{"id":24992,"date":"2026-07-20T17:34:25","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T22:34:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maiglobal.org\/?p=24992"},"modified":"2026-07-20T17:53:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T22:53:35","slug":"why-we-need-christian-books-and-libraries-perspectives-from-pakistan-the-philippines-and-cambodia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maiglobal.org\/es\/why-we-need-christian-books-and-libraries-perspectives-from-pakistan-the-philippines-and-cambodia\/","title":{"rendered":"Why We Need Christian Books and Libraries: Perspectives from Pakistan, the Philippines and Cambodia"},"content":{"rendered":"
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We recently asked our community of Christian authors and publishers about the importance of Christian books and libraries. We received over 10,000 words in responses from 22 countries across 4 continents! This is the second in our series of three posts on this topic\u2014thanks to the generosity of our community in Asia. <\/em><\/p>\n

Reviving a once-flourishing reading culture and safe spaces in Pakistan<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cWhere I grew up in Faisalabad, Pakistan, libraries were once a living part of our neighborhoods. As a schoolboy, I would rent books from small local libraries, simple wooden shelves in modest rooms or small shops, and those stories opened my imagination to worlds far beyond my street.<\/p>\n

But over the years, those libraries vanished.<\/p>\n

Today, when I return each year to Pakistan, I find no public library, no church library, and no Christian school library in my area.<\/p>\n

The culture of reading that once shaped my childhood has quietly disappeared.<\/p>\n

Pakistan\u2019s national literacy rate is estimated at around 62\u201363%, but this number hides painful disparities. Among Christians, many of whom work in low\u2011wage, generational labor such as sanitation, domestic work, and brick\u2011kiln labor, the literacy rate is significantly lower.<\/p>\n

In many Christian communities, illiteracy remains the norm rather than the exception, and even those who can read rarely have access to books. Many believers depend on audio Bibles or ask others to read Scripture for them.<\/p>\n

This reality is what drives our grassroots efforts. Through mobile schooling for working children at brick kilns, and through the Jalal Academy of Peace, our center for street children in Faisalabad, we are trying to restore dignity through education. I am also deeply involved in adult literacy classes, especially encouraging mothers to learn to read and write so they can guide their children spiritually and academically. We use children\u2019s Bibles, locally-written storybooks, and adult literacy materials, including some of my own.<\/p>\n

Yet these efforts, though meaningful, are not enough to rebuild a reading culture on their own.<\/p>\n

A Christian library in our community would be transformative.<\/p>\n

It would give children and adults a place to explore Scripture, understand Christian living, and grow in wisdom. It would help families learn about conflict resolution, cultural diversity, community life, and how to live with understanding, peace and harmony in a Muslim\u2011majority society.<\/p>\n

A library is not just a building. It is a safe space for reflection, learning, and peace.<\/p>\n

Even though some pastors, church leaders, writers and students now access books online, this is limited. Only about half of Pakistanis own a smartphone, and internet access remains uneven. Computer literacy among Christians is extremely low.<\/p>\n

Digital resources cannot replace the power of a physical library and its books where people can sit, read, and grow.<\/p>\n

Churches could play a vital role by establishing reading clubs, organizing book fairs, holding reading competitions, and creating interactive library spaces where people can relax, ponder the Word of God, and discover new ideas. Writers\u2019 workshops and training sessions can help them learn to write effectively to contribute to the library with local materials.<\/p>\n

When I published the only Christian family magazine, Rahbar<\/em>, in Pakistan, I saw firsthand how print media can shape families and communities. I remain convinced that print media and libraries have a power we cannot afford to lose. They build lives. They strengthen families. They shape cultures. They nurture peace and they help live a Christian life of testimony out and in the maturity of the Church.\u00a0And in places like Faisalabad, they can help revive a reading culture that once flourished and must flourish again.\u201d Boaz Gill, Pakistan<\/strong><\/p>\n

Discipleship opportunities for children and adults in the Philippines<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cI\u2019m from a Catholic family, and didn\u2019t know about evangelical Christianity until I entered high school at Faith Christian School in Rizal. Their library had a vast collection of Christian books, including Christian fiction\u2014to my delight! Having such a library at my school made me aware that there are Christian books, and appreciate how the\u00a0gospel is reflected in stories.<\/p>\n

I believe that I was not the only student who experienced the joy of discovering such books. This is why having such libraries\u2014or even Christian books in libraries for the general public\u2014is helpful for everyone. I believe that through literature, we can be brought closer to Christ as readers, and share the gospel as writers.\u201d Keira Viresse, Philippines<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a school library at Hope Christian Academy in La Trinidad, Benguet, that includes Christian books. Locally, we also have a small collection of Christian books at Liv Language, the small initiative I started. Our nearby city, Baguio, has a public library that has some books from OMF literature. As for a library dedicated to Christian books, I don\u2019t think we have one, though there is one Christian bookstore.<\/p>\n

In the Philippines, we have a nationwide project by the National Book Development Board (NBDB) called the Book Nook Project<\/a>, which aims to make reading more accessible by establishing community-based reading centers. If possible, I would recommend making Christian books and Bible stories accessible through these community-managed reading spaces. They have carried my books, and it\u2019s a quick way to reach more kids.\u201d Bea Mandapat, Philippines<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI serve in the Philippines. Most of the towns and cities I have lived in here over last 37 years had no or only a tiny public library, none of which had Christian books. Some of the larger seminaries in the big cities have very good libraries full of Christian books, but I cannot access them, since I am not connected to those schools. My church in Manila has a library of about fifty books, many of which are old and dusty, and most of which were published overseas.<\/p>\n

As a church planter, I developed a small library. In the 1990s, most of the books that we loaned were Bible comics. By the late 1990s, at any given time, we had thirty or so books on Christian living published by OMF Literature. Several church members regularly checked out a book, returned it the following week, and then checked out another book.<\/p>\n

I clearly remember the testimony of one church member. She and her son were Christians, but her husband was not at the time. They often argued. Then she read a small Tagalog booklet on marriage, which convicted her of her sin and gave her steps to take to improve their marriage. She took those steps, and her marriage indeed improved.\u201d Andy Smith, Philippines<\/strong><\/p>\n

An invitation to establish libraries in Cambodia<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cHaving Christian libraries in Cambodia would be a great opportunity for Christians\u2014and non-Christians\u2014to have good books to read. If you are interested in setting up a Christian library here, I’m happy to give some ideas!\u201d Soksan Chin, Cambodia<\/strong><\/p>\n

Related stories\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n