Friday, April 25, 2008

The Center for Early African Christianity

Thomas Oden, in addition to his new book on How Africa Shaped the Christian Mind: Rediscovering the African Seedbed of Western Christianity, has also established a new organization: The Center for Early African Christianity. Here is their mission and purpose statement:
Our purpose is not to presume to set a theological agenda for African Christians, but to resource African Christians as they rethink their own agenda using classic African sources. Our desire is to come along side Africa Christian leaders helping them collect seeds from their past in order to equip them to answer the questions, pressures, challenges they are facing today in order that they might shape a better future. The resources are already there, waiting to be discovered. The resources are in Africa. The wisdom is in the texts of Africa. The matrix is the soil of Africa. We desire to make these classic sources available in order to equip 21st century Africans to become the leaders of 21st century Christianity, even as they were leaders of early Christianity.
Also of interest is the 2006 publication of the Africa Bible Commentary: A One-Volume Commentary Written by 70 African Scholars.

HT: Scot McKnight