New ministry tool will make it easier to share the Gospel with Deaf people

A new resource designed to reach Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities around the world with the Gospel has been launched by biblical media company RevelationMedia in partnership with the International Mission Board (IMB).

The animated resource will present the Gospel of Luke word-for-word in American Sign Language (ASL), with the characters themselves signing throughout the story rather than using a sign-language interpreter at the bottom of the screen.

The Luke ASL resource aims to help Deaf communities know Jesus. The producers say there is a significant need to reach the more than 70 million people worldwide who are deaf, although some estimates put the number as high as 400 million, depending on how deafness and hearing loss are defined.

The community is considered one of the most unreached people groups, according to a joint news release from the two organizations. Only 2% are considered “reached” with the Gospel.

“In many parts of the world, Deaf individuals are treated as second-class citizens,” said Steve Cleary, founder and CEO of RevelationMedia, based in Richardson, Texas.

“Disconnected from the hearing world, these individuals often feel forgotten and unloved. Our mission is to bring the hope and good news of the Gospel into their hands through a compelling, visual format they can understand.”

The project uses production technology developed for iBIBLE, the world’s first visual and interactive Bible that presents the entire biblical narrative as one cohesive story. With the characters signing throughout the story, the producers aim to create a fully immersive experience for viewers.

Integrating ASL directly into the animation will allow Deaf audiences to engage with Scripture in a more meaningful and accessible way, according to the producers.

“We are excited to partner with RevelationMedia to leverage innovative technologies to bring God’s Word to life and accelerate the translation of the Bible for Deaf peoples,” said Victor Hou, chief of staff administration at the International Mission Board.

RevelationMedia plans to produce 24 episodes, one for each chapter of Luke. The producers say it will be the world’s first natural sign-language animation of the Gospel of Luke in ASL.

After the first chapter of Luke is complete, the scenes will be reanimated in more than 300 sign languages used around the world. This would allow Deaf individuals to experience the Gospel in their own native languages.

“This new project will impact the over 70 million Deaf people in the world with the good news of the Gospel,” said Cleary. “We are honored to partner with groups such as the IMB to make this dream a reality.”

Award-winning Christian writer Emily Owen is an advocate for the Deaf community in England. She was diagnosed as a teenager with NF2-Schwannomatosis, a neurological condition, and underwent multiple surgeries. NF2 led to brain surgery that caused her to lose her hearing overnight in November 2001 at age 21.

Owen also serves as a team member and email compiler for Open Ears, a U.K. charitable organization that facilitates fellowship for Christians who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Owen called the Luke Gospel project “innovative.”

“I’ve never heard of animated sign language like this before,” said Owen. “My immediate thought is how clear will the signs be — will it be the equivalent of mumbling, i.e., hard to decipher?

“Handshape is very important in sign language.”

Owen said she liked the concept “if it works.”

“I know there are projects ongoing to humanly translate the Bible into sign,” she added. “Perhaps this way will be quicker than that.”

Owen is aware that human translators work very hard to convey the meaning of biblical texts for Deaf audiences.

“So theirs will not be word-for-word — as I see the animation will be — as ‘word for word’ in English does not work in sign,” she pointed out.

“So for full sign language users, potentially the sign in English word order will not be fully accessible. For someone like me, who is deaf but prefers English word order, it would be good though.”

This article was originally published by Christian Daily International.