In two weeks, the world’s largest Bible printing facility will open in Nanjing, China, prompting some to dub the historic eastern Chinese city the Bible printing capital of the world.
In collaboration with the United Bible Societies, Amity Printing Company, China’s only state-approved Christian publisher, will double their annual Bible printing output when the facility opens on May 19.
In 2007, Amity printed 6 million Bibles, but with the new facility, it has the potential to print up to 12 million per year. In other words, Amity will be producing 23 Bibles every minute.
Peter Dean, the Bible Societies’ consultant in Nanjing, said that there is “a really increasing interest in Christianity” in the country where seven percent of its one billion people are estimated to be believers, according to the United Bible Societies.
“There are differing views on how many Christians there are," Dean admitted. "But everyone agrees there is a great interest and a lot of growth in the Christian Church.
"What excites me is our aim is to serve the Church in China,” he added. “All of this new production capability is available 'first call' for the mainland Chinese Church. If they want to print 12 million Bibles a year, they’ve got it."
Just 30 years ago, Christianity and the Bible were banned in China, which remains a strictly secular and officially atheistic country. But in 1987, Amity Press began printing Bibles and celebrated its 50th millionth Bible last December. About 55,000 churches distribute the Bibles printed by Amity.
The Bible is printed in eight Chinese minority languages, as well as Braille Bible. Furthermore, the government-sanctioned Protestant body, the China Christian Council/Three Self Patriotic Movement (CCC/TSPM), said it is getting ready to produce Bibles as downloadable audio books so young people can listen to it on their MP3 players.
“Young people need more than just the traditional printed Bible," said the Rev. Deng Fu Cun, a senior leader in the CCC/TSPM, which publishes the Bibles. "So we’re planning to produce the Bible in various digital formats.
Deng said the publishers are also focusing on the quality and variety of Bibles available.
“We need both large and small Bibles, Braille Bibles and luxury Bibles that can be given as gifts.”
Christianity is the second largest officially recognized religion in China, according to surveys conducted by Horizon Research Consultancy Group, though less than four percent of the adult population identifies themselves as Christian.
Out of China’s recognized religions – Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Islam, and Taoism – Buddhism is the largest religious group, Horizon found amid its 2005-2007 surveys. Between 11 (2005 survey) and 16 percent (2006 survey) of the adult population are Buddhists.
Meanwhile, official statistics by the Chinese government show a 50 percent increase in the number of Christians – from 14 million to 21 million – in less than 10 years (between 1997 to 2006). During this period, Protestants increased from 10 million to 16 million, or by 60 percent, while Catholics increased from 4 million to 5 million, or by 25 percent.
Notably, however, it is more difficult to measure the non-registered Christian population, which chooses to worship outside the control of the state.
Christian Post reporter Ethan Cole in Washington contributed to this article.
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Einstein’s latest words offer scant comfort to the traditionally faithful.
In the letter, according to the A.P. account, he wrote that “the word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honorable but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish.”
As for his fellow Jews, he said that Judaism, like all other religions, was “an incarnation of the most childish superstitions.”
Today's news: From the grave, Albert Einstein poured gasoline on the culture wars between science and religion this week. A letter the physicist wrote in 1954 to the philosopher Eric Gutkind, in which he described the Bible as “pretty childish” and scoffed at the notion that the Jews could be a “chosen people,” sold for $404,000 at an auction in London.
I agree with Einstein. The stories in the Bible are fairy tales for children.
To answer the question a few people have asked, Yes - Bibles printed at Amity contain the whole Bible. Nothing is left out - Revelation and all the other 65 books are included. To see a YouTube video on the work of Amity and an interview with Peter Dean - go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0YIyQMMZMU or search on You Tube for Amity Printing Press, Nanjing. I made the video on a visit to Amity for Bible Society NSW.
A link to this article has been posted on the website GoodNewsNow.com.
Is the Bible printed in its entirety, or are certain portions only allowed to be printed? From what I understand from Christians in China, only the portions which teach readers to respect the government, and lead peaceable lives are allowed to be printed.
"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." (Matthew 24:14)
Hope Page: itsallaboutjesusnotme.blogspot.com
Is anyone aware that the state sanctioned three self church of china is a political organisation set up to control the christian church. Try reading " The Heavenly Man" by Brother Yun. It isn't christian.
The more the Chinese become Christianized the less we have to think about them being an enemy. May the love of Christ spread throughout all of China.
I think it is important to understand a few things about the situation in China before anyone starts thinkg the Bible problem has been solved. #1. Amity Press works through the Three Self Patriotic Movment Church, the "Officially Sanctioned" state run church, which does not embrace the fullness of the Christian faith. #2. Many of the Bibles printed by Amity are in fact designated for export. #3 There is a vast network of house churches in the far off rural areas of China, and these Christians have no access to places that sell Bibles, nor could they afford to buy one if they could find one for sale. I work with aministry which sees first hand the accurate situation of Bibles in China. Even with Amity's stepped up printing, there are millions of Chinese Christians who won't have a Bible.
God's plans moves in a mysterious way. Wherever we travel in the world, we can find
cheap plastic goods and certain expensive products " made in China". For the last two
decades China has flooded the world with their products. Now, another world revolution of
less expensive Bible can be flooded around the world, and God has appointed China to do that
work. Many Christians get panic about some trick the Chinese may play with the Bible
printing, let us erase that worry because the whole world can have Bible through massive
printing in the least expensive way. The revolution of the Holy Spirit has to be taken through
the massive printing being done in a so called athestic country. God can use any person or
country for His ultimate purpose, praise the Lord for His great plans.
But will these bibles contain the book of Revelation? A missionary from China told me that they allow bibles in China, but it has to be bibles that have been printed in China and that they do not have the book of Revelation. Because it talks about Christ returning to set up His earthly kingdom and China will not accept that anyone is going to rule over them.
I find it interesting that any city in China would be the bible printing capital of the world, yet also one of the most oppressive countries to Christians in the world.
Ironic.