Tithing troubles

THE booming voice of Apostle Rodney Chipoyera, the pastor of the Kingdom Prosperity Ministries, fills a decrepit cinema-turned-church in Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital. Yes, times are tough, he tells his congregants, who sit in broken chairs wearing their Sunday best. The country may be bust, but if you stop tithing—giving a full tenth of your income to his church—you will be cursed. “You tithe, He blesses,” proclaims Mr Chipoyera. “You keep the tithe, the curse is initiated.” The congregation responds in ardent agreement: “I refuse to rob God in tithes and offerings!”

Strutting across the stage, Mr Chipoyera is at pains to defend his shiny car and fashionable clothes. Nobody wants their pastor to look poor, he declares with a laugh. “I represent God,” he says. “I dress well to show who I represent…I don’t want to be one of those pastors on a bicycle.”