Written by: Oasis International
Article source: Supplied
AN ORGANISATION WORKING in Africa said the continent faced the largest Bible famine in world history, and that as many as 550 million Christians in Africa were without a Bible.
Oasis International, which focuses on the publishing and distribution of Bibles and Christian content by African authors, called this “the hidden Bible crisis”.
Company President Dr Matthew Elliott said that, while many believers are aware of the need for Bible translation and donate generously to the cause, little is being done to address the need for a resilient sales and distribution network.
“While we should never neglect Bible translation, strengthening the distribution of existing Bibles in English, French, and Portuguese has more potential to address the current Bible shortage in the short and medium term.
“Statistics by the world’s most popular Bible app show, for example, that 98,9% of reading hours in Nigeria are spent on English content, even though the app carries the Bible in 18 of the most popular Nigerian languages. Our own research bears this out, with 93% of rural Nigerians polled saying they preferred to read the Bible in English for their personal devotions,” Dr Elliott said.
Numbers from The World Christian Encyclopedia show that Africa received only 7,1% of the Bibles printed in the last 20 years, despite representing 26,5% of the global Christian population. In contrast, North America received 27,7% of Bibles, although it accounted for only 11,6% of Christians globally.
Oasis said it was partnering with local bookstores, ministries, and denominations to create a distribution infrastructure that would serve Africa sustainably. It said the way to address the Bible shortage was to empower local entrepreneurs and build scale. Merely donating Bibles put local bookstores out of business, destroyed existing distribution channels, and served to worsen the crisis.
Currently, 1 in 4 Christians live in Africa. It is expected that, by 2060, 40% of the world’s Christians will be African.
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Date published: 08/07/2023
Feature image: oasisinternational.com
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We are thankful to have OASIS INT determined to put an end to this famine by coming up with a bible like ASB and other resources to solve this real problems.
Please, how can some of us be involved in the Bible Distribution Chain_if I may ask?
It is a sad reality,and needs immediate action as remedy.
Well done in this great task.
May God bless and reward your efforts.
Do you have any outlets in Nigeria yet.
I ask because I run a local Bookshop.
Thanks.