In 1990, moved by the Deaf participants who attended one of Ligonier Ministry’s regional conferences, R.C. Sproul made a commitment that set his staff spinning. Dr. Sproul promised that, within a year, some of his teaching resources would be available in ASL. Michael Beates, who had gone to the seminary where Chuck had interpreted for a Deaf student, was then on Ligonier’s staff. His nationwide inquiries led him to Chuck as the one to translate the materials. 

Chuck intensively studied the messages, especially focusing on words, phrases, and concepts that would be difficult to translate. This was pre-internet, so he relied on the library to research the details of why, for example, a grain of sand in Oliver Cromwell’s kidney changed world history. 

Chuck and our Deaf pastor spent hours together, discussing each message. They wrestled with how to communicate two different types of non-justice: something that is other than justice, and something that is unjust. A particularly thorny challenge was what to do with Dr. Sproul’s impersonation of the opening voice of the radio program “The Inner Sanctum” and his detailed explanation of this radio program as an illustration of people being drawn to things that frighten them. For obvious reasons, radio programs don’t loom large in Deaf culture. R.C. also included a quick aside about people paying to be scared on roller coasters. Chuck reversed the time spent on those two illustrations, with a quick aside about the radio program and visual expansion of the roller coaster illustration.  

Although ASL is not a written language, Chuck created rough written renditions of his planned interpretations. Chuck used these notes to practice interpreting. When Chuck was satisfied with his translations, he copied his notes onto large artists’ tablets, using color-coding, drawings, maps, squiggles, and English words to remind him of how he wanted to sign each portion of every lecture.

Finally ready to record at a television studio in Orlando, Chuck translated while I flipped the pages of the huge tablets. When the studio lost power during a thunderstorm, that lecture had to be re-taped. When Chuck and I had a misstep in our timing, we had to begin again. Thankfully, Chuck finished his translation about the roller coaster at the same time as R.C. finished his illustration about “The Inner Sanctum.” 

Chuck translated three of Dr. Sproul’s teaching series: “Holiness of God,” “Surprised by Suffering,” and “Chosen by God.” God used Dr. Sproul to instruct and inspire a group of young Deaf pastors. They started an organization modeled after Ligonier Ministries—instructing and inspiring Deaf Christians all over this country and even in other countries. Now Deaf Biblical counselors can use these translated materials to instruct and inspire their counselees. One man, abiding in Christ, brought forth fruit that abides beyond the grave. 

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide” (John 15:16).