Posted on 06/22/2008 8:34:17 AM PDT by george76
A new plant can turn out 12 million copies a year. Some are for export, but most are for domestic sale.
The factory looks like it could be any plant in this export-driven nation. Hundreds of Chinese workers huddle over loud machines churning out large orders for customers at home and abroad.
But what they're making might surprise you: Bibles.
As Tibetan monks grab headlines protesting the lack of religious freedom under Chinese rule, a booming Bible industry is on its way to turning the world's biggest atheist nation into the world's largest producer of the Good Book.
Chairman Mao might have said, "Our God is none other than the masses of the Chinese people," but here at Nanjing Amity Printing Co., China's only state-sanctioned Bible printer, little time is wasted pondering the contradictions of a metaphysical mismatch.
"We are printers," said Li Chunnong, the general manager of the plant, which has about 500 employees. "As long as somebody legitimate sends us an order, we will print them."
This pragmatic mind-set has contributed to the company's staggering growth. Since its first Bible rolled off the presses two decades ago, Amity has printed more than 50 million copies in 75 languages and exported to more than 60 countries. With the help of a new hangar-sized facility, the company could well be the biggest Bible factory in the world, cranking out 12 million copies a year.
"The Bible is probably the bestselling book in the world," Li said. "People need spiritual fulfillment. There is a huge demand for what we do. We have certainly benefited from that phenomenon and will not let the market slip from our hands."
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
That’s interesting - wonder where they go on sale for their “domestic” distribution? Keep the workplace a little chilly??
I suspect they already are, percentage wise the Christian population may be fairly small, but then there are so many Chinese that in terms of raw numbers they may take the top spot.
Thank the Lord the ChiComs don’t know the power of the Word of God. Otherwise, they may not have allowed this to happen.
Great post!
Excerpt:
This pragmatic mind-set has contributed to the company’s staggering growth. Since its first Bible rolled off the presses two decades ago, Amity has printed more than 50 million copies in 75 languages and exported to more than 60 countries. With the help of a new hangar-sized facility, the company could well be the biggest Bible factory in the world, cranking out 12 million copies a year.
“The Bible is probably the bestselling book in the world,” Li said. “People need spiritual fulfillment. There is a huge demand for what we do. We have certainly benefited from that phenomenon and will not let the market slip from our hands.”
This kind of talk was almost unimaginable just a generation or two ago. During the radical years of the Cultural Revolution, from 1966 to 1976, just about the only reading material the Chinese people had was the Little Red Book of Mao Tse-tung’s quotations — certainly not a big black book of Jesus’ parables. Demonized as spiritual pollution, copies of the holy text were confiscated and burned.
As I understand it, Christian Chinese are sending missionaries into the countries of Central Asia even as you read this. I think that China is now the largest Christian nation in the world. Believe it or not.
Given that this is the only officially sanctioned publisher and that the bibles are only allowed to be sold through official churches, I wonder just how censored, edited and abridged those bibles are.
IIRC, the Southern Baptists had a key hand in helping fund and set the plant up initially.
Mmmm.. I wonder if the Chicoms have a GLBT edition of the Bible. You know remove all those scripture verses warning against homosexuality, lesbianism, beastiality, incest, man-woman marriage plus Sodom and Gommorah references? Sort of a Bible-Lite version edition.
This is interesting - that it’s even being allowed!!
And here in the USA the Bibles have been removed from Hotels and Motels and replaced with Gore’s fictional Gorbal Warming material!
the bestselling book in the world ?
Lol, which one?
Q: What does the Chinese church believe about the Book of Acts?
Bro Paul: They would say, “We are there. It is our normal Christian life.” They believe that Acts is a demonstration of the normal Christian life. It is a testimony of the resurrected Christ, and He is still the same today. They do not believe that miracles have passed away.
Bro Ren: We have to understand that the Gospel that is preached in China is a little bit different. The emphasis is not only intellectual and mental messages. It is fifty percent preaching, fi fty percent showing the power of the Gospel. There is always an expectation and readiness for miracles. It is normal that any time the message of the Gospel is pronounced, there is a demonstration of the power of God in that situation. People can see clearly that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He is the Savior of the world. The church of China is not praying for miracles, but they are living in miracles.
The gospel is flourishing in China, but so much of it is done underground that people don't even realize it, kind of like early Christianity spread silently and quickly.
"These who have turned the world upside down have come here too" (Acts 17:6b).
There will be great blessing and reward for those who cooperate with Him in this task. Meanwhile, American Christians spend less money each year on missions than they do for dog food.
My daughter replied in the affirmative and asked why they wanted to know. She was told that any lady wearing a skirt below the knees was the secret sign of a Christian and would be invited to meetings.
They are growing in number, even in the provincial cities and even though they keep a low profile. It may very well be China and the Chinese who usher in the second coming.
The Chinese church has asked we not pray for the persecution to stop as that is what has made the church spread and grow so well.
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