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CABS · School of Theology · 3 Months · Online
Certificate in African Biblical Studies
Grounds students in Africa’s two-thousand-year relationship with Scripture, African hermeneutics, and the Old and New Testaments read from African soil.
Duration
3 Months
Workload
6–8 hrs/week
Mode
100% Online
Credential
Certificate
Intake
Monthly
The Graduation DeliverableA biblical studies paper of 1,500 to 2,000 words that engages one African hermeneutical scholar and applies their approach to a specific biblical passage, produced to academic standard and submitted as part of your graduation portfolio.
Why This Programme Exists
Africa has a two-thousand-year relationship with Scripture that most African Christians have never been taught. The Ethiopian eunuch reading Isaiah in Acts 8, the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt, the Simon of Cyrene who carried the cross, the Coptic Church of Alexandria that predates most European Christian traditions — Africa is not a late arrival to the biblical story. It is woven through the story from the beginning.
Yet most theological education available to African believers reads the Bible through European hermeneutical frameworks that were built in different cultural, historical, and linguistic contexts. This programme grounds students in African hermeneutics — the interpretive frameworks and reading practices that allow African Christians to encounter Scripture on their own soil, with their own eyes, and hear what the Spirit has been saying to Africa all along.
What You Will Learn
- How Africa appears in Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, and why that matters for African Christian identity.
- How African scholars such as Kwame Bediako, John Mbiti, and Jesse Mugambi have read the Bible differently from Western traditions, and why their readings are theologically significant.
- How to read the Old Testament as a text with deep resonance in African family structures, community life, land theology, and oral traditions.
- How to interpret the New Testament’s missional movement, which ran through Africa before it reached Europe.
- How to preach and teach the Bible in a way that is both exegetically faithful and culturally alive.
Programme Modules
| # | Module | Weeks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Africa in Scripture: From Genesis to Revelation | 1–2 |
| 2 | African Hermeneutics: Kwame Bediako, John Mbiti, and the Tradition | 3–4 |
| 3 | The Old Testament and African Life: Land, Family, and Community | 5–6 |
| 4 | The New Testament and African Mission | 7–8 |
| 5 | Preaching and Teaching the Bible in an African Context | 9–10 |
| 6 | African Biblical Scholarship: Research Methods | 11 |
| 7 | Biblical Studies Paper — Final Project | 12 |
Weekly checkpoints feed into your final graduation deliverable.
Entry Requirements
Route A — Academic: Minimum five WASCE/O-Level passes including English.
Route B — Experiential: Active church membership or ministry role. Demonstrated interest in biblical study. No prior theological qualification required.
Route C — Professional Transfer: Any recognised certificate or diploma holder.
Assessment Framework
Weekly reflection journals: 20%
Module assignments (×6): 40%
Online discussion forum: 10%
Final Biblical Studies Paper: 30%
Pass mark: 50%. Must submit graduation deliverable to graduate.
Programme Quick Facts
Code: CABS
Duration: 3 Months (12 Weeks)
Workload: 6–8 hours per week
Modules: 6 + Final Project
Live Sessions: Fortnightly Zoom
Community: WhatsApp Group
School: School of Theology
Regulated by GTEC, Ghana. Awarded in partnership with NationsUniversity, USA.
Recommended Starting Point
Not yet ready for the full Certificate? Start with the Spark Certificate in African Biblical Foundations — a 4-week introduction that feeds directly into this programme.
Read Scripture from African Soil
Rolling intake. Start any month. Study around your ministry commitments.