Multi-Lingual Identity

00:01
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
Take advantage of their language, take advantage of their adventure, take advantage of their way of life to express the Gospel. 

00:23
Rich Rudowske
This is the Essentially Translatable Podcast brought to you by Lutheran Bible Translators. My name is Rich Rudowske. I’m the Chief Operating Officer here at LBT. 

00:30
Rich Rudowske
Today we are talking with the Reverend Dr. Ebenezer Boafo, First Vice President of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana and translation consultant for Africa area for Biblica. Dr. Boafo has a Master of Arts in translation from the Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology in Kenya and a PhD in Missiology from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA. Our conversation covers a wide range of topics, from local language engagement to local theologizing to the challenges of engaging African churches in Bible translation ministry and so much more. Hold on to your hats and enjoy the ride. 

01:09
Rich Rudowske
We are here this morning with the Reverend Dr. Ebenezer Boafo, first vice president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana. Thank you for being with us this morning, and we’d like to have our listeners get to know you a little bit better. Can you tell us some about your background and how you came to be involved in Bible translation work? 

01:27
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
I would just want to start off by saying I used to be a teacher in a high school, and I was teaching French and sometimes English, but my main subject was French, and I was really hoping to go forward as a teacher. And there were French exams to take for me to gain promotion and so on. Once I went to take this exam and I did so well, I was offered a scholarship to go to France. But all of a sudden things changed and they put me on the waiting list. And I was so frustrated. I was so frustrated that this had taken place in my life. And I was praying and asking God, what’s happening? 

02:11
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
Then I came to the conclusion that, no, I don’t need to work for the government anymore, but I need to do ministry and that God must open a door for me to do ministry. So I decided to apply to a theological school in Nairobi, not knowing what I would do, but I just wanted to go and serve the Lord. So I didn’t apply. And the following year, I was called again to take the exam, and I wanted to take it, but I had already applied to the seminary, and this time I was selected to go to France to go and do the course. Incidentally, it came when I had also received the admission to go to seminary. So there was a little bit of dilemma. How should I go about this? 

03:00
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
Should I go to France first and come back and then go back to seminary? Then I had an inner voice in me telling me to make up my mind. So I said, okay, let’s just go to ministry. So I left the country and went to Kenya to do my theological studies. And I just rejected the scholarship given to me to go to France. I went to Pan Africa Christian College, where I went to do theological studies for one year, Pan Africa Christian College. And incidentally, that was the year that translation principles was introduced into that seminary. I had never known that there was like, that SIL introduced translation studies as a program in Pan Africa Christian college. So I did the program for a year, and after that I had to do graduate studies in Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology. 

03:58
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
So I went to Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology. And that same year was the year they introduced translation principles. So I was getting some connections. I was trying to connect things. I went to Pan Africa, they introduced translation principles. I went to next, they introduced translation principles. So I said, let me major in translation. And since I’m a linguist, I really had a passion for this translation ministry. So I did my MDiv. I started with MDiV and then changed to MA translation studies because that was the very year that the program was introduced in Nairobi. So I was the first person to complete that program in the whole of Africa. Wow. And then I finished in 1993. And then from there I worked with Ghana Institute. 

04:52
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
I came back to Ghana, worked with Ghana Institute of Linguistics, literacy and Bible translation for about three years. And they also trained me in language survey. There was a program in England, Hostless Green. I went to study language survey. I came back and I did survey work in Ghana, Togo, and in Benin, three countries. But I was single at that time. It’s not really a vocation for married people because I’m always out in the field. So I came back to Ghana and worked with the Bible Society of Ghana for a year. From there I worked for about two years. And then there was a conference in Fort Wayne. Fort Wayne. Yeah. So I wanted to attend a mission conference in Fort Wayne. 

05:46
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
And when I got to Fort Wayne, that is when I met Dr. Bankowski and introduced a PhD program where they wanted me to do translation studies. So that’s how I got to Concordia and I got funding for the program, but as yet I didn’t know what I would do after the seminary. So in my final year, I got a letter from Biblica that they have been making a search for translation consultant for the Africa area. And my former school had recommended me to them. So they called me to Colorado Springs, and from there they said they wanted to work with me. I had not finished my thesis then, but I had to come to Ghana and write my thesis from Ghana as a worker of biblical. So that’s how I got to biblical. At that time it was called International Bible Society. So that’s how I got to the translation ministry. 

06:47
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
And I’ve been working all this while since 2004. 

06:51
Rich Rudowske
Very good. So you work for Biblica in Ghana or in the Africa area as a consultant even to this time? 

07:00
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
Yes, I’ve been overseeing the African projects for the past 16 years. 

07:05
Rich Rudowske
Okay, very good. So for Ghana particularly, how many languages are there in Ghana and how many Bible translations yet to be done? Do you know that information? 

07:19
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
I know that there are 86 languages in Ghana and we are doing two languages. Bible Society is doing about five of them. Bible Society, that’s the Grulkes and then Gilbert, where I used to work. They are doing quite a lot, but I don’t know precisely how many they are. Yeah, it’s not possible for me to say how many languages are left, but I could say that for the New Testament, at least two-thirds of the languages in Ghana have the New Testament at this time. 

07:52
Rich Rudowske
Okay, very good. So, as you know, I read your dissertation thesis to learn some about the work that you’ve been doing, and I found some interesting things in there. So one of the things that I noticed in your writing is that you question Bible translation efforts and products that are aimed at children and the youth and say that’s not the best strategy. Why is that? 

08:15
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
Yes, I really made that comment in the context of Bible translation being a literary activity. You understand literary activity in that sense, I realized that the youth are not very receptive to what do you call written local language scriptures. 

08:37
Rich Rudowske
Okay. 

08:37
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
And there’s a reason for that. We start literacy or reading and writing in English language. English language is our first literary language. We learn it when we start going to school. 

08:53
Rich Rudowske
Okay. 

08:53
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
So the youth have a higher proficiency in the initial stages. I’m talking of literary proficiency in English more than in the local language. Even though they are proficient orally in the local language, they are more proficient, the literary sense in English. Do you understand? So for the next, say, 15 years of their school life, they work in English all the time, reading and writing in English all the time. But that does not mean that English is their preferred language. Do you understand? When it comes to orality, the local language is preferred. So I would say in the sense of a written Bible, at that stage of life, they would prefer the English language. But when it comes to recorded Scripture, they would really accept and embrace Oral Bible. Recorded Bible. You understand what I’m saying? 

10:06
Rich Rudowske
Yeah. In the vernacular language instead of English. 

10:11
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
Yes. In actual fact, they prefer the vernacular language orally. Yes. When they gain proficiency in the vernacular language, that is when they transition from English into the local languages. And that happens most of the time, say, after 20 years, when they start to recognize their identity. Identity is an issue. They recognize their identity that we, too. We are accounts. We, too. We are els. We, too. We need to emphasize on our identity. So the issue of identity comes on. They become self-aware after 20 years, and then they start going back reading. Most of them learn the local language on their own, the vernacular, because of the skills they in English, they transfer it into their vernacular languages, and within a week or so, they become proficient in the vernacular language. 

11:15
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
So, yes, in the sense of written Bible, the younger people are not proficient in the written vernacular languages at that time, but over years, they transition into the vernacular languages. 

11:34
Rich Rudowske
That’s really fascinating. I never thought about that. What you’re saying is that after they are older and out of school, they start to more identify with their tribal or ethnic identity and their language. Before that, they’re really just involved in English. 

11:50
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
Yes, that’s exactly what happens to all of that. Wow. 

11:54
Rich Rudowske
Okay. Very good. So, multilingualism. Right now, in the Bible translation world, there’s a lot of conversation about multilingualism and the effect of multilingualism on looking at translation objectives and goals. So I think for our listeners’ benefit, I’ll say that for many years, Bible translation agencies and ministries really talked about all of the languages in the world and saying that there should be a translation in every language. But now people are saying, okay, but that idea came from people who only speak one language and they think of only one language. But many people in the world speak two or three languages, and so you have to account for that. So even back when you were writing your thesis, you already also began to deal with that question. 

12:45
Rich Rudowske
You studied a particular group, the Guan, and they don’t have, or at least at that time, did not have their own Bible translation. And so you found they had a certain level of Bible reading in English, their third language, and then tree, their second language, and were proficient in both. But you say that the church would be stronger if they had a translation in their own language, too. Why is that? 

13:08
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
Yes, I made that statement because reading the Bible is not only about getting to understand a message or to grasp a concept. Reading the Bible goes beyond an attempt to comprehend what’s in the scripture. Reading the Bible is an interaction between the Bible and then someone’s roots or someone’s past, someone’s history and someone’s memories. You understand? Yeah. Now, this past, then, history and memories are all activities that have been recorded in our minds or subconsciousness. They have been mentally recorded in our local languages. And this is where I want us to emphasize there has been a record of history in everybody’s consciousness. 

14:02
Rich Rudowske
Okay? 

14:03
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
Now, this record has been done in once the Nakra language. That is the first point. Secondly, as I said, the Bible engages our history, our roots, our memories. Now, this engagement also requires reflection. We need to think about how the conversation between the Bible and our past, we reflect upon it. And the question is, how do we think? We think using our local languages. We think in our local languages. We don’t think in English. Even as I have learned English for years, I think in English. So I use my local language. I use my vernacular language to engage Scripture, to think as scripture engages my memory, as scripture engages my past and history. I use my local language to do that reflection, to get a better understanding and to get that identity as a new Christian that have become, you understand, a better reflection. 

15:25
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
I used to be this. Now Christ says that, and I’m using my local language to process all of these things. I don’t use English to process it. So, in the same vein, I think, therefore, that the Guan person will better off if they have that advantage of engaging scripture in their local languages, where that’s the language they use to process. So why don’t you give them that opportunity to use that language to process and for them to get a better understanding and deeper roots in the Scripture. So that’s why I said it’s useful for them to have their own scripture. They think in Guan, they reflect in Guan, and all their memories and their history, their past are recorded in their consciousness in Guan. 

16:18
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
So we need to take advantage of that to help them exploit all of this to the benefit of Christianity in their communities. 

16:27
Rich Rudowske
Okay, so you would say then, that even if they’re proficient in the second or third language, that there are still barriers then to understanding. Once you start to think about scripture use or scripture engagement as a deeper activity of taking that information and sort of putting it together with what’s in your heart and your mind and who you are as a person, and having the Bible in one’s own language then removes those barriers as well. Is that correct? 

16:55
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
Yes. On top of that emotional aspect. Now, supposing you can raise an Akan song, a tree song, an English song, and then you see how they’ll pick up the language. But when I raise a song, you see a whole big difference. They become more relaxed, more expressive. That happens all the time. When they are singing in English, you could see that they are singing of joy and peace. If they sing in tree, they sing of joy and peace. But when you start singing in their language, you could see they are liberated. That’s what the word I would use, liberated to sing. 

17:40
Rich Rudowske
Okay. 

17:40
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
And the joy and the peace in their minds, you cannot just imagine. Yeah, that’s wonderful. There’s an emotional aspect of it. An emotional aspect to it. 

17:50
Rich Rudowske
Sure. So many people think that the goal of a Bible translation project is to have a finished Bible or a print Bible or maybe even a recording of a Bible. But you say that it’s more than that. What should the main goal of a Bible translation project be in addition to whatever products come from the project? 

18:09
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
Yes. It’s very important for the Bible to be first translated. That is just the first step. Then there are other stages. There’s a stage of engagement that is where I would talk of reflection or the Bible, engaging with the person’s history, the person’s past, the person’s memories, and so on. So that aspect is very crucial, the engagement aspect. If you miss that aspect, you don’t get much result as far as mission work is concerned. So the engagement is what will lead to redemption, or liberation, as I would call it. The redemption leads or is a result of the engagement. And the redemption also causes them to know who they are. And there comes the identity aspect. I am a cheap person. I am a canned person, but yet I am Christian just like anybody. Now. 

19:10
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
When they have that identity, then they can be confident to go out and tell people that this is what I am, this is what I have become. I’ve become Christian even though I did not change my identity. You too can become Christian without changing your identity. In the Aquapim history, for example, there’s always this history of the battle missionaries having a tough time trying to get Christians. And they went to the chief, the king, the Kwapim king, and asked him, why is it that people are not hiding our message? And the king says that it’s because I’ve never seen a black man who is a Christian. And then the Basel people took this seriously and told their mission in Basel that this is what the king is saying. 

20:04
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
Can you go for the black Jamaicans and bring them to the Kwapim area for them to see that they are Christians who are black. So they took a ship from Basel, Jamaica, and came, brought them to the coast of West Africa. Then when the king saw those people, then he said, “Oh, now we too can become Christians. They are just black like us.” So that identity aspect comes when there has been a thorough engagement between the Bible and the person, and when the person knows that even me, too, I can be a Christian and that Christianity is not a foreign religion or from a white man or from a Jewish person. But where I can be convinced that I, too, in my circumstance, am accepted by Jesus Christ. So that’s why I say, when you finish translating the Bible, it’s just the first step. 

21:01
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
There has to be that engagement, reflection, and the third stage is where the person is aware of his identity, that now I have a new identity, I’m the same. Christ has made me a new person in a new identity, and that I’m also accepted. Yeah. So that is how I see Bible translation. So any ministry that doesn’t go through all of these things or doesn’t partner with another ministry that does this has not completed his translation ministry. 

21:32
Rich Rudowske
Yeah. So one of the things you wrote is it says, the goal of every translation project should be, in addition, to express the Word of God clearly in native languages. The goal should be to clearly demonstrate what theological contributions the languages they worked in offer to Christian theology, which is a really important statement. Can you tell us a little bit more about that or give us an example of what that could look like? 

21:57
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
Yes. What I would want to say about this is that before Christianity came, people have their own concepts about God. Some were right and some were not right. Now, what the gospel is going to do is to purify their belief system, eliminating what is wrong and retaining what is right. For example, in my language, we have several names of God, more than the names that we find in the scriptures. Many, many names, you understand. Now, when Christianity comes into my culture, these good names, these positive names, are introduced into Christianity, and they enrich Christianity. 

22:45
Rich Rudowske
Okay? 

22:45
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
And if they are translated into other languages, then the Akan culture has had an impact on world Christianity, you understand? But most of the time, what happens is that the people who come and do the translations sometimes do not send these discoveries back to their native lands, that God has other names, God has other attributes. And as we do Bible translation, we see many of these things, some concepts that are not so explicit in the scripture, but which are inherent in other cultures, which may be useful for other Christians in their context. Yes, we haven’t really explored that area very much. 

23:32
Rich Rudowske
That’s true. I think that’s a wonderful gift that the churches that are language areas, that are newly engaging scripture, can offer to world Christianity. And we have to find a way to share that information and have it understood and used more so than is happening now. That’s a really powerful insight. Well, let me just read another quote, because I thought this was also really important, too. You wrote, until any serious studies are made on theological language of the Guam people, you were talking about them particularly, but then you had an application for anywhere. So until any serious studies are made on theological language of the Guam people, little may be known about theological strengths and weaknesses of their culture, a situation which could lead to spiritual colonization and a weakened Christian mission. Can you tell us a little bit more about that? 

24:24
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
Yes. When we go to history, we know that the missionaries from Basel came in the equipment area. And within the equipment area, those who speak tree constitute about 30% of the population, and then 70% are Guan speakers. Now, the missionaries did everything to reach out to all the Kwapim area. It’s not a big area, so they really reached every town and every city on the Aquapim hills. But to date, we realize that Christianity is stronger among the tree speakers, among the account speakers, more than the Guan speakers. If you talk of African traditional religions, they are much stronger in the Guan area than in the tree area. So there must be something, as I said, that is not being well translated into their theologies. That is making them a bit hesitant. You understand either. 

25:38
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
It may be that they are not being given the opportunity to give full expression to their theological beliefs. We preach to them in Tree. We think in Tree. That is a kind language. They have not been given that opportunity to express themselves in their local language. But as I’ve said, we have seen them express themselves freely in songs. When it comes to singing, they have very powerful songs. And then when you could observe when you see them, that they feel liberated when they are singing now, in the same way, I expect that they will be liberated and then be able to emphasize and spread the gospel within their communities. 

26:38
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
When we have a Bible translation in their communities, so that they are able to preach in their language, reflect in their language, and then spread the language through the languages, that is what I expect. 

26:52
Rich Rudowske
Okay, very good. You also mentioned that the Bible translation for over the past 100 or 150 years has largely been driven by Western translation agencies. But now there’s an important crossroads where it’s important to invest in the global Christian church to be more effective partners in Bible translation. Why do you think that is? 

27:17
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
Yeah, the Bible translation ministry. I would say that we have what we call foot soldiers, the ones on the ground who really do the work. What I want to draw the attention of the missionaries is that anywhere they go, the local people there are the foot soldiers. They are the ones who do their real engagement with the people because they are the ones who take the message to their homes, their families and everything. And they are the ones who draw people to the missionaries. The missionaries are not able to reach the people without the medium of the local people. What I mean by that is not that missionaries should come and go away. No, that’s what I mean. Because once somebody’s a translator or a missionary, he’s a missionary for life. 

28:14
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
Missionary is not something you come and do and then you go home after some years. No, you are in it. A Bible translator is the Bible translator forever as Bible translators. And go back home. Go back home and do what? They are Bible translators. They have to be everywhere. They need to be, but okay, the missionaries need to facilitate, to be supportive in the mission. They must let the local people drive the mission of translation while this gives them every backing and support they need. Because as I said, once a translator, you are a translator, and the more you are in the ministry, the more experience you have. So we expect that more experienced people would support the ministry in the other world, in the other localities, in the mission field. So it’s a collaboration or a form of partnership. That’s what I mean. 

29:14
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
We need them around because they have the expertise, because they are brothers and the mission is for Christ. That is the central thing. And then we are not saying anybody should go home. No. Once you are missionary, you are. And therefore we are not advocating for moratorium or anything. No, you are always invited and it can happen on our side too. We are able to go and do mission work in other countries. It’s not a one way traffic. We are also able to do mission in other countries, in Europe, in the know. It’s an exchange because we are all workers of Christ, empowered by Christ, therefore working together. So the missionaries will always be needed and the European or the American Christian would also always need missionaries. We work together. 

30:09
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
We must be supportive or we must know that those we go to in their respective countries are the foot soldiers. That is what we just need to keep in mind. 

30:21
Rich Rudowske
Sure. And you’ve also said that it is important to have Bible ministries working closer with churches and theological institutions to sensitize them about the importance of Bible translation in Christian mission. Have you experienced that with your own church, the ELCG? How is the role of Bible translation and language work part of your church? 

30:46
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
In my church, we have not been able to sensitize our people much, especially the work of Lutheran Bible Translators. Some have been exposed, especially in the northern part where they see it, but within the southern part, we have not been able to expose them to Bible translation, because I would say that we have not even yet grounded ourselves in the mission, and we will talk about that later. There’s a reason why we are not yet grounded in the mission, let alone even go into Bible translation. But I had an experience. It’s a general experience. When I was in the seminary, I was in the library one day, and somebody, he was an MDF student, and he comes and he tells me, I heard you are doing Bible translation. And I said, yes. 

31:38
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
Then he asked me, who gave you that authority to do Bible translation? How can you do Bible translation? I mean, how can you do Bible translation? He’s saying, it is the church that does it. Yes. I said, I know it’s the church, but what does the church do to support Bible translation? There’s a question. You see, people over there in the seminary have very little understanding of the work we do, and it cuts across many denominations. They didn’t incorporate Bible translation in their curriculum. For example, you could go to MA or MDiv in any seminary. You would never be taught about Bible translation. 

32:26
Rich Rudowske
That is very true. 

32:28
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
It is foreign to our seminaries. And not only foreign, but there are some people who oppose it, even up till today. The way the guy asked me is like, I am doing something that is illegal, you understand? So they see Bible translation as something fixed. First of all, that guy thought that once I speak English and the people speak English in my language, that’s it. In my country, the people speak English in my country. That’s it. There’s no need for any Bible translation. That is its mentality. It has been translated. English is the official language in Ghana. Ghanaians must use English, and that is it. That is what he meant. So there has to be sensitization in our seminaries, because our translators are going to come from the seminaries and from nowhere. That’s where we’re going to get them from. 

33:23
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
But unfortunately, they have not been done because our seminaries are not interested. That’s what I realized. They are always suspicious of Bible translators, and it’s a very deep suspicion, I can tell you. 

33:40
Rich Rudowske
Yeah. What do you think that is or how did that originate? Any ideas? 

33:44
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
It’s because they think we are theologizing. We are doing theology. They think theology is fixed. You understand? And the moment you do translation, you are thinking of new concepts. And there are certain things. You cannot translate them directly into other languages. You would need to rephrase them. You need to think about them again and put them in new words. And by doing this, you are radiologizing. And this is what fear that as we do, that we will corrupt the true message of God. So that is their major fear, especially when we try to put in concepts, local concepts, that they don’t even understand. You understand? That becomes a bit scary for them, that we have concepts that they don’t understand. How sure are they that we are on the right path? So that is the suspicion, theology and the translation going on. 

34:43
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
They think we are somebody who traitors. We could be traitors to the message. 

34:51
Rich Rudowske
So what do you think that the Lutheran church in the United States or in Europe or in the West can learn from Lutheran churches in Africa? 

35:01
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
That’s a very big question. What can they learn? What they can learn, if they are really prepared, what they can learn is the fact that when a church is planted, it does not alter the Word of God. But in the expression of Christianity, there is a variation. We cannot expect Christian expression in U.S., Europe or Asia to be the same as it is in Africa. For example, when I was in the seminary, people were saying, dancing is mundane. Do you understand? To dance is a mundane act? Yes, because they don’t understand what dancing is. In Africa, dancing is not just a means of entertainment. It is language. You understand? Dancing is language in Africa. And you can best see it when you go to our communities and there are festivals and you see different kinds of dancing, and as they dance, they talk. 

36:18
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
And we also have drums. The drums also talk. So language in Africa is not just written, written, written. So if you come to us and then you are always emphasizing on the written. People see the church after school. It is not part of their culture. 

36:41
Rich Rudowske
That’s good. That’s very insightful. 

36:43
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
People are expressing, express so many things in different ways. Language, dressing, dancing, music is very crucial. So all of these things they have to learn and know that these are language. When we talk of language, it does not only include spoken or written language, it engulfs so many things. And if they are aware of this and incorporate it in their missionary strategy, they will have more success than they have had. But if they want to import what is in their country, just into our country, it becomes an artificial form of worship. And people are waiting to be liberated. People are in the church, people are waiting to be liberated. And to be liberated is that take advantage of their language, take advantage of their culture, take advantage of their way of life to express the Gospel. That is what they must learn. 

37:48
Rich Rudowske
That’s great. Thank you so much for that insight. Very good. So tell us, how have the Scriptures been meaningful in your life? You’ve talked about your journey and vocational goals and how those things have switched. How have the Scriptures been meaningful to you on that journey? 

38:04
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
It has been very know. I did French and I did Liberal Arts, the arts and English. And I’ve read a lot of philosophies from various countries, France and English philosophers and so on. And I’ve gone deep into all of these philosophies and I have known what they mean and what they want. And I have the occasion to be able to compare what they are thinking and what the Bible is thinking. And you could see the superiority of the Bible. You understand, you could see clearly how superior, unless you read the Bible, you think that those are the best intellectuals in history. But when you start reading the New Testament and all the Psalms and all of these things, then you realize that those people, they don’t know anything. 

39:02
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
It causes you to attach yourself more and more to the Word of God and to have confidence. They try to turn things around, to change things, to misrepresent the Bible. But if you see and read the Bible, you realize that what they are saying is not true and that they are making an effort to tarnish the Word of God, the image of the Word of God. So you see the Bible, the Bible is superior to human philosophy. There are so many loopholes in human philosophy to the extent that it’s nothing to write about. When you compare it to the Bible, which just says the message as it is. The Bible is something I always read several times a day. And every day I see new things, and every day I see new things as if I have never read before. 

39:59
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
That is what makes it fun for me, because that’s a motivation for me to read. And that’s why I always want to be in the Bible translation ministry, to help people to read. And one of the ways of helping people to read is to simplify the language, make it clear for the people, remove all those difficult concepts and reduce it to basic level for anybody to understand. Then they will understand what God is saying, and then they will realize that what they are being told by the media and the other philosophers are just groundless. Groundless and business talk. 

40:42
Rich Rudowske
What Scripture or words of encouragement would you like to leave our listeners with today? 

40:48
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
I would just like to read a portion of the Scripture in that revelation, chapter 5 and then let me read from verse 6 to 10. “Then I saw a lamp looking as if it had been slain standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the lamp. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bows full of incense which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song.” 

41:38
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seal because you were slain and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and every language and every people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priest to serve our God. And they will reign on this. Know in this world where there’s much tribalism, there’s much social distinctions, racism and et cetera, the Bible makes it clear, Jesus makes it clear here undisputable that whatever tribe you come from, whatever language you speak, whoever you are, whatever country you are from, all of us are from one kingdom of God. We are citizens of heaven. We are God’s children. We have been made priests and all of us have been given the power to serve God. 

42:36
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
And this should unite us together as Christians, respect one another, support one another, pray for one another, and help one another in our mission. For together we will succeed in this mission. This is what I have to say this morning. 

42:53
Rich Rudowske
Amen. Thank you so much for sharing that and for your time this morning we’ve been talking with the Reverend Dr. Ebenezer Boafo, First Vice President of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana. Thank you for your time this morning, sir. 

43:05
Rev. Ebenezer Boafo
Thank you too. Have a nice day. 

43:12
Rich Rudowske
Thank you to the Reverend Dr. Ebenezer Boafo for being our guest on the podcast today and sharing your insight from your years of education and field experience. There’s a lot to think about, pray about and act on. In what we heard from Dr. Boafo today we pray for God’s richest blessings on His Word as it is proclaimed in the congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana for language communities in Ghana and all over West Africa just now engaging with God’s Word for the first time and for those who are still waiting. 

Thank you for listening to the Essentially Translatable Podcast brought to you by Lutheran Bible Translators. Look for past episodes of the podcast and leave feedback lbt.org/podcast or on Apple, Google, iHeartRadio, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow Lutheran Bible Translators on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. 

44:01
Rich Rudowske
Or go to www.lbt.org to find out how you can get involved in the Bible translation movement and put God’s Word in their hands.

The Essentially Translatable podcast is edited and produced by Andrew Olson and distributed by Katie Hogan. The Executive Producer is Amy Gertz. Technical support for this episode was provided by David Federwitz. Podcast artwork designed by Caleb Rodewald. Music written and performed by Rob Veith. I’m Rich Rudowske. So long for now.