International (MNN) — Translation templates in video and media projects are enabling more people to learn about the Gospel and Christianity, including important pieces of church history, in their own languages.
International Media Ministries presents the Gospel through a variety of video and media projects, and by using a template that enables easier translation, they hope to reach an even wider audience. Denise Godwin explains that by creating a template to work from, translation can happen much more quickly.
“It takes a lot of time and effort, but we have to create that foundation template in order to multiple the stories into many, many more languages,” she says. “We’re putting a lot of extra effort into that, but that means thousand and millions of more people will hear these stories because we create these templates.”
Reclaiming Christian Heritage
International Media Ministries is using this strategy to translate The Heritage Project, a docudrama featuring powerful stories from Church history in North Africa.
“The Christian history of North Africa can be considered a lost piece of history,” Godwin explains. “The Islamic culture there today doesn’t really acknowledge the time period that was very heavily influenced by Christians. There’s some really incredible, powerful stories in those centuries.”
By presenting the Gospel through these stories of early Christians, Godwin believes many people will see Christianity in a way they haven’t before.
(Photo courtesy of International Media MInistries via Facebook)
“This gives a North African person a chance to say, ‘Hey I have a heritage that’s from Christ,’ and that’s an amazing opportunity for them to consider the gospel.”
Convicting and Inspiring
Projects are often based in English, so North American audiences can watch projects as well. Regardless of where viewers are from, they will have the opportunity to be convicted and inspired by stories of early Christians who remained strong in their faith even when faced with persecution and adversity.
“I’ve been very convicted by this story of Perpetua who was a noblewoman. She was a person of influence in her time and she didn’t have to say, ‘No I’m going to stand for Christ no matter what,’ and yet she did. She wrote her own journal in prison and eventually died for Christ,” Godwin says.
“Today we have a lot of intolerance toward ideas that are lifting up Christ, so that message really convicts me. I need to stand for Christ no matter what because the truth is truth, and I’ve been super challenged by these stories.”
Godwin also points out that many church traditions have their roots in early Church history.
“We have church councils and meetings; we don’t have secret meetings. [Instead] we come together and discuss our issues. That comes from North Africa. What an amazing legacy we have today,” she says.
Get Involved
Efforts to translate and create this project and others are ongoing, and to see them to completion, International Media Ministries needs your prayer and support. Visit their website here to learn more about The Heritage Project, how you can pray for the ministry, and how you can give a donation.
(Graphic courtesy of International Media Ministries via Facebook)
Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy Matt Chesin via Unsplash.
