Bible League Spearheads Effort to Bring Bibles to Latin America
by Allie Martin
September 11, 2006
(AgapePress) - - Bringing the truth of God's Word to Latin America -- that's the goal of an upcoming campaign called "Defy the Darkness," part of an effort by the Bible League to get tens of thousands of Bibles to people throughout Latin America, with a special emphasis on Ecuador.For years, Ecuador has been immersed in social and political corruption, and more than half of its population lives at or below the poverty level. But in the midst of these conditions, the evangelical church in that Latin American nation is booming.
This week, the Bible League is hosting various Christian media on a tour in Ecuador. Scott Thunder, a spokesman for the ministry, is helping organize this week's media trip. He says even though the Christian church has been active in Latin America for hundreds of years, there is a desperate need for God's Word there.
"There are still areas where people don't have Bibles," Thunder notes. In such areas, he says, many people have "never been able to read the Bible themselves, they've never been able to study the scriptures, and they've never been able to really see who Jesus is and come into a relationship with Christ -- to really know Him and walk with Him in a real, powerful, and living way."
More than 90 percent of Ecuador's population is Catholic of one form or another, the Bible League representative points out, while many indigenous people combine Catholicism with other practices and beliefs. This is a country in dire need of God's changeless and life-changing truth, he observes.
During this tour of Ecuador, Thunder says, participants will encounter different kinds of darkness. "We're going to be seeing economic darkness, very poor people," he points out. And also, he says, "We're going to see people who will have stories of moral darkness that was changed when they began to study their own Bibles -- and not only poor people but also relatively well-off people, because everyone needs the Lord."
The goal of the "Defy the Darkness" campaign is to bring the light of God's Word to believers throughout Latin America, regardless of their economic status, ethnicity, or background. "Everyone needs to study scripture," Thunder asserts. "Whether they're poor, whether their affluent, the need is there everywhere."
The Bible League's tour in Ecuador includes visits to the Amazon jungle and to Indian tribes that have been affected by the gospel of Jesus Christ. The organization's website points out that the League's ministry goes beyond providing the Bibles people need and includes making sure those scriptures are used for evangelism, discipleship, and church growth.
The Bible League works with local churches in more than 50 countries, teaching them to draw seekers into Bible studies. Last year, believers trained by the League gathered 3,354,265 people into small group Bible studies.
Allie Martin, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
