Just a few decades ago, a printed Bible could be found in every household and it was considered one of the most valuable things in the house. Now, a Bible is simply an app on your phone, while paper books are left on a shelf and covered with dust. Or am I exaggerating? How valuable are printed Bibles now, and how can reading the Bible on your phone hurt you (or help you?) These are the questions I will try to answer in this article.
My studies are based on a survey that was held on a telegram channel of a youth ministry in my hometown (I also wrote this article for them, by the way). When the subscribers of the channel were asked what kind of Bible they preferred to read, the opinions were divided almost in half. 41% of young people said they prefer reading the printed version, while 59% said that they usually read the digital version of the Scriptures. These numbers can tell us a lot. They say that it is too early to "write off" the paper Bibles as they still play a role in the Christian world. We can also see that the rise in technology is actively impacting our everyday lives in every sphere, including our faith and religion.
Interestingly enough, after reading the comments to this survey, I found out that there were plenty of people that could not pick a side. Many people read both versions and mention both advantages and disadvantages of paper and digital Bible.
Advantages of a Paper Bible
First of all, this is more familiar (especially to the older people). And often people say that they generally prefer paper books, they like holding a real thing in their hands. This helps you realize the importance, the value of the content. It is nice to turn pages, to touch the book. Moreover, when you read a paper Bible, you learn to navigate the text better.
Compared to mobile Bibles, a printed version is a lot more stable. The content of a paper Bible will not be changed with a random update, and the battery will not die. Most importantly, by reading a printed Bible, you can be more focused and be less distracted. Only when holding a real book in your hands, you can disengage from the environment and actually meditate on the Word.
Disadvantages of a Paper Bible
For some reason, talking about it feels like blasphemy, but we cannot avoid the reality. Printed Bible have their disadvantages. For example, not many people carry a paper Bible with them, and this limits the opportunities to read it. You would rarely see a person with a Bible in the subway or on the streets because the rhythm of our lives does not let us focus on meditating on the Scriptures. Moreover, you need enough lighting to read a paper book, so reading the Bible in your bed before you go to sleep can be a challenge. In short, a paper Bible is not mobile enough (oh, the irony!)
Advantages of a Digital Bible
All of this gradually leads us to discuss the advantages of a digital Bible. Here I mostly mean a Bible app on your smartphone, as well as on your tablets or computers.
Advantages of a digital Bible:
always with you;
you can read or listen on the go or even on the run;
easy to compare translations and cross-references;
quick access to a wide database of commentaries and interpretations;
quick and simple search;
you can leave notes;
a lot of reading plans on many topics;
group study opportunities (you can read the same plan, share thoughts and comments).
Of course, all of this is possible with a classic, printed version of the Bible but requires a lot more resources. For example, to search a biblical text, you would have to buy a concordance, to study different commentaries or translations, you will need a lot of study Bibles, a notebook to write notes, etc. In terms of progress, smartphones made our job easier by compiling all of this in our pockets.
Disadvantages of a Digital Bible
Having so many positive characteristics, the digital Bible definitely has plenty of negative ones. The biggest of them we already mentioned when talking about the advantages of a paper Bible - it is superficial reading.
When reading paper books (especially the Bible), a person develops so-called deep reading. This kind of reading means that we are more focused and coherent. "Reading on digital devices does not create the same kind of brain circuits as deep reading," mentioned by an English professor at Southeastern Seminary.
Simply speaking, in the same way as you scrolled through your Instagram feed and immediately forgot everything you have seen there, the Bible chapter that you scrolled through has a great chance of slipping your mind in a minute. Also, if you received a few notifications during your bible reading time, I am pretty sure that you were subconsciously processing the information from the message and not from the Scripture.
Which One is Better?
If you look closely at all the material presented, you will see that both options are good for certain purposes. So I am suggesting you to not be too categorical but rather use the advantages of both paper and digital Bibles for your good.
A paper Bible is good for the slow and thoughtful reading. Find some time in your day to put away all your gadgets and focus on seeking God. Ask Him to use His Word to speak to you and change your heart. And spend some time reading your paper Bible.
I have to say that you can also use your phone or tablet to read for this very purpose, but if you choose to do that, I recommend you to turn off all the notifications and make sure you do not use any other apps. Let it be the time for just you and God.
A digital Bible is good because it is always with you. So tomorrow morning, on your way to work or during a lunch break, instead of scrolling through Instagram or TikTok, you can refresh your memory (or just read something). Leave a comment in the Bible app or share it with your friends. Use the technological advancements for edification and growth!
Maybe after that, you will want to study a piece of Scripture deeper and analyze it - this is where a digital Bible would be helpful as well. Open cross-references, compare different translations, read commentaries and other people's opinions on the topic. All this will help you become a little closer to God, to understand His truths better, and to find out how to apply them to your lives.
Last but not least, it is important to understand that it is the content that matters, not the medium. Whichever Bible form you prefer, just know that it is better to read than not to read! And I bless you to see the Bible as a living Word straight from the Lord.
«For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart». Hebrews 4:12
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