Connecting Scripture to life to transform lives in Africa

Be part of enriching the church of Africa through the revised Africa Bible Commentary

For over 18 years, the Africa Bible Commentary has been a lifeline for thousands of pastors, teachers, and church leaders across Africa. According to pastor Elizabeth Mburu from Kenya, it has transformed the way pastors in Africa are able to reach people with the Word of God. 

Elizabeth explains, “It just opens up the Bible to pastors in a way that they find amazing. It’s something that helps them zero in on issues on the continent.”

The Africa Bible Commentary, published in 2006 with the support of Langham Partnership, is still a great resource. However, there is a growing need to develop a revised version to equip church leaders and theological students to apply the Bible to new issues of today. Langham Partnership has been working with authors in Africa to produce a revised commentary, due to be published in English in 2025 and French in 2026.

The tangible effect of good commentary in people’s lives

“Though your sins are scarlet, they will be white as snow; though they are crimson red, they will be like wool.” – Isaiah 1:18

Hearing God’s Word speak to you in your own language and culture is life-changing. And it can be as simple as understanding the phrase “white as snow” for the first time.

In some parts of the African continent, many people have never seen snow. Without that context, how do you understand a Bible verse like Isaiah 1:18?

That’s why resources like the Africa Bible Commentary are so important. The commentary, created with Langham Partnership’s support, was written by Africans for Africans. It compares snow with cotton, something people actually know. And just like that, parts of the Bible open up in ways they never have before.

Yacouba Sanon is a professor at West Africa Alliance Theological Seminary and one of the commentary’s editors.

He shares, “There are many preachers in Africa who still don’t have the proper training to oversee, to run, or to lead a church, let alone to preach the Word of God. They use whatever is available to them, but they use their own experiences as templates for what God should or must do in the lives of the church or others. So the result is we have Christians who are not really solidly anchored in the Scripture, and the Africa Bible Commentary is an answer to this lack of training.”

Now, almost two decades after the Africa Bible Commentary was first published, it’s being revised and updated.

Navigating new contextual challenges

Yacouba has a vision to see preachers preaching the Word of God faithfully and strengthening the people of God – and he sees the African Bible Commentary as a vital tool to make this happen!

He shares, “We can only do this when our preaching is made contextual. That is when our preachers take into account people’s reality that they live every day. When the Word of God is disconnected from people’s experience and everyday reality, it doesn’t bring changes in their lives.”

This is why developing a second edition of the African Bible Commentary is of such importance. The revised commentary will have articles on diaspora, witchcraft, reconciliation, Zionism, tribalism, prosperity, traditional cultures and many more.

These are real issues that African Christians are encountering, and that their pastors need help to faithfully preach on. These are also issues that theological students and professors need resourcing for!

Elizabeth explains, “The lack of African voices in Christian materials can be frustrating for educators as well as pastors. It was extremely difficult to teach courses in hermeneutics, theology, and even biblical studies because of the disconnect between the Western-centered approaches and the African worldview.”

The new Africa Bible Commentary revision will:

1. Address Africa’s growing youth population and their questions about the application of God’s Word to their lives
2. Add articles to address current issues like the rise of Islam, materialism, globalisation, persecution and diaspora.
3. Expand introductions to the books to make the ABC more usable as a seminary/Bible college textbook.

Yacouba reflects, “My prayer is that, with the second edition, people will use it more and more in classrooms and on the pulpits to help the church to grow, to nourish the people of God and to strengthen and further the Kingdom of God in Africa.”

We need your help to finish this vital project. By supporting the revision of the Africa Bible Commentary, you are investing in the future of the church in Africa – and the global church as well.

Reflecting on the appetite for more contextual writing for African Christians, Elizabeth says, “Very many individuals and institutions are eagerly waiting for the revised Africa Bible Commentary. For some, this is an all-in-one resource.”

Your gifts will help make this resource available to those who need it most. Together, we can ensure that God’s Word continues to transform lives across the continent.

Will you partner with us to make this vision a reality? Donate today.