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My name is Rev. Dr. Toby Welch. I am the Deaf pastor of a Deaf church. I have immersed myself in God’s work and ministry for over 30 years. I have pastored several Deaf churches and worked as a missionary, lay preacher, and guest speaker in the Deaf community. God called me to pastor Deaf churches because there are few Deaf pastors. Deaf pastors/leaders want to see more Deaf churches established to reach more Deaf people, because only 2% of the Deaf population are Christians. This means 98% of Deaf people do not know Jesus Christ (see https://doorinternational.org/why-deaf). Therefore, I have been burdened to preach the gospel to Deaf people for the glory of God.
I have heard many stories from Deaf Christians who attend hearing churches with Deaf ministries or Deaf services separate from hearing services. Some hearing churches decided to stop offering services for Deaf people or stop allowing them to have their own services. Deaf people wonder if hearing churches love Deaf people as God loves them. They often sense that hearing churches view Deaf people as a marginalized group or categorize them as having a disability that needs to be fixed. For many years, society has wanted Deaf people to be fixed because they believe that Deaf people are “less than.”
These people do not know Deaf culture. Hearing people have cultures, with beliefs, practices, and languages. Deaf people have a culture, with different beliefs, practices, and languages than hearing culture. For example, Deaf people use American Sign Language as their first language, and have English as their second language. Therefore, they depend on interpreters for effective communication with hearing people. Unfortunately, many people who are uninformed about Deaf culture tend to reject Deaf people or view them as abnormal. Does God create Deaf people as abnormal?
The issue is that 98% of Deaf people do not know Jesus Christ. I believe many hearing churches have rejected Deaf ministry. For many years, Deaf people have been rejected by hearing people. Deaf people don’t need to be fixed, because God created them people as beautiful as hearing people. God asked Moses a question that made it clear that God created deaf people (Exodus 4:11).
There are many Deaf people who are ready to be harvested, but there are only a few Deaf laborers. I hope you will consider working with Deaf people by providing interpreted services or supporting a Deaf church, so Deaf people can worship God, rather than going to destruction forever. It is our responsibility to reach out to both Deaf and hearing people for Jesus Christ our Lord.
In conclusion, I pray that you will be willing to work with Deaf leaders, leaders in Deaf ministry, or interpreters, so Deaf people can understand the truth about the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and so the 98% of deaf unbelievers will hear the gospel in a signed language. That is my burden. I desire to work with hearing churches to reach out to Deaf people who have no Deaf churches in their areas.
I hope you will work with me by praying for Deaf communities, talking with Deaf Christians and expert interpreters about supporting Deaf churches and Deaf ministry.
If you already support Deaf ministry, I want to express from my heart that I am blessed to see Deaf people attend your church. I pray that Deaf people will be drawn to your church. Thank you! I ask you to partner with me in praying for Deaf communities.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. Please do not hesitate to contact me at deafreformedpastor@gmail.com or contact my good friend, an interpreter and expert in Deaf service. His name is Chuck Snyder; his email is chucksnyder@verizon.net, and his phone number is 717-578-0665.
Thank you,
Rev. Dr. Toby Welch
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The transcript is for hearing people who do not know American Sign Language (ASL). Please note that I am a bilingual user. Therefore, English may be flawed, but basic information from the video. If you need more clarification about the sentences, please contact me.
Introduction:
Welcome to the Deaf Table Talk with Dr. Toby. Today we will discuss a new topic. The topic is Deaf people are Outsiders.
Outsiders
Outsiders are like outside. You know the word “outside.” The outside has many cars, grass, houses, ample space, land, etc.
Inside means inside of the house. I live with furniture, things, a bathroom, sleep, etc. It is only for my family. My friends can join us because we know them and allow them to enter our house. We will not let anyone who we don’t know into our home. Outside is an open space for everyone.
You are wondering why I am talking about it. Hearing people view deaf people as outsiders from their world. For years hearing people have had the custom of hearing and speaking. It is their routine every day, 24/7, 365 days, to have a habit of using hearing and speaking. They can hear many different things, such as noises, music, etc., since hearing people created in the world around 6 thousand years.
Of course, there were disabled and deaf people in those years. However, there are not much of documents about it. There are some disabled and deaf people in the bible. God created a different types of people, including disabled and deaf people.
However, hearing people are custom to using their speaking and hearing. They interact with each other in their world. However, when a deaf person comes into their world, they would stun and let each other know about the deaf person. They say there is a deaf person. How? Is the deaf person normal? They are not sure what to do with a deaf person because they never see it before.
Hearing people have a list of things that believe deaf people cannot do anything due to lack of hearing. So they are wondering what the deaf person is like because of deafness.
Assumptions
Assumptions mean they believe deaf people could be something or cannot do something, such as assuming that the deaf can’t do something.
Deaf People are: Not fully competent human beings
Hearing people view deaf people are not fully competent human beings. It means deaf people are not ordinary from the perspective of hearing people because of their lack of hearing.
Deaf People are: Who cannot hear cannot think
I find it odd that hearing people believe deaf people cannot think because of a lack of hearing. According to the research, when we think something, it develops a language. If we speak, we can build hearing, such as hearing people’s view that if deaf people cannot talk and hear, they cannot think. When hearing people look at deaf people, they believe that deaf people cannot do anything, handle anything, do anything, or cannot understand the law, etc., because deaf individuals cannot hear. So, deaf individuals couldn’t speak or hear, and they could not think.
Deaf People are: Not allowed to vote (the 1800s)
In the 1800s, deaf people could not vote because hearing people believed they could not think right. However, today, deaf people can vote.
Deaf People are: Not allowed to own real estate
Hearing people believe Deaf people could not own a house, business, or anything because they could not think clearly. Hearing people believe they could not think that they could not hold things.
Deaf People are: Not allowed to make wills
Hearing people believe deaf people cannot create a will to give to their family when they die, such as if they fail, we provide our house and thing to my children because deaf people cannot think right. However, today, deaf people can make a will with an attorney.
Deaf People are: could not achieve immortality
General churches believe deaf people cannot become good morals due to a lack of thinking about acknowledging excellent and evil because it requires deaf people to think and have knowledge of good and evil. Many people view deaf people cannot understand their morals. Today is better. Deaf people know and understand. When we explain morals, they understand. Deaf people do understand it.
The Middle Age
Long ago, hearing people view deaf people cannot understand anything. During middle age, that time there was a man named Augustine. Around 300-500 AD, Augustine mentioned that deaf people could not become Christians because they could not speak and hear, such as deaf people could not sign or speak sacraments. Sacraments allow people to confess their sin, belief in Jesus, Lord’s prayer, the Apostles’ Creed (creed means “I believe” and have a list for us to sign/speak), etc. So, if deaf people cannot talk about sacraments, they do not have good morals. It is what happened in the past.
However, today, many deaf people now can understand and can confess, sign the creed, Lord’s prayer, etc., including any church practices or customs. Deaf people can participate in churches more than in the past.
Deaf People are: A potential burden upon the community
Hearing people view deaf people as a burden to them. How? They have to provide different services that deaf people need to access communication, education programs for the deaf, and various services deaf people need. They feel burdened to support them, not only deaf people but also people with disabilities, wheelchairs, and blind people. They had to provide services for them.
However, today is better. There is an Americans with Disabilities Acts (ADA) law to support by enforcing any places to provide the service. They have funds for it. It depends on the location. For example, if anything is federal, they give the fund for the service, such as schools and colleges are federal, so they must provide the services. If location businesses and others, they have to create the fund to provide the services.
They view deaf people as burdened by providing them the services to sustain deaf people’s communication with hearing people.
Deaf People are: Incompetent
Hearing people believe that deaf people cannot do anything and are not competent to do anything, not able to promote the job, and other things. The mindset that deaf people can’t do anything. Today is better, yes. However, some hearing people still believe deaf people can’t do anything. Other hearing people think deaf people can do anything.
Deaf People are: having difficulty getting a driver’s license and insurance.
Around the 1960s and 1970s, deaf people had difficulty getting a driver’s license and car insurance. However, today is better. All deaf people can get it.
Hearing’s View on Deaf
The summary is that hearing people view deaf people as abnormal because they can’t speak and hear. Without speaking and hearing, deaf people cannot think, according to hearing people. Therefore, hearing people believe it is impossible for deaf people to think something and how to handle anything, serious issues, how to read or write, etc. Therefore, hearing people feel that deaf people need their help or limited services for deaf people.
So, it is what hearing’s view on deaf. Hearing people created everything in their world. When a deaf person into their world, hearing people have to limit deaf people in their world, such as limited services. Deaf people are not fully part of the hearing world because hearing people view deaf people as unable to do anything like hearing people. However, not all hearing people view it that way, only some hearing people support deaf people.
What about the hearing churches?
So far, I have discussed hearing people’s perspectives on deaf people. Hearing people view deaf people as inferior to hearing people because deaf people cannot do anything like hearing people. They also believe deaf people cannot do anything or think because they cannot speak or hear.
What about the hearing churches? You know when we believe that churches should be love, grace, and mercy toward deaf people. It is not valid. Even though we know that hearing people have a burden or responsibility to show love and grace to deaf people, not all churches have that. Most of the hearing churches still hold the belief that deaf people cannot do anything.
I have talked with deaf people about their experience in churches. According to some deaf people, hearing churches have limited services for the deaf and require deaf people to be “inclusive” with them in the hearing churches and hearing services together with the interpreter service. Hearing churches do not allow deaf people to have their own service or church because they require them to be inclusive with them.
It is unfortunate that some hearing churches closed/cut the service for the deaf. It could be the reason due to funds or not wanting to be a burden for the deaf people in their churches. They feel they are not called to help deaf people. So, they decided to cut the deaf ministry. Some churches kicked deaf people out of their churches and ordered deaf people not to come to their churches.
My personal belief of the reason why hearing churches closed the deaf ministry is they view deaf people as a marginalized group. Therefore, they don’t feel like they want to help deaf people.
Hearing Control Deaf
I have summarized these issues about hearing churches and public hearing people. In their view, we, deaf people, are outsiders. It means they control us. How? They limited our services, education systems, and control on how to provide what we need. For example, how they provide what we need in the services or not, such as, they decided to give us a virtual relay interpreting service that we don’t want and prefer in person interpreter. They could choose to add a closed caption, but sometime they decided not to. They don’t consider how we feel. We are outsiders, and in hearing people’s view that we are not essential to them. They prefer their only-hearing people to us because they can hear and speak. They can support each other. While they are together, they put deaf people aside from their group.
So, if deaf people want to set up a deaf ministry in hearing churches, hearing churches control deaf ministry, such as they tell us what we need to do and can’t do something in the church. They required us to be inclusive of them despite being from different cultures and languages. They control us because they believe we can’t do anything.
Conclusion
The conclusion of this issue is, what can we do? It is tough. So, we, deaf people, are outsiders and stuck in the hearing world. It is a similar idea if people from other countries come to America and American people control them, such as a control to provide limited service or not, green cards, limited jobs, and limited length of living in America in 6 months or one year. So, they decided the limit services.
Even though we, the deaf people, who are citizens of the USA, are treated the same as immigrant people in limited services. However, it depends on the city’s location and state, which has an excellent support system for deaf people. But other areas are oppressed by deaf people. The churches are the same thing.
In the next vlog, I will make a video about what we can do about the deaf ministry in the hearing churches. Thank you for watching! If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me through email, leave a comment here, or inbox at any time.
ILY
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Transcript for people who don’t know the American Sign Language.
Introduction:
Welcome to the Deaf Table Talk with Dr. Toby. The previous vlog of Deaf Table Talk with Dr. Toby explained the purpose of sharing the information with you. Even though you do not know, already know, or are reminded of the information. It is for anyone who wants to see the information. I want to start developing the resources regards the deaf church, deaf pastor, and deaf ministry—many issues regarding deaf ministry to help people to be aware of it. I am excited to start it because I want people to know about deaf ministry.
I want to announce that I already set up a page on Facebook for Deaf Table Talk with Dr. Toby and not under my personal. I want it separate because people can find it there quickly. My personal would have many different and mixed issues on it. So it is easy for everyone to see it in one place. So please click to like the page. I will post many things there.
I will develop a blog page for it but not on Facebook because it will reach many people. I will use both places to share the information. You may wonder why you couldn’t see it or find it. I want you to be aware that all my post regards Deaf Table Talk with Dr. Toby are on a page and not my personal. I will add a blog page later this week and post it on Facebook.
Today, before discussing an issue, I will use “deaf ministry” for deaf church, deaf ministry, or interpreter service. I don’t want to sign those each time, but if I mentioned deaf ministry, it applied to the deaf church, deaf ministry, an interpreter service, or any issues within deaf ministry since there is a deaf group. They have someone to teach and preach. Some churches focus only on an interpreter service. But I will sign deaf ministry the entire time in the video. A few deaf churches stand alone, and many deaf churches and ministries are under hearing churches.
During my research on deaf issues, I learn so much that I want to share with you. I would like to give you information for once, but it takes time to share it. I will make several vlogs on each issue regards deaf ministry. It will help you to learn each video because the information is too deep to share that would not be possible to share one time. The report will require to have several videos to help understand clear about the deaf ministry. I need the time to make all information on one thing. Impossible. I want to give you all sufficient information, such as discussing each topic from my research from different books and articles. It will help you to know how to help hearing churches understand the deaf culture.
Dissertation
I want to focus on my dissertation. So the sign for DISSERTATION is what I signed because it is that it involved research and typing within one book.
It is about 150-160 pages. I studied Deaf college students and their experience interacting with hearing individuals on campus.
I found over 200 articles regards deaf individuals’ experiences. However, for my dissertation, I must collect the research within five years, from 2017 to 2021. They will not accept the oldest articles, but they allowed me to use some of them. It is a requirement of the doctorate program. I was sick to my stomach that there were many good old articles, and I asked them if I could use them. They said no, only from the recent articles from five years. It is challenging to collect the research because there are few articles on deaf, only disabilities.
My topic for the dissertation was very limited to collecting articles on the deaf. I had to expand the articles on disabilities and the deaf since there are many articles on disabilities. Many people believe deaf people are disabled. There are a few deaf in the article, but they are subtle on deaf because they do not know the deaf. Even though they view deaf people as disabled, they write about them. In my view, deaf people are not disabled people. One article mentioned that deaf people are not disabled. However, society views deaf people as a disabled group. So, I had to collect them to expand more information on my dissertation.
I worked collecting the information after I interviewed 11 deaf students. The sample means the type of testing for the research. The sample size is 6 to 11, such as how many students I need for my dissertation. They don’t want me to collect over 30 because it is too much information or works for my dissertation. They are limited to 6-11. They try to limit the data. The data means information about each individual’s experience to help my dissertation.
I have already contacted 11 deaf college students for an interview. I interviewed and studied the data for my dissertation. I studied the view of the world. I was thinking about Deaf Christians with the same experience as deaf college students. I am curious and decided to research them after completing the doctorate program. There is no difference between deaf college students and deaf Christians who have the same experience interacting with hearing individuals. I was so astonished that they are the same experience. (I thought it would be different with churches.). I was not surprised by some information, but another information I was shocked.
We know that the church supposed to be love and support deaf people. They “said” they support them. However, there are problems in the mind of deaf people.
I will expand on more explanations on the topic. In the next vlog, I will explain more about hearing churches and deaf ministries, such as how they relate and how hearing churches will understand deaf ministries.
Today, I will explain the deaf individuals’ experience interacting with healing individuals.
Deaf Acculturation
Deaf Acculturation (fingerspelling). I learned the term during my dissertation. What is acculturation meaning? For example, see the picture (blue cone) with many different color cones. They represent people from various cultures, languages, preferences, and customs. Their routine every day within their cultures. Another example of acculturation is the environment. Like, in the environment of pollution: air and water, increase or decrease animals (endanger), forest (tree), rain, climate change, etc. It is called the environment. Some people signed in English, but I used ASL to clarify what was around here. The environment shows what happens on the earth.
It is similar to acculturation. What happens around the person, culture, or custom influences the person. The person has his way of life, language, culture, etc. But how the culture affects the way of life, language, and culture? Something that people influence is the person’s experience interacting with people. The person could accept their culture or not.
It is impossible to summary on one video of deaf acculturation. The reason for it I have so much information to explain deaf acculturation, such as explain how deaf individual experiences it. The word acculturation has a list to define it. I picked four sections from acculturation. The four words are assimilation, rejection/separation, integration, and marginalization. It displays the deaf individual’s experience. I will explain to each of them what deaf people must go through.
Assimilation
Assimilation means a person accepts the dominant culture and aside his own culture to participate in the dominant culture, such as deaf individuals participating in hearing culture. When deaf individual involves with hearing culture, they tend to follow the hearing culture and less deaf culture. For example, when deaf people interact with hearing culture, they accept their culture, language, and custom. I will give you some examples. Deaf people interact with deaf people through their culture and language. But how do they interact with hearing people? By writing notepads, texting through the phone, or using a sign language interpreter to communicate with each other. Deaf people tend to interact with hearing people at work, the grocery, or any place. When they meet, deaf people tend to say they can’t read their lips, etc.
Deaf people’s assimilation is with hearing people by accepting their culture and language so they can interact with hearing people. Deaf people must put aside their culture and language because hearing people do not understand them. It is a perfect picture (on the screen.) Persons with red represent hearing culture. When I participate in hearing culture, I aside my culture and language to interact with hearing people.
Some deaf people prefer to be part of the hearing culture, but their identity remains as a deaf person and part of the deaf culture. This is what is called Assimilation.
Rejection
The first is Assimilation. The second is Rejection or Separation. This is a perfect picture (see the screen). Deaf people and hearing people keep their distance from each other due to different cultures. They can’t interact with each other due to different cultures and languages. They don’t accept each other cultures.
Hearing people think deaf people are not normal due to not being able to hear as hearing people. They feel that deaf people are not one of them because of their deafness. They allow deaf people to participate in their culture but don’t accept their culture and language. Hearing people require deaf people to use spoken language instead of sign language (American Sign Language (ASL)). They control our language. How? Make us speak, use cochlear implants, and not use interpreter services because they prefer us to use spoken language to fit their culture. Hearing people reject deaf culture and language.
It is the same as deaf people who reject hearing culture. They stand up for their culture and language against hearing culture and are separated from them.
Integration
The third is Integration. Notice I signed (both hands, handshape 5) integration. It means both cultures and languages can be integrated. We don’t remove cultural language if we interact with a different culture. It is only about writing notepads and using interpreters to communicate with hearing individuals.
With integration, we will have an interpreter with me to interact with hearing people. They accept it. They are willing to interact with us if we have interpreters. Sometimes, they get an interpreter when they want to talk with us. We will work and support each other. Occasionally they check on us to ensure we are okay. Hearing people learn sign language to communicate with us. We learn some spoken language to communicate with them as well. Hearing people, and we interact very well.
Integration is what we will keep our identity and culture. Hearing culture allows us to interact with each other. We communicate and work together very well.
Marginalization
The last is Marginalization. It is almost the same as Rejection, but the only difference is that rejection will accept people into their culture and not the person’s culture. However, Marginalization rejects a person and a person’s culture and language. People who marginalize others oppress, look down on and reject deaf people. They don’t want deaf people to be part of hearing culture. Such as, hearing people believe deaf people are not ordinary people as hearing people. When they find out that deaf people cannot hear or speak, they reject them and treat them as a disability group that they don’t want to deal with them. It is the same as deaf people when they find out that hearing people do not know ASL and do not understand the culture, and they reject them.
The picture is a good illustration of how deaf people feel from hearing people. When hearing people see deaf people, they discuss negatively against deaf people because deaf individuals are not normal.
Conclusion
Let me summarize to understand deaf acculturation and a deaf person’s experience in interacting with hearing people, such as how culture and language expose deaf people. Let me outline each section. In assimilation, as I mentioned, the deaf person puts aside his culture and language to participate in the hearing culture even though the hearing culture doesn’t accept the deaf culture.
In rejection, hearing people reject deaf and language, but they want deaf people to participate in their culture fully.
In integration, hearing and deaf cultures accept each other. For example, hearing people are willing to learn sign language or use an interpreter to communicate with deaf people. Deaf people accept them because they know that hearing people accept them.
In marginalization, Hearing individuals do not accept deaf people due to their deafness and reject them entirely because they believe deaf people can’t do anything like them.
Through my research and study, I learned that deaf people have a rich experience of being marginalized and rejected. Through my research, most of them mentioned deaf people experienced being marginalized and rejected.
In the next vlog, I will discuss deaf people’s experience in hearing churches. How do we deal with them if we feel marginalized by them? What is their view of deaf ministry? Then, I explained about deaf acculturation. How does the hearing church influences deaf people? I will discuss more in the next vlog.
Thank you for watching! God bless you, and I love you!
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Introduction:
Welcome to the Deaf Table Talk with Dr. Toby. I signed Table Talk (signing). How did I come up with “Table Talk with Dr. Toby”? I have been thinking about “Table Talk” since I subscribed to the magazine called “TableTalk.” For example, (I will show you the magazine “TableTalk”). That is a fantastic magazine with much information about theology, devotionals, and many different things. It is excellent! I subscribed to it and read it for years until some time ago, I stopped, but I found the TableTalk online, and I keep reading it. I really enjoy it because it is a meat of content to thought in the spiritual. TableTalk has many different topics, themes, and issues to discuss. The magazine has a theme each month to discuss.
I thought about using TableTalk with deaf people. I thought I should create the Deaf Talk Talk with Dr. Toby. You know, deaf people tend to chat and discuss many things, such as joking, storytelling, serious discussion, church, the Bible, doctrine, etc., while they are at the table. So, I thought about “Deaf Table Talk with Dr. Toby,” and I thought I would start vlogging from now on.
I want to tell you about my experience in a doctorate program over the past five years. For five years, I always thought I would use a doctorate for my job in the world, help me write a book, and develop skills in research. I thought about it until I started thinking about God. He guided me to accomplish the doctorate program and gave me the degree. Why did I mention a world job and not the Lord? I feel like I put a doctorate as the priority for the world and not God. However, the more I thought about it, the more I thought about how God gave me the degree. I decided to use it for Him by researching deaf churches, deaf pastors, and anything for deaf people to learn about the Bible, church, pastor, what the Bible teaches, etc.
After graduating with my doctorate, I studied and researched deaf churches. I talked with different deaf people from the churches, such as discussing the deaf ministry, deaf church, and interpreter services. It makes me more passionate to study and share with you, deaf people. I want deaf people to understand the truth from the Bible from the deaf person’s view (deaf culture and language). I will also work with hearing people to get them to work with us.
My plan for this project is to have different themes to discuss. Whatever the theme, we will learn and discuss it. Then the following video, we will discuss a different theme. It can be one to five themes in a video. It depends on the time in the video. My goal is to make a video of up to 30 minutes, but I will try to make it up to 15 minutes. It is familiar to some people who like to sit and listen to the host talk or discuss the theme, such as Jay Leno or other shows. They tend to host the show for an hour. However, my video will summarize a theme from the Christian perspective.
How long will I make this video? About 15 minutes. I will edit the video and transcript for hearing people understand my video. I don’t know if I will add a closed caption/subtitle, but I will make a transcript under this video for hearing to read it. I want hearing people to know about us and help them understand how to minister to deaf people, such as how to set up a deaf church, a deaf ministry, or an interpreter service for the deaf. I want to work with them because many deaf people want to go to church when there is no deaf church or deaf pastor in their home area. They would like to go to the church and ask them to set up an interpreter service. My purpose is to make videos to help hearing people know how to provide for deaf people’s needs when they want to attend church.
When I work on researching, I will collect information from deaf people or anyone by asking them questions or surveys. Once I collect the data information, I will share it with you all. The questions and survey will be based on deaf churches, deaf ministries, and interpreter services for deaf people to get the information. Unfortunately, we don’t have many resources for the deaf church. So I decided to develop resources for everyone to learn about deaf ministries. It will help you to get the information and be able to share it with hearing people.
This vlog will have many different topics. Some topics can be short, and others can be longer. It depends on the theme and research I am working on the topic. I will collect people’s questions to research and study to provide answers.
I want to see more deaf churches be established for God’s glory. I want to lift God’s glory through the churches.
Theme: Deaf Pastors
Right now, I have two themes. I am not planning to expand the explanation on each theme, but I will raise it in the next vlog.
I want to discuss the theme of Deaf Pastors. First, I wish to summarize this topic. Before I start discussing, I want to explain this theme. I am not here to talk negatively against other people, shooting talk against the person, such as “He is a lousy pastor,” and on and on. No. I am not here to discuss if the pastor is not good at preaching. However, I am here to discuss the perspective of the Bible. (Point at the Bible). It is what this Bible said. When we face a situation, the Bible helps us how to solve it. The essential is we need to look at God’s words.
The reason I want to discuss Deaf Pastors is that there was a recent incident with a pastor who fell to sin, which the Deaf Daily Moth announced about the deaf pastor in public. I also noticed some non-Christians discussed it, such as they said Christians allowed pastors to be free and walk away from jail. It seems like there is nothing has happened. They believe the court should punish pastors by going to jail for committing the crime. What shall we do about it?
I want to show you a verse in Romans 13:1. “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” This is why Paul wrote the letter to people and told them that they must obey the government’s law.
The verse is helping the questions that you are wondering. If the pastor breaks the law, he is required to face the law, such as in court, and the judge will give him a sentence. Yes, we do forgive anyone who sins against us. If we forgive, we should let it go. No. It is wrong. We cannot exempt their crime due to forgiveness. If I sin against anyone, I would ask them for their forgiveness, but I still have to face the law because I broke the law. It is the consequence I have to face it. Sometimes court would exempt them if they were repented and were forgiven. Or they wouldn’t exempt it. It depends on the case/situation.
The situation is that pastors who molest underage children must face the law becasue it is severely against it. So, therefore, he must face the court and accept the punishment.
We, as Christians, are required to report anyone who committed the crime because we want to protect the children. Also, we watch the pastor from falling into severe sins because we don’t want him to sin against God and break more laws. We must report it. Any pastor who violates the law must face the court to be punished.
I will expand more discussion on deaf pastors, such as their appearance, qualification, etc. But first, we must report on pastors who do not comply with the law.
Theme: Deaf Churches
Another theme is Deaf Churches. I want to make it briefly. I will discuss more on deaf churches more later when I find more information from the research. As of now, I have a heavy burden and concerns about Deaf people. (See the slide). There are only 2% of deaf people know Jesus Christ. 2%! Wow! There are some sources on the internet by the Deaf Bible Society, Deaf Missions, and DOOR, the mission group. They shared the information that it is only 2% of deaf people know Jesus Christ! That means what? 98% of deaf people do not know the Lord Jesus Christ! Or have no relationship with Him! 98%! Only 2% of us know and have a relationship with Jesus Christ! Wow! That is why I am very burdened!
I have been thinking about it and plan to discuss and explain what the churches can do. I want to encourage you all to do this for 98% of deaf people. Let me know, and I will show you.
Pray for them and encourage or invite them to the church. Pray for the gospel to be preached to them. We need to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with them. We also explain to the churches that we need to have deaf people in their churches because they need to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is essential to share with them.
I have found research on why deaf people don’t go to churches. Keep praying. This is the closed vlog. I will discuss the deaf churches in the next vlog.
God bless you! I love you!
Deaf Table Talk with Dr. Toby 