Tankfully, we know that Greeks, Italians, Persians and others
were at the first Council of Nicaea and that many bishops from the African church participated in the Council of Hippo. Since the modern notion of race was constructed primarily in the 17th century,4 the deeper question is not whether there was African representation but this: Did those who participated in the canonization of Scripture include sacred texts that addressed the needs of the marginalized and the oppressed? Some might wonder if these religious councils cherry-picked
potential biblical literature in the way colonial powers later carved up Alkebulan5 (the original name for Africa) into artificial nations. Tis is not a far-fetched idea if you consider that the Ethiopian Bible contains 88 books, whereas the Protestant Bible canonized only 66. Could one of the reasons Ethiopia has never been colonized be related to its understanding of Scripture? Also, do the books that were not included hold insights that could lead to the liberation of people of African descent? In light of the fact that Ellen White utilized the Apocrypha for devotional and spiritual edification, could parts of the Ethiopian Bible inform a progressive Black Adventism? It is interesting to note that our Jewish brothers and sisters still embrace books such as the Maccabees, which center resistance under captivity. My goal here is not to undermine the authority of sacred
texts, but rather to help Black progressive Adventist believers expand their understanding of divine revelation. God is not restricted to the common compilations of Scripture we use within our churches for guidance, devotional inspiration, and empowerment. A limited understanding of the role and history of the Protestant Bible could lead to bibliolatry—idolizing and worshiping the Bible instead of the God of it. We need to be aware that the reign of King James,6 who commissioned the version of the Bible that so many of us use today, coincided with the beginning of the English slave trade—and his government granted the patents that fueled it. Tragically, many of my ancestors in the United States were
allowed access only to the so-called Slave Bible,7 a mutilated text distributed to enslaved Africans that omitted more than 90% of the Old Testament and nearly half of the New Testament. Passages that affirmed liberation, rebellion, or divine justice had been intentionally removed. Tis abridged Bible gave theological cover to white supremacy, suggesting that God endorsed social hierarchies and that resistance was sin. Clearly, Christianity in the hands of white oppressors was weaponized to enforce docility and submission.
Knowing this history, I think about the ways the Bible has
been misrepresented over time to disempower people of African descent. Imagine if we drew upon the Apocrypha and from non- Protestant versions of the Bible to help us better understand themes of liberation and sovereignty as it might apply to Black people. We might rediscover what could be called “Nat Turner and John Brown theology”: a faith rooted in the conviction that divine revelation demands resistance to injustice. Aſter all, reading Scripture led Turner and Brown to identify the God of Exodus as one who sides with the enslaved, not the enslaver. Similarly, the Books of the Maccabees, which are preserved in
the Apocrypha, depict holy rebellion against foreign domination. Jewish tradition still embraces these texts as sacred narratives of endurance and revolt. For Black Adventists, reclaiming such literature could be revolutionary. How might understanding stories related to the Masada and Jewish resistance reorient our understanding of the need to confront injustice inside and outside the church? How might such additional authoritative writings help us all think about justice as it applies to the killings of unarmed Black people? European colonialist missionaries came to Africa to
“civilize” and “introduce to God” a people who had always understood and believed in a living God. In both words and deeds, they proclaimed a God they confined to parchment paper. Our ancestors were often confused, because they believed God was everywhere and in everything. Just because our worship of the Almighty looked different did not mean we didn’t know the divine. I’m glad my God is not relegated to the Pentateuch, Torah, or
Old or New Testament. He speaks still! I have no doubt that a Black Adventist theology is not only needed, but the future of progressive Black Adventism may depend on it.
1 J. R. Avent Harris, “Te Black Superwoman in Spiritual Bypass: Black Women’s Use of Religious Coping and Implications for Mental Health Professionals,” Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health, Vol. 23, No. 2 (2021), pp. 180–196. 2 “Bishop Yvette Flunder: Te Prathia Hall Lecture,” Princeton Teological Seminary, online at
www.youtube.com (Feb. 6, 2019). 3 Matthew J. Korpman, “Is the Apocrypha Inspired? An Enlightening Letter from Ellen White’s Son,” online at
atoday.org (July 24, 2024). 4 Éric Schnakenbourg, “Te Genesis of the Notion of Race, 17th–18th Centuries,” online at
projectmanifest.eu (May 10, 2023). 5 Nikolaj Cyon, “Alkebu-Lan: If Africa Was Never Colonized by Europe,” Te Decolonial Atlas (Nov. 15, 2014). 6 Maury Jackson and T. Horace Crogman, “Te Twisted Fate of the King James Version and the Black Religious Experience in America,” Journal of Cultural and Religious Studies, Vol. 7, No. 9 (Sept. 2019), pp. 490-497. 7 Becky Little, “Why Bibles Given to Slaves Omitted Most of the Old Testament,” online at
History.com (Dec. 11, 2018).
38 AD VENTIS T T OD A Y
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