Wow; I hadn't heard of this Development Bible before.
"The
Development Bible was drafted by decree from His Holiness Abune Paulos, the Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, the largest of all Oriental Orthodox churches, with a membership of over 32 million. The Patriarch, who holds a Ph.D. from Princeton and spent seven years in prison during the Derg military regime, is an influential figure in Ethiopia and on the world stage. He is a president of the World Council of Churches and is known in both Africa and among the international community for his efforts to improve the conditions of the continent's refugees.
The Patriarch is also long-time supporter of campaigns to end child marriage, eliminate female genital mutilation and prevent HIV. The Development Bible was brilliantly imaged through his leadership and with close collaboration between Church scholars and outside public health specialists in a project managed by the Population Council and funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Together, this creative partnership is rewriting the history of community action in East Africa.
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The Development Bible's delivery is straightforward. The liturgy of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is organized around a calendar known as Metsihafe Gitsawie, which has been in use since Ethiopia accepted Christianity in the fourth century. The calendar specifies daily spiritual messages, matching the Development Bible's key health and development messages with the spiritual ones.
The messages related to HIV and AIDS include such well-worn but important advice as abstinence; fidelity; testing for HIV, particularly if pregnant and to neither stigmatize nor discriminate against those who have HIV. The Development Bible discourages female genital mutilation, premarital sexual activity and childbirth at young and old ages when the risk of maternal morbidity and mortality is much greater. It also advocates adolescent and youth development, along with gender equity and women's empowerment."
