Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Perspectives, 562 "How Many People Groups are There?"
Please read and respond to the article, "How Many People Groups are There?," by Larry Walker,found at http://mmcdaniel.jimdo.com/arlington-baptist-college/cross-cultural-ministry/perspectives-articles/. You will be required to respond to at least one other student's comments to successfully complete this assignment. Please ensure that you put your name in parenthesis if you post anonymously.
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11 comments:
This is a really short read! Thanks! Dr. Mcdaniel! In this chapter one finds the importance of having a translation of the bible in the language of the people. (JJ)
Let me just say...missionaries that go into a place where their is no Bible, and spend all that time translating the Bible into a new language, so other missionaries can have an easier time with their mission, well, those people are amazing.
And in response to JJ's comment:
FINALLY A SHORT ARTICLE!! :)
This article points out the abundance of different people groups within the world and the many distinctive languages among them. With each of these languages and people groups is the need for Bibles to be translated into the appropriate dialect of a given people. Walker makes a very valid statement at the end of his article when he states, “Missionaries will never really know how many people groups there are until they ‘take the plunge’ and live among the people.” Taking the plunge is necessary if we are to reach all people with the Gospel. The more languages and people groups that are discovered means that more translations of the Bible can be made and more people can be presented with the good news of Christ.
J.S.
This article was written in 1994. How many MORE people groups have been discovered/counted since then? "We may never know," the author says, "until someone takes the plunge and lives long-term among them." This takes a ridiculous amount of dedication, and proves that evangelism isn't just about "door-knocking."
I agree with JJ and Hawaii's comments: The people who translate the Word into other languages, especially those that don't have a "written" language are amazing. And yes, thanks for the short article!
I really find it simply amazing how some people have so much dedication to translate the entire bible into another language. To me that is something that is so amazing. I also do think it is crazy, as James said, that this article is an old article so how many more people are their now that need to be reached?
This article brought to my mind a wonderful woman missionary I met a few years back named Marilyn Laszlo. She was missionary among a formerly unreached people group in the jungles of Madagascar. This tribe not only did not have the scriptures, but had no written language or any concept of such a thing. That means no ABC's or the like. She devoted her life to learning their language, coming up with an alphabet for their various sounds and translating the entire Bible for them. One thing that caught my attention (since our class is focused on culture) when she was speaking to us, was the importance of learning that tribes culture. For example, in our KJV Bible the word heart is used to describe the center of our feelings and emotions, etc. In the tribe she lived among, this would have made zero sense to them. You see, they thought the center of their feelings, etc. was the liver. Random, I know! But this was key in being able to translate the Word of God for them so that they could understand.
And in response to just about everyone else: I too am so thankful God calls people and gives them a passion to do this task. We often forget that not everyone has access to the Scriptures that we so easily take for granted every day.
<3
The last sentence of this article sums everything up. "Missionaries will never really know how many people groups there are until they take the plunge and live among the people." We are all called to be missionaries, therefore we should all take the plunge, but yet we do not do that so many times. I have a lot of respect for the people who devote all their time to translating the Bible into a different language just so others can have it. That is so time consuming yet those people do it without a second thought and sacrifice so much just so others can have what we take for granted a lot of the time. (Stacie)
In responce to J.S.
The more people groups out there the more Bible Translations into the diffrent languages of the people we need. In order to have these Bible translations we need dedicated and commited people who are sold out to Christ to learn these languages where no translation of the Bible exist in order that they may produce a translation of the bible in that particular language.
(JJ)
Isn't it amazing at how God gives the knowledge and understanding of a foreign language to someone in order to share the gospel and translate Bibles for them? This is such a great concept for reaching souls for Jesus. If I had never had the Bible in my native speaking tongue and no one ever told me how would I ever hear about the gospel. When you put yourself in their position it makes you want to learn a different language and help translate Bibles to reach souls.
I do agree with Hawaii. People who take the time out of their own lives to translate a Bible for those in need are amazing and are definitely my hero.
I have to say that I would have been discouraged if I spent all that time translating to find out that I need another translation. Then after that find out they don't like it because of where it came from. That took amazing patience from the missionary. I am so glad there are Christians that devoted in getting the Word of God out. The mission showed how much he cared for the lost. Another thought is that he showed Christ in himself. That is amazing
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