Fluency in the Language of Faith
Does it matter what language we use to share the good news of Christ? Although it might seem expedient and even charitable to answer “Of course not,” a closer look at scripture and the confessional history of the Great Commission suggests a different answer.
Both the Westminster Confession of Faith (1.8) and the Second London Baptist Confession (1.8) are in harmony on the subject, saying that the scriptures
...are to be translated into the vulgar language of every nation unto which they come, that the Word of God dwelling plentifully in all, they may worship Him in an acceptable manner, and through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, may have hope.
In other words, it matters a lot that Old Testament revelation was delivered in the language of the Hebrew people instead of Old Persian or one of the more universal trade languages of the day. It matters that in the New Testament era the good news was delivered in Greek and Aramaic, the languages most familiar to those in Israel at the time, instead of Latin, the language of the much larger Roman Empire. And it matters that when tongues of fire descended on the Apostles in Jerusalem they spoke in languages familiar to those present. In each case, the word of God was graciously given to God’s people in their own language, no matter their ethnicity, no matter their social status. And as the good news about Christ has spread throughout the world since Pentecost, it has taken deepest root when missionaries learn the language of the people they are sent to, translating scripture and evangelizing in those languages.
Because English has become a kind of “global second language” for trade, tourism, and technology in the 21st century, it can be tempting to view the arduous task of language acquisition as obsolete, making it easier and faster to get more missionaries into the field. But, as Anwar, a missionary serving the Middle East, explains, sending missionaries without equipping them to share the gospel in the language of the people they are sent to carries significant drawbacks…
Anwar's Message
I wanted to share a story with you about a recent relationship I’ve had with a non-believing, English-speaking classmate which has led me to propose this question: Given that gospel clarity in a second language is so difficult for foreigners, is it not better to do English ministry instead?
First, let me give the background: I have been in a formal Arabic program with three other students. We read articles or watch videos before class, then discuss/debate those topics in our class time. Ahmed is a young Arab guy who grew up in Europe. Even though he speaks Arabic fluently, when it comes to literature, news, or higher-level discussion, he’s had a hard time understanding them. That’s why he, a native Arab, is studying Arabic along with me. Given that most of these topics touch on worldviews or philosophical approaches, I and another Christian classmate have been able to talk about our faith in Arabic in class.
For Ahmed, this is something completely new for him to hear, since his experience has been with cultural Christians or Roman Catholics in Europe. Obviously, there are limitations to our abilities to convey biblical truth with him in Arabic. However, one day after class he came up to me and my Christian classmate to ask us questions about our faith. We spent an hour that day in conversation and have had other opportunities to share the gospel with him fully in English. He has even visited our local Arabic church, praise the Lord!
It’s from this experience that I’ve come to appreciate how much ground I can make up in an English conversation to communicate biblical truths clearly and comprehensively. This is the opposite of what most of our gospel conversations look like right now in Arabic, which unfortunately usually end up with my Muslim friends thinking that we are merely ethical, religious people just like them.
Now, to circle back to my question: if we can be more effective in English ministry with Arab Muslims like Ahmed, is it not more effective to emphasize English ministry in our time overseas? I am proposing the answer to that question to be “No," for the following reason:
While there is a portion of the population that are capable of understanding the gospel in English, the reality is that percentage is very small.
Many people have learned English as a second language all over the world, but in the Muslim world, the language of faith is singular: Arabic. A person with an above average education may have the ability to engage professionally in English, but to understand and engage at a faith-level is going to be very difficult, if not impossible, for many. At least in our location, the number of people who can do that fluently is only going to be around 10% of the population. So what does that mean for the other 90%?
While we love to see the breadth of gospel workers in the city we are currently in, the reality is that a majority of them do not speak Arabic fluently, or have chosen English language ministry to convey the gospel.
That means a majority of workers are engaging in English ministry to reach a minority of the population. Can you see the disparity between the needs of a community and the resources being supplied?
For these reasons, we have been sent out and committed to the work of seeing an indigenous, Arabic speaking local church being planted among an unreached people group who has never had the opportunity of hearing the gospel. It is impossible to do that without language fluency. But if a worker’s goal is to do evangelism in a specific area, of course there are opportunities for kingdom impact through English ministry, but with it will come limitations.
It’s this hope for the unreached that makes me thankful for our long journey of preparation, so that we can be clear and comprehensive in our communication, even in Arabic, with a person who has had no exposure to the good news.