DBS Frequently Asked Questions

How serious is the shortage of Bibles?

What exactly are digital Bibles?

How will digital Bibles be of use to third world or closed nations?

What are audio or video Bibles?

Am I allowed to make copies of Digital Bible Society CD's or DVD's?

What are your desires and costs for distribution?

How long did it take to make Chinese Treasures?

How can our organization's content be included in future projects?

What about copyright laws?

How are donated funds used?

How can I make a tax-deductible donation?

How serious is the shortage of Bibles?
According to the Bible League, some 200 million Christians worldwide still do not have a Bible (in spite of the commendable efforts of many Christian organizations). And as the church has experienced explosive growth in the last twenty years, the shortage of Bibles has only intensified. Some estimate that, "at least 2 billion people in our world will eagerly receive and read the Scriptures if presented with the opportunity, with a significant number of these becoming believers in Jesus Christ through simply reading the scripture."

What exactly are digital Bibles?
A digital Bible is simply scripture text, audio or video on computer media (such as CD's or DVD's), which can be rapidly copied to any number of computers for reading, study, listening to, viewing, and printing for distribution.

How will digital Bibles be of use to third world or closed nations?
Many nations once considered third-world are rapidly becoming computer savvy. For years, computers in Asia were only found in universities, businesses and Internet cafes; but now, Asian nations represent the most promising market for PCs in the world. This is especially true of China where a huge percentage of computer parts are manufactured. Moreover the Arabic world is rapidly becoming computer savvy.

What are Audio or Video Bibles?
An audio Bible is simply a recording of the Scriptures that you listen to with computer or an MP3 enabled device such as an IPod. Audio Bibles are a wonderful way for the illiterate or, a very busy person, to grow in the knowledge of God's Word. A video Bible is a movie that very closely follows the biblical story and can be linked directly to Scripture, such as "The HOPE" or the "Jesus Film Project". Such video tools are a fantastic way to introduce new or young believers to the gospel.

New technologies are allowing us to provide quality multimedia in remarkably compressed formats that are easily deliverable through digital means.

Am I allowed to make copies of Digital Bible Society CD's or DVD's?
Yes, provided those copies are given specifically to people living in or traveling to our target regions (such as China). Because much of our content is readily available for sale in open access countries, we desire to honor our content contributors by encouraging users to purchase their materials and so support their ministries. Should you desire to share our resources with family and friends living outside of our target regions, we simply ask you to order CD's or DVD's from our web site which are provided for donation of any amount or in bulk at just above cost.

What are your desires and costs for distribution?
Our current focus and desire is to freely supply believers in China and the Arabic nations with free-to-copy Christian Libraries. In order to do that, DBS CD's are available outside of these regions - for a donation, or in bulk quantities for a little more than the cost of production (this helps us to keep the process going. We appreciate your generosity). As well, CD's are now being produced and distributed by Christians in the home nations who are supplying other Christians, training centers and churches. The CD's can be copied in minutes and we are certain that any copies delivered to their intended nations will be multiplied many times over.

How long did it take to make Chinese Treasures?
It took thousands of hours over a seven year period to gather books and reference works, reformat each book, compress the content and lay out the CD. The work was done primarily by volunteers in the USA and Canada. But the content itself includes literally centuries of work by over 30 organizations reflecting a wide variety of God's servants who desire to serve China.

How can our organization's content be included in future projects?
We wholeheartedly welcome you and your organization to become involved in our projects by simply contacting us and/or mailing us a soft copy of the material you would like included on future projects. But please know, the Digital Bible Society has chosen to remain neutral with regards to selecting content for our libraries. What we have done instead, is to identify key and respected leaders that are experts in their area of missions. It is to these leaders that we submit the decision to determine content on our libraries that will best serve the regions we are intending to serve.

What about copyright laws?
Materials distributed on our CD are done so with the permission of content contributors or publishers or are in the public domain.

How are donated funds used?
One hundred percent of donated funds are used for the production and distribution of Bibles and Christian literature in digital format (with primary focus upon overcoming the worldwide shortage of Bibles).

How can I make a tax-deductible donation?
Thank you for asking...
For online donations please Click Here.
To mail donations, Click Here for our address.