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CLOSING THE BIBLE GAP IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH A THESIS-PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GORDON-CONWELL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF MINISTRY BY JAMES PHILHOUR THOMPSON JANUARY 2018 Copyright ©2018 by James Philhour Thompson. All Rights Reserved. CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES iv ABSTRACT vi Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION 1 2. THEOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK 21 3. CHURCH HISTORY REVIEW 46 4. LITERATURE REVIEW 102 5. PROJECT DESIGN 114 6. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 146 Appendix A. SURVEY NUMBER ONE 173 B. SURVEY NUMBER TWO 174 C. THE GLOBAL SOUTH 175 BIBLIOGRAPHY 178 VITA 183 iii LIST OF TABLES 1. Survey One-Question 1: Does every Christian in your country own a Bible? 117 2. Survey One-Question 2: If not, why? 118 3. Survey One-Question 3: What are the reasons and/or problems for the above 119 answers? 4. Survey One-Question 4: Are their people groups or language groups in your 121 country that do not have access to the New Testament or the whole Bible? 5. Survey One-Question 6: Can these people groups read another language? Is 122 this sufficient? 6. Survey One-Question 7: Are there non-Christians in your country who want 123 a Bible, but cannot obtain one? 7. Survey One-Question 8: If so, why can they not obtain one? 123 8. Survey One-Question 9: Is there a shortage of accessible, affordable Bibles 125 in your country? 9. Survey One-Question 10: If God’s Word was more available, do you think 126 this would have an effect upon the growth of Christianity in your country? 10. Survey Two-Question 1: What proportion of Christians in your 128 country/countries own a Bible? Please list country and estimated percentage. 11. Survey Two-Question 2: Could you rank-order the top reasons for not 130 owning a Bible? 12. Survey Two-Question 3: What are the reasons and/or problems for the 131 answers given in Question number 2? 13. Survey Two-Question 4: Are there language groups in your country that do 133 not have access to the New Testament or the whole Bible? 14. Survey Two-Question 5: If so, which languages? 134 15. Survey Two-Question 6: Can these people read another language? Is this 136 sufficient? 16. Survey Two-Question 7: Are there non-Christians in your country who want 138 a Bible, but cannot access one? iv 17. Survey Two-Question 8: If so, what are the reasons for them to not be able to 139 access one (Bible)? 18. Survey Two-Question 9: What proportion of Christians in your country use 141 either audio or digital formats of the Bible? Please list estimated percentage for each format. 19. Survey Two-Question 10: If Scripture was more available, do you think this 142 would have an effect upon the growth of Christianity in your country? In what ways? v ABSTRACT This thesis-project addresses the problem of the “Worldwide Bible Gap”. The Bible Gap is normally viewed in three parts; translation, distribution, and engagement. The purpose of this project is on distribution. I have limited my scope to addressing this problem in the Global South. Research was done from a theological perspective; by literature and internet review; and from a Church history study. Then, two surveys were filled out by Church leaders from the Global South. Their insights were informative and compelling. Finally, this research was compared to research provided by the World Christian Database. vi CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Introduction This chapter hopes to serve as a roadmap for a journey to help solve a serious problem facing the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ. Approximately 2,000 years ago, Jesus commanded his disciples to “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”1 While the Church has made much progress through the years, the early disciples of Jesus could not have imagined the immense challenges the church has faced these two millennia. The first twelve, and then the 120, had amazing faith as they faced the hostile world with the command from Jesus to take his Gospel to all nations. Over the last 500 years, this task is being tackled at an accelerated pace. In the last 100 years, the Gospel has experienced explosive expansion from the Northern hemisphere to the Global South. Before defining terms such as Global South and Bible Gap, it’s necessary to state the problem this thesis-project investigates and for which it proposes solutions. This thesis-project addresses what some refer to as the “Worldwide Bible Gap,” and what others describe as “Bible Poverty.” Translation is the focus of most current writings on this subject. It is true that the whole Bible has yet to be translated in 100 percent of the earth’s languages. In fact, there may be one billion people yet to have the 1 Matthew 28:19-20. 1 Old Testament Scriptures translated into their heart language. The major translation ministries are doing a good job of highlighting this need to the church, and providing all people on earth with a full Bible is a worthy goal. While not wanting to minimize this problem, it is not within the parameters of this thesis-project. Currently, approximately 95 percent of the earth’s population have access to a complete Bible, the New Testament, or one of the four Gospels in a language they can read and understand. This gives most people access to Scripture so that they can meet Jesus as Savior and Lord, if they so desire. However, although Bibles, New Testaments, and Gospels are translated and available, they are not getting to millions of believers and seekers who want them. A great shortage of Bibles and New Testaments exists in many parts of the world among people who can read, and who desire a copy for their spiritual nourishment. This problem seriously inhibits the spiritual growth of Christians and hinders the healthy expansion of the Church. This is especially true in the Global South. So, “The Bible Gap” describes the gap that exists between those Christians who have a Bible for their personal use, and those Christians who want a Bible or New Testament that is available already in their language, but are prevented from receiving one. This thesis-project explores some of the reasons this problem exists and offers solutions to solve this devastating problem. It is a devastating problem because at least 500 million Christ followers are without a Bible or New Testament in the Global South.2 There are many more millions of seekers, who if they had an opportunity to read or listen to God’s Word, would do so, but no one is providing them this opportunity. 2 See research provided in Chapter six of this thesis-project. 2 There are many questions that should to be asked and will be answered as we deal with this problem. Some of these questions are: 1. Is this really a problem? 2. Do Bible Societies, Bible distribution ministries, and other Great Commission ministries agree there is a Bible Gap problem? 3. If so, what are the causes of this problem? 4. What does God think about the Bible Gap as is written in Scripture? 5. Does every professing Christian have a right to a Bible? 6. Is Bible poverty related to material poverty? 7. What can be done about the Bible Gap? 8. Do those who can do something about solving the problem want to? 9. Who holds the key? Who holds the power to change the situation? 10. What changes need to be made in how ministry is done, and how the business of ministry is conducted? 11. Can we ever solve the problem, and should we try? The Context It is my intent to marry disciplined inquiry to present-day ministry. Therefore, it is important for you to know the ministry setting within which this theme will be addressed. Currently, I serve as a Vice President at Bible League International, whose mission is to serve the under-resourced Church in approximately 60 countries providing Bibles, biblical resources, and training, to transform lives through God’s Word with the goal of 3 leading people to a personal relationship to Jesus Christ. Since 1938, BLI has worked in over 100 countries.3 BLI has three primary programs that carry out its mission. They are Project Philip, Church Planter Training, and Bible-Based Literacy. BLI’s Mission Statement tagline, “God’s Word, Local Church, Global Strategy,” describes how it carries out its Mission as its methods of ministry center on the use of God’s Word in how the organization engages in ministry. Believing in the power of the Word of God as quoted in Isaiah, that “God’s Word never returns void. It always will accomplish the intended purpose of God,” BLI’s goal is to get the Bible into the hands of as many people as possible. However, BLI does not simply distribute Bibles. Rather, BLI ministers strategically engage with people in a one-on-one or small group Bible study basis. The most important venue to carry out this work is through the local church. The church is the organism and organization that Jesus is building all over the earth. It is the instrument in God’s plan for evangelism, discipleship, and church planting. It is with and through the local church that Christians are equipped to fulfill the call of the Great Commission. So, BLI serves the local church in each country to help them fulfill God’s call to reach their nation with the Gospel. As a result, BLI’s global network of church partnerships provides unparalleled opportunity for the spread of the Gospel, through the three Bible engagement programs mentioned earlier. These programs utilize an ever-changing and adapting global strategy that of church partnerships, international logistics, and Bible tools contextualized to the places in 3 For more information on Bible League’s history and ministry, see www.bibleleague.org. 4