Bible & Evangelism

You might think there are enough translations of the Bible already, but make room for another one. In this version, the opening of Genesis goes like this: "In da Bginnin God cre8d da heavens & da earth." What is this version? It is a version for use by cell phone text messengers. News reports tell how the Australian Bible Society has commissioned this version which is actually based on the Contemporary English Version. All that has been changed is spelling so that it can be transmitted by text messengers. A spokesman for the Bible society said, "The old days when the Bible was only available within a somber black cover with a cross on it are long gone. We want to open it up for people of all ages, backgrounds and interests." We should applaud any effort to make the word of God more accessible.

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J. Michael Shannon is professor of preaching at Cincinnati Bible College in Cincinnati, OH.