This review was originally posted on the Africa Center for Apologetics Research Facebook Page.
We live at a time where spiritual charlatans peddle promises of wealth and miracles in the name of God. An age where the true essence of the Gospel is often being overshadowed by the glitter of prosperity. It is against this backdrop, that Emmanuel Kwasi Amoafo’s book Stand Up for the Gospel emerges as a beacon of light.
Adapted from his PhD dissertation on the book of Jude, Amoafo’s work is a timely response to the false teachings infiltrating the church today. And just as Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, urged early Christians to defend their faith against false doctrines and deceivers, Amoafo echoes this call with renewed vigor for today’s believers. But before we dive into a brief review of this book, allow me to share a little about the author.
Background on the Author
Rev Dr. Emmanuel Kwasi Amoafo hails from Ghana. For over two decades, he has served within the Anglican Church of Kenya, contributing significantly to the spiritual growth, leadership and development of pastors across both mainline and charismatic churches.
Needless to say, Amoafo’s credentials are impressive. He holds degrees in Bible and Theology, as well as Biblical Studies from Global University, and a PhD in Theological Studies from Pan-Africa Theological Seminary. His academic and theological expertise have made him a respected lecturer at Carlile School of Theology, where he also served as the Director of Student Affairs. Currently, he is affiliated with the Theology departments of Global University and St. Paul’s University.
Beyond academia, Amoafo has played vital leadership roles in para-church ministries such as Life Challenge Africa, the Navigators, and the Renew Conference in Kenya for missionaries in East Africa. His ministry experience is vast, having served in various churches including Deliverance Church, the Kenya Assemblies of God, and Christ Is the Answer Ministries. Currently, he is spearheading an interdenominational church plant aimed at reaching an unreached group in Nairobi.
Amoafo’s motivation for writing Stand Up for the Gospel stems from his deep concern over the infiltration of false teachings within the church and his unwavering commitment to defending the purity of the gospel of Jesus Christ. His passion is to equip believers to discern truth from deception and to uphold the transformative power of the gospel in their lives.
A Timely and Essential Call to Faithfulness
In Stand Up for the Gospel Amoafo shares his heartfelt concern for the church in Africa as he witnessed its departure from the true gospel of Jesus Christ. This concern, he says, “repeatedly led him back to the Bible”, where he found Jude’s epistle to be a powerful response to false teaching in New Testament times.
Written around AD 65, the book of Jude addressed a first-century Christian congregation grappling with what are thought to be Gnostic-influenced false teachers. Jude describes them as “ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord” (Jude 4). For this reason Jude exhorts his readers to “defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people” (Jude 3).
Delving into the original Greek text helped Amoafo discover parallels between the challenges of Jude’s time and those we face in today’s church. But although this book is an adaptation of his doctoral research, it doesn’t feel like an academic exercise. Instead, it comes across as a passionate plea to all believers not to find fleeting solace in false teachings, but rather to find contentment in the unshakable foundation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Relating Ancient Insights to Modern Challenges
Amoafo compellingly structures the book almost like a commentary on Jude, introducing one or two verses from the epistle at the beginning of each chapter. He then carefully exposits their meaning, weaving in the historical and cultural context when Jude wrote, connecting the issues faced by the early church with those prevalent in the African church today.
He does this by sharing his own experiences, those of others, and what he witnessed in various churches he visited across Africa during his doctoral research. By contextualizing Jude’s warnings he brings the Scripture to life, making it highly relatable for African readers.
And he doesn’t just highlight the challenges in the African church, but also the triumphs of African Christians who strive to uphold the gospel. These stories offered me great hope and encouragement.
The Gospel in Everyday Life
By sharing his own life experiences, Amoafo illustrates that the gospel isn’t just theoretical, but something Christians can actively live out and experience daily. I believe he did this because of what he observed about early African believers.
In page 20 he writes that while the missionaries shared the gospel, “their version of the gospel message did not adequately address the fears of malevolent spirits which was a huge concern in their worldviews from African traditional religions (ATR)”. This led to a disconnect in which early Africans had an intellectual knowledge of the Bible but found it irrelevant to much of their daily lives.
I resonated deeply with this, as Amoafo also addresses the emergence of African prophets, masquerading as “men of God,” who emerged to fill this spiritual void. Such prophets, proclaiming themselves specially anointed, Africanized Christianity by adding ATR elements such as the belief in spirit beings and mystical powers to make the gospel feel more applicable to the daily struggles of African Christians.
I wish this problem had ended with early African converts. Sadly, today we have many such “men of God”. Who operate more like witch doctors and encourage ATR teachings and practices such as divination, witchcraft, and magic, that contradict the gospel, but which undiscerning Africans easily accept because they see parallels with their local religious background.
Reflective Questions for Practical Application
Another standout feature of the book is the reflective questions at the end of each chapter. These are thoughtfully crafted to challenge readers to think deeply about how to apply Jude’s teachings in their own context—to identify areas where they need to grow and change, and learn how to spiritually protect themselves (Jude 20–21) and rescue others (Jude 22–23). This ensures that the book is both informative and transformative.
By providing a space for contemplation and discussion, Amoafo makes his book easily usable for a Christian book club where a community of believers can encourage one another to contend for the faith and live out the gospel in more tangible ways. Whether used individually or in a group setting, these questions are a valuable tool for spiritual growth and applying biblical truths.
Conclusion
I believe that Stand Up for the Gospel is a book that every Christian, especially Africans, should read. As someone who writes discernment articles and warns fellow Christian women about the dangers of false teachings, I found this book to be incredibly encouraging and affirming. It renewed my resolve to earnestly contend for the faith, particularly through the story of Nigerian theologian Byang Kato (1936–1975), whose dedication to the gospel led him to achieve milestones for the glory of God.
We share the same salvation as Jude and his readers. He saw the redemptive, life-changing importance of the good news and deemed it worth defending at all costs. This gospel—which redeems us from sin and spiritual separation from God—is as powerful and precious today as it was in the early church, transforming us into the image and likeness of Christ. Stand Up for the Gospel is a clarion call for all Christians to fearlessly defend this profound truth.
Amoafo brilliantly shows how Jude’s warnings apply to today’s African church. With God’s help, may we all rise to this call, safeguarding the faith against error with passion and commitment.
Stand Up for the Gospel: Getting the Church Back on Track by Emmanuel Kwasi Amoafo
(Oasis International, 2022; 224 pages)
Written by: Wanjiru Ng’ang’a
Edited by: Paul Carden, Executive Director, The Centers for Apologetics Research (CFAR)
Related: What is the Message of the Gospel
