The Ethiopian Church Journal Blog

  The Steadfast Translator Interview by Mitiku Adisu  Recently, Ethiopianchurch Blog caught up with Dr. Loren Bliese who retired in 2006 after 44 years of serving in Ethiopia as Bible translation consultant and trainer of translation workers. Dr. Bliese now resides in the State of Oregon and continues to work on a part-time basis on checking the Afar Old Testament and speak about his work in Ethiopia. The significance of his long service is that it spanned three governments beginning with Emperor Haileselassie. He also had the unique privilege of observing the nation undergo a generational shift from the imperial days to the tumultous 1970s and 1980s right up to the end of the Cold War and the beginning of a multi-centered environment. Dr. Bliese holds a Ph.D in Linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin.     EthC: Thank you very much for agreeing to do this interview for Ethiopianchurch Blog. Why is Bible translation important at all? Why is the Bible so important that it de

Corruption in international child adoption could not happen without collaboration with local agencies. Any investigation into these allegations should also follow similar route. Adoptive parents' quest, legal and financial redtape, and inter-agency competition [this is a lucrative business] has made transactions very difficult without at times cutting corners, merging or even filing for bankruptcy. The latest case is Imagine Adoption "which handled adoptions mainly from Ethiopia -- has grown wider, with the Waterloo regional police fraud squad launching a criminal investigation." Read More .

"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, as also the high priest and all the Council can testify. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished. "About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, 'Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?' " 'Who are you, Lord?' I asked. " 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,' he replied. My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me. "'What shall I do, Lord?' I asked. "'Get up,'

On June 7 we came across "Hands to hold: Family adopts baby from Ethiopia " and responded by posting "What is in a Name ?" Then came "Our Response to 'What is in a Name?'" and a number of [mostly uninformed] comments. Then followed "More Ponderings on Yesterday's Post ." What is interesting is that our reaction to a news article and a suggestion to one adoptive parent to retain an Ethiopian baby's name was given meanings we never could have anticipated. We understand the topic is emotionally charged. We also know parents who adopt a child have the best of intentions though not unaffected by cultural, legal, and financial considerations. And so we thought the best way to recap would be to bring the exchanges under one post. Please have your say.

Augustine's life as a young man was characterized by loose living and a search for answers to life's basic questions. He would follow various philosophers, only to become disillusioned with their teachings. For nine years he was associated with the Manichean sect. But he gradually became aware that Manicheism was unable to provide sastisfactory answers to his probing questions. At this time, Augustine was teaching rhetoric in Milan. He went to hear the preaching of Saint Ambrose, the Bishop of Milan. At first he went only to hear Ambrose's eloquent style of speaking. But the Bishop's preaching led Augustine to a new understanding of the Bible and the Christian Faith. Some time in the year 386, Augustine, his mother Monica, his son Adeodatus, and several friends, were spending time in Cassiciacum, a small village near Milan. While outdoors, Augustine heard the voice of a child singing a song, the words of which were, "Pick it up and read it. Pick it up and read it.&

 What Is In A Name? By Mitiku Adisu In the American Deep South the Ethiopian-born, 1-year old baby Demelash Wodajo ደመላሽ ወዳጆ is now Alexander Cole. The Coles, we gather, chose the name "Alexander" not just because it carried the same meaning in the Greek and Ethiopian [avenger/defender] but because it matched the names of their three children (Ashleigh, Allyson and Andrew). This is understandable though the idea of leaving no trace of Demelash's ደመላሽ heritage (except for his color) is not. Pastor Cole, a Baptist minister and very likely familiar with naming in our part of the world, should be the first to admit the linguistic and cultural significance of the choice. It is true the Coles are excited and gracious about their adopted son. But in the end, Alexander is not going to adequately make up for the loss of Demelash nor will "Alex" for "Deme". Alex is just Alex whereas Deme ደሜ is "my blood, my root, my line, my life". So what