Hungry for God: Gospel Thrives amid Jihad, Disease
As evidenced by the latest Bible translation efforts, neither Islamic persecution nor other hardships have proved to be any match for the spread of Christianity.
Last year alone, global translation projects supported by American Bible Society and Bible Societies allowed more than 1 billion people to access the Bible for the first time.
The news comes despite increased levels of religious persecution. For instance, in Nigeria where Boko Haram is escalating its violent campaign against the Christian community, the Nigerian Bible Society launched four new Bible translations.
Liberia also saw a proliferation of the Gospel in 2014 despite losing more people to the deadly Ebola virus than any other affected country.
Marco Herrera, managing director of international ministries of American Bible Society, called the news "inspiring."
"The dedication of Bible translators is matched only by the hunger of these local people for the Word of God," he said.
Even so, ABS reports the need for new translations is still great. Although new projects are underway in an additional 2,195 languages, approximately 1,859 remain untouched.
