Story number 1 for 12 Mar 2003

(Iraq)–Topping the news, an Arab summit delegation is meeting in Bahrain this week on Iraq’s crisis. Meanwhile, the State Department is removing personnel from border states in the Persian Gulf in the event of an attack on Iraq. In the midst of a looming war, World Bible Translation Center’s Roger Massey reports good news for the Arab church. “Reports that we’re getting back, even from Iraq, [are] that a lot of people are requesting Bibles they want to know more about Christianity. There’s a rise, especially among young people, of interest in Christianity and willing to look at it and listen to what it really is”, which sets the stage for distribution of the easy-to-read Arabic portions of Scripture throughout the area. Massey says with the plight facing the Arab regions, prayer is needed for continued openness so that, “…when the Gospel, or even a portion of it comes into their hands, that they’d be able to read it and understand it for what it truly is; not a propaganda piece, but a way to eternal life with the creator of their souls.”