Nigerian Bible Translation History – inspiring & painful

‘…the “Sword of the Spirit” [the Bible], placed in the hands of the congregations, in their own tongue, will do more… than all our preaching, teaching and meetings of so many years put together’ – Samuel Ajayi Crowther

“Dr Samuel Ajayi Crowther was the first African bishop in the Anglican Church and the first African Bible translator of the modern era,” writes David Morgan in an inspiring overview of Nigerian Bible Translation pioneer Crowther.

There is much to learn from the blessings of God, the exciting contributions of many and the disappointing and embarrassing impact of pride and worldliness. I’ve always found it so disappointing that the rising tide of worldly European pride and superiority found its way into so much of the Western church by the end of the 19th Century. We ought to learn from that and be appropriately humbled. We cannot trust our instincts and our passions to drive us well, because we do not know ourselves and our blindness as well as we might. But that indeed is why the Bible’s powerful and enduring message is important to translate, not just our own shaky grasp of God’s truth.