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Kimbanguism


Kimbanguism is a new religious movement professed by the Church of Jesus Christ on Earth by His special envoy Simon Kimbangu (French: Église de Jésus Christ sur la Terre par son envoyé spécial Simon Kimbangu) founded by Simon Kimbangu in the Belgian Congo (today the Democratic Republic of the Congo) in 1921. It is considered a branch of Christianity. A large, independent African Initiated Church, it has an estimated 5.5 million believers and has its headquarters in Nkamba.

In April 1921, Kimbangu, a Baptist mission catechist, inaugurated a mass movement through his supposed miraculous healings and biblical teaching. The Belgian authorities treated the faith with suspicion and imprisoned Simon Kimbangu until his death in 1951. The church was formally recognised by the Belgian colonial authorities in 1959.

Some smaller, more loosely organised groups in Central Africa regard Kimbangu as God's prophet.

According to the church, Simon Kimbangu is said to have come down to earth from Mount Zion as a Congolese infant. His father had been a traditional religious leader, but both parents died and Kimbangu was orphaned and put in the care of his maternal aunt. She took him to Baptist missionary school where he studied for many years. He grew up to be a Baptist.

In 1921, the mother of a deceased child is said to have approached Kimbangu while he was talking to his disciples. He said to her, "Have faith in Me. I will give you a miracle and you will know the truth about me. I will do something great for your daughter and you will see God's glory", and raised her child from the dead.


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