The Ethiopian Church Journal Blog

  BEING THE PEOPLE OF GOD Dr. Girma Bekele [PhD, Political Theology] is Leadership and Missions Consultant, and an Adjunct Professor of Missions and Development Studies at Wycliffe College in the University of Toronto, Canada. He has worked in Relief and Development both as practitioner and consultant. He and his nurse wife, Genet Geremew, reside in Toronto with their three children: Yonathan, 11, Mahilet, 9 and Eyeol, 2. They worship and minister at the Ethiopian Evangelical Church in Toronto and are also active at a local English-speaking church. ETHIOPIANCHURCH BLOG recently interviewed him on account of his new book, The In-Between People : A Reading of David Bosch through the Lens of Mission History and Contemporary Challenges In Ethiopia [Wipf & Stock, 2011]. Following is Part I of the interview: ETHIOPIANCHURCH: Congratulations on your book “The In-between People”. So who are the In-Between People? Why this particular title? Dr. Girma: Thank you. The In-Between People a...

  My Name Is Menelikornis Ruspolii Cute name, is it not? Can you say  Menelikornis Ruspolii ? What is your name? Endemic to southern Ethiopia where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.

  Church Unearthed in Ethiopia Rewrites the History of Christianity in Africa Archaeologists now can more closely date when the religion spread to the Aksumite Empire By Andrew Lawler |  Smithsonianmag.com | December 10, 2019 In the dusty highlands of northern Ethiopia, a team of archaeologists recently uncovered the oldest known Christian church in sub-Saharan Africa, a find that sheds new light on one of the Old World’s most enigmatic kingdoms—and its surprisingly early conversion to Christianity. An international assemblage of scientists discovered the church 30 miles northeast of Aksum, the capital of the Aksumite kingdom, a trading empire that emerged in the first century A.D. and would go on to dominate much of eastern Africa and western Arabia. Through radiocarbon dating artifacts uncovered at the church, the researchers concluded that the structure was built in the fourth century A.D., about the same time when Roman Emperor Constantine I legalized Christianity in 313 C...

  Stresemanns Bushcrow (endemic bird, Ethiopia) by Rich Lindie

Early Baboon Gets the Mountain Dew Semein Mountains, Ethiopia © 2021 by ECJ

The Big Rains By Mabel Burton Suddenly, Eucalyptus trees Around me Flashing, dipping, dancing, Thrashing me; A cacophony of sound Envelops me; The winds come screaming Frightening me, The rushing, roaring rains in torrents Beating me. Scimitars of light rend dark skies Blinding me; Thunderous, ear-splitting blasts join the Symphony. Nerves stretched taut, my soul cries out In agony. Then, as suddenly It seems an angel of light appears Accusingly, And, at the sight, all sound flees and instead Of fury, A gentle quiet reigns, light floods the sodden earth Shiningly, And all is peace again.  Ethiopia Observer, vol.13 (1970), n.1, p.36 Mabel Burton, a British teacher, taught shorthand at The Addis Ababa Commercial School in the early 1960s.  

The Most Beautiful Cross in the World -  The Lalibela Ethiopian Cross Professor Tecola W. Hagos There is no other cross in the world that even remotely shares any design commonality with the Lalibela Ethiopian Cross. This Cross is unique in its highly sophisticated design and how ingeniously the greatest Biblical story is incorporated within its matrix. The first time I saw the Lalibela Cross was when I was a high school student some forty years ago--in another life. Since then until very recently, I thought of the Lalibela Cross as very mysterious and puzzling. Thus, over the years I tried to learn more about this great Cross. At times, I even wondered how it could even be considered a cross.  There are two basic designs of crosses: the Latin Cross and the Greek Cross. Every cross in the world is built around these two underlying designs. I checked thousands of variations, some improvised and others strictly traditional designs of crosses, in books, catalogs, and recently th...