United Bible Societies – Bible Societies in some of the countries where Christians suffer high levels of persecution are reporting a sharp rise in the number of Scriptures distributed.
There is no doubt that the persecution of Christians is on the rise. Official reports and news articles are describing it as a ‘war on Christians’, with horrifying statistics clearly showing that Christianity is the most persecuted religion in the world.*
In some countries the situation for Christians has become so dangerous in recent years that many are fleeing, and there are fears that the birthplace of Christianity will soon be devoid of Christian believers. But recent figures from Bible Societies around the world indicate that in 2012, Christian Scriptures were in more demand than ever before, including in some of the countries where Christianity is under extreme pressure.
Record-breaking
Global Scripture distribution by Bible Societies rose by 6%, from just over 381 million in 2011 to more than 405 million in 2012. Of that 405 million, 32.1 million were full Bibles, matching 2011’s record-breaking year of Bible distribution.
Syria, Iraq, Egypt, India, Laos and Nigeria are some of the countries highlighted as suffering high levels of persecution in the Open Doors World Watch List. In 2012, Scripture distribution by Bible Societies rose significantly in all six of these countries.
