Scripture Candy Reaches World for Christ 'One Piece At A Time'
Like the scroll of the angel in the book of Revelations, Scripture Candy offers Word that tastes sweet – really.
Scripture Candy, founded on the principle “Reach The World One Piece At A Time,” sells brand name candy in wrappers and boxes inscribed with scriptural verses from the Kings James Bible.
It was founded by Brian Adkins, who now runs a warehouse in Birmingham, Al., full of anything from prayer jelly bellies to Smarties with scriptures written on its wrappers. The company, or what some could call a ministry, has gained popularity in the U.S. and the 13 countries where it’s distributed, averaging $2 million a year and sold at around 4,000 Christian bookstores nationwide.
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“It is a ministry. We’re not selling candy. We’re selling a witnessing tool that can change somebody’s life,” he told The Christian Post.
The idea of creating candy with Scripture messages came to Adkins in October 1991 when he was driving down the highway and listening a radio program hosted by Focus on the Family's Dr. James Dobson. As Dobson talked about cults and the negative aspects of Halloween, Adkins thought about the positive influences handing out candy with Bible verses could have.
He then embarked on a search to find a candy manufacturer who would be willing to print Scripture verses on the candy. After five years of being rejected by numerous manufacturers, Adkins finally found one that saw the potential in his idea. The first product of Scripture Candy, now co-owned by Michael Carrion, was Scripture Mints in peppermint and is now the most popular.
LifeWay Christian Bookstore in Birmingham was one of the first stores to began selling the candies.
There's a reason why the candies why became so popular, according to its founder.
Adkins said the candies are meant to be complements to other vehicles to share the Word. One of the main advantages of coupling Scriptures with candy comes from man’s common cultural practice of offering candy to office visitors or friends.
”It’s second nature,” he said.
According to Adkins, it’s easier for someone to say, “Do you want a piece of candy?” than “Would you like to read this tract?”
“It’s a soft sell,” he said. “It’s easy for some people who are not that bold. It’s easy for them to have that silent witnessing tool.”
For example, one Christian woman put a Scripture Candy in the lunchbox she packed for her husband everyday while praying that he would come to church, told Adkins, and one year later, her husband finally agreed.
Another man, whose daughter went trick-or-treating at a Christian Bookstore giving out Scripture Candy, was doing a safety inspection of the candy when he read a verse written on a Scripture Candy that was also written on a tract inside the bag. The man then returned to the bookstore to express his gratitude and share his testimony.
"He felt that God was speaking to him," said Akins, who heard the story from the Christian Bookstore that handed out the candy to the man's daughter.
What’s lies in the future for Scripture Candy? Fish Mints, shaped in the Christian fish sign, available in five flavors: peppermint, wintermint, speramint, cinnamon, and tooty fruity.
“If we keep putting the candy out there, God will keep using it,” said Adkins.
