Throughout history, Christianity has both supported and challenged authoritarian regimes. After the Edict of Milan in 312 AD, Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity while maintaining authoritarian control. Subsequent Catholic and Orthodox institutions often aligned with monarchs and rulers to consolidate power. Figures like Pope Innocent III exemplify the church’s occasional embrace of centralized authority, as seen in his annulment of the Magna Carta. Yet, biblical narratives—such as the Hebrew prophets confronting kings—illustrate a longstanding theological critique of unchecked power.
When we couple this with Christ’s teachings, we can discern that the origin of authoritarian control in Christianity bears a Gentile imprint rather than reflecting Christ’s own approach. Crucially, we cannot treat Christianity as merely another variant of worldly systems, blending it comfortably with secular philosophies. The most repugnant feature of authoritarian control is its cultish nature, which is inherently derogatory and considered unorthodox. One simply cannot discuss authoritarian control without confronting cultish principles.
A cult is defined as a group with a religious, philosophical, or cultural identity—sometimes wrongly dismissed as a sect—that operates on society’s margins or exploits its members. This is often mistaken for true Christianity, which in its earliest days was also shunned and faced severe persecution. A cult demands devotion to a person regarded as a saint. Loyalty becomes the sticking point for its members.
In authentic Christianity, however, there is freedom—placing it in direct contrast to cultish authoritarian control. While the term “belief” is associated with Christianity, the difference is that Christianity centers on understanding rather than on blind belief rooted in fear. In true Christianity, there is no fear of the kind that commonly grips those under authoritarian control. Any Christian organization operating under a belief system enforced through authoritarian control is indistinguishable from any cult that imposes similar restrictions.
A cult is quite similar to a sect, yet the difference lies in the fact that a sect is an offshoot of a larger group, holding particular (often unorthodox) beliefs while still exercising controls akin to the parent body. A cult can be identified by its fusion of political and/or religious beliefs that tightly bind the group. The chief attribute of a cult is its rigid leadership structure, within which loyalty is considered inherently virtuous, even when one’s own better judgment suggests otherwise.
A member of a cult is conditioned to believe that disloyalty invites condemnation. In Christianity, one is often made to fear losing heavenly benefits. In ZANU-PF politics, one risks being branded as belonging to a loathed opposition party. All of this strips away the comfort sustained by a genuine sense of belonging and loyalty. Christianity is founded upon Jesus, who is sometimes mistakenly seen as promoting cultish tendencies. Yet Jesus was not a cult leader.
He never encouraged His followers to abandon Judaism; instead, He revealed to them the fundamentals of Jewish principles. The eleven disciples were expected to teach only what Jesus commanded, as long as they remained convinced of the sustainable truth in His words. Jesus never deviated from Scriptural references; He embodied Judaism. The difference between Jesus and cult leaders is that Jesus’ teachings are axiomatic—grounded in principle rather than in mere belief in a leadership figure. Thus, the idea of loving one’s enemies is driven by being knowledgeable and tolerant of those who act out of ignorance.
Corruption had embedded itself so deeply across Judaism that correcting those errors drew suspicion upon Jesus. Yet each time the religious leaders confronted Him, He always used Scripture to expose their error. Jesus’ mission was to fulfill Scriptural significance. Over time, tradition had supplanted the fundamentals of Judaism. The Jews sought to obey God’s Laws without establishing the reasons behind them.
Without understanding the fundamentals, humans become susceptible to manipulation in all matters of substance. Jesus never detached Himself from Judaism. He only denounced the additives imposed by leaders who assumed they were knowledgeable when the opposite was true. Judaism had become laden with treachery and ignorance due to leadership structures that had been imposed without applying foundational principles. The danger always lies in mixing truth with error.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill, and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel” (Matthew 23:23-24 NIV).
Jesus was addressing a generation that had infused cultish behaviors into the mainstream of the Jewish faith. From all the castigations He levelled against them, authoritarianism emerges as the culprit. Jesus knew precisely where the Jewish religious problems lay. They had the Law and the Prophetic Scriptures at their disposal, but they had twisted them to suit their own nefarious agendas. In Jesus, we see the Master coming to remove the landmark deceptions that had infiltrated Judaism.
Cultish tendencies had manifested in the Jewish religion even without a clear external rivalry against the Jerusalem citadel. The ordinary layperson assumed that those holding offices possessed a better understanding than they did. Restoring truthfulness required demoting those occupying leadership positions—a herculean task. This could not be achieved without a fight, as is common with human nature. Jesus, however, offered to die rather than eliminate those pompous leaders who deserved death for advancing treacherous teachings.
Before He left the scene, Jesus established a group of twelve, to whom He conferred apostleship, meaning “messengers.” There was no recorded Scripture at that time. The apostles were not regarded as leaders but as carriers of Jesus’ message, having interacted with Him personally. He specifically instructed them to teach only what He had taught. They were not to add anything else. Later, they received the gift of the Holy Spirit, which had been hitherto inaccessible to humanity.
The value of the Holy Spirit is that it enables an understanding impossible for ordinary humans. Those baptized similarly received the Spirit, placing them in direct communion with God and Jesus (John 14:12-21). No one is expected to superintend over those who have received the Holy Spirit. God’s communication would therefore manifest among Christians even though Jesus was no longer physically observable. He instructed them never to exercise authoritarian control but to practice servant-hood rather than domineering over others.
“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Matthew 23:8-12 NIV).
Except for Paul, who may not have directly received this instruction during Jesus’ earthly ministry, the other apostles maintained what Jesus taught. There is no record of them ever exercising authority over others. While Paul recommended certain structures to Timothy and Titus, he taught equality among his followers. He admitted he could not address some of them as spiritual but as worldly (1 Corinthians 3:1-2). The responsibility of the apostles was solely to ensure that Christ’s message reached its intended audience without deviation.
Those baptized received the gift of the Holy Spirit, which enables true understanding. In this world, there have always been people who assume superiority over others. Yet this is erroneous when we consider the datum that all humans were created in God’s image. One may possess some knowledge ahead of others, but that does not entitle that person to superiority. This is precisely why Jesus encouraged humility among believers.
The story of the apostles ended when persecution visited the Church with a vengeance. All the original apostles were killed, along with many of their followers. Those who currently describe themselves as apostles are commonly deceivers, unless they do so sincerely because God has not yet revealed the truth to them. Those who are sincere may change when shown the truth. The four gospel books—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—contain the undiluted teachings of Jesus and are available to anyone desiring to understand them.
It was only after Emperor Constantine ascended to the throne that Christianity was allowed to operate freely. This was the period when Catholicism became established. With or without good intentions, Catholicism introduced authoritarian control into Christianity. Perhaps this was demanded by the Emperor, who needed a mechanism to control Christians. Nevertheless, no true Christian, being directly answerable to God, succumbs to authoritarianism.
Catholicism is the largest cult ever established in this world. It mirrors the Pharisaic establishment that existed before Jesus, even while declaring itself Christian. Catholics were assumed to stand for Jesus’ principles. Yet those baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit cannot be superintended over in matters of Christianity.
We must bear in mind the tragedy inherent in mixing good and evil, or falsehood and truth—just as combining positive and negative electrical currents generates a spark. The first recorded dissenter from Catholicism was a German professor of religion, Martin Luther. With his ninety-five theses, he became the first to publicly challenge Catholicism. He may not have been the first to observe errors in that establishment, but he is recorded as the first to do so openly and was excommunicated.
The common challenge with authoritarianism is that it instills fear in ordinary people. Authoritarianism and cultish conditions are thus intrinsically related. All cults share one essential feature—authoritarianism. Followers fear being branded as renegades. Christians fear that being condemned by those in authority equates to being condemned by God.
Leadership structures exist primarily for control, which dictators find lucrative as they place themselves in God’s position. But why should anyone need an authority to believe in Jesus? The primary suspect behind this reality is ignorance of what idolatry implies, as clearly delineated in the Ten Commandments:
“You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below” (Exodus 20:3-4 NIV).
Jesus did not exalt anyone on earth, nor did He seek to be exalted by anyone. One is not Christ’s follower without behaving like Jesus. There is a principle of examining everything carefully and holding fast to what is true, as Paul himself advised (1 Thessalonians 5:21). The authoritarian culture, however, does not permit others to think differently. Whatever emanates from those in authority is treated as if it comes directly from Christ. Anyone who deviates is branded rebellious.
The ideal subordinates, from the authoritarian viewpoint, are those who take orders from “authority” without question. This very viewpoint explains much of what has gone wrong in our country. Criminal bills are tabled in Parliament, originating from an authoritative body called the Politburo within the ruling party. Such bills are assumed to protect the interests of the sitting president, who is viewed as a god. Legislators endorse them, even when they disagree internally, simply because the measures were initiated by the leadership.
Failure to do so disqualifies the legislators, who are then regarded as opposition and unacceptable to the establishment. Authority demands that legislators toe the line if they consider themselves disciplined party cadres. In effect, to those legislators, discipline is interpreted as banishing independent thinking. Indeed, they would be disciplined—but under the kingdom of Satan, which governs without basic laws of reasoning. They are expected to advance cultish views in an idolatrous manner.
For anyone seeking to understand the mechanics of cultish behaviour, ZANU-PF can freely be used as a case study. Most of what gets passed in parliament leaves one baffled, wondering what kind of smoke those parliamentarians must have inhaled to think as they do. Everyone is expected to endorse whatever comes from the so-called “Honourable” Members. As a matter of fact, they are not intoxicated; they simply desire to appear “disciplined” and “loyal” to the leader at the top.
There cannot be any genuine reasoning among members of a cult. It never dawns on them that the leader they venerate is no different from them in essence. They tremble and applaud every time the leader speaks, regardless of what is said. Those who harass dissenters are approved as enforcers of order when, in reality, they are promoting chaos.
Naturally, ordinary humans are inclined to protect their own interests more than those of others—a survival instinct. Like other animal species, domineering is misperceived as promoting survival when the opposite is true. Therefore, when elected on a party ticket, one is expected to toe the line or face disqualification. It is no surprise, then, that legislators dubiously pass bills disadvantageous to ordinary people.
Let us revisit Professor Martin Luther, whose actions opened the floodgates for Protestantism. Was he a hero or a villain? That judgment can be left to individual viewpoints. However, a group that detaches itself from a larger body to form another is considered a sect—an offshoot of the original. Consequently, there is no way one can be entirely free from the sins of the parent group. Christianity operates differently from the world’s systems. The safest way to handle such problems is in accordance with biblical teaching:
“Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters” (1 John 3:15-16 NIV).
Nothing short of how Jesus behaved makes one a true Christian. In the case of Martin Luther, anyone is free to reach their own judgment. He was excommunicated. With no clear biblical warrant for excommunication, Luther could have refused to accept it, though that might have led to his murder or incarceration. Being murdered for the truth would have elevated him to the status of the martyrs.
Whether God endorsed his actions after his excommunication remains for God alone to reveal. But Scripture is clear that spiritual calling is superior to all human structures. All Protestant movements still cling to authoritarianism in leading their followers. They need repentance if they desire salvation; otherwise, they comply with what is prophetically depicted in Revelation 17.
True Christianity is not characterized by devotion to individuals or institutions. Even Christ never encouraged anyone to worship Him but specifically instructed His followers to pray to their only Father in Heaven. As to what happens when Christians are allowed to worship freely, only God knows. One thing is certain: those Christians would individually be answerable to God. On judgment day, no one answers for another person’s sins.
The judgment portrayed in Revelation 20:11-15 does not appear to take into account which denominational grouping a person belonged to. Each person faces judgment alone and answers for their own deeds, leaving no excuse for having been misled by a leader. God will not entertain silly excuses about having “obeyed” authorities. Jesus clearly stated that all are brothers. Yet very few people take the time to examine the Scriptures:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:21-23 NIV).
One can be zealous for Christ, but as long as one clings to an authoritarian culture, one remains in error. The Jews failed because of authoritarianism, which subsequently entrenched itself in Roman Catholic dogma, long after its founders were dead. Authoritarianism causes denominational churches to remain dogmatic, just as it has kept ZANU-PF in power for over forty-six years despite glaring blunders. In a broader sense, authoritarianism even produces an educational system that churns out useless graduates.
Christianity is fundamentally about reason and common sense, far more than it is about cultish devotion where a person is forbidden to think for themselves. If it were possible to rely solely on reason and common sense, studying the Scriptures might not even be necessary. Yet, given the confusion that abounds, studying the Bible is essential. What is needed is the removal of authoritarianism and its replacement with facilitators who enable individuals to discover their God-given talents. That is the only viable path toward equipping people to improve the human condition.
Currently, we have an educational system in which students seem to memorize what is funneled to them without taking full responsibility for their own learning. Only in fields like information technology, and a few other disciplines, have there been fortunate achievers whose characters challenged authoritarianism. The arena that most urgently needs the eradication of authoritarianism, however, is Christianity. If those who profess to follow Christ ceased being loyal to their authoritarian groupings, the world would be enlightened overnight.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilisation, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from the current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, relieving those who have witnessed the strings of unworkable solutions, leading to the current economic and social decay. Most Zimbabweans should find the book to be a long-awaited providential oasis of hope, in a simple conversational tone.
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