Faced with the HIV-AIDS pandemic in southern Africa, 12,000,000 young people in South Africa alone must make a choice: Either “life” by abstaining from sex until marriage, or “death” by risking the very high probability of contracting — and dying — from the virus.

This was the message passed on recently from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Arkadelphia by the Rev. Colin Bishop, South African regional director of the International Bible Society. The facts he shared were horrifying:

• In South Africa, 1,000 victims of the disease are dying every day.

• 50 percent of parents are infected with HIV.

• Cemeteries are literally running out of burial spaces, making it necessary to bury more than one body in the same grave.

• HIV-AIDS has been rated by the United Nations as the greatest crisis in the history of humanity.

• All attempts to halt the spread of the virus have failed. Wanting to know more, I talked with the Rev. Bishop later that day. Since there is no cure,” I asked him, “what’s the solution?”

“The only remaining solution,” he replied, “is the Gospel.”

To this end, Bishop and his colleagues have developed what he describes as “a very ‘youthy’ and ‘funky’ HIV-AIDS teen-targeted Bible, Reach 4 Life.” The hip-pocket or purse-sized NIV New Testament translation is sprinkled with what African young people consider to be “cool lingo” HIV-related sidebars such as “Don’t touch me there!” which is tied in to Mark 9:42-48.

Downs: What do you expect to accomplish with this approach?

Bishop: Our mission is to try to prevent kids from getting infected and then dying from AIDS. In order to save them, they must come to Christ.

Downs: Are young people responding to this “life or death” message?

Bishop: It’s been phenomenal. The 150,000 children the program is reaching every year are hungry for the Gospel. It is harvest time down there in Africa. Naturally, there will be some people who resist it but when you are talking about life and death, it’s quite a compelling message.

Downs: It’s also frightening, as it should be. How is this message presented?

Bishop: Not in a negative way. We avoid saying, “Don’t have sex before marriage because if you do, you will die.” What we do say is that God has a wonderful plan for marriage and for their lives. We talk about the high road — to live life God’s way. They can get married, be faithful in their marriage and have a very fulfilling sex life without getting infected and without violating God’s plan for their lives.

Downs: Although 50 percent of the parents are already infected with AIDS, are they cooperating with you in this effort?

Bishop: Well, they are and so is the government, which is allowing us to go into the schools. The churches are also cooperating. But rather than using parents as the authority for the message, we use God as the moral authority. When a school kid asks us, “Who says I should live a moral life?” we don’t say the parents because they are the immoral ones.

Downs: Where did you get your idea for this program?

Bishop: We modeled it on what has happened in Uganda, the only country in the world that has reduced its infection rate from 34 percent to 4.4 percent. We went there to study their program, then pulled out all the principles of their success, brought it back, streamlined it and improved it. For example, in Reach 4 Life, we put the message in the context of the Scriptures. We wanted to take the principles of their success and multiply it many times over in many countries around the world, especially in Africa.

Downs: What was Uganda’s approach that made their program so successful?

Bishop: They popularized virginity before marriage. In 1995, if a girl was 16 and had not had sex, her peers would say, “What’s wrong with you?” By 2005, if a girl was 16 and had had sex, her peers would say to her, “Are you crazy? Do you want to die?” So in just 10 years, there was a 180-degree turnaround.

Downs: How can our churches and other organizations help you?

Bishop: Sunday School classes, youth groups and universities can support us financially or even come to Africa and partner with us by becoming involved in what we are do.

Downs: How can they assist you?

Bishop: They can go into our rural or urban classrooms and teach the four-part Reach 4 Life program: Wanna to be a real Christian? Wanna grow as a follower of Jesus? Wanna deal with real-life youth issues? and Wanna change the world? As the kids respond in the classroom, we link them to Bible-believing, Gospel-preaching local churches that in turn will integrate the kids into the church, which becomes a permanent relationship. Financial contributions are also welcome. Because of the exchange rate between the United States and southern Africa, financial gifts are multiplied by 10. If you send us $100, for example, it becomes $1,000, etc.

Downs: Anything else you would like to share with Forum readers?

Bishop: A stockbroker in Chicago asked me this recently: “Colin, I am going to ask you a stockbroker’s question. What do I get for my dollar?” I told him, “First of all, you save a life from an early grave. Second, you reach a kid for Christ. Third, you disciple that kid for an entire year. Fourth, you link children to a local church that can look after them forever. And fifth, you put a Bible into a home that would otherwise never have one.” His reply: “I have never, ever seen such outcomes or returns for financial or mission investment like that in my life.”

Forum: The Rev. and Mrs. Colin Bishop, who have four grown children, live in Johannesburg, South Africa. The International Bible Society’s headquarters is in Colorado Springs. For additional information, contact Rev. Bishop: ibs@global.co.za.