Reading The Bible As Subversive Literature

"For the first 300 years after Jesus’ death, Christians were the oppressed minority; we were rebels hiding in catacombs. But by the year 400, Christians had changed places. We moved from the catacombs to the basilicas. That is when we started reading the Bible not as subversive literature but as establishment literature.

Once we were in a position of power and privilege, we couldn’t read or understand many Scriptures (for example, the Sermon on the Mount) because we had to maintain our empire, and in this direction the Scriptures give us little support or consolation.......

But when Scripture is read through the eyes of vulnerability—what we call the “preferential option for the poor” or the bias from the bottom—it will always be liberating and transformative. Scripture will not be used to oppress or impress. The question is no longer “How can I maintain the status quo?”

~ Richard Rohr

We Have Problem With The Bible

I have a problem with the Bible. Here’s my problem…

I’m an ancient Egyptian. I’m a comfortable Babylonian. I’m a Roman in his villa.

That’s my problem. See, I’m trying to read the Bible for all it’s worth, but I’m not a Hebrew slave suffering in Egypt. I’m not a conquered Judean deported to Babylon. I’m not a first century Jew living under Roman occupation.

I’m a citizen of a superpower. I was born among the conquerors. I live in the empire. But I want to read the Bible and think it’s talking to me. This is a problem."

Brian Zahnd

Mission Is Leading People to Discover The "True"

" Every lurch forward in the christian tradition springs from the recovery of the true, not the discovery of the new"

(So Beautiful, Lenonard Sweet. David C. Cook, 2009, pp29)

How precious is Gods word to us? It is precious in China!

"The Chinese house Church Movement is a story of the miraculous. Conservative estimates of believers in house churches in China begin at 100 million. The interviewer was astounded by the church growth observed in three church plating movements. In one location, Over 150 house church leaders were being trained. Pastors sat on the ground in rows as other leaders passed among them. They seemed to tearing pages out of books, distributing them to the people seated on the ground.

In horror, the interviewer suddenly realized these leaders were tearing copies of the Bible into page-sized pieces. He asked what could possibly cause such destruction of God’s word. The answer cut him to the heart. “There are about 150 pastors here today,” he was told. “only five of us own a Bible. We are tearing our Bibles into its separate books and distributing them so that each leader can return home with at least one book to teach from the Bible.”

The interviewer watched as they passed books of the Bible back and forth. “Have you taught Genesis? No? Here it is.” Rip. “Have you taught Luke yet? Here is Luke.” Rip. The sound of tearing pages filled the air."

(Five Lies about Missions, Nik Ripken & Barry Sticker. EMQ, Jan 2008, Vol 44, No1, p.34-35)

Rawang Chief & Son ask “Are you Fating us to Hell?” Please come! Please make us a Bible in our Language!

“After his Search and Rescue work was over the latter part of 1945, (Blog Editor Note- Looking for downed pilots for the American government they set up a chain of church who were trained in the rescue of downed pilots) Robert went over to the Ahkyang (Ah-chang) Valley in northern Burma, along a tributary of the Irrawaddy River. Numerous requests had been received from there, asking for teachers to come, so Robert (Blog Editor note- He would have been about 20 then) stayed there through the winter months of 1945-46. Lisu evangelists had worked in that area, and Robert felt it would eventually become even more extensive than the work in the Saiween Valley. It was amazing how the Gospel had spread, carried not only by frill-time evangelists, but by the Lisu Christians as a whole.

Most of the people there were Lisu and Rawang. After Robert had been there for some time preaching and teaching, he received this message from a Rawang village about three days’ travel away: “We, the Rawangs, have ever been classed as a slave tribe to the Tibetans. Is it that our slave-tribe is fated to go to hell in the next life as well as to be spurned in this? Is this the reason you folks refuse to show us the way to salvation ?

What could Robert answer? He was the only missionary in that part of upper Burma. For several months he had tried to meet the overwhelming demands of new churches scattered over an area of twenty-three days journey from north to south and twelve days journey east and west, with no transportation but his feet. In that area some 1500-1800 people had turned from heathenism to the Lord Jesus Christ, and Robert had the help of only five young Lisa preachers in all that vast territory. No wonder he felt overwhelmed! People with centuries of heathen background cannot hear the Gospel just once and instantly accept the Lord. They must be taught constantly, with much love, patience, and wisdom. Bible schools must be held frequently in order to train leaders and teachers for the new churches.

One day, a Rawang chief’s son came to Robert, begging him to make a written language in Rawang so they could read about “the Mighty One” in their own language. He said, “The Lisu have a written language, so please make us one”. That was to be an indescribably long, hard, tedious job for Robert — but that is another story.”

(“The Dogs May Bark But The Caravan Moves On” – A Prequel to Exodus To A Hidden Valley. Gertrude Morse, College Press, 1998, Pg 238-39 ) Morse Family in Asia 1921-1965

No Word for Love in Lisu Language!

Speaking of the Lisu: In the Burma, China, Tibet, Thailand border regions. Morse Family in Asia 1921-1965

“Those primitive tribespeople, who had never heard of Jesus Christ and whose language did not even have a word for love, began gradually to understand and accept the message of God’s love, and salvation from sin through the Lord. Those who were converted showed their heathen neighbors what it meant to be a Christian. They learned to pray, to study God’s Word in their own language, to sing hymns, and to gather together as congregations according to the New Testament. Poor as they were, they learned to give whatever they could to further the spreading of the Gospel through native preachers and evangelists. What a thrill to hear the strains of “What a Friend We Have In Jesus” echoing in the canyons and mountains where formerly only Satan reigned.”

(“The Dogs May Bark But The Caravan Moves On” – A Prequel to Exodus To A Hidden Valley. Gertrude Morse, College Press, 1998, Pg 168)

Quality Bible Translations Needed

“If it is so important for Americans to have thirty translations of the New Testament to choose from, and even a “Living Bible,” which allows the Bible to speak in colloquial English, then why must many peoples around the world suffer along with a Bible that was translated for them by a foreigner, and thus almost inevitably speaks to them in halting phrases?”

(Crucial Dimensions on World Evangelisation, Arthur F. Glasser, Paul G. Hiebert C Peter Wagner, Ralph D. Winter. William Carey Library 1980 pg 111)

Importance of Literacy In Mission!

"Scripture (in the form of 960 New Testaments and 371 complete Bibles) is available in 2,233 of the world's approximately 6,800 languages. ……. A complicating factor, however, is that 2 billion of the people in the world cannot read the language they speak, and so literacy efforts must be added to many translation projects. "

(Stan Guthrie, Missions in The Third Millennium, pg 68. 2000, paternoster Press, )

Massive Leadership Training Problem- Lack of Literature in need Languages

Would you rise up and translate Biblical study Text for the needy training of National leaders world wide?

"Today it is possible to do biblical theological research at a bachelor's degree level easily in only three languages (English, German and Spanish). It is possible, but not easy, to do this same research in four or five other languages. About 43 other major languages serve the educational needs of 85 percent of the world's population. Currently it would be impossible to find sufficient books for a full bachelor's level theological program in any of them. This lack of high quality indigenous Christian literature is one of the weakest features of the modem Protestant missionary endeavor. David Barrett has reported at least 700 global plans to evangelize the world. We do not know of a single plan to begin providing basic text and reference r books in the 43 educational languages, around the globe.

(Miriam Adeney,The Lion of mathematics Reflections on Operation World by Patrick Johnstone, EMQ April 2002)

People-less Bibles. Bible Translation Issues!

“Those in the ministry of Bible Translation commonly talk of Bible-less peoples. Regrettably, it sometimes happens that there are also “People-less Bibles,” newly translated scriptures that is available but not used. In some instances the neglected Bibles may be the result of key church and mission leaders who were not involved in envisioning what was needed and how the need could best be met.”

(EMQ. October 2006 Vol. 42, No. 4 “Partnerships in Ministry” Todd Poulter, Page 455)