Literacy Preserves God’s Word
Faulty Memories
People’s memories are faulty. And because of “faulty memory syndrome,” oral stories change as they are passed from one generation to the next. But God’s Word is not meant to change. That’s where literacy comes in.
Literacy Preserves God’s Word
“We are hugely privileged in the fact that we are taught how to read at a very young age,” wrote Bryan and Martha Conard, former staff members at New Tribes Bible Institute who are currently studying at NTM’s Missionary Training Center to be church planters in a cross-cultural setting.
“[However], what seems a ‘right’ … of people in our countries is a totally foreign concept to many around the world. In many of the unreached people groups that still exist today, no one ... has ever been able to read their own language.”
Imagine for a moment being illiterate. Imagine not being able to read God’s Word for yourself. Imagine never being able to say with confidence, “thus saith the Lord.”
That confidence dissipates yet more when you realize that you are relying on truths pulled from the archives of your great-grandfather’s not-so-perfect memory.
Now stop and consider that for some people this is their reality.
That’s why Bryan says that the written Word of God is “an exceedingly precious gift from God that is tangible and necessary for life.” And being able to read it is a huge plus!
A Literate Church
We want to see people groups reached with the gospel message. We want them to have the privilege of reading and studying God’s Word for themselves. And we want them passing the written Word of God on to future generations, unchanged by faulty memories.
That’s why literacy classes are taking place around the world. Pray for a literate church.