William Tyndale, God's Outlaw
This is an electronic version of our Glimpses for Kids children's worship bulletin inserts.
These are designed to present Christian biographies for Children's church, educational or worship ministries.  William
Tyndale, as depicted in the film God's Outlaw.
It is hard for us today to imagine not having
a Bible in our own language, but it hasn't always been that way. When
William Tyndale was a little boy growing up in England in the 1500s, ordinary
people did not own Bibles. They had to go to church to hear what the Bible
had to say. But there was one problem--the priest read the Bible in Latin,
a language only the most educated people could understand.
As William Tyndale grew older and finished college, he felt that God
was calling him to translate the Bible into English so that all people
could read it for themselves. But--believe it or not--translating the
Bible was against the law. Like many others during his time, William Tyndale
was called a false teacher and was put to death for his beliefs. Based
on historical sources, this is his story as he might have told it.
 My
Gift for Languages Lets Me Read the Bible for Myself
I grew up on a farm in Gloucestershire, England. Life was very difficult
for English families. Children worked very hard to help their parents.
Disease and famine often killed thousands at a time.
My parents could tell early in my life that I had a gift for learning
languages. I was able to go to Oxford University, one of England's finest
schools. By the time I graduated, I had mastered SEVEN languages! Of them,
Hebrew and Greek were most useful to me, because I could now read the
Bible in its original languages.
I learned so much about God as I read the Bible for myself! I knew I
had to use the gift God had given me so that others could read the Bible
for themselves, too! I was well aware that translating the Scriptures
was against the law and could cost me my life, but how could I not do
what God was calling me to do?
Church and King Try to Keep Me Quiet
At first I asked the Church authorities for permission to translate the
Bible into English. The answer was no. The Church believed that only the
Pope and priests were educated enough to truly understand and interpret
the Bible.
One day a discussion with a priest became a heated argument when he told
me that it was better to be without God's laws than the Pope's. I could
not believe what I was hearing! I answered him by saying, "I defy the
Pope and all his laws; if God spares my life, I will cause a young farm
boy to know more of the Scriptures than you do."
I also did not agree with the Church's teaching that doing good things
was the way to get to heaven. The Bible clearly says that salvation is
a free gift from God for those who believe. Many in the Catholic Church
and also the King of England, Henry VIII, looked for ways to keep me quiet.
 Hiding
from Spies
I knew I must leave England immediately. I secretly traveled to Germany,
where others had also taken a stand against some of the Church's teachings.
When I arrived, I quickly changed my name--so no one would be able to
find me--and began my work.
Translating the Bible into English was a difficult job. Each word had
to be recorded correctly. The language also had to be simple enough for
even an uneducated person to understand. It took more than a year for
me to complete the New Testament translation.
I had to find a good printer whom I could also trust to keep my whereabouts
secret. I could not risk being caught. English spies would be paid well
to turn me in. One spy eventually did find out where the first printing
was taking place. I narrowly escaped capture, getting away just in time
with some of my materials!
To find out how a spy got William Tyndale killed,
read part 2 of this "Glimpses for Kids" children's worship bulletin
insert.
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