Celebration Churches International in Zimbabwe founder and Senior Pastor, Tom Deuschle, has been labelled an imperialistic cleric and a CIA agent by ruling party activists after he challenged Zimbabweans to speak up against the decaying economic system and openly said that he was proud of the striking doctors for “drawing a line in the sand.”
Zimbabwe’s health sector is mired in a crisis as public hospital doctors have been on strike for over a month. The job action has resulted in patients being turned away from hospitals while there have been widespread reports of deaths in circumstances which could have been prevented had patients received adequate care.
Doctors are demanding better salaries and allowances, as well as conditions of service, but the government has offered a maximum of 100 percent salary increment which has since been turned down with the health workers indicating that they were not willing to receive the money if it did not meet their expectations.
Government has since threatened them with disciplinary action, saying they risk losing their monthly salaries should they continue defying calls to return to work as Government is now invoking the Labour Court ruling allowing it to institute disciplinary measures against them.
Doctors have however remained resolute demanding salaries with the interbank rate for USD because the Zimbabwe dollar is fast losing value.
Presently, there is an impasse as both sides have adopted hard-line stances.
It was against this background that Pastor Deuschle commended the health workers for standing up against an economic system he termed “oppressive” and said he was proud that they have taken a strong stance.
“I am so proud of the doctors for having drawn a line in the sand and stood up to the oppression as well as the oppressive situation that we are in. There is really no excuse for negligence. When we have hospitals that do not have running water and we can’t even get paracetamol, this is ridiculous. It is evil,” the cleric said in a video.
The 65-years man of the cloth went on to give the example of the Biblical children of Israel who he said had at some point thought they had been liberated only to wander in the wilderness for 40 years “because they were afraid of attacking the giants.”
“Oppression and oppressors need to be broken…children of Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness because they refused to fight the giants. They refused to stand up and attack the giants. Now there are giants in our land, they will not go away unless somebody addresses them. We make excuses for these giants,” he said.
He said it took the courage of people like Caleb and Joshua who refused to bow down to the giants adding these were able to deliver the Israelites into the “promised land.”
“We will not allow people to come up with solutions; everything is controlled,” he said.
Pastor Deuschle’s words, however, earned him an imperialist mark with vocal ZANU PF activists, who did not only imply that he was an undercover agent of the West but went on to insult his wife, Bonnie.
State paper Herald Correspondent Charity Maodza wrote that the pastor was a nostalgic Rhodesian who was over-sentimental about the colonial period.
“What can he say? He is a damn nolstagic Rhodesian. All Rhodies & imperial agents like Timo Olkkonen want to dismantle Zim. They cant withstand an independent & nationalistic Zim that has reclaimed its land & liberty. Tom Deuschle is a nobody whose wife was sampled by Henry Olonga,” (sic).
Another, Rutendo Matinyarare calls out the pastor’s lack of empathy in applauding health workers for dropping tools when they should care about patients.
The Bible is still being used to oppress Africans, hence a white missionary like #TomDeuschle from #CelebrationMinistries will use the Bible to divide Zimbabweans & encourage Zim doctors who take an oath to a snake demon on a stick not to take care of the sick for $$$ mammon 🤔 pic.twitter.com/pin1skBivc
— Rutendo Matinyarare (@matinyarare) October 21, 2019
Ammie P Ncube accused the cleric of being a Central Intelligence Agency spy and his wife of conspicuous promiscuity.
“This manipulative CIA agent is were we wanted him to be. Evil stays in his hse. His wife dishes out free sex. He destroyed business pple(sic).”
Despite that, other thought leaders have complimented Tom Deuschle for standing up with the pew.
Hopewell Chin’ono wrote;
“Once again Pastor Tom Deuschle of the Celebration Church has chosen to stand with the people and the Zimbabwean doctors, describing the situation in our hospitals as EVIL & the rulers as OPPRESSORS! Pastor Tom says he is proud of the Doctors for having drawn a line in the sand!”
Gospel musician Tembalami said it was important for both “spiritual leaders and political leaders to address the issues we face with honesty and boldness”.
Fadzayi Mahere wrote that the pastor’s “message was hugely inspiring”.
“It’s so reassuring to have men of God who aren’t afraid to stand on principle and speak up for what is right. Civic leaders with courage are vital in a democracy. God bless Zimbabwe. Thank you, Tom Deuschle,” she wrote.
Born in Denver, Colorado, in the US, Pastor Tom first stepped on African soil in 1979 with nothing but a guitar, a few hundred dollars and a vision.
Motorbiking through rural areas and ministering in homes, farms and on street corners, Tom started small cell groups with a handful of families during Zimbabwe’s civil war in 1979.
40 years later, he leads a church planting movement throughout Africa, Europe, North America and Asia.
He is a devoted husband, father, and pastor, an established businessman, author and speaker, and is renowned for building people, building dreams and building the Kingdom of God across the globe.
Watch Pastor dares Zimbabwe to speak up against the decaying economic system and oppression:
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