China (IBS/MNN) — The Chinese
New Year is February 3, 2011, the year of the Rabbit.
Biblica is marking the occasion
with the release of a new tool that can help Chinese believers.
The
Chinese Contemporary Bible (CCB) is now available online at
Biblica.com, BibleGateway.com, and YouVersion.com. Since 29 percent of China's population uses
the internet, that makes this people group the world's largest online
community, with an estimated 384 million members.
Making this tool available to
them makes good sense. It is translated
into Standard Mandarin, also known as Putonghua, meaning "common speech," of
which there are 873 million Mandarin speakers on the mainland.
The revisions reflect the changes
in Chinese language, providing opportunity to reach the younger generation,
children, and seekers. One young man told
translators that "this Bible speaks to my heart because it reads like the
language I speak at home."
Although the Chinese Living Bible
was released in 1975, a lot has changed in the country. Shortly after its release, the Cultural
Revolution ended (1976), but the world was a different place for those emerging
from behind the Bamboo Curtain.
With the death of Mao Zedong, the
People's Republic of China was left with no central authority figure, either
symbolically or administratively. Power struggles
ensued, but new thoughts and new ideas were appealing to people.
The Gospel spread like
wildfire. Since then, Operation World
notes the staggering growth of the Chinese Church: from 2.7 million to over 75
million in 2010.
The need for biblical resources
increases with the growth of the Christian population. Biblica has responded by
providing a modern, easy-to-read contemporary Bible. Initially, 50,000 copies
of the Chinese Contemporary Bible
will be printed and will be made available through a ministry approach.
In addition to the Chinese Contemporary Bible,
Biblica has produced New Testament books Matthew and Acts in DVD format. In the
spring of 2011, the CCB
Audio New Testament will also be available. The Student
Bible is being translated into the CCB text, and the popular Life Application Bible will be adapted into the
contemporary text to equip the Chinese people with a strong foundation in God's
Word.
