Wycliffe Associates Support Bible Translation in Nigeria Amid Sectarian Violence

Religion Today | Updated: Jul 04, 2012

Wycliffe Associates Support Bible Translation in Nigeria Amid Sectarian Violence

Wycliffe Associates, an international organization that involves people in the acceleration of Bible translation efforts, is working in Nigeria to provide new technologies that will enable safer communication for translation workers. “Violence continues to escalate in Nigeria and across Africa, and we don’t have much time before some locations could close to Westerners,” says Bruce Smith, president and CEO of Wycliffe Associates. “Together, we can use today’s advancements in technology to translate God’s Word more efficiently and safely.” Nigeria’s population of more than 170 million is composed of approximately 50 percent Muslims and 40 percent Christians, with the remaining population following other religions or traditional beliefs. Recently, Nigerian Christians have been the target of terrorist attacks. On June 3, a suicide bomber killed 12 worshippers at a church in northern Nigeria, and another 15 worshippers were killed in April when they were attacked by gunmen in the city of Kano in northern Nigeria. In February and March, suicide bombers struck churches in Jos, killing a total of five people and wounding 38. While English is the official language of Nigeria, half of Nigerians cannot speak it. There are more than 500 languages in the country, spoken by 250 people groups. Currently, more than 300 languages are without any Scripture.



Wycliffe Associates Support Bible Translation in Nigeria Amid Sectarian Violence