Talking Bibles International

Officially, there are about 776 million people in the world who lack basic reading and writing skills, according to UNESCO, the international organization tasked with measuring global literacy. Talking Bibles and its associates have worked for decades with non-literate, often overlooked minority groups who are isolated by language and culture. We know from experience that the problem of Biblical illiteracy is much greater. By our estimation, there are over 1 billion people in the world who cannot read the Bible in their heart language. These are the men, women, and children who need the spoken Word.

Whatever the reason for their lack of literacy, all non-readers are in dire need of the truth of Scripture in their own language in a format that they can study for themselves. The Good News in the Bible gives new life along with new vocabulary and a new way of thinking. People who struggle to survive in poverty often have no time or reason to learn to read unless they already know this power of the Gospel. But there are many people, especially leaders, who will not accept the authority of the Bible unless they can see or hear it for themselves. The Talking Bible crosses these barriers of mistrust and fear because God's word speaks to them.

Talking Bibles International supports the efforts of mission organizations who teach people to read the Bible in their own language. Literacy programs and the spoken Word are two equally important tools in the evangelistic toolbox. But teaching reading takes time, during which people continue to go without personal access to the Word of God. There are hundreds of millions whose eyes will never know the letters on a page, but every one of those people has ears to hear. We have it on our hearts to reach these people. With the Talking Bible, non-literate individuals can hear the Word of God in their own language today—no classes required.

Most oral learners belong to cultures that do not teach with books but with conversations, narratives, music, and visual arts. For these people, reading is not their preferred method of learning. As a result, oral learners may struggle to understand the Gospel when their only access is the printed Bible. The Talking Bible communicates God's message to oral learners in the method they most easily can understand.

The ministry provides leaders in communities of oral learners with “talking" Bibles, God's spoken Word, in their native languages. The ministry trains leaders to use “talking" Bibles to share the good news of Christ. These Bibles allow leaders to nurture their congregations and reach out to unbelievers. This approach equips indigenous non-readers to become church leaders, pastors, and missionaries to their own communities.

In brief, our process for planting a Talking Bible is as follows: A planter (an evangelist or missionary partnering with Talking Bibles International) chooses a community to receive a Talking Bible. The planter researches the area and designs a plan to reach that community. A leader is chosen to oversee the playing of the Talking Bible. The leader plays the Talking Bible each day for 3 to 6 months. The planter provides pastoral care and follow-up. Many listeners believe and are baptized. A church is formed. Those that hear the Word and receive it bear good fruit.

Talking Bibles International has 30 years of experience bringing about positive, sustainable change to remote communities around the world through structured Bible listening programs. Our executive team and many of our staff have decades of experience in global missions. The experience they bring supplies the organization with the wisdom and connections needed to work with local ministry leaders toward a common mission to equip non-readers with a Bible of their own.

Additionally, Talking Bibles International has developed sturdy, versatile audio Scripture players that meet the requirements of the mission field. We began in the 1970s with tape players that could barely hold a full Bible lesson, and we have continually improved the devices as technology develops. Now with the solar-powered Talking Bibles, Scripture-hungry non-readers in remote villages can listen to a complete Bible in their own language without ever having to purchase batteries.

The Talking Bible, available in many languages, can store and play a complete Old and New Testament or a single testament if a complete translation is not available to record. It has been designed for groups of up to 50 people to be able to listen comfortably through the built-in speaker. It can also be plugged into a public address system to reach even more people. The Talking Bible is about the size and shape of a pocket Bible. It is shaped like a Bible for familiar, comfortable use. It has been designed to withstand the elements. It is water resistant with a built-in mylar speaker. It has been vibration tested, heat and humidity tested and drop tested. Very rarely do we get one back from the mission field. The beauty of the Talking Bible lies in its simplicity. Turn it on and it plays the Word of God! It is designed for daily Bible listening, and it always starts where you left off yesterday.

In this decade, we have seen tremendous increase in demand for Talking Bibles in India and Africa, due to close cooperation by local ministry partners in India and Africa. We are working with missionary pastors in every state in India, and we have placed Talking Bibles in refugee camps and remote villages in east Africa with great reports. We also hope that the next few years will yield great opportunities to provide more Talking Bibles for non-readers in South America. We continue to identify global communities in need faster than we can respond with Talking Bibles. Our primary limitation is the speed and cost of manufacturing the Talking Bibles, though we have done what we can to minimize those problems.