Why Good Books Matter for Newly Churched Areas

If you’re reading this, it seems safe to assume that you’ve read Christian books before. It doesn’t seem like a stretch to imagine you have a book, or perhaps a few, that have been instrumental to your faith.

Of course, as believers, the foundation of our faith is the Good Book. While the Bible is the only fully authoritative book for Christians, God has long used the writings of those in the faith to edify, correct, challenge and even encourage believers in the way we think and act. Books have been critical to the life and faith of the church throughout its history.

At this point, it can’t be too much of a stretch to assume that you read English as well. Access to sound, gospel-centered Christian books in our language dwarfs that of newly churched regions of the world—“newly churched” here meaning contexts where biblically-grounded, gospel-centered churches are only just being planted or established—or where the established church is under-resourced. Imagine having virtually no good books on your shelf, nothing to return to time and time again as a source of challenge, encouragement, or valuable information on a key biblical theme or text.

The church’s access to gospel-centered, scripturally-based Christian literature, in the local language, is of fundamental importance. But there is a stunning disparity between what churches in major Christian book markets have access to, and what churches with no Christian book market to speak of have access to. In a word, we need to bridge the gap.

Helping create and foster gospel-centered, scripturally-based Christian literature in the local language is a significant undertaking. Due to the privilege I’ve had of working with faithful brothers and sisters around the world who are engaged in this publishing task, I hope to share some insights I’ve gleaned along the way.

Gospel-centered, scripturally-based

The first question one needs to ask when selecting titles to introduce in newly churched areas is, does a similar kind of book–in theme, topic, theological treatment, etc.– already exist there? As previously stated, the answer is almost always “no.” When that’s the case, the next question is choosing which book to introduce. With that, we must understand that books that “rightly handle the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15), regardless of the popularity of the author, will contribute far more to the thought life of a community than books written by popular authors who have slushy theology or who avoid helpful topics. What may be a household name to you might be a complete unknown in a new church.

Second, truth is greater than perceived relevance. The gospel is the most cross-cultural, relevant message there is. By staying the course and introducing books that deal with basic biblical concepts that don’t overextend themselves, one lays a solid foundation to build upon. Additionally, it’s crucial to have an awareness of personal preferences and cultural blind spots when selecting a book to introduce. In light of this, it’s best to let title selection be informed or directed by mature, local believers who can discern which topics are worth pursuing for the greatest impact in their context.

In the Local Language

In the languages of major Christian book markets–e.g., English, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean– the access we have to solid Christian literature is staggering when compared to the situation on the ground for much of the rest of the global church. And access is even more limited if you’re working in contexts that are either hostile or militantly indifferent towards the gospel.

While it is expedient to have material that was originally written in the local language, translation into a trade or national language is often the most strategic option due to the depth of the present need. But it is not enough to simply get the quickest, cheapest translation possible. A bad translation can distort or misrepresent the author (or scripture), or in the worst cases becomes unintelligible. It is far worse than no translation at all. This is why it’s important to work with trusted translators who take the time and care needed for quality work.

Part of my day job is focused on helping publishers around the world translate gospel-centered books into more languages and more countries. Some serve markets where secularism or the nominal state religion reigns supreme, where the evangelical Christian population is below one percent, and the bulk of their work is focused on sowing seeds and whetting appetites for the true Christian faith itself. Others work in places where Christianity is dominant, but it is a small minority who can even afford to purchase books. In those places, anything of quality, in a relevant language, is swallowed up by an avalanche of prosperity gospel and spiritualized self-help material.

The need is vast, and the problems are as varied as the countries they represent. Nevertheless, the work to establish faithful Christian literature in local languages continues thanks to the perseverance of brothers and sisters who are committed to seeing both their fellow believers equipped and encouraged and creating new routes for the propagation of the gospel.

The Result

Hearing from a few publishers that I’ve worked with, it’s clear that the effort has an impact. One partner based in South Africa shared a report a man who received the book they’d translated into Zulu (a dominant language in the eastern part of the country). He let them know this was the first Christian title he’d ever read in his native language. As our partner noted, being able to read a Christian book in one’s heart language “is important, especially because it has to do with [one’s] personal relationship with God and others.”

In closing, I want to share a favorite quote of mine that demonstrates the unique strength of the written word for missions. As longtime missionary to the Middle East, Samuel Zwemer, put it:

“Although it is obvious that it can never be a substitute for the living voice, it is often true that the [written] message is more persuasive, more permanent and reaches a larger audience than that spoken by human lips. The printed page is the ubiquitous missionary and the printed message has often entered closed lands and penetrated into the most secluded villages.”

That is why this work is crucial. Books last into perpetuity, speaking long after their authors pass on. They can travel, be shared, traded, smuggled, or bought. For the sake of building the church, we must continue pressing on in pursuit of gospel-centered publishing and translation efforts, in hopes that more people’s life and faith may be more deeply influenced by the power of written Christian witness, to the glory of God.