Hello, my name is Hyrum and I am with Teens Read the Book coming to you today from Cheshire, England. We are a group of teenagers who love the word of God and consider it a privilege to share it with you. Today and in the episodes that follow, we will bring you audio recordings of the entire New Testament, which you can hear at www.teensreadthebook.com or at Teens Read the Book on all major podcast and listening platforms. The Bible is a collection of religious writings considered sacred by Christians and others around the world. It is an anthology, or compilation of scriptural texts originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that came to be standardized about 1,500 years ago. The Christian Bible is the best-selling book of all time, with between five and seven billion copies printed to date according to the Guinness Book of World Records. To our knowledge, this will be the first time the Bible has been published in podcast format, in English, read entirely by teens, one chapter each, from different parts of the world. We will be reading you the King James Version, also known as the Authorized Version of the Bible. It was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611 by sponsorship of King James the sixth of Scotland who later became James the first, King of England. The King James Version has been described as one of the most important books in English culture and a driving force in the shaping of the English-speaking world. Our interest in it, however, is in its value as a religious text. To us, the Bible is the word of God, given to bless the lives of His children and the church on the earth. The New Testament is a record of the life, teachings, and mission of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In the first century after His death and resurrection, faith-promoting writings were circulated among early members of Christ’s church. Conscious of the importance of covenant theology in Jewish religious and cultural thought, these early Christians eventually came to refer to these new holy writings as the "New Testament". The word testament might also be translated as covenant; so the New Testament could also be called a new covenant which God had offered to His people through His son Jesus Christ. This set these New Testament writings apart from older scripture, including the Septuagint, which came to be known as the "Old Testament". So the New Testament contains covenants, teachings and doctrines given by the Lord and His Apostles during and after Christ’s mortal ministry. It teaches God’s children how to return and live in His presence. We will present the New Testament in 20 episodes, from the Gospel of Matthew to the Book of Revelation. The text we will read is from the King James Version, with chapter headings as published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In these recordings, you will hear some of the most powerful theology and persuasive teachings known to man. The Bible is God's word, loved by billions of Christians across the world. We hope these recordings will strengthen your faith in Jesus Christ and in the new covenant God has offered to His children here on earth.
