Source: Open Doors, October 2, 2025
When Wesley first held a Bible in his own language, everything changed. Growing up in a remote Malaysian village where Christianity was just a mark on his birth certificate, he had heard of Jesus but never truly met Him. “I had heard about Bibles, but not about Jesus,” Wesley says. “In my village, there was so much reliance on cultural practices and beliefs that no one really mentioned anything about Jesus.”
Wesley’s story illustrates a crisis facing millions of Christians worldwide—a crisis now documented in the first-ever Bible Access List.
The Bible Access List identifies the countries where access to Scripture is most restricted and Bible shortages are most severe. After several years of research, including hundreds of interviews with country and mission experts, the data reveal an alarming reality: persecution and Bible access are intimately connected.
“Where Christians face the greatest persecution, they also face the greatest barriers to accessing God’s Word,” says Open Doors US CEO Ryan Brown. “This isn’t coincidence—it’s strategy.”
Read the full article. The study ranks Somalia, Afghanistan, Yemen, North Korea, and Mauritania as the countries with the most severe Bible restrictions. Other nations with significant Bible shortages include the Democratatic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Ethiopia, India, and China.
Interested in Malaysia? Hear about believers in that country struggling to get their identity cards changed (Voice of the Martyrs Radio).
While Bible access has its challenges, Bible translation is on the rise. See Bible translation accelerates as millions receive Scripture in their own language (Christian Today).
Recently, we highlighted a biography of Bible translation leader Katharine Barnwell. She passed away on September 29. Read one of many tributes (Wycliffe Bible Translators UK).