DBS Guilding Principles

  • • The Holy Scriptures are the centerpiece of every project in spirit, in intent, and in arrangement. We exist to distribute the Holy Bible in digital format.


  • • The Digital Bible Society (DBS) will endeavor to distribute the Scriptures and the Gospel message in the highest quality and most usable means available - textually, audibly, and visually.

    • Digital Bible Society Guiding Principles
  • • Closed nations will receive first priority in our work and emphasis.


  • • The DBS will not profit from, or sustain its organization by, the sales of content entrusted to our care for the free distribution to the masses. While most of its CDs are freely given through the generosity of donors, the DBS reserves the right to charge a reasonable amount for its products to cover the costs of physical production, shipping and handling.


  • • Because of the capabilities of digital media, and a significant need for biblical training and biblical resources in closed nations, the DBS has chosen to include additional Bible centered content with its Bible Library CDs. For each project, trusted, proven, seasoned leaders - who have long served in their fields, will be included in our society and entrusted with the responsibility of determining biblical content that will best serve the specific needs of their cultures and regions.


  • • Although the DBS chooses to remain neutral in the selection of content, it remains the final authority as to whether content will be added to or removed from its libraries.


  • • DBS chooses to remain nonpartisan, nonpolitical, and nondenominational. Policies and principles for any given project will be adopted that are best suited for the unique needs of each people group. We will deliberately avoid areas of historic division among Christians. We embrace the ideals of “Classical Christianity” and submit to the standards and principles of the Lausanne Covenant for World Evangelism.


  • • Content entrusted to the Digital Bible Society (DBS) for digital distribution remains the sole ownership of the contributor, including any format alteration or digital improvements made by DBS or any of its partners. Content contributors will always maintain the option to have their content excluded from future distributions.


  • • All content will bear the name and copyright information of the contributing organization unless the organization specifies otherwise. DBS will avoid promoting one organization’s content above another's and will avoid commercial interests (such as advertising) in freely distributing the Scriptures.

William Carey (1761-1834) was an English Protestant missionary and Baptist minister, known as the 'father of modern missions.' Carey was one of the founders of the Baptist Missionary Society. As a missionary in the Danish colony, Serampore, India, he translated the Bible into Bengali, Sanskrit, and numerous other languages and dialects.

William Carey, the “father of modern missions,” wanted to translate the Bible into as many Indian languages as possible. He established a large printshop in Serampore where translation work was continually being done. Carey spent hours each day translating Scripture, while his insane wife ranted and raved.
Carey was away from Serampore on March 11, 1832. His associate, William Ward, was working late. Suddenly Ward smelled smoke. He leaped up to discover clouds belching from the printing room. He screamed for help, and workers passed water from the nearby river until 2 a.m., but everything was destroyed.
On March 12, 1812 missionary Joshua Marshman entered a Calcutta classroom where Carey was teaching. “I can think of no easy way to break the news,” he said. “The printshop burned to the ground last night.” Carey was stunned. Gone were his massive polyglot dictionary, two grammar books, and whole versions of the Bible. Gone were sets of type for 14 eastern languages, 1,200 reams of paper, 55,000 printed sheets, and 30 pages of his Bengal dictionary. Gone was his complete library. “The work of years—gone in a moment,” he whispered.
He took little time to mourn. “The loss is heavy,” he wrote, “but as traveling a road the second time is usually done with greater ease and certainty than the first time, so I trust the work will lose nothing of real value. We are not discouraged; indeed the work is already begun again in every language. We are cast down but not in despair.”
When news of the fire reached England, it catapulted Carey to instant fame. Thousands of pounds were raised for the work, and volunteers offered to come help. The enterprise was rebuilt and enlarged. By 1832, complete Bibles, New Testaments, or separate books of Scripture had issued from the printing press in 44 languages and dialects.
The secret of Carey’s success is found in his resiliency. “There are grave difficulties on every hand,” he once wrote, “and more are looming ahead. Therefore we must go forward.”
We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don’t know what to do, we never give up. In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again.2 Corinthians 4:8-9

On this Day: 365 amazing and inspiring stories about saints, martyrs & heroes.
Morgan, R. J. (1997). Thomas Nelson Publishers