Wycliffe Associates, which is considered one of the world’s largest Bible translation organizations has said while they are seeing a major rise in the number of language groups asking for a Bible in their own language, physical attacks and “demonic oppression” incidents are also on the increase.
Bruce Smith, president of Wycliffe Associations told local U.S Press they have seen, especially in this last year-and-a-half, many translation workshops mired with lots of things that can only be explained as spiritual warfare.
“Demonic attacks and severe persecution have been inflicting our workers, Mr Bruce said. “What we’ve seen, especially in this last year-and-a-half, is that as we move into more of Satan’s strongholds around the world, he does not go quietly.
“This is becoming more and more a part of the daily reality of Bible translation, as opposed to the exception,” he added.
Smith told sources Wycliffe Associates works in some of the most oppressive countries for Christians, “though often withholds naming specific locations for security purposes.”
The group has warned that its translators face threats of arrest, attacks, and even execution for their work.
Wycliffe Associates’ partners have long been aware of the “influences of the occult” and of “demonic powers” in the areas around the globe where the group operates, sources say.
Mobilized Assistance Supporting Translation (MAST)
Christian Post (CP) reported Wycliffe Associates is currently three years into a new method called ‘Mobilized Assistance Supporting Translation’, which it says reduces the wait for accurately translated Bibles from years and decades to weeks and months.
The details and eight-step strategy behind MAST was profiled in a CP interview in February with Linda Fahnestock, MAST regional coordinator for the Americas and Southern Africa, who explained how translators work in cooperation with native language speakers.
Bruce told CP on Monday that the method has now helped serve more than 1,000 different language groups around the world, either in accelerating translation where it’s already in the process, or in beginning Bible translation in their tongue for the first time.
“It’s become quite a broad, widespread phenomenon. Within the last 12 months we served around 340 different languages, but in that same period of time we have more than 300 that are in a backlog, that are waiting for us to be able to respond to with training and initial resources to get them going,” he explained.
“What we’re finding now is that the interest has far exceeded our ability to respond, and that’s the first time in our history that we’ve ever been faced with that particular kind of opportunity and challenge.”
The Wycliffe Associates president said that while the prayer is that Bible translation will start for the 2,758 languages that still need the Gospel as soon as possible, his organization is looking to assist between 300 to 350 of those in the coming year.
Wycliffe Associates noted in a press release seen by CP that beside the MAST workshops, the group has also been providing training and support to mother-tongue translators through Print On Demand systems, which allow translators to print larger quantities of the Bible discretely, and can be easily relocated from one safe house to another.
“We look forward to the day when hundreds of Bible translations are taking place because those tools are out there and available to the Church, and not because we are the ones that are necessarily the first partner in the process,” Smith explained.
By Staff Writer.
