Oral Bible

Did you know that much of the Bible was originally written and intended to be read aloud in public places, such as festivals or community gatherings?  Now we mostly read it personally and have lost a little bit of the story telling aspect.  The reason behind this is that most people in the ancient world were not literate; they highly depended on stories being passed down from one generation to the next.  Information was learned by hearing or handling things.  Even today, there are many cultures that function without the need for literacy, even if those in the culture have the ability to read and write.

Wycliffe/SIL has been working very hard to translate the Bible in to every language, specifically those languages that are the heart languages of the people.  In the D.R. Congo alone, there are over 240 languages spoken, many of which are spoken only.  This presents a challenge when translating the Bible into a written text.

A new project that we are taking part in is an Oral Story Bible.  The last two weeks we have been compiling a story packet and have 100 stories finished.  This Oral Bible will compliment the BELT seminars we run all over the world but especially in those places where they do not have any form of Bible.  In any given seminar, we might have 5 or 6 language groups present who do not have a Bible.  What better place to record a Bible than with a group of leaders gathered together?  With only 5 or 6 individuals and about a week of time, we will be able to record all of these stories to put on little SD cards that people can easily plug into their phones.  These people hardly need any practice as they can look at the story just once or twice and retell it as master storytellers staying very accurate to the original scripture.  This is such a great opportunity to get the Bible in the hands of individuals who will listen to it over and over again.

John Wycliffe, a man that influenced a complete change in his nation believed this: 

"The Bible in the hands of the individual is the seed of liberty."    

This belief eventually brought liberty to England, America, and is continuing to spread today.