God's Word Reaching Public School Students
by Randall Murphree
June 28, 2006
(AgapePress) - - A million Bibles, a million teenagers, and who can imagine how many changed lives. The impact is immeasurable. For the fifth year, American Family Association (AFA) is partnering with Truth for Youth (TFY) distributing free Bibles for Christian teens to share with unsaved friends. American Family Radio (AFR), AFA's 180-station network, will host TFY founder Tim Todd in studio August 7-11 to encourage listeners to order the free Bibles.
"We give the TFY Bibles to teenagers in revival services, evangelistic crusades, television, radio, and on the Internet," said Todd, executive director of Revival Fire International, which oversees the TFY project. "The biggest distribution outlet is each August on American Family Radio." To date, TFY has distributed more than one million Bibles. This year's goal is to send out 60,000 Bibles.
Teens Choose Life
During last year's AFA campaign, Todd received an e-mail message from a teenager in Australia. "This is what it's all about," Todd said. The young man wrote:
"I used to be heavily entrenched in Satanism, due to my parents' involvement in witchcraft. I didn't know any better until I received a copy of your Bible while I was overseas. Somebody heard you on AFR radio and got the Bible and gave it to me. Jesus saved me, and I will be ordering more Bibles so more of my classmates, whom I had unfortunately convinced to leave religion, can be saved!"
Todd said he relies on God's promise in Isaiah 55:11 -- "[My Word] will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Time and time again, he sees that promise fulfilled.
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Front cover of The Truth for Youth Bible |
One of Todd's favorite stories comes from a revival he was preaching in McAllen, Texas. Teenager Shelley O'Brien had taken a TFY Bible and given it to Alex Perez, a gang leader. She also invited Alex to her church. Alex came to hear Todd preach that night, and he got saved.The young gang leader told the congregation, "I have found real peace. I'm going to invite my entire gang to come with me tomorrow night. Pray they will come and get saved, too."
The next day, Alex told the pastor, "I gave a Bible to each of my gang, and they all agreed to come to the revival tonight." Sure enough, that night, in walked Alex with all of his gang. When the invitation was given, all 11 came forward, fell to their knees, and gave their lives to Christ.
"Think about it," Todd said. "One bold young lady gave one Bible to one gang leader and an entire gang was saved!"
The Truth for Youth project began in 1995 offering the slick, attractive paperback New Testaments free to Christian teens who make a commitment to pass them on to unsaved friends.
The unique book has the entire New Testament as its anchor, and includes guidelines for starting a Bible club at school and a copy of students' legal rights on public school campuses. But the hook for teens is the original comics section that addresses issues such as abortion, pornography, rock music and school violence.
The 2006 edition includes almost 100 pages of comics featuring characters drawn by the best artists in a style that will appeal to teens. TFY uses the God's Word Translation (God's Word to the Nations Bible Society, copyright 1995). The lead comic story is "Hairy Polarity and the Sinister Sorcery Satire," dealing with the occult. Another, "Passes and Plays," deals with the truth about safe sex. "Born That Way!" talks about homosexuality.
"These are things kids struggle with every day," Todd said, "and these comics are a format that will grab their attention, then turn them toward biblical principles and truths.
Todd Chooses Teens
One reason Tim Todd has such a passion for teenagers is that he himself knows how lost a kid can be and how God's power can save. As a rebellious teen, Todd was often in trouble at school. His temper earned him suspension for fighting, and he began drinking. Then, one night at a keg party, he was offered marijuana. He thought it made him fit in with the crowd. From there it was downhill all the way for the preacher's kid.
"The drugs and alcohol were my way in," he said, "but soon they became my way out of dealing with my problems. My dad was a respected minister on nationwide TV, but I didn't care what my drug use did to his reputation."
To make a long story short, Todd survived auto crashes and drug abuse that would have killed many, but after three experiences that almost took his life, he surrendered his heart to Christ and immediately began to experience what he calls "spiritual heart surgery."
"I commend Tim Todd for designing the TFY Bible," said Michael Reagan. "The spectacular comics deal with important issues that today's youth are faced with, and it is making an eternal impact in our schools and around the country."
"We look forward to the Truth for Youth campaign each August," said AFA president Tim Wildmon. "We know Tim Todd is being used by God to put Truth into the hands of America's teenagers."
In today's cultural climate, no one is surprised when people challenge the presence of the Bible on school campuses, but Todd says while teachers may not be able to distribute the Bible, students can do so on non-instructional time.
"In the event that a young person gets in trouble for giving a Truth for Youth Bible away in school, Liberty Counsel in Orlando, Florida, will represent the young person at no cost," said Todd.
In his message in the current TFY Bible, Todd writes, "The main goal ... is to bring the message of the Gospel to America's young people so they might receive Christ and become his disciples."
Randall Murphree, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is editor of AFA Journal, a monthly publication of the American Family Association. This article, printed with permission, appears in the July 2006 issue.
