India (MNN) — Tom Dudenhofer with Audio Scripture
Ministries says spiritual hunger is pushing demands for digital
Scripture players.
A shipment of 1,000
Ambassador Scripture players went to India's pastors through their partner,
World Cassette Outreach-India. "There was a distribution with 350
pastors, and 700 of the Scripture listening kits were distributed. We still have enough to do one more
distribution. That is going to take
place in North India this week. 400 pastors are expected, and we're going to run out before this distribution
is done."
65% of people of
India are not able to read or write. The
partnership also allows 10% of the disabled access to God's Word, especially the visually
handicapped people of the country.
The program works like this: national
believers survey villages, looking for those willing to become listening centers
in the village. They are enrolled in the program and purchase a Scripture kit that
contains the Bible in audio form.
Usually, as the family listens, others
join in. The older kits used cassette tapes,
which would then circulate amongst other listeners. This way, there is constant circulation of
God's Word.
Later, they are visited by local
evangelists to help clarify any questions or doubts they might have.
Within the next year, another visit takes place, and those who are willing are
baptized and connected with a local church, or they plant one.
Funding is all that's holding
them back from sending out another shipment. (Click here if you can help.) Although
the climate is changing, with anti-conversion legislation aimed at stopping
evangelism, Dudenhofer says, "As long as we are charging for the Scripture
players, it's pretty tough to push any time of an accusation of conversion.
Conversion in that country usually means that people convert through
bribery."
