OF EVERY TONGUE AND TRIBE
Danny New

A Cakchiquel Indian once asked Cameron Townsend: If your God is so great, why doesn’t He speak my language?” That was 63 years ago, and it marked the beginning of a revolution, not only in the Cakchiquel culture, but in the world of Christian missions.

Mr. Townsend then began to translate the New Testament into Cakchiquel --- a language that had been spoken for centuries, yet never written. As he worked, he learned of other language groups that would never receive the Word of God in their own language, unless someone went to them. After finishing the Cakchiquel New Testament, he founded Wycliffe Bible Translators in 1939.

Today Wycliffe works in 38 countries, in over 700 language groups. Over 4,000 linguists and support workers are carrying out this task. And over 3,000 more language groups still wait for God’s Word!

Can you imagine where the Church would be today if all we knew of God came from Greek or Latin, without a single word of scripture available in English? To depend upon someone else to interpret God’s Word for us is to make the “universal priesthood of the believer” practically impossible.

Wycliffe is a non-denominational mission whose emphasis is very specialized. To be a translator requires three semesters of linguistics, then jungle camp training, and a willingness to invest ten to fifteen years in giving God’s Word to a people who may reject it all. Yet it is the strong belief that the Spirit of God will deal directly with those who dare to read His Word, that drives these unique missionaries. It’s not for everyone! But it has appealed to Christians from some very diverse backgrounds, and the Church of Christ is represented among them.

Terry Casey was a television reporter in Georgia, and is now working in the area of filming and documenting Wycliffe’s work. He and Pam just returned from the Philippines where they worked for a year recording some very exciting victories. As the Word of God is given to a language group, the response is often dramatic. This has been a non-traditional missionary role, but a very important and fulfilling one for Terry and Pam.

Ralph and Judy Reed have had plans to begin translating the New Testament into an Aztec language in Mexico for over a year. They are now waiting on visas and Ralph is teaching grammar and morphology at the International Linguistic Center in Dallas, Texas. (Ralph’s father is known to many readers of Restoration Review - J. C. Reed is a pioneer missionary in Guatemala.)

Many governments today are not interested in having missionaries in their countries. But in most countries where it works, Wycliffe has a contract with the government to serve --- primarily through linguistic research and literacy. A part of the agreement is that the Bible will be translated into the languages being studied.

One of the unique aspects of this effort is that Christians with denominational and doctrinal differences can work together toward a common and Biblical goal. The Reeds and the Caseys see themselves on the cutting edge of fulfilling the Great Commission. This is best illustrated by an old Indian in Guatemala who once asked a Wycliffe translator, “Did your father know about this Jesus?” The translator proudly answered that he did. Then the old man asked, “Did his father know about this Jesus?” Another yes. “Then Senor, please tell me: why has it taken so long for someone to come tell us?”

Like the Believers of the first century, more and more of us are allowing God Himself define the borders of His Kingdom, and are contenting ourselves with the specific ministries to which we have been assigned.