Seeing God’s World Through African Eyes
Bringing together more than 350 contributors—all of them native Africans, including Gordon’s very own Dr. Dan Darko (biblical studies and Christian ministries)—the Africa Study Bible is designed to offer a translation and commentary of God’s Word that specifically relates to African cultures and values.
Posted on November 3, 2017 by College Communications in Faculty, Featured.
With more than 100 English translations of the Bible, many Westerners do not need to look far to find a Bible in their own language that connects to their cultural experience. However, this is far from the case worldwide, and it’s something that Oasis International is hoping to change with their recent publication of the Africa Study Bible. Bringing together more than 350 contributors—all of them native Africans, including Gordon’s very own Dr. Dan Darko (biblical studies and Christian ministries)—the Africa Study Bible is designed to offer a translation and commentary of God’s Word that specifically relates to African cultures and values.
Four years ago, Oasis International invited Darko to join the project. He was tasked with writing the introductions for Ephesians and Colossians and providing, among others, a substantial essay about witchcraft titled “Deliverance from Spiritual Powers.”
Darko’s essay is intended to reassure his fellow Africans—who make up the second largest population of Christians in the world—that they do not “have to be afraid of all these demonic strongholds because Christ has defeated them and Christ has won that victory on our behalf,” he says.
To make the Africa Study Bible available to those who would not otherwise have access to it, Darko contacted various publishing outlets and churches to raise money that would enable him to send copies to churches and pastors in Africa. He received a sizable donation from Calvary Christian Church in nearby Lynnfield, MA, and worked with Paul Mouw, his colleague at Oasis International, to secure a grant for distributing Bibles to African pastors.
Darko was then able to purchase almost 500 copies of the Africa Study Bible, which he gave to attendees at a pastors’ conference in Ghana this past summer. Paul Mouw—father-in-law of Gordon’s Women’s Basketball coach Carter Shaw—is currently working with Darko to distribute another 200 copies of the Africa Study Bible in Ghana next month at a leadership conference at Calvary Baptist Church in Accra, where President Michael Lindsay will be one of the guest speakers.
In the months since his visit, Darko has heard from Ghanaian pastors about how this Bible is changing their experience with Scripture. “This is the first time they have ever seen the biblical text through the lenses of their culture and that purposefully speaks to Africans and their history,” he says.
The Africa Study Bible is now available for purchase and can also be downloaded as a free mobile app.
By Billy Jepma ’18, English language and literature, communication arts
Share
- Share on Facebook
- Share on X (Formerly Twitter)
- Share on LinkedIn
- Share on Email
-
Copy Link
-
Share Link
Categories
Archives
- April 2025
- March 2025
- February 2025
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014