In this article, we take a close look at the recent series “The History of Christianity in Africa” hosted by Adam Myrie on Sacred Life Christian Television. The series is now on its third episode and can be seen free of charge on slctelevision.com. It is also supposed to be available on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, and on iPhones.

This is a very exciting presentation showing how the Bible is connected to the history and culture of African people. Each episode, the presenter Myrie is ready with his research to open up our thinking on this topic. Right away, what stands out most is the way that he changes his voice for the characters in each Bible story and uses flashy pictures and sounds to remake the scenes. The way that he puts it all together keeps us at the edge of our seats waiting for more.

But it is not all fun and games. Myrie’s research is on point. It is based on what is actually written in the Bible or what is being taught in Christian churches and he has his sources listed at the end of each video for those who want to learn more.

We are going to dive into more detail on each of the first three episodes.

Season 1, Episode 1: The Life and Times of Hagar

This episode may be the most informational. The first part of the video is packed with examples of people in the Bible who are from the continent of Africa and scriptures that talk about African place names. For example, there is the river of Gihon in Genesis 2:13, which runs through the Garden of Eden and continues through “the land of Kush.” Myrie explains during his usual side talk that Kush in those days would have been what we now call Sudan. Sudan is located right below Egypt in northern Africa. Myrie uses this teaching tool again later on when talking about Simon of Cyrene who carried Jesus’ cross in order to explain that Cyrene is in the nation of Libya (also in northern Africa). He also explains that the land of Ur where Abraham traveled is now in the nation of Iraq. Some of these stories are heard every year in churches across the United States during Black History Month. Maybe they are also being told during this time in Canada, where Myrie is presenting from. But it is always good to have a friendly reminder that Moses, Joseph, and even Jesus of the Bible all spent key parts of their lives in Africa before they felt the calling of God to make a change in the world.

The story of Hagar, the Egyptian servant, starts one third of the way into the episode. Myrie tells the story very well, even pausing at times to act out the parts of each character. There are a few parts of the story that could be explained a little more. For example, what does Myrie mean when he says that Hagar “was given to Abraham?” Why do some Bibles call Hagar a “second wife” of Abraham and others do not? And how was Hagar treated badly by Abraham’s first wife Sarah? But Myrie cannot do all the work for us. After all, he has also told us where we can start to look for answers to questions that we still have (Genesis 16:1-5). Even without some details, Myrie does a great job on other details that answer other questions that we might have had like “What happened to Hagar’s son Ishmael?” or “How many sons did Ishmael have and what nations did they become?”

Season 1, Episode 2: Saint Moses the Strong

In this episode, Myrie starts by talking about the meaning of the word “saint.” A saint, he says, is a person who is “recognized, usually through canonization as being pre-eminent in holiness.” Those are some big words! But he is not speaking another language here, folks. If we were to break it down some more, we could say that a saint is usually someone who churches honor for the special gifts that God blessed them with and the good works they did for others while they were alive. Myrie continues with examples of African saints until he gets to the main topic: “Saint Moses the Strong.” Once again, Myrie tells us where he is getting his information. He also tells us where his pictures of saints are coming from.

Saint Moses, as Myrie explains, was a very bad person in the first part of his life. He would rob and hurt people. But there was a time when he realized that all the things he was doing to people was wrong. He asked God to forgive him. He even helped other thieves who tried to rob him change their ways. In his later years, Saint Moses became a wise man and lived as a humble monk. He followed Jesus’ example even at his death when he let his fellow monks escape from a gang of thieves who ended his life.

Myrie brought out a very important point in this video, which is his point on what is called “veneration.” Although there are Jews, Muslims, and some Christians who believe that it is wrong to make images of saints and of God based on what the Bible says (First Commandment in Exodus 20:1-6 and Leviticus 26:1; Revelation 9:20; Jeremiah 10:1-5; Isaiah 44:9-20; Colossians 2:18; Habakkuk 2:18) and some also do not believe that they can or should be asking people who have died to do things to help them (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6; James 2:26; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; John 11:11), many churches teach Christians to bow down before pictures of saints and say prayers to them. But Myrie says that they are not worshipping these saints like they worship God.

The Ethiopian hymn (religious song) “Mother of God Virgin Mary” can help to explain how the “veneration” of saints actually works in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and other churches. The singer asks Mary to “help me cross through the flames [meaning help me through hard times]” and “keep me on the right path”; then, she sings to Mary, “your blessed Son I’ll glorify” and “worship is due to The Most High.”

Season 1, Episode 3: Christian Music

This episode is about music in African Christianity.

Myrie starts his presentation by talking about the Coptic Church in Egypt.

Next, he talks about the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Churches.

The first song he sings for us is “Asomen to Kerio,” which from Myrie’s source, means “Let Us Praise the Lord,” and is commonly sung during the Coptic church’s Pentecost celebrations. The second song is “Peace Be Upon You Mary,” which honors Mary, the mother of Jesus.

He ends our musical journey in southern Africa with the song “Siyahamba,” a chorus that is rooted in Zulu culture and the Anti-Apartheid Movement. Apartheid was a practice in parts of southern Africa started by greedy people who controlled the government. These greedy people took power away from African people. They wanted only people who were European to have power in Africa while people who were African had to pretend that it was okay for Europeans to have all the power that they wanted, including power that was not theirs in the first place. Yes, it was as strange as it sounds.

Once again, there are things that are explained by Myrie in this video and things that are not. For example, what is the meaning of the words “liturgical,” “Tewahedo,” and “autocephalous”? Those are some big words, don’t you think? We love how he explained the different styles of singing like “canon” singing and “communal” singing. We love how he also tells us the instruments involved – the triangle, the cymbals, the bells, and the drum.

Overall, it is great to learn the history and reasons for the use of the languages that are heard in some of the music we can expect to hear in Africa.

Myrie ends with a memorable thought: “Go out and learn some new songs with some new people. But above all, keep singing.”

Have you seen “The History of Christianity in Africa (2023)”? If not, you can watch the series here.

If you have already seen it, let us know what you think about it in the comments below.

Contact us if you would like to suggest another documentary for our next review.