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  1. Christianity used to justify slavery. Some enslavers and theologians used certain Scriptures to defend slavery and racial injustice. Example, “Servants obey your masters." - Colossians 3:22
  2. At the same time, enslaved Africans and free Black believers would read the Bible through the lens of deliverance, hope, and God’s justice.

The Biblical Theological lens would be for example:

  • Creation: All people bear God’s image. (Genesis 1:27)
  • Fall: Sin erodes power, economics, and human relationships.
  • Redemption: Christ restores dignity and calls justice. (Luke 4; Ephesians 2)
  • Kingdom: A multi-ethnic people reconciled in Christ. (Revelation 7:9)

People sometimes assume Christianity is “European” but the biblical and early Christian story is Africa-involved:

  • Egypt is central to the Old Testament story (Joseph, Moses, & The Exodus);
  • Cush/Ethiopia appears repeatedly in the Bible linked to the south of Egypt;
  • Simon of Cyrene (from North Africa) carried Jesus’ cross. (Mark 15:21); and,
  • The Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8 shows early connection to the spreading of the gospel.

The Bible and Black History connects because Scripture speaks to human dignity, oppression and deliverance, faithful endurance, and God’s multiethnic kingdom.

God Bless!

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