Denominational article

[Richard LaFortune]

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NEWS: Wycliffe Denies CIA Connection, Rusty Wright

A new book surfaces allegations that Wycliffe Bible
Translators founder W. Cameron Townsend and former
Vice President Nelson Rockefeller left a wake of death
and destruction during decades of activity in the
Third World.

In "Thy Will Be Done" (HarperCollins), Gerard Colby
and Charlotte Dennett accuse the pair of courting
right-wing dictators, aiding the Central Intelligence
Agency, destroying indigenous cultures, and ignoring
genocide. The 900-page book traces 70 years of
intrigue involving oil, big business, politics,
ecology, Bible translation, and evangelism.

The work focuses on Rockefeller's efforts at political
and economic influence in Latin America and Townsend's
goal of translating the Bible into every tongue. The
authors claim that Wycliffe's related organization,
the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL), was
repeatedly used to "pacify" Indian tribes and help
pave the way for commercial exploitation of resources,
thus threatening the Amazon rain forest. The authors
allege SIL, by introducing the Bible and Christianity,
destroyed tribal beliefs and customs, often leading to
"degradation, ethnocide, and even extinction." Colby
and Dennett strongly imply CIA-SIL connections in
Latin America, but admit the charges lack proof. 

Cameron Townsend (1896-1982) founded Wycliffe and SIL
in 1934. Now with more than 5,000 active members,
Wycliffe handles personnel and financial development
while SIL conducts field translation projects.
Wycliffe spokesperson Arthur Lightbody says the claims
made against Townsend and SIL are "without
foundation." "Research supplied by Wycliffe historians
shows that there was no association between
Rockefeller and Townsend." He also contends that where
SIL sends teams, "The cultural groups have a ...

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