"The pattern of a fundamentally fragmented and disconnected understanding of Scripture still remains a major issue for those within Christendom, in both the majority and minority world."
Timelining Scripture is an innovative, yet simple Bible engagement tool that helps people to grasp Scripture as the single great coherent story of God’s purposes for the world. It reinforces a strong notion of the Kingdom of God and is particularly useful for helping people to find themselves, their community and their cultural context as actors within the biblical story. It is adaptable across age and cultural contexts and is highly visual, interactive and flexible. [more...]
"What we had failed to notice was that these nomads already had media players—their mobile phones! They were using them to listen to music and poetry as well as view videos. This realization changed our strategy, so we now start out by sharing individual Scripture stories on our phone during a visit, and then transfer it by Bluetooth to those who are interested."
This inspiring article encourages us to take advantage of the revolution in mobile phone technology to bring the message of Scripture to peoples around the world. The authors provide lots of examples of how mobile phones can be used.
For example: "When I walk out the door these days I’m blessed to have short selections of the audio panoramic Bible in the language of my people, as well as 40+ videos of Bible stories from creation to the crucifixion. In addition, I have numerous spiritual poems and musical Psalms ready and waiting in my pocket should the right opportunity arise. The great thing is that viewing and sharing photos, music, and videos on mobile phone is now so common among the people group I live among that whipping out my phone and sharing one of these video or audio files with them is completely natural!" [more...]
"When the Scriptures are available in the mother tongue, students will use them if encouraged to do so by the staff of the training institutions. Professors may not understand the languages their students are working in and they may find this to be challenging, but the results are well worth the challenge."
Many Bible Schools function in the majority language of the country. For students from minority language groups, this may result in a superficial understanding of Scripture. How can Bible schools help them study Scripture in their own language so that they attain the fluency in reading and preaching they will need to minister effectively among their people? This article presents an approach which has been used at a Bible Institute in Colombia with 13 languages. [more...]
admin | 
Sun 3 Oct 2010, 22:41Cape Town, South Africa, 16-25 October 2010 and at GlobaLink sites around the world.
In October 2010, the Forum Of Bible Agencies International will participate in the Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization in Cape Town, South Africa.
It has been a privilege to contribute to this effort in multiple forms, including:
- Submission of a paper on “Three Major Priorities in Eradicating Bible Poverty”
- Participation in the Scripture in Mission Global Conversation leading up to the event.
- The development of a series of five videos designed to challenge attendees to ‘eradicate Bible Poverty’, to be shared in the morning Bible exposition time (these will be made available following the October Congress).
- Presentation of a Multiplex session that complements our paper submission, as well as leading four Dialogue sessions on Scripture in Mission – focusing on the majority world urban setting, the majority world rural setting, in the setting of other major religions and in the post-modern world.
Please be in prayer for the Lausanne Committees responsible for this incredible event, as well as attendees who will convene from around the world. You can learn more about the Congress and discover ways to interact with others as the Congress convenes by visiting the Congress website.
From: http://ifoba.org/about_ifoba/default.aspx?id=872 [more...]
"Our tendency is to “tame” Scripture and make it safe. While we desire to encounter Scripture on its own terms and allow it to speak its liberating word in into our lives, very often we (consciously or unconsciously) work to control it. Because of our fears (real or imagined) we “de-claw” it and domesticate it."
How can we read Scripture in ways that prevent us from encountering God in his Word? This article describes some common pitfalls: hyper-personalism, domestification, reductionism, isolationism, heroism, moralism and dualism. They are best demonstrated when a group practices reading the Scriptures in ways that make these barriers clear AND when they offer fresh readings that demonstrate alternatives. [more...]
"Orlando Saer's Iron Sharpens Iron may well become the "Bible" for small group studies--as the author's six finely wrought chapters cover virtually everything essential to initiating and maintaining healthy small group Bible studies. There is nothing arm-chair here... Saer writes from ground-level, providing us with hard-won advice that is unexceptionably biblical, intensely practical and ever-so-wise. (from a review by R. Kent Hughes)"
Orlando Saer provides a practical guide for anyone leading or wanting to lead a small Bible-study group. [more...]
"In Latin America the interpretational situation is shaped by the community dimension - so we talk about reading communities. We affirm that the community is the context (literally ‘the lap’) in which the meaning of the text can rest and express its full implications. This is a passionate reading in which people study the text and explore it deeply with body, soul and emotions… ‘Were not our hearts burning within us?’"
Grassroots or ‘Popular Bible Reading’ (PBR) is a space for reflection that takes as its starting point a dialogue between life and the Bible. In this article, Silvia Regina de Lima Silva uses themes from the Emmaus Road story to describe this community-based Bible reading approach which began among the poor and marginalized over thirty years ago. [more...]
"Why aren’t we laying subversive charges of Bible Semtex everywhere that blow people’s minds - blasts like Creation, Fall, God’s Master Plan, Adam and Christ, The Cross, Trinity and Relationships, Christ’s Glorious Achievements, and much more? Our goal isn’t to teach bland moralism but to re-shape millions of minds with God’s ‘do-my-head-in’ story of Creation, De-creation, and Re-creation in Christ. Only then can relationships, moral decision-making, and our brief lives be done fully to the glory of God.."
Published as part of the Biblefresh initiative, this free downloadable e-book is a compilation of articles by preachers in the UK. They seek to answer the question: "What does preaching need to look like in our multicultural, digital, image-soaked, biblically illiterate, global age? Does preaching need a refresh to be refreshing?"
Authors include: Greg Haslam, Krish Kandiah, Vaughan Roberts, Chris Green, Peter Mead and Derek Tibdall. [more...]
 | The Shofar is an MP3 Audio Bible from Rhema for the Nations. It is powered by a rechargeable cellphone battery and charged by the built-in solar-panel, hand crank or mains adaptor. The Shofar was dedicated in August 2010. View the video below for more details: [more...] |
This is the Brazilian Portuguese version of the book Translating the Bible into Action by Harriet Hill and Margaret Hill.
A tried and tested resource that encourages meaningful Bible use in multi-lingual contexts through both written and oral media. Includes activities, assignments, further reading resources and links to useful websites.
This version has two extra chapters in addition to those found in the English version - "Addressing human concerns: Alcohol abuse", and "Sharing your faith with animists". [more...]