That is a challenge in a state as big and diverse as Texas, where more than a third of households speak a language other than English. Besides Spanish, Hindi, Tagalog and Chinese are increasingly heard.
The Baptist General Convention of Texas is promoting a multilingual, multimedia CD that allows people to listen to important biblical passages in their native languages.
It is part of a three-pronged campaign dubbed Texas Hope 2010 to convey what “we really believe; that there’s hope in Christ,” said Randel Everett, the Baptist group’s executive director.
Pop one in a car CD player or load it onto an MP3 device and hear the third chapter of John explain how “God so loved the world” in English or Spanish.
Slip it into a computer and download the entire New Testament in one of more than 400 languages, complete with dramatic pauses, sound effects and background music. Organizers say they are not snubbing the Old Testament; the audio is not yet available in all those languages.