Review of Legacy: Wisdom of African Traditions and the Bible

[AW Evangelista]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Legacy: Wisdom of African Traditions and the Bible" by Chris Morehouse.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Legacy: Wisdom of African Traditions and the Bible by Chris Morehouse explores an inspirational collection of proverbs, quotes, and sayings from African-based cultures and compares them to verses from the Bible. Although the proverbs and verses are worded differently and contain different metaphors, they all share similar messages centered in peace, love, and community.

This book also contains beautiful pictures, detailed depictions of African artifacts, ancient symbols, and a map of Africa. The map, in particular, is incredibly interesting because it is included with a list of places that the different proverbs come from. It was fascinating to compare the locations of the different quotes. Additionally, the symbols and artwork included in each section give keen insight into the culture.

Although this book was written with a heavy Christian overtone, many of the sections are fairly universal. Most of the quotes have the potential to inspire people of all religious backgrounds. The author often focuses on God and there are large sections covering topics like prayer and faith. However, there are also sections with more general topics like loving your neighbor, expressing compassion, and learning to listen.

It is worth noting that some of the analysis sections are a little vague. There are several quotes that could benefit from a longer explanation and there are many ideas that could easily be further explored. With this in mind, an entire book could be written about each individual section. The author did a good job of summarizing and covering only the important things, even if it did sometimes leave me wanting more.

Overall, the interesting analysis, carefully selected quotes, and comments on the culture behind both the proverbs and Bible verses are attention-grabbing and well written. The minor shortcomings in this book are easily overlooked when compared to the many good things about it. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in philosophy, theology, African culture, or the Bible.

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Legacy: Wisdom of African Traditions and the Bible
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