Many cultures like this one in Africa benefit from oral tradition.
South Asia (MNN) ― Wycliffe Associates is launching an eight-language outreach in South Asia through "Project Storyteller." Wycliffe Associates President/CEO Bruce Smith says, "Telling stories is the culturally appropriate way to communicate wisdom and truth in these areas."
The project's aim is to put God's Word into the hands of people crying out for the Scriptures in an area hostile to the Gospel.
The team is choosing Bible stories that communicate the fundamental concept of redemption, "like the story of Creation, the story of Noah, the story of Joseph, parables from the New Testament, and of course the story of Christ and His work on earth as well. The idea, again, is to get the truth of Scripture in as quickly as possible," explains Smith.
These are stories that can be most quickly translated, most easily read, most easily shared, most easily remembered, and most easily repeated.
Sharing the Gospel through oral tradition can have a strong impact and is less likely to subject the storyteller to persecution. Smith adds: it won't stop there. "The project overall is going to be a couple of years in length from start to finish, and we're trusting it will transition then into strict Scripture translation, as well."
This is a "cluster project," a technique that brings translators and trainees together to work on multiple related languages simultaneously. Bible translators have found that this approach dramatically increases the speed and effectiveness of the translation process. This particular project will deliver God's Word in the heart language of eight indigenous groups with a combined population of more than 64 million people.
During 2008, some 4,124 Wycliffe Associates volunteers served in 49 countries as part of the worldwide Bible translation team. Wycliffe Associates plans to mobilize more than 4,800 volunteers to serve in 41 different countries this year to build and renovate facilities, construct roads and airstrips, teach Vacation Bible School, help with language development and office work, oversee projects, use their computer skills, and much more. You can help. Click here.
