Syria
Languages: Arabic, Kurdish, Armenian
It was on the road to Damascus, capital of today’s Syria, that Saul was stopped in his tracks when setting out to thwart the early Church. It was also here that he regained his sight, was filled with the Holy Spirit, was baptised and began his ministry as an apostle.
The Christian population [...]
Filed under: Christianity on March 31st, 2009 | 1 Comment »
I am currently working on a job with a colleague. I am quaking in my boots because he will be proofreading my work before submitting it to his client. I am translating an area I am not really that comfortable with and I feel sure I’m making tons of mistakes.
But the real reason I am [...]
Filed under: Translation, Words on March 31st, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Sudan
Languages: Arabic, Dinka, Nubian, Beja, Nuer, local languages
The history of Sudan has produced a mainly Muslim North and largely Christian South. The proportion of Christians in the whole country is around 23% but in the South it is closer to 70%.
For most of the past 50 years Sudan has been racked by a civil war [...]
Filed under: Christianity on March 30th, 2009 | Comments Off
Gentle Wibloggers with access to iPlayer may be interested to listen to last Tuesday’s Afternoon Play on Radio 4 – Witness: The Lake. It is the first of five plays in the run-up to Easter. This particular one is only available until the end of tomorrow but if you have a spare 45 minutes it [...]
Filed under: Culture on March 30th, 2009 | Comments Off
Sri Lanka
Languages: Sinhalese, Tamil, English
Christian tradition claims that Sri Lanka was first evangelised by the apostle Thomas. Small Christian communities existed on the coasts of Sri Lanka during the succeeding centuries but is seen by many Sri Lankans as a product of Western colonisation.
The Sri Lankan constitution upholds freedom of religion but the proportion of [...]
Filed under: Christianity on March 30th, 2009 | Comments Off
Today we are thinking about Converts
Converts to Christianity from another faith (or none) may lose their jobs, homes, spouse, children and the support and love of their blood family when their new faith is revealed. Some may even lose their lives as their families cannot live with “losing face”, the betrayal of all that they [...]
Filed under: Christianity on March 29th, 2009 | Comments Off
Thanks to a heads-up from Jack the Lass I have now remembered to turn off all my lights and am writing this by the light emitted by the computer and an oil lamp. Ten minutes into Earth Hour is not the moment to find that the oil has run dry… so a quick bit of [...]
Filed under: Green issues on March 28th, 2009 | 4 Comments »
Somalia
Languages: Somali, Arabic
Somalia is a Muslim country (99%) with a tiny number of Christians, most of them converts from Islam. There is a general feeling that a true Somali is a Muslim and Christians are often associated with the oppression of the country by colonial masters. There is also a long history of conflict between [...]
Filed under: Christianity on March 28th, 2009 | 1 Comment »
So why is it, that when faced with a very similar document to the one I did so speedily the other day, it feels like I am ploughing my way uphill through wet concrete? Do I need to dash to the Indian takeaway for some Chicken Chom Chom (don’t you love that name?) to propel [...]
Filed under: Translation, Trials on March 27th, 2009 | Comments Off
Today’s country is Saudi Arabia
Language: Arabic
The region once had a large Christian population which vanished completely with the arrival of Islam.
There is no freedom of religion in the country and the Saudi government denies that there is a Christian presence in the country. It is not really known at all if there are any Christians [...]
Filed under: Christianity on March 27th, 2009 | Comments Off