The Bible tops Facebook charts
Figures published this week revealed that more people are actively engaging with the "The Bible" than any other page on leading social media site Facebook.
With Easter only days away it seems that the world's best-selling book is also making a massive impact in the digital world. With more than 6 million 'fans' it has beaten other hugely popular pages including those of sports teams like Manchester United and celebrities like Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga.
The Anglican who oversees The Bible's Facebook page, United Bible Societies' Jane Pleace, expressed her excitement at seeing the Bible's message spreading across this leading social media platform.
"'As many churches grapple how to get people to read the Bible, United Bible Societies is helping nearly seven million people read the Bible daily, using the social networking site Facebook," said Jane, the organisation's Europe & Middle East Fundraising Co-ordinator.
"'The Bible' page has over 6.7 million fans and nearly one million of them get involved each week by writing comments on the page wall and re-posting Bible verses on their personal pages. With their help, United Bible Societies has shared Scripture over 239 million times on Facebook in the last month alone! It's wonderful to see people leaving comments saying how they’ve been touched by a particular Bible passage we've posted on our page.
The Bible page is helping to reach a new generation with the gospel message. 51% of Bible page fans are under 25 years old.
Jane explains, “Young people come to the Bible page with questions about the Christian faith. They ask deeply thoughtful, intelligent and searching questions about the teachings in the Bible. We have the opportunity to address each question individually. We pray for these young people and we’ve been blessed to see some of them come to faith.”
The page also attracts its fair share of atheists and Muslims. The community of volunteers who contribute to the page welcome everyone. “We love to debate with people who hold different viewpoints,” says Jane, “we try to demonstrate God’s love for all people in our responses by showing a genuine interest in everyone. I’m proud of all the volunteers who respond to provoking questions with good-humour and a generous spirit. For some people, this is their only contact with Christians, so it’s important they know we are a loving and accepting community. ”
(Source of figures www.allfacebook.com)