Chinese Factory to Be World’s Leading Bible Producer
The following news item was of interest:
The book they used to burn now fires new revolution of faith in China
The Times – Dec 8, 2007
In China it is known as the “sacred doctrine” and it has become one of the country’s bestselling books. Yet it has nothing to do with the thoughts of Chairman Mao and its teachings have been in conflict with the forces of Communism for generations.
Demand for the Bible is soaring in China, at a time when meteoric economic growth is testing the country’s allegiance to Communist doctrine. Today the 50 millionth Bible will roll off the presses of China’s only authorised publisher, Amity Printing, amid public fanfare and celebration.
In the past, foreign visitors were discouraged from bringing Bibles into the country in case they received some heavy-handed treatment from zealous Customs officials.
Such is the demand in China for Bibles that Amity Printing can scarcely keep pace. Early next year it will move into a new, much larger factory on the edge of the eastern city of Nanjing to become the world’s single-biggest producer of Bibles.
One book a second glides off the production line at this joint venture between a Chinese Christian charity and the United Bible Societies, a Protestant organisation. Amity has been printing Bibles since 1986. The new factory will have a capacity of one million Bibles a month, increasing the current output by one third…
Of the 50 million Bibles Amity has printed, 41 million were for the faithful in Chinese and eight minority languages. The rest have been for export to Russia and Africa. Sales surged from 505,000 in 1988 to a high of 6.5 million in 2005…
In the ultra-leftist Cultural Revolution between 1966 and 1976, Bibles were burnt as tomes of superstition. Much has altered since the 1980s when government policy required tourists and visitors not to bring in Bibles “in excess of personal use”…
Cases of Bible smuggling are still reported and some people have been deported and locals even jailed. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article3019026.ece
Comments by COGwriter
Although China officially became atheist in 1949, there are estimated to be 40,000,000 people in China who make some profession of Christ. And some of them are Sabbatarian.
Up until the time of the Tower of Babel, the Chinese had knowledge of many of the biblical events recorded in the Book of Genesis. Notice that the Chinese symbol for a tower appears to have been related to the confusing of languages by God at the Tower of Babel–as humans had one mouth (one language) prior (see Genesis 11:5-7):
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| = Grass | + Clay | + Mankind | + Mouth |
The tower of Babel was built with bricks (grass and clay) and humans originally had one language (or mouth). It is possible that this symbol is showing that the ancient Chinese recognized a connection to the biblical tower of Babel.
Interestingly, as I reported earlier (see Christian Biblical Church of God Finishes its Translation of the Bible) CBCG is getting its new translation of the Bible printed in China.
The Bible warns that false religion, which claims to be the true one, will be accepted by all the peoples of the world.
It is my hope and prayer that the Chinese will actually read and study their Bibles enough so that they accept only true doctrine and will accept “the faith once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).
Several articles of related interest may include:
Read the Bible Christians should read the Bible. This article gives some rationale for regular bible reading.
What is the Appropriate Form of Biblical Interpretation? Should the Bible be literally understood? What do the writings of the Bible, Origen, Herbert W. Armstrong, and Augustine show?
Bible and Historical Resources on the Internet Electronic bibles, Two Babylons, early Christian literature, photos, and even links to old Herbert W. Armstrong materials.
China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 1: Genesis and Chinese Characters This article provides information showing that the Chinese peoples must have known about various accounts in the Book of Genesis up until their dispersion after the Tower of Babel.
China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 2: The Sabbath and Some of God’s Witness in China When did Christianity first come to China? And is there early evidence that they observed the seventh day sabbath?
China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 3: China in Prophecy What is Ahead for China? Is it a “King of the East”? What will happen to nearly all the Chinese?
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