ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Oct. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Half the world lives on less than $2 a day. Right now, that's more than three billion people, but new research suggests the population will hit the seven billion mark within two years.

The Population Reference Bureau (PRB) also found that the least developed regions, like Africa, are projected to double in population by 2050. PRB recently released these statistics in their 2009 World Population Data Sheet.

Morgan Jackson, Faith Comes By Hearing's international director, said these new figures are troubling because billions of people may never hear the message of hope and truth in God's Word.

"The world's poorest of the poor are cut off from the Bible," said Jackson. "Half of the world's people are illiterate and too poor to afford a Bible. Five of six African believers will never own a Bible. And when people don't have Scripture in a format they can use and understand the results can be devastating to villages and whole countries."

Jackson, referring to a recent article in Christianity Today, explained how children in Africa are abandoned and abused after being labeled as witches.

"In Africa, witchcraft is a huge problem," said Jackson. "When people [or children] are labeled as witches, they are beaten, thrown out, hunted down, sometimes killed and left with nothing. And it stems from some believers not being established in the Word of God."

"This situation is symptomatic of what happens in cultures where the Word of God has not penetrated hearts. People will hear and memorize one story or passage and build whole doctrines (or even denominations) on it, and leaders can mislead the people," said Jackson.

"Small bits of Scripture may be the only truth they have. They just don't know any different," he said.

"But modern technology is helping overcome centuries-old barriers of poverty, distance, language, illiteracy and culture. For the first time in history, we have the tools to reach every person in the world with the Word of God -- no matter where they are," said Jackson.

Learn more at www.FaithComesByHearing.com.

SOURCE Faith Comes By Hearing

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