By Michael Ireland, Senior Reporter, ASSIST News Service, answriternike@gmail.com
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (ANS, Aug.19, 2015) –
The Deaf Bible Society (DBS) has launched a program designed to bring
the story of Jesus in sign language to the Middle East, where native
signers have no Bible content in their own languages. It expects the new
evangelistic tool to be available by the end of 2015, according to a
media release from A. Larry Ross Communications.
DBS explains that the deaf
community in the Middle East uses more than 20 sign languages, and each
is its own unique language, not a word-for-word translation of a written
language.
DBS President J.R. Bucklew
estimated that the new presentation of the Gospel will be available by
the end of the year, but the sign language and country have not been
revealed yet for security reasons.
"Deaf
people in the Middle East not only don't have access to the Bible, they
usually don't have access to any information in their sign language,"
Bucklew said. "When they do get access, it gives them hope. And finding
out that Jesus loves them and speaks their own language is incredibly
affirming."
DBS revealed that the deaf,
often shunned and ignored, particularly in developing countries, are one
of the largest unreached people groups in the world. The World
Federation of the Deaf estimates that there are 70 million deaf people
around the globe, but there is little hard data about the deaf
population.
The DBS stated that many
Christians believe a printed Bible can expose the deaf to the Gospel,
but that's a misconception. The written text is not their primary or
heart language, and many of them can't read. In the developing world,
most deaf people can't read their own name or count to 10.
When ISIS released a video in
March attempting to recruiting Muslim members of the deaf community, DBS
decided to produce its own video with an evangelistic message.
"The ISIS video seemed to offer
prosperity and joy, but it actually offered false hope for the deaf
community," Bucklew said. "It breaks my heart knowing there is not one
Middle Eastern sign language that has Bible content. The deaf community
has no way of fact-checking what was in this video and discovering what
is truly hope and where they can find it."
In its news release, obtained
by ANS, the DBS says it has taken special security precautions while
making the new video. A native signer – a refugee who recently relocated
to the U.S. – recorded the first draft.
DBS explained that native
signers in an open country in the Middle East watched the video and gave
their feedback before DBS made revisions. The ministry also plans to
develop an online video platform so other signers can watch the video
and provide their own feedback.
DBS will use makeup and
prosthetics to disguise the signer who records the final draft. The
finished product will be distributed via video platforms including the
Deaf Bible app, which features 16 of the world's more than 400 sign
languages.
The Deaf Bible Society works
with other ministries to offer the global deaf community unlimited and
free access to the Bible and other Christian resources in their heart
sign language. An offshoot of Faith Comes By Hearing, DBS is in the
process of becoming a separate nonprofit. For more information, please
visit www.deafbiblesociety.com.
Photo One: DBS seeks to get the Gospel into the hands of the deaf using modern resources. (Courtesy Deaf Bible Society)
Photo Two: Michael Ireland.
About the Writer:
Michael Ireland is a Senior Correspondent for the ASSIST News Service,
as well as a volunteer Internet Journalist and Ordained Minister who has
served with ASSIST Ministries and ASSIST News Service since its
beginning in 1989. He has reported for ANS from Jamaica, Mexico,
Nicaragua, Israel, Jordan, China, and Russia. Click http://paper.li/Michael_ASSIST/1410485204 to see a daily digest of Michael's stories for ANS.
** You may republish this and any of ANS stories with attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net)
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