USA (MNN) — A new audio Scripture program has been implemented in the United States via text messaging.
The Faith Comes by Hearing project hopes to reach as many of the country's 298 billion cell phones as possible.
"Nobody's ever done this before," says FCBH's Troy Carl. "We're just excited about the possibilities. We're hoping for a million and a half users by the first quarter of 2009."
The program is fairly user-friendly. Anyone wishing to receive a text message which contains audio Scripture simply needs to text the word "Bible" (or "Biblia" for Spanish) to the number 80672. Dramatized audio recordings of New Testament passages will then be sent to the receiver for six days. The seventh day will include information about how audio Bibles are reaching people internationally.
The need for the program in America is stunningly wide, says Carl. "65 percent of Bible-believing Christians in this country have never read the entire New Testament. So we're trying to change that."
Although messages are currently only delivered in English and Spanish, FCBH has plans to create programs in 330 different languages by mid-2009. This expansion will help FCBH to move closer to their ultimate goal.
"Our goal is to provide people with a way to engage in God's Word and make disciples as Jesus commanded us," says Carl. "We're praying for nothing less than a revival."
The audio Scriptures can be sent to any phone with multimedia capabilities at standard text messaging costs. For more information, visit www.faithcomesbyhearing.com .
