Commentary; Posted: 5/10/06
Happy 190th birthday
Rev. John C. Blackford,
Religion Columnist
The American Bible Society (ABS) was established 190 years ago at an organizational meeting in Lower Manhattan on May 8, 1816.
Among the sixty in attendance from 35 Bible societies in 10 states, was the Honorable John Jay, the first chief justice of the United States Supreme Court.
Three days later, at city hall, a constitution was adopted and officers were elected.
Over almost two centuries the Society has brought the Scriptures in the language of the people to all the world, including places where missionaries are not permitted to go, for political and religious reasons.
With a populations of 1.3 billion, China is a massive country in the midst of an economic awakening.
While entrepreneurs eye Chinese consumers eager for the goods of modern life, the representative to China of the United Bible Societies (UBS, associated with the ABS), Kua Wee Seng, sees another side, the increasing disparity between rich and poor, and people hungering for the Word of God.
Thanks to the Bible Societies, much has been accomplished in feeding that spiritual hunger.
Furthermore, once viewed as solely a mission recipient, China is engaged in its own vital Christian outreach through Amity Press and its worldwide Bible printing.
Amity Press was initially funded by the UBS, and has printed 40 million copies of the Bible and the New Testament-three million for export and 37 million for mainland China- since its founding in 1987.
Last year Amity Press printed 5.2 million copies of the Bible, more than it had done in any previous year.
From its press the Scriptures go overseas to Africa, Latin America, Europe and other parts of Asia.
It is expanding its capacity, and plans to double its output in the next few years.
ěAmity Press works within the legal framework of the country and complies with the regulations of the land. It takes orders from legally registered churches in China and prints Bibles which have the proper permits from the authorities,î emphasizes Seng.
But, he notes, the Bibles are available for sale and distribution to others also.
Bible distribution vans, donated by the UBS, are used to bring the Scriptures to hard-to-reach communities, and so the word is getting out through a variety of channels.
In an era of unrest the Bible Societies of the Middle East are planting the seeds of new life.
Quietly seeding and cultivating this tender crop are societies in Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Turkey and the Arabian Gulf.
Because the spiritual climate is tense, ministry requires creativity, sensitivity and patience.
An ABS worker says, ěThe challenges of conflict also leave people aching for spiritual comfort-for redemption and forgiveness, healing and hope. A yearning for reconciliation and Godís love tugs at peopleís hearts.î
The former general secretary of the Bible Society in Israel said recently that because of the political climate in the area, ěThere is mourning in the land, but thereís also more openness to the New Testament,î
Students are being taught for the first time about Christianity in the context of first century events.
Israelís Ministry of Education has asked the Bible Society for permission to publish its modern-text New Testament in a book and a pamphlet that would teach students about Christianity.
In Palestine and Iraq there are new opportunities to bring the Scriptures to people victimized by the violence.
The rapid economic expansion in the Middle East has spurred a massive influx of migrant workers from China, India, the Philippines and Sri Lanka, among whom there are Christians.
The Bible Society has become, not just a book shop, but a ministry that is involved in the community and there to support church outreach.
A representative of the Bible Society in the Gulf reports: ěMore and more Middle Easterners draw a connection between the message they are exposed to in the Bible and their desire for freedom.î
Along with encouraging reports from the land of unrest, there is the realization the Societies and their personnel are subjects of threats and attacks by those who oppose their work.
The Palestinian Bible Society building in Gaza city was threatened with destruction by explosives in late February, and at the same time the Bible Society Center in Bir Zeit on the West Bank was threatened. The latter had already been attacked three times, twice set on fire and once all the windows were broken.
The Palestinian Authority has promised they will do their best to resolve the situation, and the Society is asking for prayers for their facilities, for protection for their workers as they plant seeds of love and reconciliation, and for peace in that troubled land.
The American Bible Society reaches out to the prisons and to the Armed Forces, among its many ministries.
This writer, a WWII Navy/Marine Corps Chaplain, remembers distributing copies of the New Testament to many servicemen and women.
Godís Word reaches into the world of sports as well.
The nation mourned with Tony Dungy, the coach of the Indianapolis Colts, whose son, James, 18, was found dead last December, apparently by suicide.
It was nearing the end of the National Football League season, and fans wondered when the heart-broken coach would be ready to return to the playing field.
ěThereís a story in the Bible,î Tony told reporters. ěDavidís son is sick, and theyíre praying for him. The whole time he wonít eat, wonít do anything. The son ends up dying. What David says, basically, is Iíve got to go to
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