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Papers by Steven Paas

Exchange, Dec 22, 2022

During the Corona pandemic two Malawi-based scholars spent their time usefully. In 28 chapters on... more During the Corona pandemic two Malawi-based scholars spent their time usefully. In 28 chapters on almost 500 pages the authors of this volume describe the 160 years of the history of the Church in the Central-African country of Malawi. In their Introduction the Ken Ross and Klaus Fiedler rightfully claim that their book is the first to do so. This is not to deny that brief surveys of Malawi Church History have existed before. Although the authors did not explicitly refer to it, the history of the Church in Malawi is archetypical to the history of the Church in many other countries of Sub-Saharan Africa. African church history in this part of the world was initiated by the 19th-century missionary movement on the Western continents, which was the result of a religious revival in Great Britain and, consequently, of successful protests against the shameful practice of slavery and slave trade. Christianity was preceded by the arrival of Islam in Africa. To an extent this missionary movement was facilitated by Colonialism. Unexpected by many but foreseen by some, Christianity rooted and showed great numerical growth after the end of Colonialism approximately 1960, even causing the centre of Christianity to move from the 'Christian' West to Africa. The Afro-American Liberian missionary and statesman Edward Wilmot Blyden (†1912), 'foresaw the coming shift in the centre of gravity of Christianity from the north to the south Atlantic, and its import for African Christianity' [in: Steven Paas, Christianity in Eurafrica, CLF, 2018; NAP, 2017 https://newacademia.com/books/christianity-in-eurafrica-a-history-of-the-church-in-europeand-africa/ , p.18, 405, 448-470].

Dr. Steven Paas (born 1942) has been active in Africa for many years. As a missionary in Malawi w... more Dr. Steven Paas (born 1942) has been active in Africa for many years. As a missionary in Malawi with the Reformed Mission League of the Netherlands he taught at Zomba Theological College and served as a minister of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP). As a prolific author Steven Paas authored several books, including volumes on Western and African Church History. He also compiled the much needed dictionary of Chichewa/ Chinyanja. Studying the history of Chichewa lexicography stirred his interest in Johannes Rebmann (1820-1876), a German missionary in East Africa with the Church Missionary Society (CMS) who compiled the first Chichewa (Chinyanja) English vocabulary in the 1850s. His lexicographical collection was published a year after his death as the Kiniassa dictionary in 1877. Paas provides an interesting, compelling and well-researched biography of Johannes Rebmann.

STJ | Stellenbosch Theological Journal, 2018

Luther on Jews and Judaism. A review of his “Judenschriften”by Paas, Steven.2017, LIT VERLAG GmbH... more Luther on Jews and Judaism. A review of his “Judenschriften”by Paas, Steven.2017, LIT VERLAG GmbH & Co. KG Wien. CH-8032 Zurich.ISBN 9783643909473