Participants:
Series Code: RPM
Program Code: RPM000003
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00:14 Singing...
00:20 More singing, 00:26 More singing... 00:36 Some more singing... 00:42 Beautiful singing... 00:47 More beautiful singing... 00:53 Wonderful singing... 00:59 Song continuing... 01:05 More singing, 01:11 Some more singing... 01:19 Children are part of God's family too... 01:22 Audience: "Amen. " 01:24 An African proverb states, 01:25 "When an elder dies, a library is burnt... " 01:28 this saying implies... and rightly so 01:31 that elders are the repository of great wisdom 01:34 and knowledge and of our heritage. 01:37 When they die, in too many cases 01:40 that knowledge is lost. 01:41 We want to change that 01:43 and so all the information about the role of the Sabbath 01:46 and Christianity in the world and in Africa, 01:49 we want to be able to pass on to our children now 01:52 in fact, we have Biblical evidence for this, 01:56 turn with me to Deuteronomy chapter 6 01:58 verses 7 to 9, 02:00 I might not be reading from your version but look at that text, 02:04 I'm going to read part of it 02:06 and the Lord is saying here, 02:08 "These commandments that I give you today, 02:10 are to be upon your heart: 02:12 impress them on your children, 02:15 talk about them when you sit at home, 02:18 and when you walk along the road, 02:21 and when you lie down, and when you get up. 02:25 Tie them as symbols on your hands, 02:28 and bind them on your forehead. 02:30 Write them on the doorframe of your houses, 02:33 and on your gates. " 02:35 Now, that was that time and that Society, 02:38 if we were saying it today, we might say, 02:40 "Talk to your children when you sit at home, 02:43 when you text-message them on the road, 02:47 when you call them up on your cell phone, 02:50 when you e-mail them, 02:52 when you sit down to eat with them, 02:54 when you take them out to the restaurant, 02:57 when you wake them up, 02:58 put them as symbols on your computer, 03:01 put them as illustrations on your refrigerator, 03:05 write them in their Facebook or whatever book it is 03:08 and put it on YouTube, 03:10 and all the other communication areas, 03:13 in fact, we need to pass on our heritage to our kids. " 03:17 Audience: "Amen. " 03:19 Why do we need to do this? 03:20 Because in many cases and especially... 03:22 you're talking about Christianity and the Sabbath 03:25 there is too much misunderstanding 03:27 about the role of Africa. 03:29 As one writer has said, 03:31 "In an area where caricatures 03:34 and stereotypes circulate freely, 03:36 it is necessary to erect a massive wall of evidence 03:41 so to obstruct the proliferation 03:43 of the more resistant strains of prejudice 03:46 that thrive in the popular mind. 03:49 It is important to teach it to our children. " 03:52 Therefore, with all the evidence that is available, 03:55 what you heard last night... 03:58 what you heard a few minutes ago, 04:00 it is imperative that we change our thinking 04:03 and our way of teaching. 04:04 We need new tools and structures 04:07 and also get a new attitude 04:09 toward the dynamic and pure nature of world Christianity. 04:13 In other words, we need to pass on a better picture... 04:17 a better idea of the past to our children. 04:20 Why the Sabbath or why Christianity in Africa? 04:23 Because in many cases, 04:25 Africa seems to be the forgotten continent 04:28 in regards to Christianity and Sabbath keeping. 04:30 Africa is a continent that... as we heard last night, 04:35 especially in cases like Ethiopia, 04:36 have a long tradition of Sabbath keeping 04:39 and a lot of these traditions have been lost to us. 04:43 So it's essential that as we tell the Christian story, 04:46 as we tell the Sabbath story, as we tell the Biblical stories, 04:50 we incorporate into that telling how Africa featured. 04:54 We need to revise the way, therefore, 04:56 we talk about Sabbath keeping, 04:58 Christianity and the Sabbath to our children. 05:01 For instance, when you tell the Christmas story, 05:03 do your kids realize that part of it occurred in Africa? 05:07 Think about that... 05:09 do you every associate... 05:11 do your children associate Sabbath keeping with Africa? 05:15 Let's turn to Matthew 2:13, what does it say there? 05:18 You can read it in any version but basically it's saying that 05:23 when God appeared to Joseph in a dream, 05:27 you know they were being threatened by the King 05:31 and he told Joseph to get his wife and child 05:34 and run to Africa. 05:35 Read it in your Bible and see if that's what it said. 05:38 What do your children hear when you tell them this story? 05:41 Sometimes we just read it and gloss over it 05:43 and we don't get them to see 05:45 the geographical area of the world 05:47 in which we're telling the story. 05:49 Think about the Easter story 05:52 or the story of the crucifixion. 05:53 Simon of Cyrene, you know him? You know who he really was? 05:59 Where was he from? 06:01 He was part of the family of God where was he from? 06:05 "Where is Cyrene?" 06:06 "Well, that's the Biblical Land. " 06:08 "But, where is this Biblical land?" 06:09 Cyrene was a part of the Roman province 06:12 of what we call current-day Libya. 06:14 Acts 2, I'm going to make you go to the Bible, 06:17 Acts 2... but I want you to be aware 06:20 that you need to tell your kids the story. 06:22 Acts 2 talks about the Day of Pentecost, 06:25 the Day of Pentecost and in that chapter 06:28 there are a number of places that are mentioned 06:31 where all the saints were gathered, 06:33 now, I don't know where all of you come from today 06:35 but I know you come from... from various places 06:38 and so the writer of Acts 06:41 was describing to where the audience was from 06:43 and if you look at that you'll be sure to find 06:47 places that you didn't think about. 06:49 Early Christianity had taken firm roots in Africa. 06:55 There were lots of Christian churches in that community. 06:58 When we study about the martyrs, 07:01 the people who died for their faith, 07:03 Carthage... a place in Africa... 07:05 Alexandria... and in Alexandria we had early Christian martyrs 07:11 and some of them were women, 07:12 one of these women was Perpetua, 07:14 she was a noble woman who died for her faith 07:18 along with her maid or her slave, Felicity. 07:21 If we do Church History... 07:24 some of the early Christian scholars... 07:26 most of us know about St. Augustine, 07:28 St. Augustine was really the "Bishop of Hippo," as we say, 07:32 "Where was that?" "In the world. " 07:36 "Which part of the world?" 07:37 "On the continent of Africa, 07:39 in what we call, current-day Algeria. " 07:41 So, it's just nice to share these with your children 07:43 so use it... Elder Bradford's book, 07:46 groundbreaking book, 07:47 "Sabbath Roots: The African Connection" 07:50 you see, Elder Bradford is one of these elders, 07:52 that has lots of wisdom and knowledge 07:54 and we wanted to get it 07:55 and so, I created a book 07:57 that I thought would be a useful teaching tool for children 08:00 to help them understand the role of Africa 08:04 in preserving Sabbath keeping. 08:06 So, I began this book by looking at Sabbath, 08:10 going back to the Sabbath, 08:11 the Sabbath was not just for us, here in America, 08:15 God created Sabbath for the world 08:17 so I take them back to the whole creation story, 08:20 the Sabbath is as old as the earth itself, 08:23 it came at the end of creation week 08:25 so what I want the kids to do is to see 08:27 how God created something on each day 08:29 and on the Sabbath, He created also... 08:31 but it was the... on the seventh day He created also, 08:33 but it was the Sabbath. 08:35 So let them experience the delights of the creation week 08:39 and show how God blessed the Seventh day 08:41 and made it holy... made it special. 08:43 He set it apart as a day of rest for everyone 08:46 not just physical rest but rest from our regular work. 08:50 He made this day special so what... 08:53 the idea is to work with our children 08:56 to make them see that Sabbath is special and memorable 09:00 so just as you plan for your work and you plan for vacation 09:04 and you even plan to come to church and so on... 09:06 you need to plan for the Sabbath, 09:08 you need to plan activities, 09:10 you need to plan things that would make the Sabbath a delight 09:13 so if the Sabbath is so special and so wonderful 09:16 how can we make it enjoyable for our children 09:19 and one of the things I ask the kids to do, 09:22 "What are some of the things that you can do on the Sabbath 09:25 that can help you celebrate God's creation?" 09:28 Remind them that the Sabbath is a time for sharing, 09:32 a time for joy, a time for love, 09:34 a time for reflecting on God's love to others. 09:38 Additionally, let them review in the Bible 09:41 to show them how the Sabbath was observed, 09:44 how the Sabbath was kept, 09:46 let's look at a few examples so... to get an understanding 09:49 that the Sabbath is not just a fly-by-night, 09:52 it's something that is embedded in our world. 09:54 Let's think about the story 09:56 of the Israelites going through the wilderness, 09:58 Exodus 16... and in Exodus 16... 10:01 when the Israelites were in the wilderness, they needed food, 10:04 how do you get food? 10:06 God has a great idea, 10:08 and we have the story of 10:10 manna falling, 10:11 now I don't want to get into a discussion 10:13 of what manna really was 10:14 but the idea is, "What's the principle 10:16 that you want these children to recognize?" 10:19 Manna fell every day, 10:21 what happened on the sixth day, Friday? 10:24 You had a double portion, so the kids are learning, 10:28 "Hey, wait, we need to prepare. " 10:30 So they have a double portion on Friday 10:32 so they didn't have any falling on Sabbath, 10:35 it meant... and if you read the story 10:36 you'll see that some people didn't believe, like some of us 10:38 and so they went out Sabbath morning 10:40 to get the manna and they was none 10:42 and there were some people who, on the first day of the week, 10:45 said, "Man, it was so nice getting double on Friday, 10:47 I don't need to go on Tuesday, let me do double on Monday... " 10:51 and something happened... so let the kids see this 10:53 and let them understand, 10:55 let them reflect back the story to you. 10:57 Also, go through the Bible... in the New Testament also, 11:01 let the children tell the story in their own words, 11:04 just like... what Jesus did on the Sabbath, 11:06 highlight the stories of how Jesus kept the Sabbath, 11:10 Jesus and His followers kept the Sabbath while He was here 11:13 show them that His followers... 11:16 after He left, continued to keep the Sabbath 11:18 and this is where you might need to do some research 11:21 to see that Sabbath became an important part 11:24 of the... in the African Continent 11:26 when Christianity spread there, 11:28 and it is not unusual to think of Africa 11:31 as part of the Christian story, 11:33 when Jesus came as a baby, remember? 11:35 It was into Africa that He was hidden for a while 11:38 so as you engage the children in going through the Bible 11:42 and seeing how it's connected, urge them to see 11:45 that some of these stories were really in a place, 11:48 in a continent called Africa, 11:50 better yet, let them locate this map... this place... 11:55 on the map of the world, 11:56 also, something that we need to do 11:58 is get pictures that are relevant for them 12:01 this is... some of the pictures you can get... 12:04 pictures of angels... 12:06 they might not look like the particular angels that you see 12:09 but angels from that part of the world 12:12 took on the features of those people, 12:15 John Mark... it is alleged, 12:17 brought Christianity to Alexandria, 12:19 and so the people who worshipped there 12:21 were named after the language spoken there 12:23 so you're talking about the Coptic religion 12:25 and the Coptic Christianity 12:26 and many people, as I said in this... before... 12:29 died for their faith including some women, 12:33 so let them see North Africa, where is North Africa? 12:37 What are some of the countries in North Africa? 12:41 I mentioned a few already, Libya, Egypt, Algeria, 12:46 locate these areas, 12:47 that is an activity that I think 12:49 the kids will have a great time doing, 12:52 also, when we talk about Ethiopia, 12:55 look at the features... look at the priests in Ethiopia, 12:59 and again, listen to the Bible story that we find in Acts 8, 13:04 all of us know the story about Philip and the Eunuch, 13:06 Ethiopian Eunuch, 13:08 read the story again for yourself and read it, 13:11 let the kids do something with this story, 13:14 maybe they can act out being the Eunuch, 13:17 "How was it when Philip talked to you about Christianity?" 13:20 And that is a good time to reflect with them 13:24 how the story didn't end there, 13:26 as Dr. Tolbert told us last night, 13:28 Ethiopia has a long tradition of Sabbath keeping, 13:31 they fought as a nation to preserve the Sabbath 13:35 so let them see this 13:36 and wherever possible, use visual aids. 13:39 Why this issue of the Sabbath? 13:41 because we have to think bigger, 13:43 when I grew up... a long time ago, 13:45 and we did church history 13:47 one of the people we talked about was the Waldenses, 13:50 but I want you to remember 13:51 that in Great Controversy, Page 63, 13:54 it is written, "In lands beyond the jurisdiction... 13:57 Christians believed in the perpetuity of the law of God 14:00 and observed the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. 14:04 Churches held this faith and practice 14:06 that existed in Central Africa 14:09 and among the Armenians of Asia. " 14:11 We were very good about talking about the others, 14:14 now we need to talk about those in Africa. 14:17 The Waldenses were not the only ones 14:19 keeping and preserving the Sabbath, 14:22 apart from the Ethiopians, 14:23 if you look at the country of Ghana, 14:25 and it wasn't only that they kept... 14:27 it was embedded in their culture... 14:30 even today you can see traces of this. 14:33 And so, as we conclude in looking at this, 14:36 there are many other things we can do 14:38 in teaching our kids. 14:39 One of the things then that I did 14:42 was link the story of Sabbath keeping 14:44 with Africa and the United States 14:47 and what I did there was tell the story 14:51 of a guy called William Saunders Crowdy. 14:54 Now, most of you might know of him, 14:56 some of you might not, now he was born in 1847, 15:00 a slave in Maryland, 15:01 yet he was able to found a church... he's a great guy, 15:06 "The Church of God and Saints" in Lawrence, Kansas in 1896 15:10 and before he died, he was a dynamic preacher, 15:15 in fact, he was so powerful a preacher 15:17 that some people call him, "The Black Elijah" 15:21 and he kept the Sabbath, he and his group, 15:24 he saw the Sabbath as a cause for wholeness, happiness, 15:28 well-being, progress, health and healthy self-image. 15:32 He spoke to large crowds both black and white in his area 15:37 and whenever you're successful sometimes, 15:40 people get upset, 15:41 and so the people in the town, 15:43 especially some of the pastors, 15:44 thought he should be stopped 15:46 and so they got him arrested for preaching 15:48 and two ministers went to the Mayor and said, 15:50 "We want this man out of town 15:52 for he's preaching that Saturday is the Sabbath" 15:55 so the Mayor... wise man that he was, 15:57 decided he would go and see for himself, 15:59 when the Mayor went, however, 16:01 the mayor was so impressed, the Mayor said, 16:03 "You know what, this town needs more men like him.. " 16:06 and they allowed him to continue to preach. 16:08 Audience: "Amen. " 16:09 In Crowdy's church... Sabbath School was a time 16:11 for members to learn more about the Bible and black history, 16:15 he also taught the gospel of self-help 16:17 and he taught people 16:19 that they should work in connection with God 16:21 and each other. 16:23 He established churches in the United States 16:26 also in Jamaica and in parts of South Africa. 16:29 So, you can link the kids to this story 16:32 and tell them that we too need to keep the story. 16:35 What is our responsibility? 16:37 We need to be teachers of "change. " 16:39 We need to change the way our children think, 16:42 we need to be more enlightened members, 16:44 we need to develop more of a better identity 16:47 as we redress this global imbalance 16:49 of how we talk about Christianity. 16:51 It's implicit, if we're good disciples 16:54 for the sake of justice, compassion, humanity 16:57 and understanding how we can witness for God 17:00 but before we teach the children, 17:02 we have to get the resources ourselves. 17:05 Where are we going to find them? I've given you a few... 17:07 about all the Speakers here, 17:09 the website: africanchristianity. org 17:12 and the Bradford's book and there are many more... 17:15 but we need to teach it to the children, 17:18 we need to teach it to the children 17:20 because God expects it, 17:21 we need to teach it to the children 17:23 because it's the right thing to do. 17:24 So I created this teaching tool, it's called: 17:28 Sabbath Keepers: The African Connection. 17:32 It is really an activity book 17:33 and I mentioned some of the things... 17:35 there are many more that the children can do 17:37 as they go through the book. 17:38 I end the book by asking the children 17:41 to find about Sabbath keepers in their area 17:43 so that they can question you... the elders of the church, 17:47 so they can really see the footprint of Adventism 17:50 in their local area. 17:52 Teach it to the children, teach it to the community, 17:55 teach them well and let them lead the way 17:59 and so, I want to end with a text, 18:02 "Surely, my Sabbaths you shall keep: 18:05 for it is a sign between me and you 18:07 throughout your generations; 18:09 that you may know, 18:11 I am the Lord who sanctifies you. " 18:13 Teach it to the children. 18:16 Audience: "Amen. " 18:21 Audience clapping. 18:26 And now, I would call on my colleague, 18:29 he is Dr. Doug Morgan, he's also a Professor of History 18:32 in the History and Political Studies Department 18:36 at Columbia Union College. 18:38 He's written the book, 18:39 "Adventism and American Republic" 18:41 and he's also the author of the Study Guide 18:43 for Elder Bradford's book 18:45 and so I want you to welcome him 18:47 as he talks to us now 18:48 about why we should teach it to the church 18:50 and tell it to the world. 18:51 Audience clapping... 18:59 Thank you Dr. Francis and good morning Sabbath School. 19:04 Audience: "Good morning. " 19:05 It's wonderful to be here with you 19:08 and to spend a few moments 19:10 talking about why we should not only teach the children 19:14 but to teach the church 19:15 about the history of 2,000 years of Christianity in Africa 19:20 so that we can then, in turn, 19:23 tell the world about the story that we have for the nations 19:27 and to tell it in a more compelling and winsome way 19:32 than we ever have before. 19:33 Now, when we think about what is distinct 19:38 in the message that we as Seventh-day Adventists have 19:42 to tell the world, 19:43 the great controversy comes quickly to mind. 19:48 Cosmic conflict between Christ and His angels 19:52 and Satan and his fallen hosts. 19:54 This lies behind the terrorism, the warfare, 19:59 disasters... all manner of evil... 20:02 that we see in the world today 20:05 not just out in the world 20:08 but in our own experience from day to day 20:10 as we seek to live for Jesus 20:12 in our homes and schools and places of work. 20:14 We are aware that this conflict is going on 20:17 but what I'd like to encourage you to think about with me now 20:22 is that this great controversy 20:25 is not just about something that is happening 20:28 right now in the present 20:30 but it involves the conflict of the ages, 20:35 it's also called that... the conflict of the ages, 20:38 it's a long story that stretches through the thousands of years 20:43 from creation and the fall 20:46 down to the present and then to the future... 20:49 to its great and glorious culmination... yet to come. 20:53 And within those thousands of years, 20:57 there are 2,000 years of the history of Christianity 21:01 from the time of the apostles down to our own time 21:05 and you know, Ellen White wrote a 700-page book 21:09 entitled: "The Great Controversy" 21:12 about those 2,000 years of history. 21:16 Pause... 21:18 I wonder why... why did she do that? 21:21 It took a lot of time and effort and resources on her part, 21:26 people were helping her organize the material 21:30 why bother with all that 21:34 stuff about dead folk in the ancient past? 21:37 I mean, shouldn't all of our energy and concern 21:41 be focused on the needs of the present? 21:45 Well, the Lord's messenger tells us 21:48 why bother... in the introduction to the book. 21:52 Now, I believe the Ushers have given you a handout 21:55 which says: "Teach the Church, Tell the Word" on the top 21:59 and you might want to refer to that 22:00 because we'll be looking at some passages together 22:05 and the first one there 22:07 is from the introduction to the book: The Great Controversy. 22:11 Pause... 22:14 It tells us why it's important. 22:17 Viewed as part of the controversy 22:20 between the forces of light and darkness, 22:23 all these records of the past 22:25 are seen to have a new significance 22:28 and through them, a light is cast on the future 22:34 illumining the pathway of those 22:37 who, like the Reformers of past ages 22:39 will be called, even at the peril 22:41 of all earthly good to witness for the Word of God 22:45 and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 22:47 Now, let's look at this carefully together, 22:52 what do the records of the past do 22:55 when viewed as part of the great controversy? 22:58 Audience: "Cast light. " 23:00 Thank you... they cast a light on the future, 23:04 they illumine the pathway forward 23:06 so that we know which way to go. 23:08 Pause... 23:11 Now you may not think of yourself as a Reformer, 23:15 as mentioned in the passage, 23:17 but is anybody out there interested 23:21 on being on Jesus' side in the great controversy? 23:23 Audience: "Amen... we are... " 23:25 Well then, how about some light 23:26 to illumine your pathway as we go forward? 23:31 The accounts of history 23:33 when viewed as part of the great controversy 23:35 can do that for you 23:36 and the author says that among those accounts, 23:40 the history of the churches of Ethiopia and Abyssinia 23:46 is especially significant... 23:48 especially significant. 23:50 That's on page 577 of the book, "The Great Controversy" 23:54 and so, the first reason that I would like to suggest 23:59 as I try to summarize and to a large extent 24:04 bring together points that have been made last night 24:10 and this morning, 24:11 why is it important? 24:12 Well, the first reason is simply 24:15 that we must teach the church 24:17 about the 2000-year history of Christianity 24:20 because it is an especially significant part 24:23 of the great controversy. 24:24 That's our story... that's our defining story 24:29 that shapes us as a people. 24:30 See, we can fully know who we are 24:33 and what we are to do. 24:36 Only when we're connected with that long story, 24:41 we can really only most effectively fulfill 24:45 our role in bringing the story to its great conclusion 24:49 by being deeply connected with what has gone before. 24:54 Pause... 24:57 Mount Calvary Church 25:01 has its own history, its own story... 25:04 goes back a 100 years or more, am I right? 25:07 Because I was very glad to get from Elder Niles a copy 25:12 of your beautiful centennial 25:16 and groundbreaking souvenir journal 25:22 and I was reading a little bit about the history of this church 25:27 founded by John T. Mance 25:30 and then other great leaders of God come along, 25:35 Matthew C. Strong... 25:36 G.E. Peters baptizes 245 in the 1920s, 25:40 then... W.S. Lee... I was privileged to know W.S. Lee 25:46 and Warren Banfield as well, and those are... 25:49 there are many more... more recent, 25:52 now, just imagine with me for a moment 25:55 it's kind of a wild example 25:57 but just imagine with me for a moment 26:00 that somebody were to be looking at this history of Mount Calvary 26:06 and... "how are we going to write it?" 26:07 "Oh... G.E. Peters... is from Antigua, West Indies, 26:13 we don't really need to put that in, do we? 26:19 So, he may have baptized 245 26:23 but let's leave that out, this man from Antigua... " 26:27 Or, maybe they want to leave out the part about 26:33 Matthew C. Strong and Warren S. Banfield 26:35 being leaders of the NAACP... 26:38 and in the struggle for racial equality... 26:41 "yeah, that might offend somebody, 26:42 let's leave that out. " 26:44 I'd like to suggest to you that if that were done, 26:49 you would be robbed of some light 26:52 that would help you... guide your way forward, 26:54 if this process of manipulating your history were to go too far, 27:00 some slick talker could come in here and tell you... 27:02 and make you forget that you're even Seventh-day Adventists. 27:04 So, now, to connect that with the larger story, 27:11 the big story of the great controversy, 27:13 I want to tell you that many of us, as historians, 27:18 and I include myself as a repenting sinner, 27:22 have not really paid much attention, 27:29 to the history of Christianity in Africa, 27:31 I'd have to be either just ignorant 27:33 or don't really seem to think that that's all that important 27:39 but the history... the churches of Ethiopia and Abyssinia 27:45 is especially significant, 27:48 we have to come to grips with that, 27:50 and furthermore, it's not just Ellen White who says so, 27:53 increasingly, contemporary scholarship 27:58 is awakening to what the Adventist prophet thought 28:01 that it was important enough to include, 28:03 more than a century ago, 28:04 last night Dr. Melbourne referred to... 28:07 to the work of Thomas Oden, this man is one of... 28:10 perhaps the leading scholar 28:12 of the theologians of the early centuries of the church 28:15 and I would just want to tell you the title of the book 28:18 that he put out last year, the title is, 28:21 "How Africa shaped the Christian Mind: 28:25 Rediscovering the African Seedbed of Western Christianity" 28:32 pause... 28:34 my own Major professor at the University of Chicago, 28:37 Martin E. Marty... about 50 years... 28:40 toward the beginning of his illustrious career, 28:42 he wrote a book called, 28:44 "A Short History of Christianity" 28:45 and the purpose of this book 28:47 was to bring together in one volume 28:48 a nice overview... overall picture 28:51 of something that could take many, many volumes 28:53 but he's going to bring it all together into one 28:55 and it's a wonderful book, it's a marvelous achievement 28:58 but do you know, it doesn't even mention Ethiopia 29:00 has hardly anything to say about Africa, 29:04 but now, we've come up 50 years later 29:07 just last year, Dr. Marty puts out another book 29:11 same purpose, that is, to put into one volume 29:15 the overall history of Christianity, 29:17 same purpose, significantly different title, 29:21 "The Christian World: A Global History" 29:24 and this time he discusses Ethiopia 29:27 in three different sections, 29:29 and two entire chapters out of nine 29:31 are devoted to the history of Christianity in Africa 29:35 so there is a growing awakening in scholarship 29:40 about the significance but now, 29:42 the thing that makes the history of Christianity 29:46 in these ancient African Churches so significant 29:48 from the perspective of the great controversy 29:51 is, of course, the determination 29:53 that Dr. Tolbert told us about last evening 29:57 of the Ethiopians to sustain through the centuries 30:01 this faith that they drew from the Bible, 30:05 translated into their own language 30:07 that kept them true to the Seventh-day Sabbath. 30:11 pause... 30:16 more pause... 30:18 some more pause... 30:20 There is, to my knowledge, really no better established 30:26 or documented evidence for sustained Sabbath observance 30:32 through those many centuries from the time of the apostles 30:38 or even if we want to take it from the time 30:40 that the Ethiopian Emperor Ezana accepted Christianity 30:46 in the 4th century... all the way up... 30:48 1000 years plus where the seventh-day Sabbath 30:54 and the observance of this great memorial to the Creator God 31:01 has been preserved. 31:03 There really is no stronger historical center for that 31:10 for those many centuries 31:13 and that leads us to the second reason 31:14 why we must teach the church about African Christianity. 31:19 It is then especially prominent 31:20 both in sustaining fidelity to the Biblical Sabbath 31:23 through the centuries and in its modern-day revival... 31:27 its modern-day revival. 31:28 In the early 1900s, about a hundred years ago, 31:30 independent or African-initiated Christian movements 31:34 began to catch fire in Africa 31:36 with gifted men and women of prophetic spirit leading the way 31:40 these movements threw off the cultural baggage 31:44 that often burdened and distorted 31:45 the Christianity that had been presented by 31:48 the missionaries of the various denominations 31:50 from Europe and the USA 31:53 and they began connecting 31:56 the gospel more directly with African life and culture. 32:00 The missionaries... many of them did enormous 32:03 noble, self-sacrificing work in planning out programs... 32:07 for the gospel in Africa 32:08 but it really wasn't until these independent movements 32:11 sparked a new effort to connect the gospel 32:17 with African life and culture 32:19 but Christianity began to take off and grow dramatically 32:23 from ten million in the year 1900 32:26 to 360 million Christians in Africa in the year 2000. 32:31 Now, these independent movements 32:33 are described by Professor Lawmansani 32:35 as the signature tune of African Christianity... 32:39 the signature tune of African Christianity 32:43 and they look back to Ethiopia... 32:47 Sabbath-keeping Ethiopia for their inspiration... 32:51 for an example of a Christianity that's true to the Bible... 33:00 example of freedom and dignity and genuine Christianity 33:04 and at the same time, these independent movements 33:07 looked anew to the Bible, God's Holy Word 33:10 Let's look at what Professor Andrew F. Walls... 33:12 of the University of Edinburgh has to say about this, 33:15 this is also on your handout, 33:17 "The Word... " that is the Bible... 33:20 "has been central to the African Christian experience, 33:23 the independence... " 33:25 that is... "these independent movements 33:27 of the 20th Century have been marked above all 33:30 by a radical Biblicism... 33:33 daring Christians, in effect, 33:35 to live by what the Bible says 33:38 and in this process, many of them... 33:42 many of these movements adopted observance 33:45 of the Biblical seventh-day Sabbath" 33:48 this was part of their quest for a more Biblical faith 33:52 than that which had been represented to them 33:54 by the missionaries. 33:56 The largest... among the largest of these 33:59 was the church of the Nazarites in South Africa 34:01 led by Isaiah Shembe, 34:04 we might also mention about the story 34:06 in Central Africa led by Johan Moroke 34:08 Dr. Francis talked about William Saunders Crowdy 34:12 in a movement that was based right here in the United States 34:15 but then became international. 34:17 And along with uplifting the correct day... 34:23 the day that God sanctified as the holy Sabbath, 34:26 the seventh day... 34:27 these Biblical... 34:28 sorry, these African Leaders of the 20th Century 34:33 drawing on the Biblical evidence 34:37 also uplifted a fuller understanding 34:41 of the meaning of the Sabbath. 34:43 You know, don't you, 34:46 that in addition to honoring God as the Creator of all humanity, 34:50 the Sabbath is a sign of a God 34:51 who frees enslaved and oppressed peoples, 34:54 the Bible says in Deuteronomy 5:15... 34:57 that God's people are to keep the Sabbath 35:00 in remembrance of the Lord God 35:02 who delivered them from slavery 35:04 by a mighty and outstretched arm 35:06 and so these leaders of the African independent movements 35:11 faced with a very dark and difficult problem... 35:14 the powers that be... suppressing their people... 35:16 treating them as less than human, 35:18 they claim the Biblical Sabbath 35:20 as a kind of non-violent 35:21 yet forthright declaration of independence. 35:24 So, we much teach the church 35:27 about 2,000 years of Christianity in Africa, 35:31 first, summarizing because 35:32 that history is especially significant 35:34 in the great controversy 35:36 and second, because that special significance 35:39 lies in the fact that African Christianity 35:42 has been specially prominent 35:43 in sustaining fidelity to the Biblical Sabbath 35:46 through these long centuries and all that it stands for 35:49 and in its modern-day revival 35:51 in these independent movements. 35:53 Now, the third reason is 35:56 that Africa with Asia and Latin America 35:58 in the global south 36:00 now stands at the center of world Christianity. 36:04 There's been a great shift in Christianity's center of gravity 36:09 than building for... 36:11 about a century now... but only in the past decade or so 36:14 have scholars and commentators 36:16 really begun to notice this and bring it out... 36:21 perhaps the best-known book on this is: 36:24 "The Next Christendom" by a man named Philip Jenkins 36:27 and he brings out the decrease... 36:32 this is also in your handout, I'll just mentioned it briefly, 36:38 the proportion of Christians from Europe and North America 36:43 in the year 1800... 36:45 87 percent of Christians in the world 36:47 were from Europe and North America 36:48 but by 1900... that's down to 76 percent 36:52 and by the year 2000... it's down to 40 percent. 36:55 At the same time, in the year 2000, 36:58 we have nearly one in five... 18 percent... 37:01 nearly one in five Christians in the world are in Africa 37:04 and that's not counting those of African descent 37:07 who are scattered in the diaspora throughout the world 37:11 and it's projected that by the year 2025 37:15 one in four or 25 percent of Christians 37:19 throughout the world will be African. 37:22 So, Andrew F. Walls... also on your handout there 37:27 this means that we have to regard African Christianity 37:31 as potentially the representative Christianity 37:35 of the 21st Century, 37:37 the things by which people recognize 37:39 what Christianity is... will... for good or ill... 37:43 increasingly be determined in Africa. 37:45 The characteristic doctrines, the liturgy, the ethical codes, 37:50 the social applications of the faith, 37:52 will increasingly be those prominent in Africa. 37:56 Now, let's put this together with the fact that 38:00 these vital African movements are looking... 38:03 many of them to Sabbath-keeping Ethiopia 38:06 as they set forth a vital Christianity for today 38:13 so, if we take the importance of Africa, 38:16 both historically and in more recent times, 38:19 restoring the Sabbath... historically preserving... 38:22 more recent times... restoring the Sabbath truth 38:25 that western Christendom had done so much to deny 38:28 and we put that together with the great shift 38:31 in world Christianity 38:33 to Africa and the global south that is taking place today 38:38 we see momentous conversions. 38:41 African Christianity with its remarkably rich heritage 38:44 in observing God's Law 38:46 is now on center stage of the world. 38:49 Oh, what an opportunity this is for us 38:51 as we are called to our roles in the conclusion 38:55 of the great controversy 38:56 to teach the church so that we can tell the world 39:00 about this great good news... the gospel message 39:04 of an everlasting gospel that is going to every nation, 39:12 kindred, tongue and people 39:14 bringing together a world-wide fellowship. |
Revised 2017-02-27