11/08/2026
Yoruba!!!
Our language is capable of conveying careful exposition, biblical reasoning, systematic theology, and sophisticated hermeneutics.
Contextualization of the gospel goes beyond just preaching and singing in Yoruba. It is allowing the unique philosophical and cultural resources of our mother tongue to directly participate in biblical meditation. This happens when we can convey biblical thoughts in ways where English could even struggle. It is then we have truly personalized faith and can laugh out loudly in the face of the “borrowed religion” accusation.
For example, English cannot explain faith without using religious language and long explanations but Yoruba does so beautifully in a way that a man who has never been to church would understand because it carries its own exegesis.
“igbagbọ́” for example
Our unchurched Yoruba guy knows that is word combining two actions – "gba" (to accept or receive) and "gbọ́" (to hear). So he knows you cannot have faith in what you have not heard. But the English speaking guy needs a full exegesis of Romans 10:17 – “faith cometh by hearing”
We also have excellent imageries.
Look at Galatians 3:27 - “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ”.
Where an English-speaking teacher would do a teaching series on the doctrine of identification, Yoruba already has a theological shorthand embed in culture – no long thing.
Yoruba can reach to its deep cultural pocket and summon Egungun (masquerade) for easy explanation. He knows that when a man puts on the Egungun costume (Eku), nobody mentions his name anymore nor treats him like the guy wearing the Eku. Even his seniors, fathers and mothers, who knew him so well would only describe him as “baba wa, ara orun” (the one from yonder). Why? He has put on the full identity of that Egungun – that is identification.
So, Yoruba should never be seen as a useful language for translating a European religion to “colonized minds” but a language with advanced linguistic and cultural liberty for participating in end-to-end theological discourse and intensive biblical reflections.
This is nothing new. We were the ones who wandered from this biblical pattern. The gospel has always been delivered using familiar concepts among cultures. In Lystra (a non-Jewish city), Paul (in Acts 14) didn’t quote David or Isaiah. He spoke about food, rain, seasons – familiar stuff they could relate to.
In Athens (Acts 17) he even quoted their poets (musicians) - vs 28, without necessarily approving those poets nor compromising his gospel. It’s like quoting a verse of song from Pasuma or Saheed Osupa if it would help to convey the message.
It is called being “made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some”. Get this right, if we can’t build a bridge, we can’t preach the gospel.
The harvest is ripe. We receive more and more Yoruba-speaking pastors, Bible teachers , missionaries and theologians in Jesus Name.
