Reading the Bible

Approximately 29,000 people in our county have not completed High School or a GED. Hundreds do not read well enough to read a newspaper. Literacy
is required to read the Bible. But consider what may prevent some from doing just that.
If you can’t read the newspaper, or the bible, or help with your child’s homework, how awkward it might feel to be a part of a small group in which you were “assumed to be a reader.” It might be the reason some people stay away.

Hundreds of language groups across the globe do not have the Bible in their own language in any form. Imagine the work necessary to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those people. It requires going to the people, learning the language, and translating the scriptures. This work continues in many places today.

If you are able to read, reading the Bible may still remain a challenge. Some people are challenged by the language of the King James Version (written on a twelfth grade level) and in the same period as Shakespeare. A person might do well to read a more recent version that utilizes a more contemporary language style, and in fact many contemporary translations have had the benefit of older biblical source materials that have been discovered since the King James Version was first translated. Several of these, while still translations from the available Greek and Hebrew texts, then translate into English incorporating less complex wording and removing some of the Old English forms that might make it harder to understand.

If reading is difficult, due to vision loss, or the inability to read, there are audio recorded versions of the scriptures on cassette and CD that can help. If you know of individuals with these needs, encourage them to look for ways to learn what the Bible says. It will bless them and you.