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Zionist Churches
Zionist churches form the largest single stream within South Africa's African Initiated Churches. They take their name and early inspiration from the Christian Catholic Apostolic Church founded by John Alexander Dowie in Zion, Illinois, in the United States, and are distinguished by divine healing, prophecy, white robes, river baptism and dietary taboos.
Origins and arrival in South Africa
Zionist Christianity reached South Africa from the United States in 1904, when Daniel Bryant arrived as an emissary of John Alexander Dowie's Zion movement. Early South African figures associated with the movement included Pieter Louis Le Roux and Daniel Nkonyane of Wakkerstroom. From 1908 the arrival of John G. Lake drew many followers toward Pentecostalism, and through the 1910s and 1920s numerous independent Zionist and Apostolic churches formed.
Worship and practices
Zionist worship is marked by faith-healing, prophecy and revelation through dreams and visions, baptism by full immersion in rivers, prayer circles (isiguqo), and circular "wheel" dances sometimes accompanied by drums. Worshippers commonly wear white ritual robes and carry staffs.
Taboos and cultural blending
Many Zionist churches observe dietary and lifestyle taboos, most notably abstaining from pork, and often from alcohol and tobacco. A widely documented feature is the holding of Christian belief alongside African cultural elements; some congregations honour or seek the favour of ancestors, and practices vary considerably from one church to another.
Relationship to other AICs and scale
The Zionist and closely related Apostolic churches overlap heavily and together make up the great majority of South Africa's AICs. The largest Zionist church is the Zion Christian Church. Research in the 1990s suggested that around 40% of Black South Africans belonged to a Zionist church, underscoring the stream's very large scale.
Described factually and respectfully from documented sources. Corrections welcome.