Language and Communication

Dependence on Literacy Strategy

Taking a Hard Second Look

Herbert Klem (1995)

It is possible that the literacy based approach as applied in non-reading communities reaches best those who most want to escape from the traditional culture into the modern world of wealth and technology, but it may not be successful in…

RichardAugust 17, 2009

Language Issues

Like Bright Sunlight: The Benefit of Communicating in Heart Language

Rick Brown (2009)

Does God really want His Word presented in "sacred" language, as so many people seem to think? Does not the Bible itself demonstrate that God reveals His truth through humble people in humble tongues, rather than in prestigious or “sacred”…

RichardJuly 13, 2009

Literacy Orality

We can’t read the Bible!

Richard Margetts

Help! Hardly anyone can read the translated Scriptures. What can we do? This is a one-page poster or course handout. It reminds us that if a lack of literacy skills is cited as a barrier to Scripture use, then the…

RichardJune 12, 2009

Bible Study Literacy

Literacy for Life – Teacher’s Guide

Injecting a good dose of the Bible into your literacy programme

Richard Margetts (2006)

Literacy for Life is all about injecting a good dose of the Bible into a traditional literacy programme... You will need the beginner’s literacy primer. This is the book that is used to teach the letters of the alphabet and…

RichardJune 8, 2009

Culture

Swallowed in his love

How the mother-tongue Scriptures shed light on an age-old rite of passage among the Tharaka people of Kenya

Monica Finifrock, Albert Kathenya (2006)

The impact is great since the truth they learn from the Tharaka New Testament sets them free. The truth is being revealed even to women who were the main victims of the myth of Kirimo. It is obvious that the…

RichardMay 29, 2009

Culture Leadership Training

What can a pastor learn from a donkey?

Jacob Finifrock (2004)

The living model of the transformation of a donkey, along with the use and application of Scripture left a profound impact on all of us who were involved. This report describes how a team went to help promote the use…

RichardMay 23, 2009

Literacy

A Back Transition Primer: National Language to Vernacular

Leah Walter (1986)

One of the first questions translation teams ask when determining program strategy is: Are there people who are literate or semi-literate in the national language? If so, how can we get them reading in their own language? In Columbia, where…

RichardMay 7, 2009

Bible Translation Strategic Planning

How does translation project funding affect Scripture Use?

Thoughts on the relationship between the financing of translation projects and the use of the scriptures in Burkina Faso

Ed Lauber

We need to enlarge our thinking about the contribution of the church to the translation effort. Casting that contribution principally in terms of cash contributions to the translators’ salaries limits options and may even have a negative impact on the…

RichardMay 4, 2009

Bible Translation Marketing and Distribution

The Emmaus-Medina Intertextual Connection

Contextualising the Presentation of God's Word

Brad Williams (2006)

Scripture translation and usage provides a wonderful bridge for the Gospel to penetrate into what often seems a hostile context. The author argues that Jesus' encounter with the disciples on the road to Emmaus provides a reproducible paradigm for Scripture…

RichardApril 20, 2009

Bible Storytelling Orality

Relational Bible Storying and Scripture Use

Making the Story Meaningful

Jack Colgate (2008)

Thankfully, many resources and materials for Bible storying are now available. As I began to review and use these resources, however, it seemed that the relational context of Bible storying was too seldom addressed. Even in my own ministry, when…

RichardApril 1, 2009