Leaders reflect on what YouVersion’s list of the most-shared Scriptures in their region includes—and misses.
Below are Africa’s top verses of 2023 as determined by YouVersion. With the help of Langham Partnership, Christianity Today asked three local Bible scholars for their analyses on what the findings suggest about the state of Christianity on the continent.
Elizabeth Mburu, Langham Literature regional coordinator for Anglophone Africa, Langham Partnership, Kenya:
What is your overall reaction to this list?
The top ten in Africa did not surprise me. Some of them are my go-to verses!
What might the verses more unique to Africa convey about Africa’s spiritual needs or level of biblical literacy/engagement?
It is likely that these verses feature prominently in Africa because of the challenging socioeconomic and sociopolitical circumstances in many African countries.
Many Christians are enduring hardships and they resort to God’s promises to provide security, provision, prosperity and protection. We struggle against many societal ills, such as corruption, as well as other issues, including spiritual oppression and false teachings. We generally have a transactional relationship with God, and most of these verses would be taken as promises—rewards for good religious conduct.
Most do not know how to interpret the Bible for themselves and so rely on what they hear from pastors. Given the rise of neo-Pentecostalism in Africa and the reality that approximately 85 percent of pastors do not have formal training, the popular verses would include those on this list. Unfortunately, this means that biblical literacy tends to be shallow in many contexts, and the “harder” truths that lead to spiritual maturity tend to be ignored since they are not meeting a felt need.
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