For too long, African
Christians have only had access to discipleship and biblical resources from a
Western perspective. The heart and soul of Africa that influenced early
Christ-followers from the Ethiopian eunuch to Augustine seemed lost in the
past.
The concept of a study Bible specifically created for the
needs of African Christians began in 2003 among African leaders, Oasis
International and Tyndale House Publishers.
Missionary statesman Dr. Danny McCain led an effort to
evaluate the understanding of the Bible by English-speaking church members
in Jos, Nigeria and the potential impact of having the Bible in clear,
modern language using African vocabulary.
Leaders from across the African
continent in 2011 met and agreed on a study Bible, The African Study Bible to bridge the gap of cultural understanding
and relevance of the scripture to everyday
life in Africa. The Bible is seen as a resource that speaks directly to the
heart of Africans, revealing the truth and beauty of “God’s Word through
African Eyes.”
Written in the New Living
Translation of the Bible, the Africa Study Bible has over 2,200 notes and features that connects scripture to different
cultures throughout Africa. Over 300 writers and editors, from 50 countries,
from four major language groups, have all worked on this project to create
the most ethnically diverse study Bible content to date. This historic
collaboration has produced study notes for a Bible that truly reflect the many
unique cultures that make up Africa—from Botswana to Egypt, from Kenya to
Nigeria.
The Goal of the
Bible is to have a Bible that:
- Applies
the Word of God to daily life.
- Reclaims
the African roots of Christianity
- Explains
Scripture in an African context, making it easy to understand.
- Teaches
an all-in-one course in Biblical content, theology, history, and culture.
At the launch in Sandton,
Johannesburg, a gathering of Theologians from across the continent, president of
the publishing company Oasis International Dr Matthew Elliott said “the idea
was to publish a single-volume Bile resource by Africa for Africa would be a lot
closer to the lived experience of Africans than the literature traditionally
coming from say, the United States or Britain.”
“Africans
from all over the continent were involved from inception to completion. In
fact‚ South Africa was already represented at the first meeting in Ghana seven
years ago. The result is a Bible that makes Scripture more relevant and
applicable‚ and that reclaims the African roots of Christianity. To this end we
have included unique content that highlight the role Africa has played in the
Bible‚ and vice versa‚” said Elliott.
One
of the Southern Africa contributors‚ Dr Elesinah Chauke‚ said that‚ to her‚ the
project was an affirmation that the Bible was God’s message to all people‚ and
that it was important that Africans would find themselves as they read and
study the Bible.
The Africa Study Bible is distributed to the South
African book trade by Christian Media Publishing‚ and is available to the
public through CNA‚ other leading retailers‚ and online.
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