Middle East (MNN)– President Hosni Mubarak and Morrocco’s King Mohammed VI held talks about developments in the Palestinian territories, efforts aimed at reviving the peace process.
Even as neighboring countries try to help find solutions to the peace problem in the Middle East, there are many who vow to destroy those efforts.
Experts agree that most often, it is during the rise of militancy in these areas, that Christians come under fire as well. Due to isolation and lack of materials, believersmust now also fight discouragement .
World Bible Translation Center’s Dale Randolph admires the determination he’s seen in the Middle Eastern church. “I think as Christians ‘duck their heads’, so to speak, at difficulties, they will still be trying to be very quietly evangelizing, and quietly sharing with neighbor people that are interested, rather than making a real stir out of it.”
Randolph says the exciting news is that they are ready to release a New Testament translation in easy-to-read Arabic.
Heralded by 100,000 copies of the Gospel of John and Luke/Acts portions, the Center has plans to prayerfully spread at least 250,000 copies of the New Testament across the Middle East and Northern Africa over the next three years.
The official launch is scheduled for next week in Egypt. “We are now printing the brand new complete New Testament in Arabic–printing it in Egypt. We’re set to see it get scattered out across the Middle East and north Africa fairly quickly, in the hands of dedicated Christian people.”
An Arabic-language web site will also offer free text downloads and WBTC’s own web site will offer the Arabic text along with its other free text downloads. “We’ll also place the New Testament on newspaper and magazine stands in the streets so it will be available for the man on the street,” added WBTC’s liaison.
The Arabic New Testament, translated into classical Arabic on a simplified level, is the Translation Center’s 27th New Testament translation. The Arabic Old Testament translation is presently underway.
