A New Commentary for East Africa

The Promise:
Fifty million Africans with few or no evangelical resources in their native language – a fact, until now! The Africa Bible Commentary (ABC), translated into Kiswahili, will be an instrument for evangelism and discipleship training in East Africa. The impact of this book on one Bible college professor shows great promise:

“I felt a strong urge to call all my former students back and make a big apology, and then re-teach the books afresh using these new insights, so relevant and contextual. Why did it take so long to have such an invaluable resource in our language?”

Kiswahili is the first or second language for more than 50 million Africans in the region of East Africa. Providing the ABC in this widely spoken indigenous language will give even more pastors an opportunity to share and understand the gospel with local communities.

The Commentary:

This life-giving promise compelled WordAlive Publishers–in partnership with Langham Partnership International–to produce a translation for one of the most comprehensive African resources. The ABC, the first-ever single-volume commentary for Africans, by Africans, has moved forward in production, with over 80,000 copies being distributed. With great excitement, WordAlive Publishers is planning the first print run in 2010 for the Kiswahili translation of the ABC.
A translation team comprised of seven people at the Masters and Ph.D. levels from both Tanzania and Kenya started the project, including Dr. Aloo Mojola, one of the most experienced Bible translation consultants in Africa. The translation took more than 20 months to produce, with plans to print in between 10,000 and 15,000 copies. The volume is schedule to go to press on February 15, 2010, available to order in May.

“The publication of the ABC was long overdue and it has become a vital resource for pastors, in churches, homes and theological institutions,” said David Waweru of WordAlive, who is heading up the translation project. “We have seen a trend in which many institutions purchase the commentary for their graduating classes. Many copies have also been purchased by missionaries based in Africa hoping to understand the African point of view and perspectives in the interpretation of the biblical text and contemporary issues.”

“It is with deepest gratitude that WordAlive Publishers extends our appreciation to Langham Partnership for the very generous donation that made the this translation possible. We believe the Kiswahili ABC will have tremendous impact on the body of Christ in East Africa.”

Undoubtedly, the Kiswahili ABC will have an impact on the church in East Africa for generations to come.