|
|
 9 April 2009 | 09-0289 |
German Protestants launch mammoth effort to 'tweet' the Bible
Anli Serfontein 
Source: http://blog.evangelisch.de |
Trier, Germany (ENI). German Christians are starting what they hope will be a record-breaking effort to use the new Internet social-networking and micro-blogging service Twitter to try and "tweet" the Bible.
"We want with this action to encourage a debate about the Bible and to simultaneously show the modern possibilities that exist to receive and make known the Word of God," said Melanie Huber, portal manager of the Protestant Web site evangelisch.de, which launched the initiative.
Twitter (www.twitter.com) allows only 140 characters a message. The messages are called tweets and can be read by any Internet user on an open forum, or by subscribers if it is a closed service.
The project aims to publish the Bible in a shortened, micro-blog form on 24 May, the final day of the once-every-two years German Protestant Convention known as the Kirchentag, which attracts tens of thousands of participants as well as political leaders from Germany and beyond.
Kirchentag organisers say they hope Christians will relate their favourite Bible passage in 140 characters.
Theologians are busy dividing the Bible into 3000 sections that will need to be summarised as tweets. Volunteers will then distribute flyers to the expected tens of thousands of Kirchentag visitors listing the Bible verses to be tweeted.
Organizers at evangelisch.de acknowledge that "tweeting" the Bible is a "complicated" undertaking.
The action will start at 6 p.m. on 20 May, the first day of the Kirchentag and end with the closing service. People interested in "tweeting" the Bible are already invited to register on evangelisch.de, which is to be launched in September as a fully operational Protestant Web portal.
The portal is already using Twitter (twitter.com/evangelisch_de) to keep people informed of its progress.
:: ENI featured articles are now tweeted at http://twitter.com/eni_news
ENI featured articles are taken from the full ENI Daily News Service. Subscribe online to
the Daily News Service and receive around 1000 full-text articles a year. Unless otherwise stated, ENI featured articles may be re-printed, re-posted, re-produced or placed on Web sites if ENI is noted as the source and
there is a link to the ENI Web site www.eni.ch
© 1994 - 2010 Ecumenical News International.
Ecumenical News International, PO Box 2100
CH - 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
Tel: +41-22 791 6111 Fax: +41-22 788 7244
Email: eni@eni.ch
|
|
