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The Son and the CrescentBible translations that avoid the phrase "Son of God" are bearing dramatic fruit amongMuslims. But that translation has some missionaries and scholars dismayed.

Collin Hansen [ posted 2/4/2011 9:10AM ]

Last year, representatives from several prominent mission agencies,

both national and expatriate, met to compare notes about the

progress of their respective ministries in one Muslim-majority country.

(The country's name is withheld for security reasons.) The

representatives rejoiced that more than 1,000 "fellowships," as they

call them, have been established for people from Muslim backgrounds. In fact, many of the

fellowships had already planted new fellowships, and those fellowships had planted still more.

Many thousands of Muslims in this nation alone, then, had found faith in Jesus.

Several of these fellowships can be traced back to small networks of Muslims w ho had

encountered Christ and in turn began sharing with family and friends what they had discovered.

In one case, a middle-aged working mother had inductively studied a new translation of the

Bible for a few years. Among other language choices, the translation she used d id not refer to

Jesus as the "Son of God," due to confused and angry reactions from Muslims who mistakenly

believe this phrase means that the Father engaged in sexual relations with Mary. To avoid this

misunderstanding, the new translation called Jesus "the Beloved Son who comes (or originates)

from God."

The woman, who eventually professed Jesus as Lord and Savior, began inviting friends and

family to read the Bible too. At first, about 10 people met with her. This was cause enough for

celebration, since Muslims in her country rarely study any religious books other than the Qur'an

and the Hadith (collections of Muhammad's sayings and deeds). Three months later, another

group formed nearby to discuss one New Testament chapter per week, and an elderly member

of the family accepted the Good News of Jesus. Within two years, sev en more reading groups

had sprung up. Today, no one knows exactly how many such groups have formed. But new

believers in Jesus have spread the message to nearby towns, and several hundred professions

of faith can be attributed to this network alone, according to a group of long-term field workers

in the country.

These and many other Muslims live in places where Bible translations have been available in

their languages for decades, even for more than a century. So why t he sudden surge of interest

in Scripture? Some translators attribute the response to the new Bible versions that use

religious vocabulary familiar to Muslims. And that's precisely the problem, according to other

translators and missionaries who work among Muslims.

They charge their colleagues with compromise that

undermines belief in Jesus Christ as the pre-existent,

only begotten Son of God. Both sides eagerly long to

take the Good News to the nations and make it

discernable to Muslims in their heart languages. Both

respect Muslims; neither wants to alter Jesus'

message. Yet a dispute over the most faithful and

effective way to render the common biblical phrase

"Son of God" is dividing missionary from missionary,

scholar from scholar, in a time of evident mistrust

between Western Christians and Muslims.It also

underscores how few Christians in the West

themselves understand this common biblical title for

Jesus.

Compromise or Comprehension

Bible translation and contextualization have long divided Christians working to fulfill the Great

Commission. When missionary pioneer William Carey translated the Bible into Bengali in 1809,

he used the Hindu word for the supreme being, Ishwar , to refer to God. Critics charged him with

making a fatal compromise in the name of comprehension. Today, "Son of God" is hardly the only

point of contention among missionaries to Muslims. For example, they also tangle over whether

Bible translations should use Allah to refer to God. Both sides make a compelling case. Muslims

understand Allah in terms of simple monotheism rather than the dynamic Trinitarian theology

that Christians profess. Yet Allah, the word for God that Muslims know from the Qur'an, actuallypredates Islam. Some translators have recovered it so that Muslims reading Scripture for the

first time won't immediately reject the Bible as foreign to their culture.

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'Missionaries can live in a

Muslim culture for

decades, blaming Muslims

for being "resistant" to

the gospel, when the

problem actually lies with

linguistic and cultural

stumbling blocks.'—Rick

Brown, Bible scholar and

missiologist

RELATED TOPICS: ; ; ; ; ; ;; ; ; ; ; ;;

Apologetics Bible Bible Translation Doctrine Evangelism Interreligious DialogueIslam Jesus Life of Jesus Missions Muslim-Christian Relations Other ReligionsQur'an Trinity

FROM ISSUE: , Vol. 55, No. 2February 2011

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Hussein Wario February 17, 2011

Leonard Stephens: Tell a practicing Muslim if the proposed substitute for "Son of God," "the Beloved Son who comes (or

originates) from God" means to him or her and you will be shocked with the answer. If for anything, this article exposes these

expert Bible translators knowledge of Islam and Muslims. In Islam, "the Beloved Son who comes (or originates) from God" has no

divine qualities. Muslims believe all life originates from Allah. Jesus is not an exception. Please read Surah 4:171. All the Qur ’an

commentaries on this verse are unequivocal. “From” Allah in Islam doe s not come with divine qualities. Your argument equating

the expurgation of "charity" from modern translations with deliberate removal of "Son of God" from new Bible translationsgeared toward Muslims, just to gain more “converts,” is moot.

Leonard Stephens February 17, 2011

Some writers have spoken of the term Son of God being "expurgated" "removed" "avoided" and so on. That is false and

emotionally-charged language. Do we say that modern English translations have removed the word "charity" from the Bible, or is

it true to say that "love" is a better translation of the Greek word "agape"? In the same way, in many languages there is a

traditional word that would be understood to mean that God physically sired a child, and another one that speaks of close

relationship, care and protection. The second is closer to NT Greek meaning. But experts like Rick Brown are also recommending

that translations use footnotes, glossaries and other helps alongside the text of the translation so readers can learn the

traditional terms and have the m atter explained to them. Not mentioning these recom mendations is simply fear-mongering and

distorting the position of these people.

Hussein Wario February 16, 2011 The Christian church needs to wake up. First, it was the question about Muslim background believers' identity, whether they

should remain Muslims and continue attending the mosque for prayers, and now the Son of God is being expurgated from

Scripture. Where is this drive going to end?

Salaam Cornice February 16, 2011

Oops. Mea culpa. The phrase which read "Isn't it high time to see that a poor theological root, i.e. that “tweaking” information will

solve the moral problem?" Should have read, "Isn't it high time to see that a poor theological root, i.e. that of "tweaking"

information, will not solve the moral problem" Think of the rich man and Lazarus. All the data, even someone coming back from

the dead, was said to be insufficient for breaking into the stone-hearted rebellion of the rich man's family. Thanks to the reader

who saw what Samuel Zwemer the missionary to Islam, saw as the "Glory of the Impossible, " and thus rightfully noted the "not

by might---even of our translations---not by power---even of the wisely worded footnotes---but by My Spirit says the Lord."

Let's just admit that preaching in a graveyard, needs more than some courses on eloquence, but resurrection power.

Salaam Corniche February 16, 2011

Part 2 of 2 Dramatic fruit on which root? Fast forward to our new and improved translation theories. There is a lack of success

in getting converts—so it is alleged. That problem must be due to a lack of guidance. We will provide guidance by Islamic

sounding phrases and so help people out of the realm of ignorance. Then we will declare massive successes in unstated

places, led by unstated individuals and unstated organizations. A few readers keyed on to the fact that the problem is not

informational, it is moral. The human heart is "darkened in its understanding," "cannot and will not understand spiritual things" and

is “dead in sin.” (Thanks JA) Isn't it high time to see that a poor theological root, i.e. that “tweaking” information will solve the

moral problem. Neither will footnotes, for that matter. My prayer is, "Lord Jesus, give me fruit that will remain, also in the Muslim

world." A modern-day John Knox might have added, "Give me the Muslim world or I die."

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