Baptists to flood Texas with Bible CDs by Easter
ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ Theology Professor Elaine Heath talks about Baptists' plan to flood Texas with Bible CDs by Easter.
By LINDA STEWART BALL
Associated Press Writer
DALLAS — The largest state Baptist group in the nation wants Christ's message of hope heard in every home in Texas - about 9 million of them - by Easter.
That's a challenge in a state as big and diverse as Texas, where more than a third of households speak a language other than English. Besides Spanish, Hindi, Tagalog and Chinese are increasingly heard.
The Baptist General Convention of Texas is promoting a multilingual, multimedia CD that allows folks to listen to key biblical passages in their native language.
It's part of a three-pronged campaign dubbed Texas Hope 2010 to convey what "we really believe; that there's hope in Christ," said Randel Everett, the Baptist group's executive director. . .
"CDs are just an upgrade of communication methodology instead of giving them a tract or booklet," said Elaine Heath, assistant professor of Evangelism at ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ University's Perkins School of Theology.
Because the U.S. and many Texas cities are now so global, Heath said local Christians must think and act more like missionaries who are going into a different culture. The CD is a good start, but relationships are still the key.
"When people ask the big questions in life, when they're hurting and in trouble," Heath said, "they need a friend who will put an arm around them and say 'How can I help you when you're struggling?' and an 800 number is not going to do that."
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