BOOK CORNER: New book celebrates presenceĀ of Black people in the Bible

By Marissa Wells

Contributing Writer

In the 19th century, British missionaries selectively removed parts of scripture to manipulate enslaved Africans in the Caribbean, thus creating the ā€œSlave Bible,ā€ leaving a lasting impact on faith and identity. Though slavery has been abolished, its residue persists, as the Bible is still misused to marginalize the poor and oppressed. 

Thatā€™s the basis for ā€œBabel: Blackish African Bible Experimental Legacy,ā€ by Henry L. Masters. The groundbreaking new book explores, examines and celebrates the Black presence in the Bible.

ā€œMost of the way in which the Bible has been depicted throughout the years has been primarily with white faces, so many folks, such as myself, grew up not knowing that people who looked like me had a presence in telling the biblical story,ā€ Masters said. ā€œI wanted to make sure that efforts were made to help tell the part of the story that there were Africans who were a part of the pilgrimage of people in the Bible.ā€

Inside his book, Masters highlights Old Testament figures of African descent like Nimrod, Hagar, Zipporah, Rahab, and Zephaniah. He also includes figures found in the New Testament that are of African descent such as Simone of Cyrene and Balthazar.

Throughout the book, Masters provides historical and theological insight as to why these persons are not mentioned in the Bible as being of African descent. He provides images of the original copy of the ā€œSlave Bibleā€ and shares stories of the extensive research heā€™s done with the book.

ā€œBabelā€ will no doubt be a great resource for readers to use during Black History Month, the Lenten season, Bible studies, and more.

Mastersā€™ hope is that readers gain knowledge from reading his book. 

ā€œA part of the theme of the book is that truth matters,ā€ Masters said. ā€œThe truth about how the Bible was formed and how certain things came to be omitted needs to be known not only by Black people but by everyone who loves the Bible and is interested in the Bible.ā€

In addition to being an author, Masters is a retired elder in the United Methodist Church. He was pastor at Holman United Methodist Church in South Los Angeles for 11 years. He also is the publisher of By Faith Magazine, a bi-monthly publication that serves as a communication vehicle for the Black congregations in the United Methodist Church. For more information about the author and his work, visit byfaithmagazine.com.

ā€œBabel: Blackish African Bible Experimental Legacyā€ is available for available for $16.99 via Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or the author directly through email revhenry1114@gmail.com.

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