Audio Bibles Designed, Deployed to US Troops
Faith Comes By Hearing, Nov 3 2009
Military chaplains have requested thousands of high-tech, portable Audio Bibles for their troops from Faith Comes By Hearing, the world’s foremost Audio Bible ministry, which has designed and deployed nearly 22,000 Military BibleSticks to chaplains in Iraq, Kuwait, Kosovo, and Afghanistan. The Military BibleStick is a small, digital audio player that is pre-loaded with the Audio Drama New Testament. With a matte black finish, matte black ear buds, and a red-light-only operation, the Military BibleStick has a low-key design to reduce visibility in low-light situations. This Audio Bible fits easily into uniform pockets and is rugged enough to withstand unpredictable weather. Troy Carl, FCBH’s national director, said:
There has been a tremendous response to the Military BibleSticks. Chaplains report the young people serving in today’s military aren’t reading a lot, but that the ‘iPod’ generation is positively responding to the Bible in this audio format. It’s a blessing to have our young people so hungry for the Word of God. This is a wonderful way for the men and women serving our country to engage in Scripture.
Chaplains from every branch of the military have contacted FCBH and requested these Audio Bibles for their service members. Currently, more than 200 chaplains are using Military BibleSticks in pre-deployment briefings, counseling sessions, weekly chapels, and other spiritual services. One Army Chaplain at an Army training base in Georgia said:
The soldiers are so pleased with the Military BibleStick. Now, I have a need of more. My office is filled with soldiers requesting these. I am sorry I didn’t request more from FCBH. This is a Godsend.
Another Army Chaplain, at a staging base in Germany, said:
Our soldiers told me they never imagined having an Audio Bible. They are able to listen to the Word of God while doing missions. It is so easy to carry, anytime and anywhere. This little device is helping soldiers cope with their issues and concerns during deployments.
Yet another Army Chaplain said:
We’ve had many soldiers come to our office looking for the Military BibleStick, but we’ve run out. The soldiers really love these; thank you for providing these for the troops.
And another:
The Military BibleSticks are a hit! Please send more. We will use them all!
November 5, 2009 at 9:47 pm
In a used bookstore today we came across a “Surfer’s Bible” which is actually less hilarious than you might think (“And then Peter scoped the furiously tasty pipes and said, yo, that dude is totally walking out there, and Thomas was all like okay bro no more ganja for you”) as it’s just a New Testament in a version of ordinary white speech (but no further editing, accomplishing nothing for clarity) and interrupted with full-color advertisements from presumably famous surfers.
In addition to the biblical stuff, when we were still there we got dumped on by the classy gents at the Recording Industry of America who sent unsaleable stock especially following the then dying wusscore trend following Matchbox 20 and that guy who sings “I’ll Be.”
November 8, 2009 at 10:48 pm
I read recently that the more traditional Protestant chaplains have been replaced by evangelicals (many with online degrees and such) over the last couple of decades so that they now constitute about 90% of all chaplains.