Not too long ago, the sight of someone using an electronic device during a worship service might lead an observer to assume that person was not fully engaged. But not anymore. Reading the Bible used to mean reading a book, but increasingly, people are getting the Word on smartphones, iPads and other electronic devices.
So then, what will happen to the printed Bible? The last word has not been written on that, but experts speculate that its unchallenged reign is over.
"The Bible is sort of the flagship of the printed book culture," said Timothy Beal, author of "The Rise and Fall of the Bible" (Mariner, 2011, $15.95). "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." Read more
Before trading in your printed Bible for a digital one, weigh this consideration. The more we rely on high tech, the more vulnerable we are. Solar storms, electromagnetic pulses, hurricanes, tornadoes, high winds, floods, earthquakes, blizzards, ice storms and other natural and man-made disasters cause power outages, low batteries, and no batteries and can deprive you of the consolation and guidance of God's Word in these emergencies. If you do invest in a digital Bible, hang onto your printed Bible. The time will come when you will need it.
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