Switching on God’s Word for today’s audiences in France

LYONS, France — “Switch off the television and switch on God’s Word! God’s Word is the most precious gift we have. Every Christian should seek opportunities to share this gift of life with their friends.” This was the very direct message delivered by Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, the Archbishop of Lyons, to the people of France’s second-largest city as it prepared to mark the 150th anniversary of the declaration of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, 2004.

La Bible Expliquée: interconfessional, international and easy to read The launch of La Bible Expliquée (‘The Bible Explained’) in October 2004 was the culmination of no less than seven years’ work by a team of 80 people from different French-speaking countries and from Christian backgrounds, including the French Evangelical Church, the Roman Catholic Church of Canada, the French Lutheran Church, the Swiss Reformed Church and the Roman Catholic Church of Burkina Faso. Using the popular français courant translation, this edition contains more than 6,000 explanatory notes aimed at readers who may have little prior knowledge of the Bible and feel that it is not relevant to their lives. Its modern layout and two-colour printing also ensure that it is easy for newcomers to the Bible to read. Other features include colour maps and references to other translations. Thanks to the generous support of donors, the French Bible Society is now able to sell this edition at around half the normal cost of a publication of this quality.

In an initiative which attracted both local and national media coverage, Cardinal Barbarin encouraged Lyons’ Roman Catholics to take practical action by distributing 400,000 copies of a special pocket-sized edition of the New Testament and Psalms. Each copy contained a leaflet written by the Cardinal which gives explanations and guidance for people unfamiliar with the Bible. “Through this Holy Book,” he writes, “you will meet the one whom you may have been seeking in a rather vague way. He is seeking you much more determinedly, because he wants you to know the unfathomable riches of his heart and to give himself to you.”

The leaflet concludes by encouraging those whose interest has been aroused by what they have read so far to turn to the French Bible Society’s La Bible Expliquée (‘The Bible Explained’). This new interconfessional edition uses the approachable and lively français courant translation and contains notes and commentaries which deepen the reader’s understanding (see box). “It really makes you want to immerse yourself in the Bible,” the Cardinal enthuses.

Revival

His gesture and the launch of La Bible Expliquée come at a time when, according to a recent article in national newspaper Le Figaro, France is seeing a revival in the popularity of reading the Bible. One very significant factor in this trend, notes the article in a reference to Bible Society General Secretary Christian Bonnet, is the development of new formats for presenting the Bible, such as CDs and video cassettes. These new formats, along with innovative types of print Bibles, among them La Bible Expliquée, are encouraging people to rediscover the Bible or encounter it for the first time, both as individuals and as members of one of the country’s many Bible study groups.

Initiatives

Cardinal Barbarin’s efforts to bring the Bible to people who, while open to hearing God’s Word, do not necessarily wish to attend a traditional church service, began in 2000, when 100,000 New Testaments were distributed among the residents of his previous bishopric, Moulins. Many of the Bible study groups which resulted continue to meet today. Similar initiatives in other towns have been equally successful. In Cambrai, for example, church leaders decided in 2002 to set up small Bible reading groups. Father François Garnier, the local Archbishop, still recalls an unexpected incident during the planning stage.

Nine out of 10

“A local member of the Christian Managers’ Movement phoned some people in his neighbourhood whom he didn’t know. He invited them all to his home to talk about the Bible. Out of 10 people he invited, nine came!”

In Lyons itself, the distribution of the special New Testaments and Psalms took place within a wider context of cultural events throughout December. These included an exhibition of four giant Bibles produced by local artists, the opening of a House of the Word and the placing of banners in local churches.

With many more initiatives of this kind being planned elsewhere – including a Year of the Word in Nanterre – studying the Bible is “no longer restricted to experts or practising Christians,” comments Le Figaro. “It has now become established among the general public.” (WR 390/22 - 02.05)