Black Africans who are indeed in the Bible

[Lik3]

Where can I find pertinent information online or offline about the black Africans who are indeed in the Bible? I find it sad that Christianity has at times been about exclusion and segregation. It is an affront to a Savior who suffered greatly so that we might be saved. I am fascinated by the history and culture of different peoples around the world, namely blacks in the US. I have been reading this book about the Africanisms in US American culture and so far it is a good read. It doesn't seem to have any type of agenda or distortion so I will continue to read it. Anyway, I read that the religion of the slaves in the US was based on African and Christian beliefs. What were the Africanisms so to speak were carried over into the United States? Santeria and Voodoo was not, or are not widely practiced here, so what are the main differences between how God is worshipped by black people and how God is worshipped in white churches? Is there a difference?

I know that I am straying away from the initial topic but there is a Bible where the writer(s) links Christianity with African or African American beliefs. I need to know more about that and I wonder if it is biblical. I know that Sheba, the baptized Ethiopian, and Moses' wife was African, but who else was an African? Was Bathsheba African or just a dark skinned woman? What were her origins despite being married to a Hittite; Solomon was described as black and comely while David was described as ruddy.

 

[ChristianT]

Ethiopians were a people group intended to be evangelized in the first century, and church tradition has it that the early bishops had gone to Africa. I'm not sure how far they went, or what era, but proof is the remaining Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Ethiopia.

 

[RDKirk]

so what are the main differences between how God is worshipped by black people and how God is worshipped in white churches? Is there a difference

?

There are differences, but those are born from the different experiences in America of blacks and whites than differences extractable from scripture.

Black Christians in America traditionally draw strong reference from the "Israel released from Bondage" narrative of the OT, as well as the equality narratives of the NT.

As well, the concept of looking forward to a future kingdom rather than making a kingdom on earth is a strong concept in the tradition of Black Christians in America.

The concepts of 1 Peter that this world is not "home" is also a stong concept in black congregations. Racism and the position of being a minority has always prevented blacks from considering America truly "home." That's why funerals of black Christians are called "homegoings."

This even affects things like the selection of hymns. Militant and nationalistic hymns like "Onward Christian Soldiers" and "A Might Fortress is Our God" have always been far less popular in black congregations.

 

[SayaOtonashi]

Mose wife was African.

fontes.lstc.edu/~rklein/Documents/did_moses_marry_a_cushite.htm

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

Ethiopians were a people group intended to be evangelized in the first century, and church tradition has it that the early bishops had gone to Africa. I'm not sure how far they went, or what era, but proof is the remaining Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Ethiopia.

We should not forget the Coptic Church; believed to have been evangelized by St. Andrew; in the 1st Cent.

 

[HannibalFlavius]

Where can I find pertinent information online or offline about the black Africans who are indeed in the Bible? I find it sad that Christianity has at times been about exclusion and segregation. It is an affront to a Savior who suffered greatly so that we might be saved. I am fascinated by the history and culture of different peoples around the world, namely blacks in the US. I have been reading this book about the Africanisms in US American culture and so far it is a good read. It doesn't seem to have any type of agenda or distortion so I will continue to read it. Anyway, I read that the religion of the slaves in the US was based on African and Christian beliefs. What were the Africanisms so to speak were carried over into the United States? Santeria and Voodoo was not, or are not widely practiced here, so what are the main differences between how God is worshipped by black people and how God is worshipped in white churches? Is there a difference?

I know that I am straying away from the initial topic but there is a Bible where the writer(s) links Christianity with African or African American beliefs. I need to know more about that and I wonder if it is biblical. I know that Sheba, the baptized Ethiopian, and Moses' wife was African, but who else was an African? Was Bathsheba African or just a dark skinned woman? What were her origins despite being married to a Hittite; Solomon was described as black and comely while David was described as ruddy.

Moses married two black women, he also married the Queen of Ethiopia.{Josephus Flavius}.

 

[Albion]

Unfortunately, the issue is complicated by the fact that to be African is not necessarily to be Negroid. The ancient Egyptians, for example, were not, but many African-Americans want to believe that they were.

 

[RDKirk]

Unfortunately, the issue is complicated by the fact that to be African is not necessarily to be Negroid. The ancient Egyptians, for example, were not, but many African-Americans want to believe that they were.

Sorta depended on how far up the Nile you went.

 

[Shane R]

We should not forget the Coptic Church; believed to have been evangelized by St. Andrew; in the 1st Cent.

St. Mark. From the literature of the Coptic Church:

St. Mark’s real labor lays in Africa. He left Rome to Pentapolis, where he was born. After planting the seeds of faith and performing many miracles he traveled to Egypt, through the Oasis, the desert of Libya, Upper Egypt, and then entered Alexandria from its eastern gate on 61 A.D.

On his arrival, the strap of his sandal was out loose. He went to a cobbler to mend it. When the cobbler – Ananias – took an awl to work on it, he accidentally pierced his hand and cried aloud "O one God." At this utterance, St. mark rejoiced and after miraculously healing the man’s wound, took courage. The spark was ignited and Ananias took the Apostle home with him. He and his family were baptized, and many others followed.

The spread of Christianity must have been quite remarkable because pagans were furious and sought St. Mark everywhere. Smelling the danger, the Apostle ordained a bishop (Ananias), three priests and seven deacons to look after the congregation if anything befell them. He left Alexandria to Berce, then to Rome, where he met St. Peter and St. Paul and remained there until their martyrdom in 64 A.D.

Upon returning to Alexandria (65 A.D.), St. Mark found his people firm in faith and thus decided to visit Pentapolis. There, he spent two years preaching and performing miracles, ordaining bishops and priests, and winning more converts.

Finally he returned to Alexandria and was overjoyed to find that Christians has multiplied so much that they were able to build a considerable church in the suburban district of Baucalis.

 

[Albion]

St. Mark. From the literature of the Coptic Church:

St. Mark’s real labor lays in Africa. He left Rome to Pentapolis, where he was born. After planting the seeds of faith and performing many miracles he traveled to Egypt, through the Oasis, the desert of Libya, Upper Egypt, and then entered Alexandria from its eastern gate on 61 A.D.

On his arrival, the strap of his sandal was out loose. He went to a cobbler to mend it. When the cobbler – Ananias – took an awl to work on it, he accidentally pierced his hand and cried aloud "O one God." At this utterance, St. mark rejoiced and after miraculously healing the man’s wound, took courage. The spark was ignited and Ananias took the Apostle home with him. He and his family were baptized, and many others followed.

Sounds like he was a Hebrew who relocated to a (non-black) part of Africa, that's all.

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

<snip>

That's just the White-washed Version of History and the Bible.

<snip>

History often is as much about who wrights it, as it is about who it's written about.

 

[KNEWTRUTH]

...

 

[HonestTruth]

Unfortunately, the issue is complicated by the fact that to be African is not necessarily to be Negroid. The ancient Egyptians, for example, were not, but many African-Americans want to believe that they were.

History shows otherwise:

 

[Albion]

HISTORY does not show the ancient Egyptians to be Negroid, although there are some exceptions, not even if you can find illustrations showing some with dark skin. Many people like yourself seem to think that skin color is the sole criterion of race.

This doesn't mean, by the way, that there aren't black Africans identified in the Bible, but that some care has to be taken when seeking the answer. It's not as though anyone who lives or lived on the continent of Africa is automatically of that race.

 

[The Conductor]

Well, there's always the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts.

 

[HonestTruth]

HISTORY does not show the ancient Egyptians to be Negroid, although there are some exceptions, not even if you can find illustrations showing some with dark skin. Many people like yourself seem to think that skin color is the sole criterion of race.

This doesn't mean, by the way, that there aren't black Africans identified in the Bible, but that some care has to be taken when seeking the answer. It's not as though anyone who lives or lived on the continent of Africa is automatically of that race.

Science has proven conclusively that the human race originated in Africa. However, the ancient kings of Egypt were black as shown in extant art works from that era. Significantly, Moses was raised in the house of a black man and did not know he belonged to a different race. Therefore, it is a good bet that he, too, was black.

 

[Gxg (G²)]

Science has proven conclusively that the human race originated in Africa. However, the ancient kings of Egypt were black as shown in extant art works from that era. Significantly, Moses was raised in the house of a black man and did not know he belonged to a different race. Therefore, it is a good bet that he, too, was black.

There is something to be said on the African background in Egypt that many often neglect - despite what happens today in our times. As said elsewhere:

On Egypt, the black roots of the land are very well-documented. Northern Africa is full of others who are black and have been noted for being dark. Even in Egypt this has been the case....often an issue when people outside of the culture assume All Egyptians are light-skinned and end up shocked seeing the numerous cases of Egyptians that are dark, just as there were Dark skinned Pharoahs depicted throughout history...many in fact. Obviously, there are many Egyptian Jews who have lighter complexion....and many are not aware of that (more). But the ones that are darker often get overlooked. Had that confirmed once before when talking to light-skinned Coptic Christians at a Coptic Orthodox church I visited and they alerted the visitors how often people assumed all Egyptians looked like them, one of them noting how one of the churches he was with shocked others when they went in/saw many looking black....and it was assumed that they weren't Egyptian There are many not understanding of some of the racial issues within Egypt, as it concerns those of darker complexion and their connection with black culture...and others have often noted how the Egyptians were initially black when considering the Nubians....powerful and wealthy kings/Pharoahs who controlled large territories along the Nile and whose land was known as the Kingdom of Kush.---though there has been much historical debate on that. For exampls, places to investigate can be found under the names of Ancient Africa's Black Kingdoms or Black Pharaohs - National Geographic Magazine. Additionally, One can either go here or One can go here for example of where connections between Egypt and blacks have often come up

......As another noted best, "Many people forget that Egypt is part of the continent of Africa and only think of the modern state as part of the Middle-East. ...This is because Arabic is the main language and the country is predominantly Islamic following the settlement there in AD 642 of people of Islamic culture.... However, there are many links between ancient Egyptian and modern African cultures, ranging from objects such as headrests to hairstyles such as the side lock, and this and other evidence support the idea that it was an African culture in addition to being geographically in Africa.". There were other threads in the past which sought to go into detail covering the issue (here and here).

Arabs hail from Ishmael - who was born out of union BETWEEN Abraham and Hagar (an Egyptian), with Ishmael moving elsewhere and having a differing ancestrial line being developed than the Egyptians. Egypt came before Ishmael (Genesis 16, Genesis 25 ) - even though Ishmael's mother got a wife for him from Egypt later ( Genesis 21:8-21 ....more here, here, and here) - and later, Esau married into Ishmael's line to please his father Isaac when he realized Issac and his wife hated how Esau married Caananite Women rather than people close to Abraham's line).

 

[Gxg (G²)]

Where can I find pertinent information online or offline about the black Africans who are indeed in the Bible? I find it sad that Christianity has at times been about exclusion and segregation. It is an affront to a Savior who suffered greatly so that we might be saved. I am fascinated by the history and culture of different peoples around the world, namely blacks in the US. I have been reading this book about the Africanisms in US American culture and so far it is a good read. It doesn't seem to have any type of agenda or distortion so I will continue to read it. Anyway, I read that the religion of the slaves in the US was based on African and Christian beliefs. What were the Africanisms so to speak were carried over into the United States? Santeria and Voodoo was not, or are not widely practiced here, so what are the main differences between how God is worshipped by black people and how God is worshipped in white churches? Is there a difference?

I know that I am straying away from the initial topic but there is a Bible where the writer(s) links Christianity with African or African American beliefs. I need to know more about that and I wonder if it is biblical. I know that Sheba, the baptized Ethiopian, and Moses' wife was African, but who else was an African? Was Bathsheba African or just a dark skinned woman? What were her origins despite being married to a Hittite; Solomon was described as black and comely while David was described as ruddy.

If interested, there was a thread on the matter that may bless you entitled Christianity in Early Africa

As noted best elsewhere (here), Genesis 14 tells how Abraham&#8217;s experiences in Canaan and Egypt brought him and his family into areas inhabited by peoples who were very likely black - as both archaeological evidence and the account in 1 Chronicles 4 tell us that the land of Canaan was inhabited by the descendants of Ham. Moreover, it is the case that further black presence can be found in the accounts of Hagar the Egyptian, Ishmael and his Egyptian wife, and Ishmael&#8217;s sons, especially Kedar ( Genesis 25:12-14,1 Chronicles 1:28-30, Song of Solomon 1:4-6, Isaiah 42:10-12, Isaiah 60:6-8, Ezekiel 27:20-22 ). ..for the Kedarites are mentioned many times in Isaiah, Jeremiah , Ezekiel and Nehemiah, and the word kedar means "blackness." There are also other groups within the Bible from African nations who stand out (as well as individuals such as Moses's wife and Sheba)...but the aforementioned ones are some of the basics.

I tend to see Blacks in the sense of how many of them who are connected to the world of Arabs within scripture/God's prophetic plans for them when seeing what he promised. If interested, more discussion went down on the issue elsewhere - as seen here:

Historically, Arabia was the bridge for the Body of the ancient Afro-Asiatic Dominion - and that goes as well with cultures that seemed present when following their roots. As mentioned earlier, understanding the history of Kush and what it signifies is highly important. For we know that Kush was the father of the Kushite ruler Nimrod who established his kingdom in the Tigris River Valley....explaining the linguistic connections between the Nile and Mesopotamia. , as the Akkadian script of Nimrod's kingdom is linguistically Afro-Sumerian...and shows further connections between Africa and what is deemed to be "Middle-Eastern" culture today.

The extensive ways in which it seems many try to make a disconnection does a lot of damage to other groups - AND I'm glad for others seeking to address it:

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• Afro-Asiatica: CANAANITES IN THEIR LANDS PART 1 Afro-Arabian
• Afro-Asiatica: CANAANITES IN THEIR LANDS - Part 3 Edomites ...

Outside of what was shared earlier, one excellent resource which may bless you on the matter:

• Blacks in Biblical Antiquity

To see the ways that Jewish populations are all throughout Africa - that is something which always makes me pause when reading the scriptures and considering the ways Jews from African culture would see many things.

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Having friends/family who've either lived in the places termed "Middle East" or came from those areas/gone, it's amazing to see how often it seems that people get surprised when seeing others with African features in those lands (Berbers included) and others have to remind them "Why are you surprised in light of the concept of travel and the ways there has always been presence here?"


Afro-Iraqis come to mind as one group that others are often not aware of - despite where there were connections due to the Assyrians and Nubian connections - both in fighting and temporary alliances at one point (more here and here) and other events - some of which still have a negative effect to this day sadly (even though the same has happened to other blacks in other lands deemed "Middle East" today):

• Iraq In Black.The Crisis
• The Hidden Black Iraq | Alternet
• Black Iraqis In Basra Face Racism : NPR
• In Iraq's African Enclave, Color is Plainly Seen

Black Iraqis - Yep no Joke - Natives ​

This is how Black People are treated in Iraq - Views from Native Iraqi
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Interestingly enough, what was Assyria in Isaiah's day includes parts of Turkey, Iraq and Syria today. Assyria was an ancient empire whose capital city was Nineveh (II Kings 19:36). It was primarily located in Mesopotamia, the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers on the western end -- roughly where Iraq is currently located. The Assyrian Empire extended from Ur of Chaldes, up the Tigress-Euphrates valley toward Baghdad then across to the Mediterranean, taking in modern day Syria.

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So Assyria in the Bible included modern day Iraq and Syria. And by substituting the names of these present-day countries, we come up with remarkable scripture as it relates to prophecy

Isaiah 19:19-21Isaiah 19
20 And it will be for a sign and for a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to the Lord because of the oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Mighty One, and He will deliver them.

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21 Then the Lord will be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day, and will make sacrifice and offering; yes, they will make a vow to the Lord and perform it. 22 And the Lord will strike Egypt, He will strike and heal it; they will return to the Lord, and He will be entreated by them and heal them.

23 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will serve with the Assyrians.​

24 In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria&#8212;a blessing in the midst of the land, 25 whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, &#8220;Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.&#8221;​

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Amazing to consider the ways that we often act like Jonah - wanting to see the destruction of Assyria and yet never considering God's heart for it ...or never seeing the people within it who were destined to serve the Lord/be used of him

• Assyria and Syria - Assyrian International News Agency

• 
  Is the Syria of Today the Assyria of the Bible? « Archdiocese of ...

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God has a heart for Syria - as well as other nations in Biblical prophecy (more shared in #12 ) - with much of the Gospel and the Church itself beginning with the Apostle Paul IN Antioch and Damascus (in Syria) when seeing Acts 9 and Acts 11.....the Church exceptionally strong there. And with the destruction befalling it, I think we need to remember that it's not ALWAYS a matter of God bringing a negative judgment. And in many ways, it would do a lot of good if others in the Body of Christ would realize how the West is Helping to Destroy Christianity in Syria...​

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[Gxg (G²)]

I know that Sheba, the baptized Ethiopian, and Moses' wife was African, but who else was an African? .

On your question, I'm immediately reminded of the Ethiopian Christians/believers. They're very beautiful people and I've always been amazed at seeing the ways they developed, with them being very close to the ways 1st century Judaism was truly like. It's really significant to me, seeing how Philip the Evangelist went out to the Ethiopian Eunch and enabled him to go back to his own people/preach the Word

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The story in Acts 8:26-40 with the Ethopian Eunuch is a very fascinting one. For the sake of background, Ethopia was located in Africa south of Egypt. The Eunuch was obviously very dedicated to God because he had traveled such a long distance to worship in Jerusalem. The Jews had contact with Ethopia in ancient days (Psalm 68:31, Jeremiah 38:6-13, Jeremiahs 39:15-18, etc)---with many even speculating that Solomon was directly connected with them at one point as it concerns Bathsehba.

The most popular story connected to the region is the ancient account of the Queen of Sheba. As told in the Old Testament, she travelled from Aksum to Jerusalem to meet the famed King Solomon (King of the Israelites) in Jerusalem. For more, one can click here to listen to a dramatisation of the story of the Queen of Sheba's seduction by King Solomon

"And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to prove him with hard questions. And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones; and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart."
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1 Kings 10:1-2
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Although there is no evidence that the Queen of Sheba did come from Aksum (as it has been debated that Sheba is perhaps in Southern Arabia originally or Yemen), it has become part of the Ethiopian church's central tenets and there're many reasons to think Ethiopia was the same as Sheba. Some have noted that Yemen was a vassal of Ethiopia. For more, one can read the renowned historian Gibbon’s book "The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire. This fact is also reported on the holy Qu’ran. In both books one can read, for instance, about the war of Abraha who was an Ethiopian ruler of Yemen. From these and similar other facts, one could have concluded that Queen of Sheba used to rule Ethiopia and her vassal Yemen.

And I'd not be surprised that the Queen did have relations with Solomon in light of his other activities/history for being hot-blooded. Others have also given some interesting information as it concerns the possible scenarios of what occurred between Solomon and Sheba. I agree with other scholars as well as archeologists that it's most likely that the Ark of the Covenant is in Ethiopia.

For some good resources to investigate (and to be clear, not all agree):

• falasha history
• Ethiopian history
• The Queen of Sheba
• Makeda, the Queen of Sheba (Saba')
• Ethiopia: DNA clues to Queen of Sheba tale
• Ancient, Enduring Æthiopia | The Melting Pot
• Ancient, Enduring Æthiopia | The Melting Pot
  
• Queen of Sheba's Gift? Genetic Find Ties Ethiopia to Other Lands
  
• THE QUEEN OF SHEBA 1 - Manchester eScholar Services - The ...
• Keepers of the Lost Ark? | People & Places | Smithsonian Magazine
• King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba - Metropolitan Museum of Art

As another noted wisely:

"The Ethiopians say she travelled from Aksum across the Red Sea…and visited Solomon there. It was said they had romantic relations and she had a son...and she came back and he was born to the north of Aksum.

When he was old enough, she sent him back to his father to get his blessing and his father blessed him and sent him back to Ethiopia…and this son established a new dynasty…the Solomonic dynasty. The name of the son was Menelik I…

Tesfay Berhane offers a guided tour of Axum and the Queen of Sheba's Palace

Listen to a mass, recorded at the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Axum


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For many Ethiopians, there is a strong belief that they are connected to King Solomon directly and for them, the issue of Judaic practice is a VERY big deal. As it is, Genetic research suggests Ethiopians mixed with Egyptian, Israeli or Syrian populations about 3,000 years ago. ..and this is the time the queen, mentioned in great religious works, is said to have ruled the kingdom of Sheba. ..although this has been debated (as seen in
Not out of Sheba | Gene Expression | Discover Magazine).

That the Ethiopian Eunuch had a scroll of the Torah with him when reading is not surprising in light of how it was valued in the culture he came from. Some say that this man may have been a Gentile convert to Judaism. Because he was the treasurer of Ethopia, his conversion brought Christianity into the power structures of another government. This was the beginning of the witness "to the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8, Isaiah 56:3-5). As seen in Acts 8:29-35, Philip found the Ethiopian man reading the scriptures and explained the Gospel by asking the man if he understood what he was reading.....following the Spirit's leading and beginning discussion from where the man was (immersed in the prophecies of Isaiah). In the process of coversation, the man was shown by Phillip how Christ fulfilled Isaiah's prophecies...with the conversation starting with the eunuch begging Phillip to explain a passage of Scripture which he did not understand. Once the task was over, Philip was suddenly transported o a different city.....but God sent his messengers to those who were after Him.

As a eunuch, the Ethopian would have been barred from the inner courts of the temple, which makes his reading "the prophet Isaiah" (v.28) especially significant ...for Isaiah held out the promise that God would grant eunuchs (alongside Gentiles wishing to do so) a heritage "better than sons and daughters" (Isaiah 56:3-5).There seems to be a theme within scripture that Gentiles wishing to do so, as it concerns love/living the lifestyle called of Jews, have the blessing of the Lord to do so...

Even with the earlier example of the Eunuch of Ethopia, there were many Gentiles of African descent within the scriptures who did not do as the Ethiopian Eunuch did. One example is EBED-MELECH, the Ethopian/black man who rescued Jeremiah from the dungeon/pit he was trapped in and was praised by the Lord for it(Jeremiah 38, Jeremiah 39 ). He was a a Gentile servant, politically disenfranchised, excluded by reason of his emasculation from "the congregation of the LORD" (Deuteronomy 23:1)...and yet when he lived in nation of Jews/Israelites that refused to obey the Lord, he did what was expected of the Lord for Jews to do.

....All of that to say is meant to say that Ethiopians within the scriptures seem HIGHLY significant in the culture of the Bible, be it those who were Gentiles wishing to walk a Judaic lifestyle....or those who were Ethiopian Jews living out Judaism within their Ethiopian culture.

And when seeing the Ethiopian culture in scripture, it's not surprising to see the ways they are interconnected with the Bible. As an example, I was amazed discovering that the oldest illustrated Bible was found recently in Ethiopia:

• MYSTAGOGY: Oldest Illustrated Bible Discovered in Ethiopia
• Coptic Orthodox: World's oldest christian illustrated manuscript found in Ethiopia

Although I greatly appreciate the culture/enjoyed learning of Ethiopian Christianity/Ethiopian Jews for years (and have shared more on that in other discussions as well as on other expressions of Jewishness -- seen here , here, here, here , here, here, here, here and here), I was blessed last summer to see some more of their artifacts ...as well as seeing the sheer diversity that the scriptures have produced when it comes to differing groups promoting the Gospel. Specifically, last summer I was blessed to go to this exhibit called Passages Interactive Bible Exhibit. It was simply amazing witnessing the Biblical history/artifacts that are present within it. Passages is a 14,000-square-foot interactive, multimedia exhibition for all ages. It features some of the most exquisite and rare biblical manuscripts, printed Bibles, and historical items in the world. These cultural treasures include a Dead Sea Scroll text, ancient biblical papyri, beautifully illuminated manuscripts, early printed materials, including a portion of the Gutenberg Bible, and multiple first editions of the English Bible through the King James Version.

To view the Bible from its original writings, through time….from the time it was hand-written, up through current times, when it can be mass-produced...to witness a few with mistakes and how some took advantage of changing the Bible to meet their needs... how God has maintained it’s integrity through providing us with the original documents written two+ thousand years ago…amazing.

They actually had some Ethiopian scrolls and Bibles that I was astounded by when it came to seeing them within the role of Scriptural history - and so glad they took the time....and I'd recommend it to anyone. For more information,

Passages: Experience The Bible Like Never Before

• Passages Exhibit — Mom's Mustard Seeds

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[Gxg (G²)]

I am fascinated by the history and culture of different peoples around the world, namely blacks in the US. I have been reading this book about the Africanisms in US American culture and so far it is a good read. It doesn't seem to have any type of agenda or distortion so I will continue to read it. Anyway, I read that the religion of the slaves in the US was based on African and Christian beliefs. What were the Africanisms so to speak were carried over into the United States? Santeria and Voodoo was not, or are not widely practiced here, so what are the main differences between how God is worshipped by black people and how God is worshipped in white churches? Is there a difference?

If may share,

I shared this with another recently as it concerns the history behind the Black Church - as history of the Black Church (more shared on it in #229 - as well as the history of blacks in the OT/NT in #14 /#16 ) - is a multifaceted reality and not something that's in any way monolithic....especially when considering the dynamic of intercultural connections and splicing of cultures. But if interested, here are some sources that may bless you in your studies:

• God In America: The Black Church | PBS
• Summary of The History of the Negro Church
• African American Church History - Christian Timelines
• Black Churches, Black Theology and American History - PBS
• Africans in America| Part 3 | Narrative: The Black Church - PBS
• Black Christianity Before the Civil War: Christian History Timeline ...

Always amazing when going back and considering the extensive amount of ways that the slaves, in their example, were so in line with the Spirit of how things were done in the Early Church /Ancient Faith.....and what the prophets of the OT/NT preached on when it came to suffering for the Lord/righteousness and looking unto Him for deliverance. The book An Unbroken Circle: Linking Ancient African Christianity to the African-American Experience (more here) is one of the best historical reads present (if not the best) which helps to break that down - by Fr Moses Berry ( curator of the Ozarks Afro-American Heritage Museum and rector of Theotokos “Unexpected Joy” Orthodox Church in Ask Grove, Missouri).

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Upon its publication in 1997, An Unbroken Circle: Linking Ancient African Christianity to the African-American Experience, broke new ground in Orthodox writing. And many people have found this book to be an invaluable resource, both for personal growth and for Orthodox outreach as well as general understanding of the ways the Body of Christ came together....

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Why I Sing Amazing Grace: The African-American Worship ExperIENCE

The History of The Black Church - The Beginning