Jens Christensen
Encyclopedia
Bishop Jens Christensen (born Chicago
, 24 August 1899 – 1966) was a Lutheran missionary and bishop. Christensen was consecrated Bishop of the Lutheran Church in Pakistan (PLC) in 1955.
During the First World War, Christensen volunteered for service and joined a regiment bringing provisions to the front line. Back home in 1918, he resolved to become a pastor/missionary abroad, and began his training at the New York Missionary Training School in Nyack. Christensen was sent to India by the Christian and Missionary Alliance
in 1922, together with another young missionary, T. Wiley. They were sent to the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) to learn the language and start mission work.
In 1925, Christensen accepted a post at the Danish Tent Mission (later called the Danish Pashtun Mission). He became engaged to one of the nursing sisters, Margrethe Rasmussen. They were married in January 1926.
and Islam. In 1927 the Pushtu Literature Committee was formed; six missionary societies were involved and Christensen chaired the committee. The
reading room at Mardan
, called Dar ul Tabligh (house of learning), became the center for printing and distribution.
Books from English, Danish and Urdu
were translated, including: The Passion of Jesus Christ and The Life and Teaching of Jesus; the Altarbook, with prayers and texts for the Church Year; Luther's smaller catechism; several hymns in Danish; and Why I became a Christian by Sultan Paul from Urdu.
In 1931 Christensen began the translation into Pushtu of Matthew's Gospel, followed in 1936 by the translation of John's Gospel, followed soon after by a new edition. The British and Foreign Bible Society
met the cost (as it later did with the translation of the whole New Testament).
In M. A. Taib he found a lifelong co-worker. Taib was a Muslim convert from a village in Swat, where his father was a mullah. Taib, working as a librarian, kept a record of the distribution of tracts, booklets, and Bible portions. In 1938, after 10 years with the committee, it showed
that 37 different books and tracts by 14 different authors had been published. 148,000 copies had been printed, which had been widely distributed through the Northwest Frontier province and across the border to Afghanistan.
Taib studied theology with Christensen and in 1938 he was ordained pastor by Bishop J. Sandegren from the Lutheran Swedish Church in South India. In April 1939 the church building at Mardan was consecrated by the Anglican Bishop George Lahore. There were now two congregations: one Pushtu and one Urdu at Mardan, as well as small ones at Malakand and Swabi.
At this time he also chaired the committee for the translation of the New Testament from Greek into vernacular Pushtu. It was finished in 1945.
From 1950 to 1960 he worked on a correspondence course comprising 37 lectures. There were students in several countries. The lectures were published in book form, The Practical Approach to Muslims, edited by a mission society in North Africa. The book has also been printed in
German as Christuszeugnis für Muslime and in Danish as Konfrontation. Islam og Kristendom.
To help young preachers, Jens published his sermons for each Sunday in a church year. In 1955 he prepared the Constitution for the Lutheran Church in Pakistan (PLC), and in 1959 The Book of Common Worship of the Pakistani Lutheran Church, with the Creeds and the Augsburg
Confession, was published.
He was consecrated Bishop of the Pakistani Lutheran Church in 1955.
who, until her own death in 1983, very actively supported and promoted his work.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, 24 August 1899 – 1966) was a Lutheran missionary and bishop. Christensen was consecrated Bishop of the Lutheran Church in Pakistan (PLC) in 1955.
Early life and mission work
Jens Christensen was born on 24 August 1899 in Chicago, of Danish parents. Jens' father, Christen Christensen (died 1944), was an engineer in the American Telegraph Service, and his mother was Margrethe Poulsen (died 1947). They were members of the Presbyterian Church.During the First World War, Christensen volunteered for service and joined a regiment bringing provisions to the front line. Back home in 1918, he resolved to become a pastor/missionary abroad, and began his training at the New York Missionary Training School in Nyack. Christensen was sent to India by the Christian and Missionary Alliance
Christian and Missionary Alliance
The Christian and Missionary Alliance is an evangelical Protestant denomination within Christianity.Founded by Rev. Albert Benjamin Simpson in 1887, the Christian & Missionary Alliance did not start off as a denomination, but rather began as two distinct parachurch organizations: The Christian...
in 1922, together with another young missionary, T. Wiley. They were sent to the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) to learn the language and start mission work.
In 1925, Christensen accepted a post at the Danish Tent Mission (later called the Danish Pashtun Mission). He became engaged to one of the nursing sisters, Margrethe Rasmussen. They were married in January 1926.
Literary career
Christensen had begun studying the Pashto language as soon as he arrived at the NWFP, and began in 1927 to write tracts in that language to aid in the missionary work. His first book in Danish was about the Pashtun peoplePashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
and Islam. In 1927 the Pushtu Literature Committee was formed; six missionary societies were involved and Christensen chaired the committee. The
reading room at Mardan
Mardan
Mardan , known as The city of hospitality, is a city and headquarters of Mardan District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. It is the de facto headquarters of the Yousafzai tribe and the second most populous city in the province, located at 34°12'0N 72°1'60E and an altitude of in the south...
, called Dar ul Tabligh (house of learning), became the center for printing and distribution.
Books from English, Danish and Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
were translated, including: The Passion of Jesus Christ and The Life and Teaching of Jesus; the Altarbook, with prayers and texts for the Church Year; Luther's smaller catechism; several hymns in Danish; and Why I became a Christian by Sultan Paul from Urdu.
In 1931 Christensen began the translation into Pushtu of Matthew's Gospel, followed in 1936 by the translation of John's Gospel, followed soon after by a new edition. The British and Foreign Bible Society
British and Foreign Bible Society
The British and Foreign Bible Society, often known in England and Wales as simply as Bible Society, is a non-denominational Christian Bible society with charity status whose purpose is to make the Bible available throughout the world....
met the cost (as it later did with the translation of the whole New Testament).
In M. A. Taib he found a lifelong co-worker. Taib was a Muslim convert from a village in Swat, where his father was a mullah. Taib, working as a librarian, kept a record of the distribution of tracts, booklets, and Bible portions. In 1938, after 10 years with the committee, it showed
that 37 different books and tracts by 14 different authors had been published. 148,000 copies had been printed, which had been widely distributed through the Northwest Frontier province and across the border to Afghanistan.
Taib studied theology with Christensen and in 1938 he was ordained pastor by Bishop J. Sandegren from the Lutheran Swedish Church in South India. In April 1939 the church building at Mardan was consecrated by the Anglican Bishop George Lahore. There were now two congregations: one Pushtu and one Urdu at Mardan, as well as small ones at Malakand and Swabi.
World War II
When the Second World War broke out the Danish Mission was cut off from its home base and its support. Christensen received a commission as recruiting officer at Mardan in the Allied cause.At this time he also chaired the committee for the translation of the New Testament from Greek into vernacular Pushtu. It was finished in 1945.
From 1950 to 1960 he worked on a correspondence course comprising 37 lectures. There were students in several countries. The lectures were published in book form, The Practical Approach to Muslims, edited by a mission society in North Africa. The book has also been printed in
German as Christuszeugnis für Muslime and in Danish as Konfrontation. Islam og Kristendom.
To help young preachers, Jens published his sermons for each Sunday in a church year. In 1955 he prepared the Constitution for the Lutheran Church in Pakistan (PLC), and in 1959 The Book of Common Worship of the Pakistani Lutheran Church, with the Creeds and the Augsburg
Confession, was published.
He was consecrated Bishop of the Pakistani Lutheran Church in 1955.
Death
He was only 67 when he died in 1966. At his side was his faithful wife and secretary Margrethewho, until her own death in 1983, very actively supported and promoted his work.