Tag Archives: Bible

Bible Not Available In 57% of World Languages

The recent State of the Bible report from the American Bible Society reported this statistic:  57 percent of the world’s languages do not have a translation of the Bible.

The same survey showed a super majority of Americans believe the Bible has already been translated into every language on the planet.  Of 2,000 surveyed Americans, 72 percent said they believe the Gospel is available to the world in their native tongue.

Almost 31 percent of languages in the world do not even have a Bible translation underway and another 26 percent do not have a completed Bible translation.

Wycliffe Bible Translators president Bob Creson told the Christian Post that while there is a huge number of languages without a Bible, the translation process is happening faster than at any time in history.

“[2,195] is the highest number in history. There is more work going on than ever before. One of the ways I usually talk about it is that people have more access to Scripture than any other time in history in their first language. It gives people the best opportunity to respond to the Good News message,” Creson said.

Creson says that the goal is to have the translation process started for all the world’s languages by 2025.

“One way to look at [the survey], if you are a Bible translation agency like we are and the American Bible Society, you can be discouraged by that. But, that just shows you the opportunity that we have to continue to educate the Christian public about the need for Bible translation,” Creson said. “One of the big strengths of the American Bible Society is their geographic reach to be able to educate people on that issue. We partner with ABS on a number of different and important translation projects. I am very glad to see them doing this because they have a great reach to be able to help people understand that we are not there yet.”

Iowa Churches To Distribute Bibles In Every Home In Their City

Saturday, April 11th will be the “Day of the Bible” in Marshalltown, Iowa.

On that day a group of churches will place a Bible at each one of the 12,000 homes in the city.

The pastor of First Baptist Church in Marshalltown said that the move is being done in response to a series of violent crimes in the city.  He first suggested the idea in a pastor’s meeting and the idea quickly blossomed into the city-wide event.

“What made the other churches want to join so quickly is that our prayer time had recently focused on what appeared to be a dark cloud of gloom hovering over our community,” Pastor Gerald Robison wrote in a press release.

“There had been a murder, an attempted murder, arson and a shooting death in our area,” he wrote. “With all the bad news around us, the pastors had been praying over the town and we saw this project as a way of delivering hope.”

The event is being called “Hope 4 You – Hope 4 Iowa.”  The project was to cost $18,000 and Robison said that they were able to raise that exact amount for the Bibles.

Hundreds of Christians from churches all over the city will be meeting to hand out the Bibles over a three-hour period.

“We agree on the important things—-and the most important is that we all agree Jesus is the source of real hope. And we want to share that with others who may need it the most,” Robison said of the diverse churches taking part in the effort. “And so, the local congregations, all willing, eager, faithful and ready to share, have worked hard to make ‘Hope 4 You—Hope 4 Iowa’ a reality.”

The Honor of Kings

In Proverbs 24:2 the Bible says “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter but the honor of kings to search out those things.”   Because of Christ we are all kings and queens of God. This ministry is about searching and understanding what is coming directly from the Bible.  From this understanding we are to prepare and teach others about His Word!  These past couple of months this ministry has had revelation and understanding coming to us at a rate that makes my head spin.  Thank you Jesus! Continue reading →

Over 80,000 Bibles Sent To Cuba

In the midst of political debate over the U.S. re-establishing diplomatic ties with Cuba, a revival of Christianity is going unnoticed.

The SBC’s International Missions Board said they are sending over 83,000 Spanish-language Bibles to Cuba for churches throughout the island nation.  The SBC sent three 40-foot containers filled with Bibles from South Florida ports last week.

The shipment is the third since 1999 although this is the first shipment that has been directly sent from the United States.

A release from the SBC noted the large number of people choosing to follow Christ through the ministry of Cuba’s Eastern Convention.

“With the Eastern Convention reporting 29,063 professions of faith in 2014, the missionary noted that the Bibles potentially will cover the new Christians and only a few more,” the release stated.

The Bibles include large print Bibles for the visually impaired, study Bibles and Bible commentaries.

School Superintendent Stands Up To Freedom From Religion Foundation

The superintendent of a Texas school district is standing up to a militant anti-Christian who attacked a school principal for quoting the Bible during school announcements.

Hemant Mehta, who calls himself “the Friendly Atheist”, took the unfriendly step of contacting the virulently anti-Christian Freedom From Religion Foundation after what he claimed was an anonymous student’s complaint over Proverbs being read during announcement time.

“He who leads upright along an evil path will fall into his own trap, but the blameless will receive a good inheritance,” Principal Dan Noll read from the book of Proverbs in one of the announcements. “The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him.”

The FFRF demanded that the Principal stop reading scriptures and for disciplinary action be taken against Noll.

White Oak Superintendent Michael Gilbert would have none of that.

“The residents were offended at the use of Scripture, demanding that it be stopped and calling for disciplinary action against Mr. Noll,” he stated. “I am fully aware of the practice at the high school and will not pursue any action against our high school principal or any other member of our faculty/staff concerning this issue.”

“Let me also be clear that we have not (in my opinion) violated anyone’s rights and/or subjected anyone to undue stress,” Gilbert continued. “Bible studies and Scriptures are allowed in schools. The requirement is that the material be presented in a neutral manner. It is my position that we met that standard with the morning announcements.”

Ruins of Old Testament City Found

Archaeologists believe they have found the city of Libnah, an ancient city mentioned multiple times in the Bible.

The scientists have been studying the remains of a ancient village since 2009 at a site 20 miles southwest of Jeruslaem.  The site, Tel Burna, is on a strategic borer region between ancient Israel and the Philistines in the west.

“The identification of the site has been debated for more than a century,” Dr. Itzhaq Shai, director of the Tel Burna dig project, told Popular Archaeology. “There are scholars who have claimed that Tel Burna is biblical Libnah, which was mentioned several times in the Bible. This identification was based mainly on geographical and historical arguments.”

Libnah was visited by the Israelites as they fled Egypt according to Leviticus 33.  Joshua and the Israelite army conquered the city as they went to the Promised Land (Joshua 10).

“The site of Tel Burna is located in the Shephelah region, which served as a border between the kingdoms of Judah and Philistia in the Iron Age,” explains The Tel Burna Excavation Project’s website. “A fertile area that supported agricultural production, the region became known as the breadbasket of the south. … Survey finds from the 2009 season indicate that the city was an important entity in the Bronze and Iron Ages.”

The study is the latest in discoveries in Israel that prove the Bible.

Tennessee Lawmaker Proposes Bill To Make Bible State Book

A Tennessee lawmaker is proposing that the Bible become the official state book.

Rep. Jerry Sexton introduced HB 615 that would amend the Tennessee code to make the acknowledgement.

The statement that would be added is simple:  “The Holy Bible is hereby designated as the official state book.”

Tennessee has created a number of state symbols in recent years, naming the tomato the state fruit in 2003 and the Eastern boxing turtle the state reptile in 1995.  The state also has several “state songs” including “Tennessee Waltz” and “Rocky Top.”

Another Representative, Jame VanHuss, has submitted a resolution to add text to the state Constitution that would acknowledge the rights of citizens come from God.

“We recognize that our liberties do not come from governments, but from Almighty God, our Creator and Savior” House Joint Resolution 71 reads.

As usual when the Bible is going to be acknowledged by a public official, anti-Christianists have been launching complaints.

Rob Boston of the anti-Christian group Americans United for Separation of Church and State also wrote a blog post about the matter saying “I doubt the Bible played a major role in how any of them became a part of the United States.”

Anti-Christianists Seek To Stop Bible Distribution In Oklahoma Schools

A major anti-Christian organization has sent letters to school districts across Oklahoma threatening them if they do not stop Bible distributions in their schools.

The anti-Chrsitian Freedom From Religion Foundation sent letters to 26 school districts after they were told Gideon International had given Bibles to schools for students who wanted to read them.

“It is unconstitutional for public school districts to permit the distribution of Bibles as part of the public school day,” the letter, written by Staff Attorney Andrew Seidel, reads. “Courts have uniformly held that the distribution of bibles to students at public schools is prohibited.”

The anti-Christian group then compared the Gideons to child predators.

Jamison Faught of the Gideons told New American that the giving of Bibles is voluntary.

“We don’t force Bibles on anybody. We simply ask if anyone would like them,” he said.

None of the schools have yet responded to the anti-Christian group’s demands.

The Law of First Mentioned (Pt. 1)

I love the deep mysteries of God.  Every time I find a new mystery being revealed within the Word, whether it’s in my own personal Bible study or from great speakers on a national stage, it does something in my spirit.  It is what I am all about.

In Proverbs 25:2 it is revealed that “It is the Glory of God that can seal a matter.”  He likes to hide things!   Think about that.  The God of the universe and it is His glory to conceal a matter!  But the 2nd part of that verse says, “It is the Honor of kings to search things out.” We are those kings! God likes to conceal things and it is to our glory and honor to reveal them.  Continue reading →

Least Bible Minded Cities Named

For the third straight year, Providence, Rhode Island and New Bedford, Massachusetts are the least Bible minded cities in the United States.

The opposite end of the survey named Birmingham, Alabama as the most Biblically minded city in the U.S.

The survey’s condition to be “Bible minded” was to have respondents state they had read the Bible in the last seven days and that they have a strong belief in the Bible’s accuracy.  Only 27 percent of the population nationwide has been considered Bible minded.

“This study provides us with a great starting point to understand where people are interacting with Scripture and what their views are of the Bible,” said Andrew Hood, managing director of communications at American Bible Society. “We want to help people continue to grow their engagement with the Bible. Ultimately, we want people to know that, whether they live in one of the most or least Bible-minded cities, the Bible can speak to their needs and challenges and help them make sense of life.”

The ten most Bible minded cities (in order):  Birmingham, AL; Chattanooga, TN; Tri-Cities, TN; Roanoke/Lynchburg, VA; Shreveport, LA; Springfield, MO; Jackson, MS; Charlotte, NC; Greenville/Spartanburg, SC; Little Rock, AR.

New York City made the list of least Bible minded cities for the first time at #91.  The rest of the bottom 10:  Phoenix, AZ; Buffalo, NY; Hartford/New Haven, CT; Las Vegas, NV; Cedar Rapids, IA; San Francisco, CA; Boston, MA; Albany, NY and Providence.