BIBLE NEWS: Is an electronic Bible any less Holy?

There is a long and storied tradition in our country of swearing in public officials on a Bible.  A recent trend of swearing in people on Bible apps on tablets is causing some consternation amongst traditionalists (and praise from modernists).

“There is an inherent respect given to the print version of the Bible that doesn’t attach itself to a Kindle or the iPad," Donald Whitney, a professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, told Fox News Latino. "Because the Bible is nothing else. It is a holy book to Christians and it is the Word of God. If you have a digital device it may contain the Bible but it also contains other things.”“I don’t think it’s sacrilegious," said Walter Kim, associate minister at the Park Street Church in Boston. "In fact, during our own worship service it’s a regular experience that people are pulling out their iPads and iPhones, looking up the passages that are being read or preached from the pulpit. We recognize that the most important thing is that people are engaged with the Bible. In whatever form it comes, whether it’s electronic or print.” 

BIBLE NEWS: Online Bible reading at an all-time high

It is no secret that Coach Matt and I are techies.  We've been reading the Bible in electronic forms since the 1990s!  But for many Christians, the idea of reading the Word of God outside of paper is still quite strange.  Still, a new study indicates that more people than ever before are reading the Bible online!

“The data shows a continual shift to digital content. The number of Bible readers who use their smartphone or cell phone to search for Bible content has increased each year, with a 6 percent increase in the use of this format from 2012,” said the Society. “Use of Internet to find Bible content has also increased, up 4 percent from 2011.”
...However, the report also found a decrease in Bible ownership: 92 percent of American households owned a physical copy of the book in 1993, while only 88 percent do today. That's still a tremendous number, of course; the decrease is likely more indicative of the increased access to scripture online than lessened interest.

 The day is fast approaching when anyone in the world can access the Bible anytime they need it.  But the day may also be fast approaching when finding a paper Bible is next to impossible.

BIBLE NEWS: Firemen sworn in on iPad Bible

We study the Bible for its content, but it is also used as a ceremonial object.  For instance, it is commonly used in swearing-in ceremonies.  And as the Bible goes online, we're seeing electronic bibles used in new and different ways.  Did you think you'd see the day when someone was sworn in on an iPad?

According to a local NBC news channel, when the firemen showed up for the swearing in ceremony, they discovered that no one brought along a physical copy of the Bible. A quick-thinking member of the group took out an iPad and downloaded the app.

BIBLE NEWS: The Rise of the Digital Bible

The coaches have been at the forefront of the digital revolution, reading our Bibles on laptops, Windows CE devices, iPhones, iPads, and so on.  Now, the church is quickly catching up to us.  ;-)  More and more electronic and Bibles are showing up in church services.  Some think this is the beginning of the end of paper books; other think it is the beginning of a deeper study.

“The Bible is sort of the flagship of the printed book culture,” said Timothy Beal, author of “The Rise and Fall of the Bible”. “The printed word is losing its place as the dominant medium for reading.”He pointed to the traditional family Bible — once commonplace in many homes — as evidence of the decline in printed Bibles. “Most families don’t have them anymore,” he said. “The family Bible as we know it is already a thing of the past in most families. What was once a perfect product during its time has become kind of an artifact.”