United Bible Societies World Assembly Public Statement

Video transcript:

Last month I joined with 390 of my Bible Society colleagues from 147 countries for our United Bible Societies World Assembly. What an incredible, enriching experience! We hadn’t met together like this since 2016 and the joy in the room was palpable. It is a gift to experience such unity of purpose amongst such a diverse group of Christians, from different cultures and a wide range of church traditions.

Coming together as a global fellowship allows us to discuss matters directly related to our work. Things like Bible translation, Bible engagement and working with different Christian confessions. But it also gives us opportunity to compare notes on issues that are common to us all. Things like human migration, global inequality and climate change.

For the first time I heard the term ‘poly-crisis’ used to describe how we are experiencing the world today. There was broad agreement that across the world anxiety levels are rising as we navigate through big issues of conflict within and between countries; the aftermath of the Covid pandemic; the cost of living and changes in the climate.

So, we were very realistic about the world in which we live. And we were united, indeed moved by God’s Spirit, to reaffirm our belief that the Bible speaks into the realities of our world. The Bible challenges selfish, oppressive and destructive worldviews and systems. It affirms the value and worth of every human being. When approached with an open-mind and open heart, it will lead us to Jesus, the Saviour of the world.

The Bible offers hope. And in this poly-crisis, perhaps hope is a word that the world cannot comprehend. But hope is something God offers us, in times of peace and war, feast and famine. And the unique, life-transforming hope that Jesus brings, revealed to us in the Bible, is our focus as we look towards Christmas. We want to partner with churches this Christmas as you share the Bible and share the hope you have now and for the future. Take a look on our website at ways we can resource you to share this hope, and get in touch so we can work with you as we navigate huge, global issues in our neighbourhoods, streets and homes.