Visiting an Ethiopian Church
On Sunday we visited a large evangelical church in Ethiopia. There were several thousand people in attendance. I am fascinated by how other people worship through their own culture–how is the Bible read, what are the sermons like, is there music and if so, what is that like, how do people pray, etc. This church visit gave me an opportunity to make observations in an Ethiopian context.
What was most striking to me in this church was the absence of translated songs. I’ve visited churches in other parts of the world, and sometimes I discover that I know many of the songs already–the tunes are the same, and the lyrics, originally written in English, have been translated into the local language. However, what we heard in this church was all Ethiopian music. Ethiopian melodies written in an Ethiopian style as well as lyrics written in the national language–Amharic. It was refreshing. I really enjoyed listening to their music and seeing a reflection of how the people in this church both worshiped God and honored their culture. The video below gives a small taste of what some of the music was like.
Christianity has a long history in Ethiopia. The Ethiopian Orthodox church has been around for centuries and claims adherents from around 50% of the population in Ethiopia. The Evangelical church, while very young in comparison to the Orthodox church, has a growing group of adherents.
Popularity: 4% [?]
