23rd October, 2006

DAVID ADAMS

“We were praying for years for my husband’s family,” writes a woman from Sudan. ”They started to watch your programs recently; they are all Christians now. Praise the Lord!”

Elsewhere a man from Saudi Arabia explains he is married with two children and has become a Christian.

“I don’t know how to announce my faith, and I don’t want to los(e) my kids and not to see them again if my wife took them away from me,” he says. “Pray for me, help me and (advise) me if you can.”

A VISION FOR THE ARAB WORLD: The organisation's programs are watched by hundreds of thousands of people across the Arab World. PICTURE: Lior Filshteiner (www.istockphoto.com) “The Gospel addresses the whole person and all people,” says a statement from Arab Vision. “An integral part of discipleship to Christ is a vision for a just society. This involves a commitment to human rights, to the poor, to minorities, to women, to refugees, to the powerless, and to those with special needs. In its productions Arab Vision supports the struggle of these people for a dignified life.”

They are just a couple of the thousands of messages Christian television production and distribution company Arab Vision receives every month.

Founded in 1997, the organisation was created by a community of Christians dedicated to proclaiming the Gospel across the “Arab World”, a term which includes the countries of the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East and those nations in North Africa where Arabic is the first official language of the state.

Ten years after it’s founding, Arab Vision these days delivers programs 24 hours a day to an audience estimated to range up into the millions via national and local television broadcasts as well as via satellite links. They range from Bible study and teaching programs to dramas, music videos and documentaries looking at issues like human rights.

According to the organisation, more than half of all Arabic-speaking people are functionally illiterate. Hovig Nassanian, communications director for Arab Vision, says that “as most people in the Arab world cannot read, and those that can read often do not like reading, TV is a great means for spreading the Gospel”.

“Most Arabs spend many hours per day in front of the TV set,” he notes. “The Arabic culture is also an oral culture - people communicate much better by speech than in writing.”

In a statement of its programming philosophy, the organisation says it stresses God’s transforming power “in all areas of human life”.

“The Gospel addresses the whole person and all people,” it states. “An integral part of discipleship to Christ is a vision for a just society. This involves a commitment to human rights, to the poor, to minorities, to women, to refugees, to the powerless, and to those with special needs. In its productions Arab Vision supports the struggle of these people for a dignified life.”

It’s a philosophy that can bring heat down upon them - indeed citing security concerns and the sensitivity of some of the organisation’s programming, Arab Vision won’t disclose the countries and locations of their production centres.

As well as producing and distributing its own programs, part of Arab Vision’s mission is to train Christians living in the Arab World to produce programs themselves.

Nassanian, who was born in Beirut and has a background in journalism and broadcasting, says that the organisation receives an average of 2,500 responses a month from the audience.

“The response from the audience is very encouraging,” he says. “Many write or call to say that they have found hope and salvation in Christ. Then there are those who write to report answered prayers and miracles in their lives. They also ask us to pray for them and provide practical help and advice." 

“In some countries, we are able to connect our viewers with local churches and Christians to provide them support, medical help, and explanation of the Gospel. A number of 'home churches' have been started recently, made up of our viewers.”

Nassanian says there is a “major movement” of Arab Muslims coming to faith in Christ.

“In many cases and places, this may be in secret and not openly known yet, but the response from both the radio and TV ministries in the region, along with reports from the countries themselves, seem to suggest large numbers coming to faith in Christ,” he says. 

“Of course, that is only the beginning of the process. These new Christians need to be taught God's Word and discipled. In many of the Arab countries, it is very difficult and dangerous to do this face-to-face. That's why TV programs are so ideal to reach the thousands who are seeking to follow and grow in Christ.”

Challenges remain. Nassanian says there are all kinds of misconceptions and hurdles which need to be overcome in reaching people in the region - as well as the overcoming false teachings about Christ, he says the political situation in the region and the “automatic association” of Christianity with the US and Western polices make it hard to break through.

“It is a challenge in the sense that we must show in our programs that the Christian faith is truly a Middle Eastern religion and that its roots in the Arab World are deep,” says Nassanian.

“In itself, this is not hard because it is the truth! We must consciously work at it though because many Muslims assume that the Christian faith we proclaim is coming from the West. And because of that association, any unfair or biased political policies and operations from the West act as a catalyst to further antagonise the average Muslim Arab towards Christianity.”

Asked what Australians can be praying for with regard to the work of Arab Vision, Nassanian answers: “We need God's Spirit and power to open the eyes and hearts of those who are drawn to Christ.  Also pray for protection and wisdom for those working in the region.”

~ www.arabvision.org