[wanabidii] Fw: Bible Apps Available in Closed Countries

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From: "ANS@Assist-Ministries.com" <ANS@Assist-Ministries.com>
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Sent: Thursday, September 27, 2012 2:24 AM
Subject: Bible Apps Available in Closed Countries

Bible Apps Available in Closed Countries

ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609-0609 USA
Visit our web site at: http://www.assistnews.net/ -- E-mail: assistnews@aol.com

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Bible Apps Available in Closed Countries

By Jeremy Reynalds
Senior Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK (ANS) -- Scandinavia Christian Publishing House has now made 85 children's Bibles available as apps that can be downloaded and read on the iPhone and iPad.

Android and Kindle formats are on their way. They are being sold worldwide, even in closed Muslim and communist countries where the written Bible and other Christian symbols are not permitted.

"We are able to monitor global sales of our apps daily," said Scandinavia's Jørgen Vium Olesen, speaking in a news release.

He added, "In just one day, 300 Bibles and Biblical books were downloaded in approximately 60 countries. There were 94 books in the USA, 25 in China, 23 in Saudi Arabia, 19 in the United Arab Emirates, nine in Malaysia, seven in Russia and four in Egypt. Some days, up to 52 are downloaded in Saudi Arabia alone."

Legal in China

"We continue to see a high number of downloads in China. In Beijing in 2010 we were informed there are no restrictions on digital Bibles and children's Bibles in China," Vium Olesen said. "If this freedom remains, it will provide a great opportunity to legally get Bibles into China using digital means."

Scandinavia's vision

Scandinavia Publishing was founded to bring good news to children and families. The group says, "Our passion is to get the Gospel out to people all over the world, and selling apps worldwide is allowing us to do that in an entirely new way."

Scandinavia said in the news release that once the app is downloaded, the user can start looking over all the books available. Each series has at least one book that can be downloaded free. Prices for the digital books are somewhat cheaper than printed books, as there are no postage and delivery fees. After downloading and using the app, users are asked to rate the books to provide feedback and indicate their level of satisfaction with their purchase.

According to the news release, Scandinavia has so far only released digital books in English, but hopes to soon release them as e-books in several other languages. Digital versions of their books all have a built-in function which makes it possible to record them in the user's own language.

According to the news release, "For instance, a grandmother may tell a story from the Bible to her grandchildren and then use that recording many times. It is also possible to enlarge the text, see details of the pictures, and in some cases, see a small animation of the books."

For more information go to www.scanpublishing.dk/about-us/contact/

Jeremy Reynalds is Senior Correspondent for the ASSIST News Service, a freelance writer and also the founder and CEO of Joy Junction, New Mexico's largest emergency homeless shelter, http://www.joyjunction.org/ He has a master's degree in communication from the University of New Mexico, and a Ph.D. in intercultural education from Biola University in Los Angeles. His newest book is "Homeless in the City."

Additional details on "Homeless in the City" are available at http://www.homelessinthecity.com/. Reynalds lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information contact: Jeremy Reynalds at jeremyreynalds@comcast.net.