Several large Christian organizations kicked off a campaign Sunday that aims to give 100,000 Bibles to U.S. troops worldwide over the course of 100 days.
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(Photo: AP Images / Musadeq Sadeq)US soldiers observe a moment of silence during a citizenship ceremony at the U.S. base in Bagram north of Kabul, Afghanistan on Monday May 26, 2008. Afghanistan has seen a sharp rise in violence in the last year, even as the U.S. and NATO have poured thousands of new troops into the country. The U.S. now has some 33,000 troops in Afghanistan, the most ever.
The Operation Worship Bible, a special edition of the New Living Translation, was made available exclusively at Christian Booksellers Association retailers on June 1 for customers to buy and write a personal message of encouragement to an active-duty member of the military.
CBA is working with Operation Worship, a Christian ministry that works with U.S. troops, to help distribute the Bibles to soldiers. Meanwhile, partners Tyndale House Publishers is producing the Operation Worship Bibles, and the K-LOVE Radio Network is promoting the campaign through its airwaves.
“What better impact can you have on a soldier than to provide them with the Word of God,” said Jeff Hilliard, co-founder of Operation Worship and Open Window Foundation, in a statement.
“No matter how we feel about the war, our soldiers need our support. There is nothing more satisfying than being able to write a message of encouragement in a Bible and forwarding it to an active-duty soldier!”
Organizers hope to impact U.S. troops with God’s Word and urge American Christians to participate in the campaign.
Christians are invited to buy the special Operation Worship Bible at CBA retailers, write a personal message, and return it to the store where it will be shipped to Operation Worship for distribution to troops overseas.
“It is a privilege for Tyndale House to help ‘rally the troops’ in this unique outreach to our military,” said Blaine Smith, associate publisher at Tyndale House Publishers. “An Operation Worship Bible containing a personalized message offers tangible opportunities to let those who serve us in the military know we are praying for them and that they are not forgotten.”
During the week of July 4, K-Love Radio Network will feature a nationwide promotion of the campaign that includes more than 100 on-air giveaways and Internet spots broadcasting to nearly 2 million weekly listeners and 250,000 weekly Web site visitors.
The national marketing campaign also includes radio spots on Salem Radio Network, airing in 149 markets the week of Independence Day.
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I noticed that some of these posts were objecting to the New Living Translation. There is a website that sends King James' Version Bibles to soldiers and they are financed without asking for donations.
Pretty neat idea! Check it out at...
<a href="http://www.bibles4soldiers.synthasite.com">Bibles-4-soldiers</a>
If this blog doesn't support html hot links, paste this text into your web browser's search window...
http://www.bibles4soldiers.synthasite.com
That should also get you there.
GOD bless!
There are several Bible distribution programs but the Operation Worship Bible encourages people to write personal messages of encouragement to the troops letting them know how much we support them. It is offered only to troops asking for a Bible. Also, soldiers can ask that a Bible be sent to a spouse for free.
I'm sorry some of you really need to educate yourselves better before speaking. come on now God gave you a extraordinary brain please use it.
"Operation to Give 100,000 Bibles to U.S. Troops in 100 Days"
This is more evidence the Iraq war is a religious war. I noticed the other side reads the Qur'an. Everybody is murdering everybody else for a different God.
Has anyone noticed virtually all 21st century wars are religious wars? Religions are good for nothing but violence. Kill for Jesus. Kill for Mohammed. They're all nuts.
Hopefully they're ensuring the Bibles get to Christian soldiers, and not handed out broadly like, say, coins.
Perhaps they can use the books to pad the doors of their inadequately armored humvees.
I wonder what the real background of this article is. It seems hardly plausible that the people who started this ministry have never heard about the Gideons International. Why then double the ministry?
I also wonder about the cost of all of this - after all, it is a booksellers' organization that stands behind it all ;-) I am sure that the same amout that will buy these 100.000 bibles would have bought a multiple number of bibles through the Gideons!
But maybe the "problem" is that the Gideons give out their bibles to soldiers of ANY country that will accept them, and not only to US troops...?
Thank you for this Beautiful outreach!!
14How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news! Romans 10:14-16
That New Living Translation has got to be the most inaccurate translation around. I wonder why they used it.