From the Publisher
“FATEB’s first fifty years comprise a history of indigenous initiative, global cooperation, institutional adaptability, and divine provision. For evangelical educators and missiologists with ears to hear, Robinson’s chronicle is an inspiring and instructive case study, full of ordinary yet faithful humanity.”
—Daniel J. Treier, Knoedler Professor of Theology, Wheaton College
“This book provides the kind of detailed, informed, organized, and chronologically clear history that is lacking for too many evangelical institutions in the non-Western world. Its account is especially good for the key African leaders who got the Bangui Evangelical School of Theology (Central African Republic) off the ground and have made it a thriving success to this day. It is equally informative concerning the Western missionaries, including the book’s author, who assisted the Africans in their sometimes complicated, often discouraging, but always faithful efforts. The book is a landmark for charting the course of evangelical theological education in an emerging center of rapid Christian development.”
—Mark Noll, author of Clouds of Witnesses: Christian Voices from Africa and Asia
“It is rare that the history of a theological institution can be told by someone who has been intimately involved for fifty years. Jack Robinson allows us close-up view in the development of one of the leading theological institutions for French-speaking Africa, a vibrant part of Christianity worldwide that often remains outside the purview of anglophone Christianity. This history of FATEB is at the same time the story of how African Christianity developed during and after the waning of the protestant missionary era. It also shows how African evangelicalism grew in the expression of its own theological voice so that it could properly address contextual challenges that Western theologians working in the region too often neglected or misunderstood.”
—Benno van den Toren, Former Professor of Systematic Theology, FATEB
“In An African Dream, veteran theologian and missionary to Africa, John Robinson, tells the compelling story of the founding and impact of the first evangelical seminary in Francophone Africa: la Faculté de Théologie Évangélique de Bangui (FATEB). Robinson skillfully weaves together the themes of human agency and God’s providence in bringing to life a vision once held by the esteemed Byang Kato. The story of FATEB involves triumphs, trials, breakthroughs, betrayals, resilience, and resistance—elements that define a missionary enterprise. If you are interested in church history in French-speaking Africa, the organizational lifecycle of Christian ministries, and effective partnerships between the Global North and Global South, this book is a valuable read. I highly recommend it.”
—Kailu Makaya Kumbu, International Strategy Director, Development Associates International
“Meticulously researched and beautifully written, An African Dream presents us with an inspirational case study of courageous vision, human perseverance, and divine intervention. Dr. Robinson has given us a compelling resource for any reader endeavoring to understand what true kingdom-building partnership in global mission looks like.”
—Paul Borthwick, author of Western Christians in Global Mission: What’s the Role of the North American Church?
“In 1973, leaders of the Association of Evangelicals in Africa, itself only a few years old, saw the need for advanced theological studies—in Africa, for Africans, and by Africans. It was a bold vision, especially for evangelicals in Francophone Africa, where leaders with advanced education were perhaps only a half-dozen in number. Fulfilling that vision took courage and persistence, without much promise of organizational and financial resources. Histories of colleges and seminaries are usually rather placid, if not dull. Not this one. An African Dream recounts the rise and development of the Bangui Evangelical School of Theology (BEST) during army mutinies, presidential coups, the HIV-AIDS pandemic, and the struggles of everyday life in the Central African Republic—not to mention churchly intrigue and attempted theological coups. Through these many dangers, toils, and snares, BEST has come to be an exemplary theological school, and Jack Robinson shows how it got there, carefully detailing this story, step by step. This pioneering work makes an important contribution to the history of Christian development in modern Africa.”
—Joel Carpenter, Senior Research Fellow, Nagel Institute, Calvin University
