The Ethiopian Church Journal Blog

The Steadfast Translator – Part 2 credit: thesacrepage.com Dr. Loren Bliese retired in 2006 after 44 years of serving in Ethiopia as Bible translation consultant and trainer of translation workers. Click here for Part 1 of the interview. EthChurch : So you come home to your land after 40 years of traversing Ethiopian highlands and deserts only to find biblical standards you once took for granted are being challenged on every front by your children’s generation [especially in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America - ELCA]. Where do translation and interpretation of the bible fit in all this? Dr. Bliese: Although Bible translation continues to emphasize accuracy, it is sad to see that current interpretations of the Bible have incorporated methods used to invalidate the clear intent of specific passages. The Bible is consistent in condemning homosexual practice in both the Old and New Testaments. However, theologians have set up principles of Biblical interpretation that try t

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause g

Under Pressure, Ethiopia Plans Crackdown on Baby Business Source: VOA Ethiopia is planning to shut down dozens of orphanages and withdraw accreditation from several foreign adoption agencies, in an effort to halt what critics say is a thriving baby business. The Bright Hope transition center in Addis Ababa is a showcase child care facility, financed by a faith-based Texas charity. Twenty abandoned children, ranging in age from several months to four years, play in a carefully supervised environment as they wait to be placed in adoptive homes. Bright Hope Director Getahun Nesibu Tesema says most of these orphans will be taken in by extended family members in Ethiopia. "Our main focus is to help the children here in Ethiopia," Getahun said. "Adoption, international adoption especially, is our last resort." But Bright Hope is an exception among foreign adoption agencies, in that it tries to place children within Ethiopia. This year, foreigners will take away about 5,00

Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. [Luke 12: 13-21] "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we