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Photo: WCC

Photo: WCC

United Bible Societies (UBS) and the World Council of Churches (WCC) have released a joint publication entitled Your Word Is Truth: The Bible in Ten Christian Traditions. The book is a collection of essays by theologians and historians on how the Bible is used and understood in various traditions.

Focusing on ten streams of historic Christianity within the Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox traditions,  the experts in this volume showcase the distinctive ways in which encountering the Bible—in all its power and perplexity—has profoundly inspired, informed, and shaped each tradition.

The book is the latest in a series of publications timed to coincide with celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the World Council of Churches, a period marked by increased consultation and collaboration among diverse Christian faith communities.

The WCC and UBS each work with a wide spectrum of churches. This collection invites people from around the world to experience the scriptures in a new way and to see the Bible through the eyes of another tradition. The publication revives a long history between the WCC and UBS of working together to nurture engagement with scripture as a unifying element in ecumenical, interconfessional relations.

Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the WCC confirms: “The monumental shift in Christianity’s global presence dictates a special attention to the Bible’s message of inclusion and its vision of justice. No matter the divisions and different emphases of each region and confession, we still answer to the same Lord and the same gospel imperatives. A biblically inspired, engaged discipleship, including reading and praying the Bible, has perhaps never been as needed as today.”

Michael Perreau, Director General of UBS, commends the publication: “For scholars and translators, theologians and pastors, as well as Christians everywhere, I hope that this vital resource enables deeper and broader understanding of the Bible’s living legacy and the vibrant traditions it continues to animate. For Bible Societies, it has already become a textbook we turn to.”

 

See the table of contents, samples and ordering information

Learn more about the work of United Bible Societies

 

About the WCC:

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is the broadest and most inclusive among the many organized expressions of the modern ecumenical movement, a movement whose goal is Christian unity.

The WCC brings together churches, denominations and church fellowships in more than 110 countries and territories throughout the world, representing over 500 million Christians and including most of the world's Orthodox churches, scores of Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist and Reformed churches, as well as many United and Independent churches. While the bulk of the WCC's founding churches were European and North American, today most member churches of its 350 member churches are in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, the Middle East and the Pacific. Read more: www.oikoumene.org.

About UBS:

United Bible Societies (UBS) is a global network of Bible Societies working in more than 240 countries and territories across the world. Together, UBS members are the world’s largest translator, publisher and distributor of the Bible. UBS is also active in areas such as HIV/AIDS prevention, trauma healing and literacy. United Bible Societies works with all Christian churches and many international non-governmental organisations. For more information, visit:  www.unitedbiblesocieties.org.