Posts tagged ‘Injil Sharif’

February 25th, 2012

After 7 Weeks of Denial, Wycliffe now Admits it was involved in producing Injil Sharif

Update: Wycliffe USA has edited its FAQ again. Now it admits they were involved in producing the 2005 Bengali Injil Sharif also known as Bengali Bible. This is after denying they were responsible for 7 straight weeks. I don’t understand why they continue editing their statements as Biblical Missiology releases evidence. Why don’t they just admit they were involved? It is very sad. A revised Wycliffe USA FAQ now read, “The 2005 Bengali Injil Sharif translation was produced by Global Partners and included a Bible Society consultant. Neither Wycliffe USA nor SIL had official involvement in the translation.” This is close. Pretty soon they will have to remove, “Neither Wycliffe USA nor SIL had official involvement in the translation.” Please pray and grieve for this once reputable Christian organization.

Wycliffe is probably not going to release any official explanation or statement. I don’t count on it especially since they have been unwilling to answer questions on record pertaining to this controversy. The FAQ was changed late yesterday after Biblical Missiology released an article, which documented Wycliffe and SIL involvement in the 2005 Bengali Injil Sharif.

Here is the initial statement Wycliffe/SIL released on January 12, 2012:

SIL did not advise this translation. A non-SIL consultant approved it, as did the United Bible Societies. The main Protestant church supports the translation, and the local Catholic seminary has praised it. This translation also explains that the term used is translating a Greek phrase of the form Son of God.

Though they originally denied having “any involvement” in the Injil Sharif, Wycliffe/SIL now admit they were unofficially involved in the project.

Gone also is Wycliffe’s previous claim the 2005 Bengali Injil Sharif was approved by the United Bible Societies.

February 24th, 2012

Clarity On Wycliffe/SIL’s Involvement In The Bengali Injil Sharif

By former missionary, now pastor, Rev. Scott Seaton of Biblical Missiology

As part of their “Pledge to Transparency,” Wycliffe posted a series of “Answers to Commonly Asked Questions[1] on February 15, 2012, relating to a controversy over translation of the divine familial terms, i.e. “Father,” “Son,” and “Son of God.” One question related to a translation in Bangladesh known as the Injil Sharif: “What was Wycliffe or SIL’s involvement in Injil Sharif (also known as the Bengali Bible)?” Wycliffe answered that “Neither Wycliffe USA nor SIL had any involvement in the Injil Sharif project. This particular translation was led by a different organization and included non-SIL consultants.” Biblical Missiology offers the following response to the categorical statement that Wycliffe/SIL did not have “any involvement.”

First, we must be clear that Biblical Missiology has never claimed that Wycliffe/SIL directly produced or translated the Bengali Injil Sharif. Rather, as pointed out in our Fact Check,[2] the translation was cited in the petition to show SIL’s general and specific influence on other agencies doing translation work. For years, Rick Brown of SIL has advocated for alternative wording for the divine familial terms, and his articles have often been referenced as a general, authoritative justification for this controversial practice. But he has also had specific influence, offering advice on key terms at critical moments, especially in regards to the translation of “Father,” “Son,” and “Son of God.”

Such is the case with the Bengali Injil Sharif, produced by Global Partners For Development.[3] Rick Brown, an SIL translation consultant, spoke at a May 2002 conference in Bangkok sponsored by Global Partners. In his two sessions, he presented his argument that Arabic demands that “son” can only mean a biological offspring, thus giving Muslims the mistaken notion that Jesus was the result of sexual intercourse between God and Mary. What, then, does “Son of God” actually mean? According to Brown at the time of the conference, the meaning of “Son of God” is equivalent to the New Testament terms “Messiah” and “Christ.” Based on Brown’s arguments at the conference and in his articles, Global Partners justified translating “Son of God” as “Messiah” or “Christ.”

Please read more HERE.

Relevant links:

Biblical Missiology petition


Why the Petition was started


Biblical Missiology Fact Check for Wycliffe’s initial response