The miracle of the Bible (There’s an app for that!)

Somehow, it survives!

In 1554, the Spanish Inquisition listed 103 editions of the Bible condemned because of errors, unscriptural additions and heresies. A year later, Britain’s Queen Mary commanded “that no manner of persons presume to bring into this realm any manuscript, books, papers, etc., in the name of Martin Luther, John Calvin, Miles Coverdale, Erasmus, Tyndale, etc. or any like books containing false doctrines.”

In 1582, Catholic exiles from England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I produced the first English-language Catholic New Testament and had it printed up in Rheims, France. In 1610, the Old Testament was added in a version printed at Douay, France. William Allen, a distinguished scholar under Catholic Queen Mary, is believed to have been the chief translator. He would have been named Primate or Archbishop of England had the Spanish Armada succeeded in invading England.

Somehow, it survives!

In 1967, Andres van der Bijl wrote a bestselling book, Brother Andrew, in which he described smuggling Bibles into Communist countries where their possession was forbidden by law. Although he admitted violating the laws of such countries as Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania and the Soviet Union by bringing in religious literature, he had a practice of placing the material in plain view when stopped by police -- as a gesture of his trust in God's protection.

In the 1960s, he visited China, which today still restricts the printing, distribution and ownership of Bibles. Similar efforts were undertaken by Billy James Hargis’ Christian Crusade ministries, Cecil Todd’s Revival Fires, Richard Wurmbrand’s Voice of the Martyrs, Gene Dulin’s Toronto Christian Ministries and scores of others – smuggling in millions of Bibles into officially atheistic Communist nations and connecting to underground Christians there.

After the fall of Communism in Europe, Brother Andrew’s Open Doors organization shifted its attention to China and North Korea as well as to Muslim areas where possession of Bibles is banned by religious and secular law.

Somehow, it survives!

Printing the Bible and smuggling it into hostile nations became incredibly easier with the worldwide growth of the internet. The Bible Gateway at www.BibleGateway.com today advertises that it provides users with “more than 175 versions” of the Bible, including Amharic, Cebuano, Cherokee, Croatian, Dholuo, Dutch, Danish, German, Haitian Creole and about 60 English translations such as the American Standard Version, the Amplified Bible, the Complete Jewish Bible, the Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition, the Good News Translation, J.B. Phillips' New Testament, the King James Version, the early Wycliffe Bible and others.

And now, the Bible Gateway is also offering an iPhone application – putting the Bible onto any smart-phone on earth.

Somehow, it survives!

YouVersion has been installed on more than 60 million mobile devices worldwide – and is readily available in many areas where owning a print version of the Bible can be dangerous – such as Iran or Pakistan. YouVersion is one of the most downloaded apps for the iPhone, iTunes, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone. It has been listed in the all-time top 10 apps for the iPad.

Technology has abruptly accellerated the work started by Constantine, Wycliffe, Tyndale, Gutenberg, King James I, Brother Andrew, the Gideons and scores of others for the last 2,000 years – making the Bible available to everyone. Suddenly you and I have no excuse for not reading our Bibles or passing one along to a friend. It's right there on our laptops, electronic pads and cellphones. And it's free.