The Right Scoop
Bibles for China uses a communist government approved printing press to print the Chinese language Bibles they distribute -this process also under the watching eye of the communist government (these observations taken from Bibles for China web site). The communist government of China does not permit Bibles without their stamp of approval on them, which stamp certifies that Jesus is kept a little lower than their ruler. The communist government of China also prohibits parents from witnessing to their own children until the children are 18 years of age and that same government prohibits any non-sanctioned religious gathering of more than 5 people. There are very few approved "Christian" churches in Red China, but they are used to deceive many into thinking the Chinese have some freedoms which they do not. The Chinese people need the Word of God unadulterated by man.
Surprised at this news? It was bound to happen! In Christ there is Hope! In communism there is only servitude to the state and the tiny handful of priviledged 'comrades' who rule.
As an aside, Obama and the American left are trying their damnedest to recreate the Chicom utopia here.
We are so blessed in this nation to be free to read the scriptures and gather together in God's house,(at least for now)that we tend to forget our brethren from around the world don't have that same opportunity,God bless our Chinese brothers and sisters.Pray for the persecuted church around the globe.Is there a website where we can donate?Never mind.I just went to the rest of the story and found what I was looking for.
I knew this was coming, and its a surprise that folks haven't caught up to this a while ago. One of the things that caught my eye was when I took a glance at the CIA factbook a couple of years back on Chinese religious demographics.
Now consider this:
China is about 1.2 billion+ in population. The day I read it, it showed almost 3-4% of their countrymen/women as practicing Christians. Do the math -- 10% of 1 billion is 100 million, so, 3% - 4% would be plus or minus 30-40 million Christians. China's population has been exploding. It's only as of recent that the population growth slowed down because of the rising middle class. Now they say it's 200 million (because I assume they rounded in individuals that refuse to identify as Christians because of government reprisal). Can you imagine what would happen to the foreign policy of China if Christians outpaced other faiths in that country?
"The last shall be first, and the first shall be last."
Did we ever think this would happen in China? Wow!
I am a little bit concerned about one tiny thing in this story, it is the statement "they’ve been learning from very, very old versions of the Bible, dating back prior to the 1940s.” I know there are other "versions" but I have to point out the bible in the 1940's should not differ from the bible from 2013. If there is a huge difference between the two then stick with the 1940 version.
It's possible they may be describing the King James Version verses the New International Version.
I`m With ya` bj...I prefer the King James version after seeing some of the others thru the years. The Spirit of Truth seems to flow smoother for me....
Maybe it would be cheaper just to send more Kindles loaded with electronic bibles on them. That way the people in China will also get access to the Internet and other religious works not available in China. Welcome to the digital age!
This is very encouraging overall.
Someone send them some swords (I mean God's Word) and let's change the world for the better!
We have missionaries currently working in such areas and they see the blessing of great salvation happening in China. I am a bit surprised by the Bible shortage since the largest producer of Bibles is China.
One could purchase it there. However, I do wonder how many strings are attached and at what cost is the purchase. The other thing is that the Bibles that China prints are in the old Mandarin which is similar to our King James. Hardly any Chinese people read or understand it any longer.
They don't need more bibles, they need more Kindles and Nooks and tablets. You can hide a lot more religious tracts in a chip than in the trunk of a car these days. When it's time to go big or stay home, these days you need to go electronic.
Focus on masking the bits and securing the servers that provide the bibles to thwart PRC security. One hilarious method would be to mask the bibles with ebook versions of Mao's little red book.
uhh nice idea but if they can't afford $5 Bibles how are they going to buy kindles and Nooks and tablets?
The price of a an unconcealable stack of bibles is many years in a slave camp. The price of a megabyte if replaceable bits is much less, especially in a place where they are cranking out smart phones by the hundreds of millions. Bibles in a communist country carry an exceptional cost not covered in retail purchase estimates. There are externalities in play that must be considered as part of the cost. Electronics can more readily bypass the limitations of physical texts in repressive regimes.
"We may be seeing the beginning of a startling reversal. At one time Christian missionaries went to the far continents of Africa and Asia, where white priests in robes proclaimed the Bible to wide-eyed and uncomprehending brown and black people. In the future, we may well see black and brown missionaries proclaim the Bible to wide-eyed and uncomprehending white people in the West." -Dinesh D'Souza (What's So Great About Christianity)
I remember hearing William Lane Craig talking about a talk he went to give in China, and that the turnout was incredible.
I remember that one too, and glad to hear there are more Bill Craig fans. I'm not sure if I would be a Christian or not today if it wasn't for him.
Apologetics certainly played a role in the direction I'm heading now, no doubt. I still haven't finished Series I of the apologetics podcasting doo-hickey he did. I should download a few more for work tonight. This is Monday though, and I have quite a few podcasts to catch up with every Monday : P Might have to wait until tomorrow.
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