DAVID ADAMS reports…
Bible Societies around the world delivered more than 34 million Bibles in 2015, the highest number ever distributed over the course of a single year.
The United Bible Societies’ annual look at Bible distribution showed that 34,396,611 complete Bibles were distributed last year, a 1.5 per cent increase on the previous year.
PICTURE: Nat Arnett/www.freeimages.com “The past five years have been very traumatic. With this loss of hope, people are turning to God’s word for comfort and encouragement.” – Bible Society in Syria director |
Taking into account, Testaments, Gospels, and other Scripture items, a total of 418.7 million Scripture-related texts were distributed, a figure which actually comes in at slightly under the previous year’s total but still 14 per cent above the figure for 2010.
The Americas topped the list of world regions for the total number of Bibles and Scriptures delivered, thanks particularly to the situation in Brazil where 7.6 million Bibles were distributed, the highest of any country and more than twice the number than in second place-getter China.
But in the Middle East and Europe the number of Scriptures distributed – 8.4 million including 1.8 million Bibles – was almost 50 per cent up on the previous year.
This was partly driven by demand in countries most affected by the current crisis in the Middle East with Bible distribution in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey rising by 88 per cent on the 2014 figure.
There’s also been an increase in demand for Scripture-related items, like calendars and booklets, with the total number of Scripture-items rising seven-fold over the 12 months in Iraq and three-fold in Jordan.
The director of the Bible Society in Syria, whose name wasn’t released for safety reasons, said that the thirst for Scriptures among Christians had only increased with the unrest.
“The past five years have been very traumatic,” he said. “With this loss of hope, people are turning to God’s word for comfort and encouragement.”
In Africa, while the number of Scriptures distributed overall were at their lowest point in 2010, the distribution of full Bibles was never higher than in 2015, climbing 36 per cent since 2010. In total, more than 75 per cent of all Scripture items distributed in Africa in 2015 were full Bibles compared with just eight per cent right across the world.
Meanwhile, some 400 delegates representing more than 150 Bible societies working in more than 200 countries recently met in Philadelphia to adopt a new strategic document to shape the work of Bible Societies over the next six years.
Called the Philadelphia Promise document, it affirmed the central place of Bible translation in the work of the Bible Societies and identified eight priorities for societies to focus on, ranging from building translation capacity to serving vulnerable and unrepresented people around the world.
Eight Bible Societies have become members of the United Bible Societies since the last meeting six years ago, including those of Lithuania, Serbia, Ecuador, the Faroe Islands, Gabon, Mongolia, Mozambique and the Palestinian Bible Society.
UBS Director General Michael Perreau told the delegates that the principles which guided Bible Societies after World War II should continue to guide their journey today. “They built their vision on prayer, faithfulness and sacrifice,” he said. “These are the principles that should guide our journey too.”
The event was hosted by the American Bible Society which this year celebrates its 200th anniversary.