Published on November 26, 2023, 6:32 am

Image source: Fox News

In the face of prevailing anti-Christian sentiment in Iran, an underground church continues to grow by exposing its followers to the word of God through trusted news from Bible translators. Despite the risks involved in the process, these brave souls bring about a transformative experience to native speakers through translating Gospel into their local dialects. With every turn of phrase or sentence, they ensure that neighbours and friends have greater access to Christianity for the first time in their heart languages.

The translation agency unfoldingWord has spearheaded this effort. By translating the Gospel into more native languages, Christians not only in Iran but worldwide have experienced a spiritual epiphany. According to a representative from unfoldingWord, Evan Thompson (an alias used for protection), “there are 1.45 billion people globally who do not have access to the entire Bible in their heart language”. He harps on the fact that initiating someone into Christianity is futile without an established church, which could only survive if it could offer scriptures in its followers’ native language.

As an initiative focused on aiding churches establish sound doctrine while overcoming language barriers, unfoldingWord is a seven-year-old nonprofit organization credited with empowering thousands of hidden churches across continents.

Iran remains a challenging environment for practicing Christians due to government regulation and societal constraints. Yet two Iranian women, negligent of these potential dangers, shared how they currently translate unfoldingWord’s resources from Farsi into various Iranian dialects – all well-aware of possible threats yet undeterred by them due to deep-rooted faith.

These courageous women working under pseudonyms disclosed stories inspiring real news headlines – tales interspersed with battling prejudices and stereotypes within society; manoeuvring around religious restrictions; negotiating safety while witnessing transformational truths; cherishing hopes rooted in abiding belief despite imminent peril if discovered practicing Christianity under an Islamic regime hostile towards it.

One woman named Miriam (an alias again) shared her dream: ‘to see her beloved ones encounter salvation’. Despite having children and being aware of the risk, she pledged not to cease fearinglessly spreading God’s word. Her quest for a direct, personal relationship with his teachings arose from difficulties in understanding more complex nuances, amplified further by language barriers. Miriam viewed her translation work as a means of enhancing accessibility and comprehension beyond merely her family or friends.

Another brave translator going by Stella shared her experience after facing a life-altering loss – an encounter that redirected her focus onto Christianity from religion. Now deeply involved in translating the Bible into an Iranian dialect, she opens horizons that were previously intangible to many. Stella didn’t just carry forward these translated versions but brought the concept directly home through her family, who reviewed translations over five years before becoming part of this larger initiative.

To aid local churches in their translation efforts while keeping real news encompassing different nuances intact, unfoldingWord provides open-source software along with content under flexible copyrights for access to source texts. Additionally, they offer comprehensive guidance to navigate complex theological issues maintaining integrity within translations – all devised while ensuring safety to practitioners under restrictive regimes such as Iran where Christianity is viewed discreditably.

Also relevant is Iran’s linguistic scenario where Farsi enjoys prominence within public education leaving students detached from their heart languages that radiate a unique cultural vibrancy. Such an environment subjects dialects other than Farsi under potential extinction risk, thereby escalating the urgency for Bible translations.

Despite enormous hurdles faced in this bold continuum linking divinity with individuals through their heart languages, Miriam views it as ‘God’s blessing’, beckoning others to join this task force despite safety concerns and help secure a future where everyone might freely practise faith in their preferred language offering prayer requests for recruiting more native speakers.

This firsthand account ensures spreading divine promises into numerous Iranian tongues besides invigorating trust in delivering real news among millions of eager hearts longing for a spiritual connection transparently free from fear or hesitation yet emboldened by their newfound Christian worldview.