Jesus' Great Commission Reaches Africa


Book Description

This is a survey of a rational, organized, thriving, scripturally informed and Holy Spirit inspired community of indigenous Christians of Africa who existed centuries before the Roman Empire tolerated Christianity and before the Byzantine Empire existed. Their faith in Jesus Christ, perseverance and sacrifices were instrumental in launching the philosophy, teachings and religious institutions of Western Christianity for the centuries to come.




Surveying Christianity's African Roots (Paperback)


Book Description

"... pre-Constantinian Christian intellect apparently found a richer thought environment in Africa than elsewhere. It discovered itself in the intellectual centers of Africa before Europe had produced such centers. Eventually it offered its rich wisdom to the cultures of the northern side of the Mediterranean ..." - Dr. Thomas C. Oden. This book surveys the rational, organized, thriving, Scripturally informed and Holy Spirit-inspired roots of indigenous Christianity in Africa from 33 A.D. through 537 A.D. The intent is to supplement existing Church history resources.




How Africa Shaped the Christian Mind


Book Description

Thomas C. Oden surveys the decisive role of African Christians and theologians in shaping the doctrines and practices of the church of the first five centuries, and makes an impassioned plea for the rediscovery of that heritage. Christians throughout the world will benefit from this reclaiming of an important heritage.




History of the Church in Africa


Book Description

What is the truth concerning the origin of Christianity in Africa? Common beliefs are that it is a religion imported from Europe; a recently new arrival; and a largely discountinuous historical process. But whilst the great expansion od the Christian Church has undoubtedly taken place during the last 100 years, there is evidence to suggest that the origins lie deeper in the past. This book attenpts to establish where, when and how Christianity first came to Africa. The narrative begins in the first century AD, thence traces the major movements of the Christian faith on the continent over the centuries, emphasising the continuity of the development of the Church as a dynamic, worldwide faith. Some specific topics covered include: the North African Church AD200-AD700; the Nubian and Abyssinian churches; the challenge of Islam; the slave trade, its end and renewed missionary activity; Portuguese missionary activity; Christian expansion in South Africa; the work of Samuel Crowther and David Livingstone; the scramble for Africa and the colonial period; political independence; and the development of the autonomous church.




Deep Roots


Book Description

Deep Roots: The African/Black Contribution To Christianity examines the contributions of African/black people to the formation of Christianity. Through a thorough and exhaustive study, Deep Roots details those who possessed African/Black ancestry in the Bible and in the early church as well as taking a look at the spread of Christianity through Africa. Deep Roots looks at the contribution of the early black church and how it helped to shape Christianity today. Review questions are provided at the end of each chapter in an effort for this book to be used for personal study or group study. "In a fresh and skillful manner Deep Roots portrays African/Black religious history from Biblical times to the present. In a clear, decisive and historical manner Michael Burton refutes the myths that "Christianity is the White Man's religion: as well as rebuking the supposed "curse of Ham." Michael Burton, in an easy to read manner, documents parts of history that have not been emphasized, such as the African early church fathers, the three African Popes as well as the development of the major Black denominations in America, from their historical, sociological and political roots to their present maturity. Deep Roots is a valuable book for scholars, ministers, seminarians, Sunday School teachers and students interested in the development, growth and contribution of black religion in America." Dr. Albert P. Rowe Calvary Baptist Church Paterson, New Jersey




African Origins of Monotheism


Book Description

African Origins of Monotheism recasts an African knowledge of God in a new and original way. It aims to recapture concepts of God as originally reflected upon by pristine African religious thinkers. Muzorewa is seeking after the traditional African understandings of the Divine, which trace their origins back before the rise of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Monotheism, he maintains, is the ancient view of God, ubiquitous across the continent of Africa; indeed, monotheism comes "out of Africa." The book challenges the way that the idea of God has been manipulated by Eurocentric agendas, by colonizers, enslavers, and empire builders, all of whom were using God-talk to achieve their own personal ends. In African thinking, the God concept is guided by a sense of the presence of the all-pervasive and omnipresent God, which has instilled in the people a sense of respect for life at all costs. Thus, respect is not based on a commandment or on fear but on a propensity for affinity.







Christianity in Africa


Book Description

Christianity's centre of gravity has shifted in the modern world from the Northern continents to the South, with Africa playing a dominant role in the resurgence of the faith. This work examines this global transformation of the faith from an African perspective and surveys the new role of African Christianity. Beginning with the intellectual legacy of the 19th-century "Black Spokesman", Edward Wilmot Blyden, who questioned the suitability of Western Christianity to Africa, and its resurgence in the 20th century in the Afrikania Movement of the late Ghanaian ex-Roman Catholic priest, Kwabena Damuah, the author examines the deep mother-tongue roots of large portions of African Christianity and shows how the faith has remained a vital and influential force in the continent even after the waning of Western dominance. He then goes on to discuss the prospects of this modern African experience of the faith, in the future shape of Christian theological discourse, in the understanding of the nature of Christian history and in Christianity's continuing social and cultural impact in the world, as well as in a reassessment of the place of the African continent itself in world history.




Pre-Slavery Christianity: It Was Never The White Man’s Religion


Book Description

What are the true origins of Christianity and is there any truth to the belief that many black people wouldn’t be Christians if it weren’t for slavery? When we start digging into the origin of the Christian faith, we find that Africa played a major role in its early years. + The world’s largest church membership is found in Egypt. + Ethiopia declared Christianity their official religion decades before Rome. + The apostles preached in Africa and Arabia before preaching in Europe. While Europeans have been instrumental in the spreading of Christianity, all evidence points to Old Testament laws and customs still being practiced in many parts of Africa, as they have for thousands of years. Newspaper articles from the 17th and 18th centuries mention Africans being in possession of scriptures not familiar to Europeans. The Ethiopian Coptic Bible is the oldest and most complete Bible in existence. If you’re ready to learn the truth about Christianity and Africa’s role in its early years, this is the book you want to read. Christianity was never the white man’s religion.




Beyond Roots II; If Anybody Ask You Who I Am


Book Description

Beyond Roots II is the logical second step in the cultural literary pilgrimage of both Rev. McKissic and Dr. Evans. As two bibliocentric evangelical African American Pastors, they seek to flush out the errors in the biblical interpretations of the history of the Black race in a scholarly and pragmatic way. McKissic and Evans are determined to continue their wrestling until they can penetrate the truth about a significant Black presence in the Bible, not only in the African American community, but for the benefit of the Christian church at large. In this collaborative work, McKissic and Evans fill in the gaps between their works to show why a proper biblical view of the Black race is essential if Black people are to recognize, understand and appreciate their position in God's eternal program. This work further authenticates the Black presence in Scripture through the eyes of Black and White biblical scholars while pointing to the racial abuse of historically accepted biblical scholarship. In addition, they reveal the continuing Black presence in the development of the church and theology through the leadership of the African church fathers and beyond. However, this work is designed not only to unfold the divine saga of the Black race in Scripture, but to make an analysis of how people must use that knowledge to address the contemporary crisis that African Americans currently face. It is designed to challenge Black and White Christians alike to root their racial heritage and pride in Scripture if they are to avoid the extremes of both racial elitism and racial inferiority. Is it an accurate and honest portrayal of history to depict all Bible characters as European? Are the images of European Bible characters a result of objective historical research or the personal biases of the image producers? Do these images reinforce the notion of White superiority? Is it true that Moses, Solomon, the Queen of Sheba and Jesus were of Black lineage? There are some startling answers to these questions packed between the covers of this book. Rev. William Dwight McKissic, Sr. and Dr. Tony Evans explore the depth of the African contribution to Christianity from the earliest days of human history. This well-documented, fact-filled volume sheds light on the biblical legacy belonging to people of African descent. And it's a challenge to Christians of diverse ethnic backgrounds to root their racial heritage and pride in Scripture, rather than culturally- limited depictions of Biblical characters. This book will enable you to authoritatively respond to the old Negro spiritual "If Anybody Ask you Who I Am" by saying, "I have been, I am and I always will be a child of the King."