Abstract:
Of all the epidemics that have emerged in history, HIV and AIDS is one of
the most widespread and devastating. Since the beginning of this pandemic
in the 1980s, it has swept like veld fire around the world. In recent years
it has centred on Africa, especially in the Southern African countries.1
In
fact, these countries including Zimbabwe have become a melting pot for
the disease. Notably, the epidemic has received diverse responses from
various stakeholders such as churches, governments, non-governmental
organisations and individuals. This paper seeks to examine the responses
of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDAC) in Zimbabwe to the HIV and
AIDS pandemic. The SDAC is a worldwide church that believes in Jesus
Christ as a World Saviour who will soon return to effect judgement on earth.2
Its mission is to preach the gospel to all people and prepare them for the
coming Kingdom of Glory. The name Seventh Day Adventist implies that
they observe the seventh day of the week, Saturday, as the day of worship
and that they look forward to the imminent return of Christ. The Church
was formed in the 1960s by former followers of the Millerite Movement
who include Mr. and Mrs. J. White, V. Himes and J. Bates.3
The caption,
‘Battle for Survival’, serves to depict the nature and extent of the inevitable
struggle of the church against the ruinous disease. Just like in any battle,
there are two camps through which the struggle can be comprehended. On
the one hand, we have HIV and AIDS that is wrecking havoc on the general
populace. On the other hand, there is the SDAC that is striving to protect
its members from the scourge. This paper therefore discusses the extent to
which the church is managing to tackle the disease in Zimbabwe. The possible suggestions on how the Church can more effectively deal with this
problem will be given as the paper unfolds. The last section of the paper
will focus on the Missio-Theological Reflections.
