Formation | 1 May 1980 |
---|---|
Type | Association |
Purpose | Bible translation |
Area served | Worldwide |
Website | wycliffe.net |
Wycliffe Global Alliance is an alliance of organizations that have the objective of translating the Bible into every language. The organisation is named after John Wycliffe, who was responsible for the first complete English translation of the whole Bible into Middle English. [1]
Wycliffe is most often associated with the Protestant section of Christianity. There are currently over 100 Wycliffe member organisations from over 60 countries. [2] Wycliffe Global Alliance is also a member of the Forum of Bible Agencies International.
As of September 2023 [update] , translations of either portions of the Bible, the New Testament, or the whole Bible exist in over 3,658 of the 7,394 languages used on Earth, including 386 sign languages. [3]
Wycliffe Bible Translators USA was founded in 1942 [4] by William Cameron Townsend. When other Wycliffe organisations were founded around the world, they initially operated as its divisions in those countries. A new organisation, Wycliffe Bible Translators International, was started in May 1980 to provide this international leadership. [5]
In 1991 Wycliffe International was restructured so that the Wycliffe organisations in each country became fully independent, causing Wycliffe International to become an association of organisations. In February 2011, Wycliffe International took on a new "doing business as" name, Wycliffe Global Alliance. [6]
Wycliffe bases its philosophy on Townsend's Protestantism which regards the intercultural and multilinguistic spread of Christianity as a divine command. The organization adheres to the principle of sola scriptura and regards Biblical texts as the authoritative and infallible word of God. [7]
Wycliffe states its focus is participating with and encouraging Christian churches to minister to minority languages, so that every language community can have access to the Bible. [8]
Wycliffe Global Alliance emphasizes its international nature. It describes itself as "multicultural, multinational, creative and facilitative." Wycliffe Global Alliance has its headquarters in Singapore. The Global Leadership Team is a virtual team and is spread across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia, and Europe. [9]
Founded in 1948 as Jungle Aviation and Radio Service by William Cameron Townsend, JAARS is a worldwide, non-profit, mission aviation and support organization with a primary focus on Bible translation support operations. JAARS provides practical support in aviation, land and maritime transportation, information technology and media. Its current president is Steve Russell, as of October 1, 2022.
American Bible Society is a U.S.-based Christian nonprofit headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As the American member organization of United Bible Societies, it supports global Bible translation, production, distribution, literacy, engagement, ministry, and advocacy efforts. American Bible Society publishes and distributes interconfessional translations of the Christian Bible and provides study aids and other tools to help people engage with it. Founded on May 11, 1816, in New York City, it is best known for its Good News Translation of the Bible, written in the contemporary vernacular. American Bible Society also publishes the Contemporary English Version.
SIL Global is an evangelical Christian nonprofit organization whose main purpose is to study, develop and document languages, especially those that are lesser-known, in order to expand linguistic knowledge, promote literacy, translate the Christian Bible into local languages, and aid minority language development.
Wycliffe Bible Translators USA is an interdenominational nonprofit organization with a goal "for people from every language to understand the Bible and be transformed."
A Christian mission is an organized effort to carry on evangelism, in the name of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries. Sometimes individuals are sent and are called missionaries, and historically may have been based in mission stations. When groups are sent, they are often called mission teams and they undertake mission trips. There are a few different kinds of mission trips: short-term, long-term, relational and those that simply help people in need. Some people choose to dedicate their whole lives to mission.
William Cameron Townsend was an American Christian missionary-linguist and the founder of Wycliffe Bible Translators and the Summer Institute of Linguistics.
A Bible society is a non-profit organization, usually nondenominational in makeup, devoted to translating, publishing, and distributing the Bible at affordable prices. In recent years they also are increasingly involved in advocating its credibility and trustworthiness in contemporary cultural life. Traditionally Bible society editions contain scripture, without any doctrinal notes or comments, although they may include non-sectarian notes on alternate translations of words, or variations in the different available manuscripts.
BibleGateway is an evangelical Christian website designed to allow easy reading, listening, studying, searching, and sharing of the Bible in many different versions and translations, including English, French, Spanish, and other languages. Its mission statement is "To honor Christ by equipping people to read and understand the Bible, wherever they are". The website is free to use, but also offers Bible Gateway Plus, a membership program with enhanced services. It is currently owned by Zondervan.
The United Bible Societies (UBS) is a global fellowship of around 150 Bible societies operating in more than 240 countries and territories. It has working hubs in England, Singapore and Nairobi. The headquarters are located in Swindon, England.
Christianity is Indonesia's second-largest religion, after Islam. Indonesia also has the second-largest Christian population in Southeast Asia after the Philippines, the largest Protestant population in Southeast Asia, and the third-largest Christian population in Asia after the Philippines and China. Indonesia also has the second-largest Christian population in the Muslim world, after Nigeria, followed by Egypt. Indonesia's 29.4 million Christians constituted 10.47% of the country's population in 2023, with 7.41% Protestant and 3.06% Catholic. Some provinces in Indonesia are majority Christian. In Indonesia, the word Kristen refers to Protestantism, while Catholicism is referred to as Katolik. In the 21st century the rate of growth and spread of Christianity has increased, especially among the Chinese minority.
John Theodore Bendor-Samuel was an evangelical Christian missionary and linguist who furthered Bible translation work into African languages, as well as making significant contributions to the study of African linguistics. Amongst his friends and colleagues he was widely known by his initials, JBS.
Pioneer Bible Translators is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) mission organization focused on Bible translation in languages that do not already have a Bible.
Faith Comes By Hearing is an international 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that records and freely provides the Bible in the languages of the world. It provides audio Bibles in 1,996 languages. The organization is a member of the Forum of Bible Agencies International and the Wycliffe Global Alliance. The chairman of the board for the organization is Jeff Solscheid, and its president is founder Gerald (Jerry) Jackson.
Uto-Aztecan languages are divided into two groups, Northern and Southern Uto-Aztecan languages. They are spoken in the southwestern United States, north and central Mexico, and in Central America.
Kartidaya is an Indonesian non-profit organization which is focused on promoting and supporting the work of Bible translation throughout Indonesia. They are an independent organization affiliated with Wycliffe Global Alliance, and have working agreements with numerous denominations throughout Indonesia. Each Kartidaya member has to find donors to cover their ministry and living expenses since Kartidaya does not give salaries to its members.
The Ghana Institute of Linguistics, Literacy and Bible Translation (GILLBT) is an organisation involved in literacy, education and development projects in minority language communities in Ghana, as well as Bible translation work.
The Forum of Bible Agencies International is an alliance of more than 25 international Bible Agencies and other missions organizations which provides access to the Bible and encourages its use worldwide.
The Bible Society for the Netherlands and Flanders is a non-denominational Bible society in the Netherlands and Flanders devoted to translating, publishing, and distributing the Bible at affordable costs. The society was formed from the fusion of the Dutch Bible Society and the Flemish Bible Society in 2021 and is currently based in Haarlem.
Wycliffe Bible Translators is a Christian mission agency with a primary focus on Bible translation for people worldwide. It is the UK's largest Bible translation organisation. It is part of the Wycliffe Global Alliance.