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For His Glory Bible College Class on Intercession

For His Glory Bible College at 17770 W. Cleveland Ave., New Berlin is offering a Spring Intensive Class on Intercession and Spiritual Warfare, taught by Rev. Donna Olson, on Thur. May 6th and, May 20th and, Saturday May 8th and, May 22nd. Thursdays at 6: 30pm and Saturdays at 8:30am. This class can be taken for credit 0r audited. For a registration form; call 262-754-9244 or go to www.fhglory.org.

Download the May issue of the Christian Courier!

You can now download the May 2010  issue of the Christian Courier! Read the Mother’s Day articles, check out the calendar of events, National and Global news stories, and don’t forget our fun Family page. Just click latest issue button – download times will vary depending on your internet connection.

Survey: Barna releases year-end observations for 2009

CA – The Barna Group has just released four themes they see from their research in 2009.  Barna Research Group was founded by George and Nancy Barna in 1984. As a marketing research firm, it primarily served Christian ministries, non-profit organizations and various media and financial corporations. During its quarter century of service, TBG has carefully and strategically tracked the role of faith in America, developing the nation’s most comprehensive database on spiritual indicators.

Theme 1: Increasingly, Americans are more interested in faith and spirituality than in Christianity.
“Faith remains a hot topic in America these days,” George Barna commented, expanding on the theme. “Politicians, athletes, cultural philosophers, teachers, entertainers, musicians – nearly everyone has something to say about faith, religion, spirituality, morality, and belief these days. But as the fundamental values and assumptions of our nation continue to shift, so do our ideas about faith and spirituality. Many of our basic assumptions are no longer firm or predictable.

…

“Our studies consistently demonstrate – as explained in unChristian, the book by my colleague, David Kinnaman – that being a Christian or associating with the Christian faith is not as attractive to Americans as it used to be…

…

Some of the related survey results Barna cited from this year’s studies included:

• Just 50% of adults contend that Christianity is still the automatic faith of choice in the US
• Nearly nine out of every ten adults (88%) agreed either strongly or somewhat that their religious faith is very important in their life
• 74% said their faith is becoming more important in their life
• Substantive awareness of other faith groups is minimal; even simple name awareness of some groups, such as Wicca, is tiny (only 45% have heard of Wicca)
• Most self-identified Christians are comfortable with the idea that the Bible and the sacred books from non-Christian religions all teach the same truths and principles
• Half of all adults (50%) argue that a growing number of people they know are tired of having the same church experience

Theme 2: Faith in the American context is now individual and customized. Americans are comfortable with an altered spiritual experience as long as they can participate in the shaping of that faith experience.

“Now that we are comfortable with the idea of being spiritual as opposed to devoutly Christian,” Barna pointed out, “Americans typically draw from a broad treasury of moral, spiritual and ethical sources of thought to concoct a uniquely personal brand of faith. Feeling freed from the boundaries established by the Christian faith, and immersed in a postmodern society which revels in participation, personal expression, satisfying relationships, and authentic experiences, we become our own unchallenged spiritual authorities, defining truth and reality as we see fit.”

Some of the survey findings that related to this theme included:

• About half of all adults (45%) say they are willing to try a new church or even a new form of church
• 71% say they will develop their own slate of religious beliefs rather than accept a package of beliefs promoted by a church or denomination
• Barely one-third of self-identified Christians (36%) strongly agree that it is important for followers of Christ to maintain positive relationships with people who are not Christians
• Two-thirds of adults (64%) are willing to experience and express their faith in new or different environments or structures than they have in the past
• Only one-third (34%) believe in absolute moral truth

Theme 3: Biblical literacy is neither a current reality nor a goal in the U.S.

Barna’s findings related to Bible knowledge and application indicate that little progress, if any, is being made toward assisting people to become more biblically literate.

“Bible reading has become the religious equivalent of sound-bite journalism. When people read from the Bible they typically open it, read a brief passage without much regard for the context, and consider the primary thought or feeling that the passage provided. If they are comfortable with it, they accept it; otherwise, they deem it interesting but irrelevant to their life, and move on. There is shockingly little growth evident in people’s understanding of the fundamental themes of the scriptures and amazingly little interest in deepening their knowledge and application of biblical principles.

…

Some of the survey-based results that led Barna to his conclusions included the following:

• Less than one out of every five born again adults (19%) has a biblical worldview, which is unchanged in the past 15 years
• Just half of all self-identified Christians firmly believe that the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles (not the facts, just the principles) that it teaches
• Barely one-quarter of adults (27%) are confident that Satan exists
• An overwhelming majority of self-identified Christians (81%) contend that spiritual maturity is achieved by following the rules in the Bible

Theme 4: Effective and periodic measurement of spirituality – conducted personally or through a church – is not common at this time and it is not likely to become common in the near future.

“There are two levels on which evaluation of where we stand spiritually can take place,” noted the California-based author. “There can be external measurement, such as that conducted by pastors, teachers, coaches or peers, and there can be self-evaluation. At the moment, we’re seeing very little of either form of review related to a person’s spiritual condition.

“Not surprisingly,” he continued, “our research found that a majority of churchgoing adults are uncertain as to what their church would define as a ‘healthy, spiritually mature follower of Christ’ and they were no more likely to have personally developed a clear notion of such a life.

“It may well be that spiritual evaluation is so uncommon because people fear that the results might suggest the need for different growth strategies or for more aggressive engagement in the growth process. No matter what the underlying reason is, the bottom line among both the clergy and laity was indifference toward their acknowledged lack of evaluation. That suggests there is not likely to be much change in this dimension in the immediate future. In other words, as we examine the discipleship landscape, what we see is what we get – and what we will keep getting for some time.”

(Source: The Barna Group – The Barna Group (which includes its research division, Barna Research Group) was started in 1984 by George Barna. It is a private, non-partisan, for-profit organization that conducts primary research on a wide range of issues and products, produces resources pertaining to cultural change, leadership and spiritual development, and facilitates the healthy spiritual growth of leaders, children, families and Christian ministries. Located in Ventura, California, Barna conducts and analyzes primary research to understand cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. If you would like to receive free e-mail notification of the release of each new, bi-monthly update on the latest research findings from The Barna Group, you may subscribe to this free service at the Barna website (www.barna.org). Additional research-based resources, both free and at discounted prices, are also available through that website.)

The Christian Courier’s 2010 Read through the Bible calendar available (UPDATED 12/18)

MILWAUKEE – The 2010 READ through the BIBLE CALENDAR is now available at ProBuColls Bookstore (New location: 9733 W Greenfield Avenue / Milwaukee Wi  53214 / Tel: 414.344.7300 / Email: PBCBooks@ChristianProducts.org). 

The RTTB Calendar provides daily Scripture readings to enable the reader to complete the entire Bible in ONE year.   Some have used the calendar year-after-year, switching translations, while others simply refresh themselves in the Living Word of God.

Additionally, the RTTB Calendar lists the Judaeo-Christian and national holidays.  Convenient “Things To Do” area is available on each monthly page, and a full year for 2011 with holidays appears on the inside back cover.

The 2010 Read through the Bible is available without charge (limited to 1 per person, 3 per family) through the generous gift of Byron A Rienheimer and his family.  A number of Christian ministries and business who support them are listed throughout the calendar for the reader’s consideration and prayers.

Contact ProBuColls Bookstore for more information (414.344.7300).

Impact of technology on Bible translation – a perspective from UBS

The Netherlands — Bible translation has always been painstaking, laborious work. It is not just the difficulty of the work itself; there are also the technical challenges translators face. In the old days each draft had to be typed manually—four or five times!—before the project was completed. And once the text had received final approval, the entire manuscript had to be re-typed by the typesetter before it could be printed.

Changing Tools for Bible Translation
The revolution started around the mid-1980s, when more and more translation projects began making use of the personal computer. Thanks to the PC, a text had to be typed only once. After that, only the corrections needed to be entered and upon completion of the project, the text could be sent to the printer in digital format.

In those early days the software for typing and printing scripture files was designed almost exclusively by the Summer Institute of Linguistics (now SIL International). SIL also produced tools enabling translators to type special characters, check punctuation and accents, and create word lists.

Creating word lists is not the kind of task anyone would have seriously dreamed of undertaking until the personal computer arrived, but it is precisely its time-consuming and laborious nature that makes it so suitable for an electronic brain. What it involves is extracting all the unique words from a text file and displaying them in alphabetical order, or sorting them by the frequency with which they occur. This allows Bible translators—or editors of any kind—to improve the text by easily identifying spelling mistakes or literal errors and and correcting them.

But it was in 1997 that United Bible Societies (UBS) made a special new computer tool available to Bible translators. Called Paratext, one of its many remarkable features was that it allowed the computer to display the Bible’s source texts in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek side-by-side on the computer screen. Furthermore, it offered dictionaries of the biblical languages; translations in languages from all over the world allowed users to draft their own translations and incorporated many other tools designed to improve the consistency of the text.

Since 1997, a number of other tools have seen the light. A research team at the British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS) spent many years developing software that would eventually facilitate comparisons of two versions of the same text in different languages, examining the internal structure of the words in both texts, and, on the basis of statistical analysis, determine which word in text A corresponds to which word in text B.

In addition, a tool was created that displays the source texts of the Bible in an interlinear format, together with the analysis of the structure of each word and its definition in English. This program allows users to perform relatively complex searches in the biblical texts. It also allows them to keep track of the way they have translated each word—thus enhancing the consistency of their translation. Finally, it provides links to other helpful digital resources such as the Logos Libronix Library.

Another extremely important tool now available is called Publishing Assistant. Developed by UBS with assistance from SIL, this program takes the completed translation produced in Paratext and converts it to the format required for the software used by typesetters in such a way as to speed up the typesetting process significantly.

Paratext 7.0
Paratext 7.0 was released in summer 2009, and at a workshop held just before the UBS Triennial Translation Workshop in Bangkok in June 2009 some forty staff from the four UBS areas were thoroughly familiarised with its new features so that they in turn can now train the Bible translators working in the field.

This new version has integrated most of the other tools mentioned with its existing functions, making it a piece of software that facilitates a translation project from its early stages right up to the moment the text is published.

Also, the security of the translated texts has been enhanced: it has become extremely easy to store a copy of the text in a safe place via the Internet or to back up the data on another device. All changes made in the course of a translation project are automatically documented and stored along with the project, so that different stages of the translation and versions of the text can be compared.

This new program benefits all three main categories of people involved in the process of Bible translation.

• Translators have access to all the resources they need to do their translation in a responsible way. They can add notes to specific passages, explaining their translation decisions; they can also list the questions they want to put to the consultant on his or her next visit. Tools to check that the text conforms to the spelling rules are also available. The program also allows users to keep track of the way they have translated particular biblical terms, depending upon the context. The computer can assist them in building lists of equivalent translations for checking purposes, saving a significant amount of time.
• Translation consultants can benefit from these tools as well. In addition to the features mentioned, they also have access to the so-called “interlinearizer,” a program that uses the calculations devised by the BFBS team to generate and format a back-translation of a given text. If the program miscalculates and offers an incorrect translation, the user can correct the data manually in order to “teach” the program how to analyse and translate each word or combination of words correctly. This enables the consultant, to a certain extent, to verify a translated text without having to depend upon either an oral or hand-written back-translation. This also means consultants can do part of their work from a distance.
• Typesetters will receive a text that is almost completely ready to be printed and requires substantially less time of processing.

So, the impact of technology on Bible translation can be summarized under three headings: time, quality, and cost-effectiveness.

1. Time. Thanks to the new technology, a translation project can progress faster. A word of caution is required though. Technology brings setbacks as well as advantages. Everyone who uses a computer knows about the frustrations of losing data when the hard drive crashes or a CD gets damaged. Software can even carry bugs that destroy important digital files. At the same time, using a computer carelessly brings risks as well. Making back-ups is essential, but it is something most people only learn to do—if they learn it at all—from hard experience. Efficient working procedures and proper training can help prevent unnecessary setbacks.
2. Quality. Of even more significance is the way the quality of Bible translations can be improved by the application of advanced technology. The tools now available help to produce Bible translations that: are better renderings of the original texts, are consistent where they need to be consistent, and contain fewer errors in both spelling and formatting.
3. Cost-effectiveness. It goes without saying that a translation project that is completed in less time is more cost-effective than other projects. There is more to say about this, however. One major factor in the high cost of translation projects is consultants’ travel. In many cases, the progress of translation projects has depended significantly upon how much time a consultant can give personally to the translators. Because of the financial problems affecting many Bible translation agencies in recent years, it has become more and more difficult for consultants to find the funds required to provide sufficient contact time with the translation teams. The new tools, however, can help remedy this problem. If a computer can generate a relatively reliable back-translation of a text, a consultant can do a lot of work at home. Meetings with teams will always be necessary—and desirable—but a combination of Paratext 7.0 and modern communication tools such as Skype can multiply the cost-effectiveness of a translation project in these increasingly difficult times.

Technology will keep on developing all the Bible translators’ tools, but perhaps the last word—for the time being—should be in praise of Paratext, firmly established as the jewel in the UBS crown as far as Bible translation is concerned.

(Source:

Dr. Reinier de Blois lives in Reeuwijk, The Netherlands, and works as a translation consultant for the United Bible Societies. He is the editor of the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and a member of the software development team that created Paratext.)

Milwaukee Public Museum announces Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit in 2010

Celebrating its 125th Anniversary in 2009, the Milwaukee Public Museum continues to strengthen its exhibits by announcing “Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible: Ancient Artifacts, Timeless Treasures” for 2010.

Milwaukee Public Museum hosts Dead Sea Scrolls in 2010

 MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) will open Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible: Ancient Artifacts, Timeless Treasures in early 2010. The exhibition—created and produced by the Museum—includes authentic Dead Sea Scrolls, illustrated manuscripts, papyri, early biblical artifacts, landscape and aerial photography, and interactive displays about science, discovery and exploration.

Since its restructuring in 2006, the 125 year-old Museum has focused on blockbuster exhibits to generate interest locally and internationally. This exhibit is being developed in conjunction with the Dead Sea Scrolls Foundation with which the Museum began negotiations in 2004.

The scrolls were discovered in caves near the Dead Sea in the mid-1900’s, and they have been dated and authenticated to the first century. Recognized as objects of intense scholarship and sources of primary information for archaeologists, historians, Jews and Christians, the Dead Sea Scrolls draw large crowds of people from all backgrounds.

For more information, related articles, links and exhibit updates, stay tuned to the Christian Courier e-Paper at Christian-Courier.com

Kids training their brains with Bible knowledge for bee

TAMPA/MILWAUKEE — Jason Epps has cerebral palsy but has the attitude of a marathon runner. What others see as a disability, Jason views as a challenge.

This summer, instead of training on the track, he’s flexing his brain. Along with 16,000 other youngsters across the country, Jason is preparing for a chance to compete at the first National Bible Bee in Washington.

“The way I look at it, it’s just a way for me to get stronger,” says the 16-year-old Freedom High School junior (Tampa Bay).

Jason’s mom, Christine, agrees. “He has a lot of goals in mind, and he doesn’t let anything stop him,” she says. “If he were just a regular kid running around, then he wouldn’t have the impact on people like he does.”

The Bible Bee will begin with local contests Sept. 12. The children, ages 7 to 18, will compete in either a primary, junior or senior age group. The testing style is similar to Scripps National Spelling Bee, but instead of being quizzed on spelling “conscientious,” contestants hone up on biblical knowledge. The Bible Bee includes a written exam. (For sample questions, visit www.biblebee.org.)

There will be 100 finalists from each age group in the national competition. It will be held Nov. 5 and 6 in Washington.

The Bible Bee, sponsored by the Shelby Kennedy Foundation, is awarding more than $260,000 in prize money, with $100,000 given to the first-place winner in the 15 to 18 age group.

For participating Wisconsin sites, like here.  The New Testament Church of Milwaukee is serving the Metropolitan area.

—– Read More —-

Jason says that participating in the bee is a chance to grow his faith. Whether he wins or not, going to nationals “would just be a wonderful experience,” he says. “I just think that no matter what happens, this has been a great experience because I’ve learned tools that I would never have known otherwise.”

Still, Jason admits, with a smile, that any help he can get with paying for college would be nice. It’s easy to forget that Jason uses a wheelchair. The honors student already has three colleges he’s considering.

“I’m just torn because part of me wants to go to Duke for seminary,” he says, adding that he leaves tough decisions to the Almighty. “Personally, if God says ‘go here,’ who am I to debate with him?”

For now, Jason, along with other youths, is preparing for the Bible Bee. The practices hardly seem like work. Each session consists of songs and games.

Blake Lambson, 11, has memorized numerous verses this summer. He struggles to pick a favorite. “I like all of ‘em,” he says. The sixth-grader at Burns Middle School does not anticipate competing beyond the local level.

But if he did make it to the nationals? “It’d be pretty awesome, and I’d be really nervous,” he says.

Jodie Gregory of Brandon takes her children, 11-year-old triplets and a 12-year-old, to practice sessions at Bell Shoals Baptist Church. She considers the Bible Bee a great parenting tool.

“I want my kids to have a moral compass to help them make decisions in their life,” she says. “I think that the Bible is a really good compass.”

Jill Cravens, chairwoman of the Lutz Bible Bee group, has three boys, ages 6, 9, and 11, participating in the Lutz competition. Cravens says she always struggled memorizing verses, and she’s impressed by the children’s dedication.

“The children are truly capable of doing much more than we ever thought they could do,” she says. “Instead of one verse monthly, the kids are learning two or three a day.”

Doreen Reyson, a mother of seven, is chairwoman for the Brandon (FL) area Bible Bee. Her daughter Rachel, 12, wears a nametag heavy with multicolored beads.

“Each bead means a certain thing that we’ve memorized,” Rachel says. In her quest to earn beads, Rachel has delved into the lives of biblical characters. Her favorite? “Joseph,” she says, “because he had a lot of struggles in his life, and yet he still held on to God, kept going.”

(Sources: Biblebee.org and Tampa Bay Online)

40 Bible study methods in one new book