Why Bible Translation?

Carolyn and I have been asked several times why we want to work in Bible translations.  In this post we will attempt to answer that question in brief.

For starters, here are the facts that we have:

Almost 7,000 languages are known to be in use today worldwide.
More than 500 languages have a completed Bible translation.
More than 1,300 languages have access to some portion of the Bible.
And more than 2,300 languages have active translation projects happening right now.
BUT,
Nearly 2,000 languages still need projects to begin.
Resulting in nearly 200 million people needing Bible translation to begin in their language.

We believe that the Bible is God’s Word to us, and we believe that everyone should be able to have it in their own native language.  Millions of people in thousands of languages have no access to the Bible in a language they can clearly understand.


Can you even begin to imagine where your faith, your belief in God, would be if the only access to the Bible you had was written in Greek or Hebrew?  I know for me it is likely that my belief would be non-existent.  And sadly, that is the story for millions of people.

There is a great need for Christians to work in Bible translation.  C.S. Lewis wrote, “Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”  If we follow this logic, that means if we truly believe Christ is who he said he is, and we truly believe he died on the cross to forgive our sins, then telling others who have not heard of this is the most important thing that we could do in this life.

Paul reaffirms the importance of us sharing the good news of Christ in Romans, ‘How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?’ Romans 10:14

So, why do Carolyn and I want to work in Bible translation?  Because that is where God is calling us, and we firmly believe in the importance of this work. Living in America, we have access to the education required in order to do accomplish this, and our hearts are passionate for those who are still unable to know the abundant life that God has for them. Below is a quick video that shares about the importance of having the Bible in a people group’s native language.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYn_KXKKUrw