There has been a major shift over the past several since the introduction of the Iphone and Android smartphones. From there we’ve been introduced to tablets and wearable technology that many use in their everyday lives.
Information is more available now than it has ever been before. With the click of the button or search of the phone, you can find the answers to just about anything that you can think of. You can connect with just about anyone through various social media outlets.
Social media has become a billion-dollar industry bringing people together in ways we would of never imagined.
- Years ago you would find pastors and laymen preaching against the wiles of social media, warning their congregations to stay away from them. Today it has become a tool of outreach for the church to keep up with members and possible visitors, with the preaching on it shifting to that of a sermon on gluttony (social media is OK, but don’t overindulge in it).
The face of the church media is nothing like it used to be.
- The media department of old (pastor or secretary creating the church bulletins or flyers with cheesy graphics) has been replaced with the media department of new (audio, video, online streaming, print media professionally designed, church apps, websites).
The church has become seemingly adaptable to this digital age and continues to progress as technology is allowing it.
- Where we once preached against the wiles of television, we are embracing it now as a form of outreach in the church. Where we once preached against the internet, we are embracing it as a tool of communication with our congregations.
With every other facet of the church being continuously updated as technology allows, this brings up a couple of questions regarding the Bible:
- “Is it wrong using it as your primary Bible?”
- “Is it OK for a Pastor to use it during a sermon?”
- “Is it OK to use when going soulwinning?”
We want to hear from you! What do you think?
Leave us a comment in the section below to let us know what your thoughts are!
When you use digital Bible in church, people might think you are just playing Candy Crush. =)
To me, the days of flannel graphing and over-head projections are probably long gone. However, each pastor has the responsibility of watching over his flock and each pastor will draw his own line in the sand in terms if what he will bring, or allow to be brought into his church.
For our congregation, the digital revolution hasn’t arrived. I hope it never does.
If I spill tears on my IPhone, the chances are very good I’ll need a new iPhone. I don’t have that worry with my Bible.
God’s Word is still God’s Word no matter what it is written on. Be it animals skins, plant fibers, stones or any other medium you choose to write it on. Gospels tracks would be useless without the scriptures written on them. They are not Bibles bound with leather , but the scriptures are God’s Words. The real question for digital Bibles (or any printed Bible) is “What version are you reading”. As long as your digital Bible (or your printed Bible) is the Kings James Bible that has not been altered in any way, you have the Bible (God’s Word) to read and study. Would Jesus be mad or upset if you read a digital Bible? No, I think not. Maybe Jesus is disappointed at us for reading the “printed” Bible,( again I think the answer is No. ) the only scriptures Jesus every read while here on this earth, were handwritten. The only person that should be upset at you for reading your Bible, should be the devil. Christians should never be upset at any person reading and studying God’s Word.
The question is, “Is a digital Bible still the Word of God?” The obvious answer is “yes.” No matter how one presents Scripture, it is still the Word of God. We many have our preferences, our likes and dislikes, our traditions, and opinions, but we all know that by whatever means the Scriptures are presented, they are still the Words of God. Someone said, “If you find a dime in a sewer, it doesn’t make it a bank.” Well, that is true, but the dime is still a dime.
I have two excellent Bible programs on my computer, and I use them all the time. I also have Alexander Scourby’s audio Bible, which I listen to. All are God’s Word. I am not suggesting anyone lay aside their printed copy of the Bible. But, I believe those who are opposed to change, will find themselves fewer in number, and left behind. All will make some changes in time. I am not saying that is good or bad, but that is the way it is.
Nothing can replace the tangible, leather-bound King James Bible…and it doesn’t need batteries!
It is possible to get lost in the debate, until we forget what we are debating. The title of the article is, “Is a Digital Bible still the Word of God? The article also says, “There seems to be a stigma that a digital Bible is not the true word of God. That the true Word of God can only be printed on paper and bound within leather (or something similar depending on how much you spend…..).
With every other facet of the church being continuously updated as technology allows, this brings up a couple of questions regarding the Bible:
• ”Is the Bible in digital form still the Word of God?”
• ”Is it wrong using it as your primary Bible?”
• ”Is it OK for a Pastor to use it during a sermon?”
• “Is it OK to use when going soulwinning?”
We want to hear from you! What do you think?”
Point one: It is still the Word of God
Point two: I is not WRONG to use it as a primary Bible
Point three: It is OK, but it may not be acceptable. That will depend on the culture.
Point four: It is OK to use a Bible on a cellphone or Note pad.
None of the above is WRONG, and they are OK. Some churches would have no problem with the above, while other would believe it an abomination. However, the Bible is the Bible, no matter how presented. That is the question in the title of the article.
For me, it is better to grow in the word of God by a paper formed not in a digital formed. I’m not saying that digital bible is wrong, instead i may say it is better. Why? You can learn a lot in the word of God by manually searching it in the paper form unlike in digital form and may can cause our laziness in studying of the the word of God.
Nothing digital is allowed in our pulpit when preaching or giving announcements. I think the old fashioned, New Testament Baptist churches prefer paper and ink. I do not agree with the Bible in digital form at all. Why is the uproar suddenly turned AGAINST the leather bound, ink and paper Bibles that our forefathers used? Seems strange to me!
Respect what a preacher allows in pulpit. However the leather bound ink and paper were just as advanced when they first came out as the digital copies today. Before printing all were hand written. Before that the Bible was written on animal skins.
Can hear it now …can we allow this printed Bible ….I prefer the old hand written ones.
I do not think God would be mad if we read from digital Bibles. Better than not reading the Bible at all.
Good response, John. I chuckled at the part about announcements too. It made me wonder if they even use a microphone/sound system.
If a blind person listens to audio of the KJV is that not the Word of God?
As long as the content of the Bible is there, it is still the Word of God. Even the Bible itself taught us to adapt to change. From God talking to the prophets then it was engraved in a tablet (10 commandments), then manuscripts where written on animal skins, then printed into paper and then now, digitally written. God’s Word never changed. Only the medium it was presented. With this, I believe there’s nothing wrong having your Bible on your phones or tablets. BUT we should be accountable how we use it. Don’t use your tablets for games or internet surfing while inside the church. If your pastor’s stand is not to use your tablets/phones on reading your Bible in church, then humbly submit. If a brother or a sister might be offended in doing so, might as well not do it as a mature believer. In conclusion, it’s not wrong to use digital Bible, but let’s be spiritually mindful and accountable in using it.
Independent Baptists have typically been very slow to change, which is good for the most part. I understand why some preachers are hesitant to use technology, but we need to be realistic about this issue. The fact of the matter is that neither Jesus Christ or any of the apostles used leather bound Bibles. They did not meet in church buildings. Instead they met in homes, outdoors, or wherever else they could. They baptized in the river. We have made changes in the past that made some uncomfortable at first, but I’m sure that the vast majority of us can now see where the change was beneficial. If it was okay for us to go from using scrolls to using the printing press, why is it wrong to use modern technology to spread the word of God today? Wasn’t the printing press “modern technology” when it was first invented? The word of God remains the word of God, whether it is in a leather bound Bible, or audio, or on an electronic device. I prefer to still use a leather bound Bible, but I see nothing wrong with someone using modern technology if he or she so chooses.
My husband has cerebral palsy, which affects his fine motor skills. It is a Godsend for him to use a touch screen. Plus, it is much easier for him to carry his lightweight Kindle and carrying case, since he has to walk with a cane. Another advantage is how accessible it is for him to find any book, chapter and verse with technology. As for it’s being the Word of God, of course it is; that is, if it is KJV, and preferably, the Authorized KJV. Technology doesn’t change the version issue any more than the paper version does.
If you want to limit your impact on your community, just expect everyone to come in suits and nice dresses in a prim and proper setting. People are bound up behind walls of insecurity and are desperate for someone to come along and care and you are arguing about this? The Word of God is the Word of God. What is so complicated about that? If you have to hold a leather bound Bible, I am happy for you, it is just a preference. If you want to hold an opinion that digital Bibles “aren’t”, then you had better find you a Hebrew and Greek manuscript on papyrus. I am an Independent Baptist Preacher, but I am fed up with Fundamental Phariseeism.
Good point Grogan! This goes beyond majoring on a minor. It is plum silly. I screen spotted your comment, just in case it gets removed.
That’s fine, just didn’t see a difference in this comment and the one that I posted above that has disappeared. It’s ok that you did not respond to my email, btw.
Digital format is still the word of God! However I choose the book form because I like turning the pages and I have a hard time maneuvering the touch screen gizmos. Digital format to me is like taking my Bible and putting a book cover on it. Nobody knows I am carrying it, they think you are playing games on your phone or computer when at McDonalds. In the end it is what you are comfortable with.
Dumbest question ever. Of course it’s the word of God and there’s nothing wrong with digital Bibles.
You can’t put paper IN your heart and that is what it takes to not sin against God
The question had to be asked, but I can’t seem room for but one answer. That is yes. It’s the words not the material it is written on or by. Otherwise a printed Bible would be an idol to be worshipped.
I believe its okay for personal use but should not be primary. In this age where God is nothing more than a tool for many people including the govt. it would not surprise me that slowly but surely they would change, one word here, one word there and we would never know… Fine for use, but always go back to the paper just so to know for certain that NO ONE has tampered with it, no one has changed it, that it is truly God’s holy word.
You folks are being pretty hard on the messenger aren’t you? Calling it asinine to ask the question? What are you calling the Lord when he asks Adam, “where art thou?”
Unfortunately we are so infatuated with tradition people HAVE to ask these questions in order to get us to wake up to our silliness.
A digital copy of God’s word is just as much God’s word as a leather bound Bible, and as a paperback Dollar Tree Bible! The fact is, our society is drowning in Bible availability and barren of Bible understanding and living.
excellent answer
AMEN!!!