Ministries Partner to Broadcast Scripture Program in India

International Christian broadcaster Trans World Radio (TWR) is cooperating with two other organizations to broadcast a dramatized Bible program to Malayalam language speakers in India.

By Kenneth Chan, Friday, February 18, 2005

International Christian broadcaster Trans World Radio (TWR) is cooperating with two other organizations to broadcast a dramatized Bible program to Malayalam language speakers in India. In partnership with Hosanna/Faith Comes by Hearing and the International Bible Society, TWR began airing the Radio Bible broadcast on Saturday, Jan. 1, to southwestern India's Kerala state—home to more than 30 million Malayalam speakers.

According to TWR, the Radio Bible Malayalam project comprises 416 30-minute broadcasts aired semiweekly via a powerful medium wave (AM) transmitter. All of the New Testament and most of the Old Testament will be heard over a two-year period. While the core of the Radio Bible is dramatized Scripture presentation, it also includes background material and on-the-ground follow-up so listeners can better understand and apply God’s Word.

Endowed with natural beauty, Kerala has been called India’s model state, but it also is the country’s most prosperous and densely populated. The Malayalee people form a well-educated society with a high rate of literacy. Yet recent studies reveal a culture in trouble. Turmoil is evidenced in the high suicide rate, the highest in India, with an average of 27 self-imposed deaths per day. In addition, the state’s soaring crime rate is the highest in India, with offenses against women having increased fourfold in the past seven years.

Interestingly, Kerala has India’s largest population of Christians, yet few break out to become witnesses to other cultures in their midst. Broadcasting the Radio Bible over the airwaves can go a long way in satisfying the spiritual hunger and emptiness of the Malayalee, as it addresses the needs of both Christians and non-Christians alike.

Already, TWR’s office in South Asia has received 49 letters in response to the broadcast. One person writes: “Our family listened to your new Radio Bible program. It helps us to understand the Bible better. I am sure that this broadcast will be a blessing to many.” Another listener adds: “I was greatly impressed by this program. It is different from any other kind of gospel programs I have heard.”