Friday 19 December 2008

Focus Group Enlists "Keen" Supporters!

As you might be aware, the Bible Society of the West Indies has engaged the support of the Jamaican Language Unit (JLU) at the University of the West Indies, Mona, to carry out the translation of the New Testament into Jamaican Creole.

Recently, JLU enlisted several churches, form different locations on the island, in order to run some focus groups for the Luuk Buk Project. Earlier this week, one of the church leaders sent me an e-mail withe the following feedback:

“The group session with the U.W.I. students was very interesting. In the beginning persons didn't buy into the idea of having a Patois Bible,but, by the end of the session, everyone was very much keen about the move. Hope you'll send them again.”
I was most encouraged!

Friday 12 December 2008

Sola Scriptura!

Wycliffe Bible Translators have worked with Roman Catholics in Bible Translation projects all over the world. In fact, one Wycliffe UK member told me, no so long ago, that, in some places of the world, Catholics are more willing than Protestants to translate the Bible into indigenous languages. Persons familiar with Church history know that this is an ironic phenomenon, as, traditionally, Roman Catholics have been opposed to indigenous Bible translation projects.

Whilst I’m happy Roman Catholics have recognized the importance of indigenous Bible translations – indeed, they boast their own Bible Translation agency - I reject standard Catholic teachings such as the Mass, apostolic succession, Mariology and the sacraments. In particular, I reject the denomination’s ideas of Tradition and the Magisterium.

Reformationtheology.com has recently published an article by Guy Davies which outlines “Ten Differences Between Reformation and Rome.” Here’s a summary of the differences in relation to Tradition and the Magisterium:

“The Roman Catholic Church believes that its traditions and teaching are as authoritative as Scripture. The Reformed value tradition, but accept the Bible alone as their authority, and sole rule of faith and practice.

The Roman Catholic Church believes that the Bible cannot be properly understood apart from the official interpretation of Rome (the Magisterium). The Reformed believe that Christians have a responsibility to judge the truth of all teaching by the extent of its conformity to the teaching of the Bible as it has been commonly accepted with the help of responsible exegesis and the witness of the Spirit.”

Sola Scriptura…

Friday 5 December 2008

Meet Our Translators - Finally!

OK, for months, you've been hearing about the Jamaican Creole Translation Project and the arguments advanced against and in favour of the initiative. It should be plan by now that the Bible Society of the West Indies and its partners are going "full speed ahead" with the project.

But who are the translators of the Jamaican Creole Translation Project? Who are the ones charged with the mammoth task of translating the very Word of God into the heart language of the Jamaican People?

Si dem ya!

Tasheney Francis:

Lloyd Millen:

Jodianne Scott:

Thursday 4 December 2008

Some Things to Read

This morning, I read an article by John W Drane. He summarises, very briefly indeed, "The Religious Background" of the New Testament. Drane argues that "It is...essential for the student of the New Testament to be thoroughly familiar with the background of religious thought against which it was written." Indeed, the Bible Translator is also a "student."

I also read an interesting blog entry entitled Inerrancy, Authority and the Original Text. In this entry, James Leonard argues that "Ultimately, if you can't have an inerrant text without the original manuscripts, neither can you have an authoritative text without the original manuscripts."

Finally, I've just come across an article by E C Blackman, called “Hermeneutics: the Bible as the Vehicle of God's Word Today.” I've not read it yet, but I'm looking forward to reading it on the bus on my way home after work today.