RE, poor teaching approaches by RE teachers and curriculum design mismatch with material content and assessments. Going forward, the article recommends all stakeholder involvement in the curriculum and content revision, through continuous professional developments CPDs and stakeholder orientations in order to create consistency in the teaching, learning and assessment of RE. kenny Changwe, Julius Zulu ##submission.copyrightStatement## https://journals.unza.zm/index.php/ZJRCI/article/view/1211 Mon, 27 May 2024 16:22:17 +0000