Our three CCAP synods, Livingstonia, Nkhoma and Blantyre, have long been perceived as politically inclined religious establishments.

The truth is, religion and politics are inseparable for several reasons.

Both influence societal values, both seek to guide human behaviour and, historically, religious institutions have played crucial roles in shaping political discourse and leadership.

In Malawi, the Church has consistently contributed to the development of political agency and public consciousness.

It would be disingenuous, therefore, to now demonise its involvement in politics.

However, problems begin to emerge when churches openly align themselves with specific political parties. That is when matters start to go awry.

Let us not be deceived— no church is entirely free from political influence.

Even the Catholic bishops, often regarded as paragons of moral authority in confronting injustice, have demonstrated political leanings.

During the height of the UTM’s popularity, they appeared closely aligned with the late vice president Saulos Chilima and his party. Some of their public statements seemed overtly supportive of UTM.

But that is a subject for another time.

Today’s focus is CCAP and its synods; a denomination never short of controversy.

CCAP has often made headlines for the wrong reasons.

Territorial disputes have seen synods aggressively extend their prayer houses into areas traditionally regarded as belonging to others. This has typically been a desperate bid to secure more congregants.

There are uncomfortable political truths that must be acknowledged when discussing these synods.

Livingstonia Synod, for example, has historically thrown its support behind whichever political party gains traction in the Northern Region— excluding, perhaps, the Alliance for Democracy, which lost its relevance following the death of its founding leader.

Ahead of the 2020 presidential election, Livingstonia Synod appeared to support UTM and celebrated the Tonse Alliance’s victory, in which UTM was a major partner.

Nkhoma Synod has largely aligned itself with the Malawi Congress Party (MCP). While not all its pastors are overtly political, a notable number have expressed favour towards the current administration.

What is particularly striking about Nkhoma is its apparent lack of concern about concealing this alignment. Its loyalty to MCP has been relatively open.

Blantyre Synod, by contrast, was once a firm supporter of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), particularly during the leadership of Reverend Billy Gama as General Secretary.

Under its current administration, the synod seems less openly partisan, perhaps as a result of genuine neutrality, or perhaps in an effort to appear apolitical.

Nonetheless, the recent summoning of ministers who partic