The Bible touches people
behind bars in Austria

View through the bars of a cell at the prison in the Josefstadt area of Vienna. Working with prisoners and asylum applicants is an important aspect of the ministry of the Austrian Bible Society. Vienna, Austria. Photo: Rupprecht@kathbild.at (AUT04DJ-1.JPG)

VIENNA, Austria — “I am so happy that the Bible is now part of my life.” This is one of the enthusiastic responses that the Austrian Bible Society received to a competition it ran last year as part of its long-standing ministry to prisoners and refugees. Many other prisoners also seized the opportunity to send in a contribution telling about what the Bible means to them.

The ‘Bible Behind Bars’ competition, run in collaboration with the Lutheran Prison Aid Service, was designed to encourage prisoners and refugees who are being detained while their application for asylum is being processed to relate their experiences, to focus on positive moments in their lives and to gain new encouragement during difficult times. Some wrote at considerable length and very personally in response to the questions “What does the Bible mean to me?”, “What helps me?” and “What is difficult for me?”. In each case, the responses gave an insight into the extent to which the Bible is touching people behind bars.

The prisoner quoted above also wrote, “The Bible changed my relationships with other people in a very positive way. It brought meaning into my life.”
Another said, “The Bible gives me hope and self-confidence. The words and directions of the Bible are a reason for joy. The Bible gives me the certainty that God has not forgotten me.”

The contributions revealed that, for prisoners who were already familiar with the Bible, being in prison put their knowledge in a new perspective.
“Since my childhood I have often read the Bible,” one such prisoner wrote. “But it’s different here in prison, where I have to stay for a long time in a small room. I can’t see the sun or the stars, or the real size of the sky. I’m alone with my fears and doubts in hopeless isolation. Here I find reading the Scriptures a great help. God’s Word brings me consolation.”

All the prisoners and refugees who entered the competition received a daily Bible reading guide, while the winners were awarded commentaries, Bible dictionaries and other Bible-related materials. (WR 387/8 - 8/9.04)