The African Presence in the Bible: Gospel Sermons Rooted in History [Paperback]

William D. Watley (Author), Raquel Annette St. Clair (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 15, 2000

“Reverend, are there any black people in the Bible?”

With this compelling question, authors William Watley and Raquel Annette St. Clair open their discussion in The African Presence in the Bible. In 18 eye-opening sermons that were developed over a two-year period, the authors instill a new level of appreciation, belonging, and cultural acceptance by telling the Christian story of the African people’s geographic, cultural, and religious heritage.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This true picture of the African presence in Scripture is portrayed in an historically accurate and decisive manner. The lessons learned from the teachings of the African experience in the Bible also address many contemporary issues for people of all races.” --The Journal of Christian Nursing

About the Author

The Reverend William D. Watley, Ph.D. is the Senior Pastor of St. James A.M.E. Church in Newark, where he has served since 1984. During his tenure, Dr. Watley has increased membership by more than 3,000 bringing the membership to 6,000 parishioners. He established St. James Social Services Corporation, which serves as the umbrella organization for various outreach programs such as the feeding program, which provides meals for 287,000 homeless people each year. The Intergenerational After School Program, The Safe Haven Summer Camp and vast expansion of the Be A Blessing Holiday Food and Toy Distribution Campaigns are social outreach programs initiated by Dr. Watley. He defined the vision for and founded St. James Preparatory School, a state-of-the-art middle and high school for grades 7-12.

Dr. Watley received his Bachelor of Arts in Theology from St. Louis University in 1968 and a Master of Divinity from the Interdenominational Theological Center in 1971. He received a Master of Philosophy in 1977 and his Doctor of Philosophy-Ethics in1980 from Columbia University in 1981 and the Ecumenical Institute in Celigny, Switzerland in 1983. He has done post-doctoral research at Harvard's Institute for Educational Management.

Product Details

• Paperback: 117 pages
• Publisher: Judson Pr (February 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0817013490
• ISBN-13: 978-0817013493
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #910,472 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars from The Journal of Christian Nursing, March 25, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The African Presence in the Bible: Gospel Sermons Rooted in History (Paperback)

"This true picture of the African presence in Scripture is portrayed in an historically accurate and decisive manner. The lessons learned from the teachings of the African experience in the Bible also address many contemporary issues for people of all races."
- a review from The Journal of Christian Nursing, Summer 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars A WONDERFUL COLLECTION OF SERMONS CELEBRATING BLACK PEOPLE IN THE BIBLE, September 2, 2011

By 

Steven H. Propp (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The African Presence in the Bible: Gospel Sermons Rooted in History (Paperback)

At the time this book was written in 2000, William D. Watley was senior pastor of St. James AME Church in New Jersey and the CEO of the New Jersey Commerce and Economic Growth Commission; he has written many other books. Raquel Annette St. Clair was executive minister at St. James AME Church, and also the author of Call and Consequences: A Womanist Reading of Mark. The book is based on a series of sermons given in their church.

In the Preface, Watley wrote, "This book is designed to do two things. First, it establishes the truth of the African presence in the Scriptures in a positive and historically accurate manner. Second, it presents messages to address contemporary issues and situations for all people using the historical data of the presence of African peoples in the Scriptures."

Here are some quotations from the book:

"Lest we forget, Abraham not only had a child by the African woman Hagar, but he spent time in Africa... Lest we forget, Joseph had an Egyptian wife, Moses had a Cushite wife, and Solomon had an Egyptian wife... Lest we forget, the book known as the Song of Solomon was written in tribute to a black woman... Lest we forget, Jeremiah's life was saved by his Ethiopian friend, Ebed-melech... Jesus' formative years were spent on African soil. Lest we forget, when Jesus began to totter under the weight of the cross, it was the black man Simon of Cyrene who helped him carry his cross." (Pg. 4)
"The father of Israel, Abraham, first married a Chaldean. His second wife was Egyptian, and his third wife was Arabian. Joseph married an Egyptian woman... Moses' first wife was an Arabian mixed with African blood. His second wife was a Cushite or Ethiopian woman..." (Pg. 25-26)
"(The Song of Solomon) is more than the only book in which a female speaks through her own unmediated voice. It is more than this same woman being of African descent and boldly declaring, 'I am black and beautiful.'" (Pg. 59)
"When I read Matthew 12:42, I am fascinated that Jesus praised an African woman... She is the famous Queen of Sheba, and her story appears in 1 Kings 10:1-13." (Pg. 77)