How Bible.org & the NET Bible Reached 100 Million People for Free
How did two childhood friends put the Bible online in 1995 and end up reaching 100 million people every week for just $250,000 a year? Natalie Jones sits down with Joe Head and Hampton Keathley, co-founders of Bible.org and the NET Bible (New English Translation), to share the incredible story behind the free Bible study library trusted by pastors, Sunday school teachers, and everyday believers worldwide.
In this episode you'll learn:
✅ How Bible.org started in 1994–95, before the internet went mainstream
✅ Why the NET Bible was created with a copyright-free "automatic yes" for pastors and authors
✅ How 60,000+ translator notes help you study like a Berean (Acts 17:11)
✅ Real translation updates: Junia in Romans 16:7, "God so loved the world" in John 3:16, and 1 Timothy 2:9
✅ Why the NET Bible uses a dynamic, understandable translation style
✅ A first look at a new AI tool that answers theology questions from trusted, vetted sources, not random Reddit posts
✅ How free content, Google, and a dual publishing model with HarperCollins make ministry efficient
✅ How Bible studies are being translated into 20–30 languages for the Great Commission
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro
00:42 Welcome to Parent Compass
01:52 Why Bible.org and the NET Bible?
02:30 9 million users and 100 million people reached weekly
04:42 The friendship story behind Bible.org
06:18 How new scholarship changes the NET Bible (Junia, John 3:16, 1 Tim 2:9)
09:34 Recruiting the best scholar for every book of the Bible
13:26 What does "NET" stand for?
14:26 Trusted AI for Bible study (and the problem with ChatGPT and Reddit)
17:51 "Content is king": 30 years of daily posting
18:56 Why author standards matter for a 100-million-person pulpit
20:05 Dynamic vs. literal translation: what makes a good Bible?
22:00 Why translator notes were a game-changer
24:01 Translations into Vietnamese, Chinese, and 20+ languages
25:00 NetBible.org: a free, full-featured Bible study tool
26:35 Reaching 100 million people for $250,000 a year
27:10 HarperCollins partnership and the new NET Study Bible
29:09 How to support Bible.org (501c3 nonprofit)
🔗 RESOURCES
Bible.org: https://bible.org
NET Bible study tool: https://netbible.org
Parent Compass: https://parentcompass.tv
Download the Parent Compass app and donate at parentcompass.tv
🙏 Parent Compass is completely funded by people like you. If this episode blessed you, please like, subscribe, and share it with a pastor, teacher, or friend who loves studying God's Word.
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About Parent Compass Radio
From the frontlines, families apply timeless faith in Parent Compass—the Telly Award-winning Christian television series.
Across episodes, with differing issues and a variety of backgrounds, in Parent Compass mothers and fathers talk about their own upbringings and pasts, marriage and life management, child rearing–and faith . . . all with undaunted candor.
Families featured in Parent Compass range from the Pitts, whose four daughters include Alena, the child star of the hit movie, WAR ROOM . . . to Mark and Shanell Rusk, raising a blended family of 11 in a Habitat for Humanity home they helped build. Audiences will meet the Kos, teaching fine art and raising kids out of one suburban home, and single mom Cindy, who initially three times scheduled an abortion for her now seven-year-old daughter.
About Real Christian Families
A Compass through the struggles of life, in Parent Compass real families share life stories of how God and His Word give direction.
Parent Compass Founder & President Natalie Jones, a mother of five, knows this one-of-a-kind series offers the hope we need. “Families now have true stories of God’s peace amidst endless difficulties,” she said.
In addition to signature family episodes, are Life & Family Chats with Christian leaders. Hear from: Kendrick Brothers, producers of movies, Overcomer, War Room; Erwin Brothers and Kevin Downes, producers of movies I Can Only Imagine, Woodlawn; Ann & Dave Wilson, Host of CRU’s Family Life replacing Dennis & Barbara Rainey; Jonathan Evans, Chaplain of the Dallas Cowboys and son of Dr. Tony Evans; Anne Graham Lotz, Billy Graham's daughter; Benham Brothers; Kay Arthur; Ryan Dobson, Jim Dobson's son and former Host Family Talk; John Fuller, Focus on the Family Co-Host and more.
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