Digital screens have earned their fair share of criticism. Inside Higher Ed’s “There’s No Easy Answer” points out how reading a physical text versus reading on an e-reader is vastly different – and we’re not even sure what that difference might be yet.

The church is wrestling with this question, too. Christianity Today’s “Screens Are Changing the Way We Read Scripture” demonstrates the different ways a screen can affect our reading of God’s word: because reading on a screen is non-linear, using the internet to read could train our minds to value quick bites of information rather than deep reading.

A screen is so different than a physical book, so it goes without saying that reading a digital Bible will be different from reading one that’s tangible. But I’d like to argue that though the practice may be different, one method may not be better than another. In fact, in many ways, having a digital Bible on your device may be a good thing.

Access

Anyone who has access to a phone, laptop or tablet can now read the Bible almost immediately. People across the world can open to a passage and easily share it, both with their social networks and with the person sitting next to them. The cost of a physical Bible may be too much commitment for a new Christian, but even a curious reader can get to God’s word completely free of charge and without any obligation. The digital age has made it easy to find, read and share God’s word.

Convenience

A digital Bible’s accessibility also makes it easy to know God during the fast-paced moments of our lives. Because of recent technology, we can now pull out God’s word whenever we need it: in a longer-than-usual-commute, in an impromptu sharing of faith or even in an unexpected crisis. While we may lose the weightiness of a physical book, an online Bible means that we can get to God’s word quicker and easier. God’s word is just a tap away whenever we need it.

Resources

It’s easy to get lost while reading the Bible – there’s so much information to absorb and so many ways to absorb it. But with the internet, new and old readers alike can also access Bible studies, devotionals, dictionaries and other materials right beside God’s word. Of course, this comes with the responsibility of discernment: not every resource is a good one. Still, being able to scroll between God’s word and accompanying material makes it incredibly easy to find potential answers to questions we might otherwise misunderstand on our own.

Experience

I’d like to propose that reading the Bible on a screen can actually enhance the experience of reading God’s word. Reading a physical copy is, of course, an experience all on its own. But with a digital Bible, we can read while listening to worship music, watch videos visualizing stories and verses, and even have the words read back to us in multiple languages. The multi-sensory and multimedia possibilities of getting to know God’s word are endless.

A Bible app, like a physical book, is simply a tool, a method of communication. As Christians in the 21st century, God has given us the ability to read, share and experience His word in many different ways. I’d say it’s a blessing with potential for good, as well as the potential for distraction and neglect. But, as with all tools, any benefit will come from the ways we use it.

Digital Bibles do not make physical Bibles any less available – on the contrary, they offer expanded options in widely accessible ways so that more people can experience God’s word in a way that makes sense to them. And isn’t that the point of what Jesus asked His disciples to do?

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20, English Standard Version)

O'Malley, Sharon (2017, August 16). ‘There’s No Easy Answer’ Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2017/08/16/which-better-reading-print-or-screen

Prior, Karen Swallow. (2018, November 1). Screens Are Changing the Way We Read Scripture Retrieved from https://www.christianitytoday.com/pastors/2019/spring/people-of-ebook.html

In Defense of the Online Bible