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AAVE
African American Vernacular English (AAVE) refers to the form of Black speech that distinguishes itself from standard English with its unique grammatical structure, pronunciation, and vocabulary. However, more attempts are being made to communicate with it in written form as well. It was announced in 2022 that Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr., historian and director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University, will serve as editor-in-chief of the Oxford Dictionary of AAVE, a new glossary of language that will serve as an "authoritative record" of African-American English. It has a 2025 release date.
UPB
The Urban Paraphrase project has been underway since roughly 2018. While the text is still undergoing some edits, we plan to release the first edition in the Spring 2026. Because the language of the culture is always evolving, we plan as well to evolve with it while staying true to the unadulterated, infallible truth of God's word. We endeavor to increase accessibility and ensure every generation can hear God communicating with them in a familiar voice.
App
Our digital app will be in development soon and the content will be released in stages. We will first integrate the full New Testament, then the Wisdom Books and finally expand to the entire Old Testament. The app will also include devotionals, videos, music, and most importantly, the audio version of the Urban Paraphrase Bible.
Audio Version
Since AAVE is primarily an aural form of communication, this modality may prove easier to grasp what's actually being said, while we chip away at learning how to write it with the help of Dr. Henry Louis Gates' Jr.'s forthcoming "Oxford Dictionary of AAVE". Beginning in February 2023, you be able to see and hear our "verse of the day" snapshots on TikTok and other social media outlets.
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The Bible Like You've Never Heard It Before
Believe it or not, The New Testament was originally written in the most simplistic and common language of its day, i.e. the Koine Greek. KoinÄ“ (κοινή) literally means “common.” Scholars believe that the language may have been a hybrid of the main four Ancient Greek dialects of the time. Therefore, it’s considered to be a decayed form of the original Greek language, making it unworthy of the attention of the so-called “upper class and societal elite.” Koine Greek was, quite simply, never the scholarly or high literature that some hold it to today.
