Audio Bibles Propel Scripture into Remote Regions
While visiting a village in Masai, Kenya, last summer Morgan Jackson asked a chief what changes had occurred since his tribe started listening to recordings of the New Testament. "All the people who have been delivered from demons," the chief replied, citing decreases inviolence and juvenile delinquency.
Audio Bibles have become a big business in the United States, with The Bible Experience and The Word of Promise topping Bible sales charts. But they have also carved out a key place in missions, delivering Scripture across the globe in ways not dreamed of in the 20th century.
Jackson, international director of audio Bible ministry Faith Comes by Hearing (FCBH), said technology is making personal distribution easier. fcbh distributed 89,000 audio Bibles last year and established 89,000 church-based listening groups averaging 90 participants each in such places as Africa and India.
"The further out you go, you don't have to have video to capture attention," said project founder Dorothy Miller, founder of God's Story Project. "Audio works in areas where Christianity is not welcome."
Digital technology is so prevalent today that fears of listeners focusing more on the medium than the message are fading, said Gilles Gravelle, director of research for the Seed Company. "People are fairly aware of basic audio technology, even in the most isolated places," he said.
Yet audio Bibles have limits, said Grant Lovejoy, director of orality strategy for the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board. He noted that, of the more than 6,800 languages worldwide, fewer than 1,500 have the complete written New Testament needed for an audio Bible. In addition, translations for the ear are much different from those for the eye.
Some feel the emphasis on audio may overshadow literacy.
Don Pederson, coordinator of the field ministries office for New Tribes Mission (NTM), said learning to read and write provides the 300 cultural groups that NTM serves with basic skills that open opportunities for trade and employment. "We have nothing against audio, but we put a lot of effort into making sure that literacy is a part of our package," he said.
Copyright © 2010 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.
Related Elsewhere:
Previous Christianity Today articles on Bibles include:
Blogging the Bible | A Harvard-educated reformed Jew grapples with the Old Testament. (March 4, 2009)
36,000 Are Writing the Bible, One Verse at a Time | Bible Across America tour will produce two handwritten copies. (October 1, 2008)
A Very Grown-up Children's Bible |The Jesus Storybook Bible is as theological as it is charming. (March 4, 2008)
The 'Handicap Icon' Gets New Life
Sidelining the Stigma of Mental Illness
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Mariano
The audio Bibles are a blessing. FYI: I wrote a favorable mention of them and a refutation of atheist condemnations of them here: http://www.examiner.com/x-34463-Albuquerque-Christian-Apologetics-Ex aminer~y2010m1d25-Audio-Bibles-Haiti-and-atheist-hypocrisy. Meanwhile, atheists internet wide are taking umbrage at this while not bothering to note that FCBY is teamed up with another org and are supplying food for the body and soul. For the past few years atheists worldwide have literally wasted enormous amounts of money during times of recession, war and poverty not in helping anyone in any material need but in order to purchase bus ads and billboards attempting to demonstrated just how clever they consider themselves to be; and now they want to become the charity police please!
HEIKKI
Jason, you write: "... Europe, the home of the rooting of Christianity, is falling almost entirely into secular materialist atheism." As a missionary church planter in France (also in Germany) for over 20 years, I note a report from the Evangelical Federation of France (FEF) that in recent years evangelical churches are being planted in France at the rate of one church every ten days. The Paris Metro area alone has over one hundred evangelical churches, including so-called ethnic groups. The evangelical book publishing market -- including a major new Bible translation -- is flourishing with many new titles annually. Of course, France remains very much a mission field. But the salt and light presence of Christans is touching every level of European societies in ways that are very hopeful -- for instance, several Christians are either full members or are regular "obsever" participants in the meetings of the Working Group on Human Dignity, an extension of the European Parliament.
Jason
Christian missionaries are searching as never before for people with dark skins who are as yet unevangelised; at the same time, Europe, the home of the rooting of Christianity, is falling almost entirely into secular materialist atheism. Such a tragedy that more people are not willing to use their brains to find a way to remedy this.. Because it is a matter of finding a way around the relentless conditioning of the anti-Christian media and institutions of 'higher' learning, of tackling the challenge of fighting the devil and his minions, not only in Europe but the US as well, where Hollywood and zionist, anti-Christian, 'politically correct' political power symbolize the spearhead of the attack on the realm of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Craig Prest
Great subject and start on a powerful means of delivering the Gospel and Bible message plus various teachings, etc. within the given context(s) It would be more encouraging and appropriate to include something about "Storying" or "Secondary Orality" as it relates to and many times interfaces with the audio Bible ministries. We know of quite a few people groups who have learned the core Bible story from Genesis to Revelation via the Storying and have backed it up or try to insure the integrity of the storying with audio recordings of what people have learned orally in their mother tongue or dialect. Possibly you may follow up with something on this aspect of the type of ministry you featured? Thanks for this article.
DaveB
These audio Bibles are amazing - I have seen some of the impact in the lives of very special people in remote areas. A ministry is starting up in Paraguay to place audio Bibles in the vernacular language in most of the homes: audiobiblesforparaguay.org