Skip to content

Digital Media

Is Artificial Intelligence opening Pandora’s box?

In English the metaphor of Pandora’s box is often used to describe a new technology or a new way of doing things, where we are not always sure what the consequences might be… Many people might describe Artificial Intelligence as opening Pandora’s box. Some people might react with concern or fear, just seeing the negatives of Artificial Intelligence. Others might get so excited about what is possible with Artificial Intelligence that they overlook the negative things that can come along with this tool. So how should we in vernacular media approach the matter of Artificial Intelligence (AI)?

Read More »Is Artificial Intelligence opening Pandora’s box?

Caring for Your Mind and Soul in Digital Ministry

by Aaron Myers – Director of Digital Outreach for Crescent Project

A few years ago a friend of mine asked me an interesting question. We were talking about the urgency to see the day when the billions from unreached people groups have an opportunity to respond to the gospel and be connected with a follower of Jesus.  Jesus came after all “to seek and save the lost”, He told us that “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come”, and his final instruction to His disciples – and to us – was to “go and make disciples of all nations”.  With nearly 3 billion people in the world who have not yet had an opportunity to hear the gospel, urgency is desperately needed.  

Read More »Caring for Your Mind and Soul in Digital Ministry

Scripture Engagement Research Initiative

Here are the latest resources on the Scripture Engagement website:
Scripture Engagement Research Initiative<   Mar 03, 2022 10:53 am

A multiagency research program of Dallas International University

Dallas International University (DIU), in collaboration with SIL’s Pike Center for Integrative Scholarship, has launched the Scripture Engagement Research Initiative (SERI). The SERI program hosts a series of large grant-funded Scripture Engagement research projects. Research topics are proposed both by participants and by the SERI leadership. Participants can serve for short periods of time or as part of a longer-term assignment.

Read More »Scripture Engagement Research Initiative

Reach4Life

  • by Biblica

The Choice is Yours

Reach4Life is a comprehensive, Christian life skills program for young people — with a particular focus on identity, sexuality, and relationships — that brings about holistic spiritual and behavioural transformation. It is based on the idea that real comprehensive behavioral change is only possible once there is a spiritual revolution in the hearts and minds of young people.

Reach4Life is designed to inspire youth to plug into a relationship with God, the raw power of the Bible, the wisdom of saving lovemaking for marriage, the support of a local church, the beauty of a transformed life, and the opportunity to change the world one person at a time.

Read More »Reach4Life

Bibles and resources

Bibles and resources

Peter Brassington
Do you know where to find Bibles in all the languages spoken by people attending your church (live or online), and the people living in your community?
As we started 2021 YouVersion’s Bible app (also available at Bible.com) provided 2,212 versions in 1,512 languages. By Dec 31, 2021 this had risen to over 2,646 versions in 1,794 languages .
Many versions can be downloaded for offline use and easily switched between using the compare function. The interface is also available in over 60 languages.
The site and app includes reading plans, tools for creating verse images, or sharing notes and variety of other resources. There is also a Bible app for kids in over 60 languages
faithcomesbyhearing.com now has Audio Scripture recordings available in over 1560 languages. Increasingly these are also being made available as videos of at least one of the gospels, and they also have many additional versions in text only.  The Bible.is website and app includes these plus the Jesus Film Lumo gospel videos.

Read More »Bibles and resources

Which Audio Player

AudioDigital
Which Audio Player?
Listening to the translated Scriptures: a review of today’s digital audio players
Author: Richard Margetts (2019)

Fourth Edition – Revised for 2019

It is not hard to convince those involved in Scripture access and Scripture engagement of the value of listening to audio Scriptures. We want to assist communities in making strategic choices about how best to make them available and how best to encourage people to engage with them. One of the ways people listen to the Bible today is using a digital audio player. But since there are so many different audio players to choose from, how do we make a good choice?

This in-depth review (66 pages) compares a range of today’s digital audio players including the Proclaimer (from Faith Comes By Hearing), the Envoy 2 (from MegaVoice), the Audibible K1 (from Kivah Distributors), the Papyrus and The Torch (from Renew World Outreach), the Kulumi Mini and Lost Sheep from Hope Tech Global.

Read More »Which Audio Player

Using Wi-Fi boxes at large events.

Digital Distribution Strategy for Bible Dedication Celebrations
A Step-By-Step guide for using Wi-Fi media boxes at your event
Author: Martin Lange (2020)

“While stacks of the newly published Scriptures awaited eager buyers, those embracing the digital age were not forgotten. Five Wi-Fi hubs had been set up at various locations around the stadium. A large vinyl banner promoted the availability of a free Bible app and other Scripture resources for those who connected to these units.”

Read More »Using Wi-Fi boxes at large events.

Using Your Wi-Fi Media Box

28 ideas for digital distribution
Author: Martin Lange (2020)

For years, Missionary Aviation Fellowship’s pilots carried a box on planes containing Bibles and Christian literature. When they landed, these resources would be offered for sale. Eventually, due to the popularity of smartphones and the weight of books, they switched to carrying less printed resources. Instead, a Wi-Fi Media Box was often substituted. It weighed almost nothing and could hold more resources than a physical box.

Read More »Using Your Wi-Fi Media Box

Recording God’s Word by Any Means

  • by FCBH

Imagine: You live in a secluded village on an island in the Pacific. You have only ever known the religion and rituals of your community, but you know in your soul that there must be something more. You yearn for truth and peace. Once, a foreigner brought a book in the local trade language and tried to tell your people about God, but your heart language does not have a written form. Only a few of your family members and friends can read the trade language to a small degree. The book that the foreigner brought contained complex wording that made no sense even to them. You eventually resign yourself to the fact that if there is a God, He doesn’t care about you enough to speak His truth in your language.

…Until one day, your neighbor shows you an interesting device. Emitting from it are words you recognize. Your neighbor tells you that at last, because of this device, your community can hear God speak—in your language.

Faith Comes By Hearing strives to ensure that every last person has the chance to hear God’s Word, no matter where they live or what language they speak. To carry out this work, we employ a variety of methods in recording and providing Scripture to more people.

Read More »Recording God’s Word by Any Means

Digital Publishing – a different paradigm

Digital Publishing – a different paradigm (Second edition, 2019)

Publish early, publish small, publish often

Author: Eric Graham (2019)

“Publish early, publish little, publish often – enabling users to engage with the content in small quantities, hopefully on frequent occasions and with sustained interest.”

This paper explores features of digital publishing and associated technology that are transforming approaches to Scripture translation and publication in minority languages. Understanding the nature and harnessing the potential of the small units of information that make up digital media products is a key theme.

The paper recommends that digital publication starts at an early stage in a translation project, making small units of Scripture available to the language community in audio and text formats as they are translated (Scripture as micro-content). It explores the idea of iterative and incremental publishing as a Scripture engagement strategy.

Read More »Digital Publishing – a different paradigm