Machingura, FrancisFrancisMachinguraKalizi, Cecil SamuelCecil SamuelKalizi2024-08-202024-08-202024978-3-98989-012-1https://fis.uni-bamberg.de/handle/uniba/96592The Bible was used in politics during both the colonial and post-colonial eras in Africa. This chapter shows that the Bible was and is still being used to promote the political agenda of the elite. This is the predisposition by regimes to employ popular religions in their interaction with constituencies to promote their political objectives. Yet the application of the biblical message on national issues, including politics must be within the parameters of sound exegesis and hermeneutics. The chapter shows examples of debatable and controversial use of the Bible in Zimbabwe and South Africa by politicians such as Robert Mugabe, Emmerson Mnangagwa, Nelson Chamisa, Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma. Furthermore, the controversy includes the clergy making the matter even weightier and worthy of academic interest. We demonstrate in this chapter that if the church spoke with one united voice and become apolitical in its engagement with the state and spoke with authority on matters of national development and national interest it would be the true salt and light of the world. While that would not eliminate the controversies and abuse of the Bible in society, it would serve as a good standard to the society.engBiblePoliticsHermeneuticsZimbabweSouth Africa320bookpart