1. HOW AFRICANS AND ASIANS HAVE COME TO KNOW AND ACCEPT BOTH THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE WITHIN THEIR CULTURAL CONTEXT AND UNDERSTANDING AND HOW THEY CAN FIT INTO THE NEW COVENANT OF FAITH WHILE MAINTAINING AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE OLD COVENANT Old and New By: Annie Hoover

2. Africans and the Old Testament Say you’re a missionary, headed for the remote villages of Africa, how would you correlate the differences between the Old and New Testament concepts and bring understanding and application to how it affects their daily life? As Westernized believers, it might be easy for us to dwell comfortably in the New Testament teachings of Jesus, Matthew, Paul, James, etc. But how often do we stop and consider the similarities in Old Testament practices to the culture of the Global South. It is so important to learn how to relate scripture to each individual culture.

3. The Conundrum Ugandan culture connected with the story of King Solomon.  Ugandan’s were confused about the way that missionaries told them the story.  Solomon was royalty and he had multiple wives.  The Ugandan conclusion…Polygamy is ok because it’s in the Bible and the Bible is true. Perhaps the missionaries were too poor to have multiple wives.

4. Observe how hard it is for Africans to understand the overall truth of the Bible when they are caught up with an understanding of it as it directly ties to their own culture.

5. INTERPRETATION: It is hard for natives to understand that while the Bible is totally TRUE, it’s true to varying degrees. The Old Testament predates Christianity and the coming of Christ. Africans and Asians have a deep affection for the Old Testament. They see it as their story. For Africans, the Old Testament really connects with local conditions and their rural African culture. The Old Testament practices of sacrifice, polygamy, plague, agriculture, dancing, shepherds, tensions between country and city dwellers, epidemic, and war are concepts that have a commonplace understanding in the culture of the South, particularly in Africa. For example: Traditionally, Nigerians’ see their salvation as a group practice. Their acute awareness and desire for community righteousness is a admittance of their longing for a godly nation. It is a group process to protect themselves from plague, epidemic and other ills instigated by the gods. They understand that some price is usually paid to the gods, this is usually evident through animal sacrifice and the shedding of blood.

6. Global South Churches Northern Churches Mostly respect a larger part of the Bible than the North Have found connections to James, the wisdom literature, and much of the old testament More comfortable drawing connections between the old and new testaments. Typically connect to the New Testament easier then the Old Testament, they enjoy the practical and applicable principles found there. Have a harder time then their Southern friends drawing connections between the old and new testaments. North vs. South

7. Christianity today The Old Testament is rapidly experiencing a decline in prestige and popularity in the modern world. Much of this is because people associate the Old Testament with the aspects of Christianity that they find uncongenial. These aspects could include God as an angry judge, the justification of war, and legalism. Comparatively, the New Testament in modern Christendom experiences a swift increase in popularity and readership. Here the Old Testament is considered the main text of Judaism. It’s text is practical, applicable, and overall seemingly easier to understand. People still sometimes use the Old Testament but it is considered a rich spiritual resource that is used less frequently and “with permission.”

8. “You do not have to interpret Old Testament Christianity to Africans; they live in an Old Testament world.” –Andrew Walls The task for modern theologians is to tear down Western mindsets and expectations on relevance and relatability and return scripture to it’s natural social setting The Modern Church can learn much from traditional African culture when they assert the African roots of the early church. Because of many connections to African territory, to Egypt, Ethiopia, and the land of Cush, Jethro is assumed to be of African descent, and one of the supporters behind the great Biblical hero, Moses. Joseph Enuwosa said that Africa was a “continent that bred men used to save Israel and humanity.” (48-49) The real world of African believers

9. The New Testament in the South Africans particularly resonate with the gospel of Matthew. They show a strong preference for Matthew out of the gospels. They believe that more explicitly than any other gospel, Matthew attempts to engage with Old Testament ideas and attempts to portray Jesus as the fulfillment of OT prophecy, the new Moses. Matthew to them is the “most Jewish” of the gospels. The book of Acts is also a favorite book of the Africans concerning their Biblical exegesis. This book proclaims that people don’t have to denounce their older culture to accept the faith. Anyone can receive faith, salvation and the Holy Spirit without being Americanized, Europeanized, or a part of the old covenant of Judaism. The Asian church believes that they live in the times of Paul— planting new churches on virgin soil. They identify with the messages of evangelism found in the book of Acts.

10. Wisdom Literature and James Wisdom Literature Africans show a large appreciation for wisdom literature. It is practical and essential to oral culture. Proverbs that can be passed down. The wisdom literature texts are also helpful for sermons. The book of James Africans relish the day to day practical advice offered in James. James addresses things that concern African communities who experience much suffering. The concerns in James letter are very much that of the Africans as well. James writes for emerging churches still trying to define the distinctions between Christian and non-Christian worlds. It offers a set of rules for life as an unpopular Christian.

11. AFRICANS CLING TIGHTLY TO A BELIEF IN RELIGIOUS SYMBOLISM AND SACRIFICE. THIS MAKES THEM VERY SIMILAR TO THE HEBREWS Africans and Sacrifice

12. Old Testament Sacrifice and practice is an important understanding to the South Many African Christians are familiar to sacrifice of some form. For instance, in Ghana, sacrifice marks the turning points of the year. They can understand Hebrews more deeply than some because of this knowledge. Jesus Christ came and was the final sacrifice for all time. This is something that they can culturally cling to, especially for those African Christians who are horrified at the thought of sacrifice as a means of acceptance into a religious group.

13. A modern’s view on sacrifice in the Old Testament. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-pLwRMv-wk

14. CONCLUSION To Conclude, The global South culture is one that reflects a deep set understanding and appreciation of their historical, Judaic roots back to the Old Testament. They can offer a lot of insight to the Northern world about tradition, sacrifice, religion and an understanding of the Old Testament. Their holistic approach to understanding and correlating the Old and New Testament aids them in their approach to the church, evangelism, and their responsibilities as Christians as a whole. Southern Christians can be joined to the new covenant of believers and be accepted into the kingdom of God. Their understanding and lived out knowledge of the old covenant enables them to be active participators in the global church. The beliefs that they have because of their heritage allows them to apply the concepts and wisdom of the Old Testament to their daily life and interpret the Bible in a way that is conducive to their own environment and culture. I would dare say that if the North and South could continually work together to propel their understanding of the gospel and Christianity, both sides would benefit greatly.