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Heber has plans to return to Brazil and teach at the seminary level at the schools of the Presbyterian Church of Brazil.

“The Church in Brazil is…quite ignorant of its predecessors and its development in history…I believe it would be healthy for Christians to look back into history, grasp some of its rich heritage, and apply it for today’s struggles and barriers,”  writes Heber.

During his under graduate days Finny was actively involved among the youth and college campus ministry along with his studies. While doing his MA in English Literature, he realized his call for mission and ministry, particularly to north India.
Finny did his BD and M.Th from the United Theological College, a premier institution in India. He received his Ph.D from the University of Durham, UK, under the mentorship of Prof. James D.G. Dunn.

Finny is currently the Principal of Filadelfia Bible College, Udaipur which is developing leaders for north Indian mission and ministry. He is the Mission Director for Filadelfia Fellowship Church of India, an indigenous registered church; Chief Editor, Cross & Crown magazine; Theological Editor (NT) for South Asia Bible Commentary, an initiative of LPRC-SA. He has published several articles. His PhD research on Pauline Pneumatology was published by Mohr-Siebeck in the WUNT series. He is presently working on several commentary projects.

John Azumah is the first Langham writer sponsored by the Langham Literature program. While in California speaking at the Inside-Out Evangelical Conference sponsored by Presbyterian Global Fellowship, John talked with Dave Hoffman, vice president of John Stott Ministries, about his new book, My Neighbor’s Faith: Islam Explained for Christians.

Dave: I want to ask you a little about this book, My Neighbors Faith. How did you first get connected with Langham Literature?

John: Well, it all came about via Lausanne. I have been connected with Lausanne for some time, and I was the International Deputy Director for Anglophone Africa. Chris Wright happened to be the one in Lausanne in charge of Theology and we got to meet. But before this I had known of Chris Wright through his writings and having met him at some conferences. I admire and respect Chris a lot and so Chris invited me to be part of the first Langham regional council for West Africa held at Akrofi-Christaller. That was back in 2005. We had a wonderful meeting and at this event I met Pieter Kwant, director of Langham Literature. I told Pieter, I have been working on a manuscript, but have not been able to find a publisher that is interested. Pieter said he would take a look at it, so I sent him a draft. He said, it looks great and wanted to produce it. He shared the whole idea of Hippo and launching this African series as a way of Langham encouraging African writers to produce quality work. He knows that one of the challenges in Africa for first time writers is to get publishers.

So Pieter got this manuscript and gave it to Isobel Stevenson in Canada. Isobel was working to train an African editor from Akrofi-Christaller in Ghana, as there were not any African editors before this. This editor was sent to work with Isobel and my book happened to be the very first book.

Dave: So this is the first book that the lady from Akrofi-Christaller edited.

John: Yes.

Dave: Tell me a little bit about HippoBooks. You mentioned that it was a way to encourage African writers and first-time writers especially, but tell me what you think HippoBooks is going to do for the continent of Africa? Not only for the writers, but for the readers as well.

John: I think it is going to have a very important impact on the church in Africa and African scholarship. The church in Africa and African scholarship are facing a very serious problem of really having materials produced by African scholars themselves. We rely on western writers, western literature and western scholarship. That is not bad except that we are not able to feed ourselves with what is really what our academic and spiritual minds and souls are yearning for, which is something local, something indigenous, something African.  And so we have always had to go through the western academic route and that hasn’t always been very healthy. It is mostly because it is just to difficult for African writers to one, get the time to write. They are too busy with bread and butter issues, they are working under very challenging situations and so they are thinking about where the next meal is going to come from, where the next money is going to come from to pay their child’s school fees and other issues that don’t allow them the time to write. And, when they do get the time to put something down on paper, it is very difficult to get a good publisher to take it up. You end up getting it published in very cheap circles and the end product is not good.

Dave: I understand that another issue was due to not having African editors and having to rely on western editors which took some of the African-ness out of the manuscript as well.

John: Exactly and again, that is part of the challenges. You need to get something that is written by Africans, edited by Africans and read by Africans. And that is what Hippo has come to provide. I think it is an excellent idea and I was happy to go with Hippo and I am going to write another book.

Dave: What is the next book going to be about?

John: I am still figuring it out. But it will be about approaching people of other faiths from an African biblical perspective. That is what I am going to write on.

Dave: So this book, My Neighbors Faith, is more about understanding Islam, and the next book will be about how to approach people of other faiths.

John: Yes, from a biblical perspective. I am hoping to get a writers grant from Langham because as I said, part of the challenges. It took some time to get this last book organized and it was quite good that Akrofi-Christaller allowed me to take this time. But a grant will make it much easier and faster to make time to write something like this.

Dave: Because of Hippo, how many books do you think might be written over the next few years by African writers?

John: We are going to be having a Langham meeting in West Africa in October and I think with this now out, it will be a huge inspiration the African scholars that will be meeting there. And I really think we are going to get a good number of books. I don’t want to put a figure on it, but Hippo is really here to stay and not just with Langham’s involvement, but because Langham has their kinds of forums that bring these scholars together for meeting, conferences and consultations. Once these writers know that they will be guaranteed to have a good publisher and that the product will be of this quality, they will be even more inspired.

Dave: Let me switch gears a little and ask you about the regional council for West Africa. What do you see as the benefit for Langham having these regional council meetings? Not just to Langham, but to your local area as well.

John: I think the benefit is actually mutual. Langham gets the chance to listen to the people on the ground and to really get applicants locally processed and therefore are guaranteed to get the right type of candidates processed and funded for their studies. Langham also gets to hear what are the real issues that the church is faced with on the ground. If Langham is going to support people in their studies and to write, they are going to need to know what the issues are that challenge the church in our region. For us as African scholars and the African church, I think it’s that many times people just provide funding, and when you are done with the studies or projects you don’t hear much from the organization. What Langham is doing for us in Africa is that we get to know who are the Langham scholars in Africa. We get to know the areas of expertise of these people and we get to network with each other so we can grow on each other’s strengths. Langham provides this platform for us to share amongst ourselves which otherwise would not have happened. This is about real partnership and Langham is really charting a new and exciting path in this kind of engagement with the African church and we are very excited about it.

Dave: I am excited to read your book and to hear you speak here tomorrow. Thank you for your time today and I will be looking forward to seeing your next book.

View more photos of John Azumah and the Inside-Out Evangelical Conference sponsored by Presbyterian Global Fellowship

Order My Neighbor’s Faith from the JSM online bookstore

JSM’s Scholar Director Elaine Vaden recently visited Africa to get a grasp of the challenges and rewards that the Langham scholars are facing when they study in their home regions. She wrapped up her travels in London, finding insight and connection with the Langham programs there. Here is an overview of her travels and encounters with scholars.

This trip provided much needed perspective on the “stay at home” scholars in southern and east Africa. Observing the context in which they live and study (and work), meeting the supervisors, reviewers and most particularly the scholars and their families, deepened and enriched my appreciation for their calling to teach and serve in Africa.

I will describe each scholar in terms of the country and institution, emphasizing their research and vision for the future.

South Africa – June 22-29, 2008
Zambia – June 30-July 7, 2008
Kenya – July 8-12, 2008
United Kingdom – July 13-19, 2008

Visit Elaine’s photo gallery

Winding up this extended tour with a week in the United Kingdom, visiting the Langham family in London, Glasgow, Carlisle, Dormans and Exeter, was “the icing on the cake.” The gracious hospitality of Chris, Liz, Ian, Christine, Pieter, Elria, Howard, Roxanna, Ruth, Frances, Peter, and Uncle John was like the oil poured on the head of the priest.

The week began with worship at All Souls Sunday morning, a short nap and worship at Holy Trinity Brompton. I was struck by the singing, especially the lyrics of British worship. Both churches use “contemporary forms” but the message of the songs seemed particularly strong and theologically sound. This was also evident at the Keswick conference later in the week.

My first journey of the week was to Glasgow, to meet Ian Shaw. Ian was in transition toward his new role as Langham Partnership International’s U.K. scholar director and we soon discovered topics of interest in church history and historical theology.

Time in Scotland was far too short…but then there was Carlisle, Langham Literature and the lake district to savor. LPI’s Literature program director Pieter Kwant and staff offered an intensive course in the Langham Literature program. It was then off to the Keswick conference, where LPI Preaching program director Jonathan Lamb was the preacher, with the service recorded for BBC.

Back to London on Wed. to the home of LPI international director Chris Wright. Chris was back from preaching in Belfast and it was very good to share an evening with him and Liz. In the afternoon, Chris accompanied me to visit John Stott. He was eager to hear from the scholars in Africa as well as updates from Chris. The short hour was one I will not forget.

The final day in the U.K. found me heading toward Exeter to meet Howard Peskett, retiring scholar director for the U.K. I hoped to hear wisdom from his experience with Langham, as well as college principal and missionary. Howard offered his wisdom on candidate selection, supervisors, and scholar care.

Thus ends the account of the JSM/Africa/scholar tour. May God continue to bless and use the outreach of Langham toward the goal of mature followers of Christ.

South Africa – June 22-29, 2008
Zambia – June 30-July 7, 2008
Kenya – July 8-12, 2008
Visit Elaine’s photo gallery

The recent turmoil in Kenya after the presidential election is well documented. On the day I arrived in Kenya, another cabinet member had been confronted and forced to resign due to financial improprieties. This seemed to illuminate deep fissures in the governmental system. Most of the people I spoke with said, “Kenya is not as stable as we thought” and “we have a way to go to fix our problems.”

Nairobi Evangelical School of Theology (NEGST) is perhaps the best known of JSM-Langham’s Majority World partner schools and is very well-situated with a beautiful campus and strong faculty. JSM-Langham has contributed five scholars to the faculty, including the vice-chancellor, Douglas Carew, who functions as president. (The chancellor is more an honorary position, it seems).

Since this was graduation week, the vice-chancellor’s office was consumed with commencement arrangements, board meetings and other guests, including the Sudanese ambassador to Kenya (the commencement address was given by Isaiah Dau, a Sudanese and principal of the Nairobi Pentecostal Bible College). The graduation reception on Thursday, July 10, was marked by recognition of graduates, presentation of Langham books to graduates (It was a privilege to make those presentations on behalf of Langham), special recognition of NEGST graduates who have been involved in the reconciliation process since the turmoil and a lovely buffet meal. The reception climaxed with African dancing, with most in attendance participating.

Andy Alo, our current scholar at NEGST is in the first doctoral cohort. Andy is from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and speaks French as well as his native language but his facility in English is quite amazing. Andy recently returned from a seminar in Poland, having been selected by the NEGST faculty to make a presentation on “relevance theory” as it relates to translation. The focus of the NEGST Ph.D. is biblical studies/translation. Andy indicated that he planned to return to the DRC to teach at Bunia and also minister in the local churches after his studies. He did mention the possibility of remaining at NEGST, a plan that had been suggested to all the students in the current cohort. My later conversation with Mark Shaw, director of the doctoral program, revealed that Andy has risen to the top of this cohort and that they hope to invite him to remain on faculty.

The commencement exercises at NEGST combined the traditional pomp and circumstances of the West and music, joy and vibrancy of African celebrations. A dance troupe, composed of children of NEGST students, brought a cultural dynamic. With approximately ninety graduates, the place of NEGST in east African theological education is obvious. During the commencement, Douglas Carew announced the strategic plan for Africa International University, with NEGST one of three schools comprising the university.

Another highlight of the Kenya visit was a gathering of Langham scholars for dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant. Those present were Stephen and Josephine Sesi, Bernard and Mary Boyo of Daystar University, Paul and Mary Kisau, James Nkansah-Obrempong and Andy and Yvette Alo. Several expressed interest in receiving assistance for publishing while others wanted to see more activity with the regional council of East Africa.

Saying good-bye to Africa, after more than three weeks of incredibly rich and stimulating fellowship, gave me a sense of sadness. One cannot drink Africa’s waters without longing for another drink.

South Africa – June 22-29, 2008
Zambia – June 30-July 7, 2008
United Kingdom – July 13-19, 2008

Visit Elaine’s photo gallery

Zambia has been experiencing a period of economic growth and political stability. After twenty years of decline, copper is once again in demand, prompted by the growing economics of India and China. The situation in Zimbabwe has driven tourists and business to Zambia. And President Mwanawasa has gained favor with the World Bank and is regarded as the strong leader of southern Africa. Unfortunately, during my days in Zambia, President Mwanawasa suffered a stroke while attending the African Union conference in Cairo. He is still in recovery in Paris, where he was taken for special treatment.

I went to Zambia to participate in a special event at Northrise University in Ndola. I’ve been on the Board of Directors for Northrise University Initiative since 1997 and have been teaching there every year since we opened in 2004. Although this was not a Langham/JSM scene, so to speak, I did have the opportunity to meet Joe Simfukwe, current principal of the Theological College of Central Africa (also in Ndola) and member of the Regional Council for southern Africa as well as Lazarus Phiri, Langham scholar who serves with Pioneers. Time with Lazarus Phiri was quite interesting—he has very strong opinions about scholars who do not return to their home regions. I appreciated hearing from him.

Impact Ndola was an outreach by Northrise friends to the city of Ndola. One part of the event was a pastors’ conference where participants received copies of Fanning the Flame, edited by Chris Wright. These pastors were very grateful for the “free” books.

My final days in Zambia were spent in Lusaka where I visited with a former student, Rev. Patrick Phiri who is the primary leader of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church.

South Africa – June 22-29, 2008
Kenya – July 8-12, 2008
United Kingdom – July 13-19, 2008

Visit Elaine’s photo gallery