Reading the Bible on phones, tablets, and screens during worship is a blessing of modern technology. Today’s preacher can expect worshipers to follow the sermon by looking at text projected on screens or by “turning on” their Bibles. For this reason, many churches no longer provide physical Bibles in worship, and many worshipers no longer carry a hard copy of the Bible. While I hold my position loosely, I want to make a case for having hard-copy Bibles available and encouraging the use of physical Bibles in worship. Here are four reasons:
1) Their Presence Suggests Their Importance
The mere existence of church Bibles does not make a church orthodox, but when worshipers see hard copy Bibles in pews or chairs, they likely infer that the Bible is vital to the church. While this benefit is more symbolic, it nonetheless helps communicate a church’s belief in the prominence of Scripture and its relevance for worship and daily living.
2) They Help Worshipers Stay Focused
Even when phones are tucked away in pockets or purses, they tend to light up, buzz, or make some other sound. Unless we have completely silenced them and turned off every potential notification, they stand a good chance of interrupting us if we’re using them to follow the sermon. And then there is the temptation to glance at a text message, read an email, or check that game score. Some folks are more disciplined than others, but turning off the phone and reading from a church Bible or hard copy of our own reduces the potential for worship distractions.
3) They Help Readers See The Wider Context
Electronic devices are convenient for reading Scripture, but screen size limits readers to what is viewable with each click. While I enjoy reading the Bible on my phone or tablet, I particularly appreciate being able to turn pages in my physical hard copy Bible. Seeing a wider span of text helps me understand the broader context and flow. I can’t do that as well when I’m clicking through hyperlinks or depending upon a text projected on a worship screen.
4) They Help Users Grasp The Overall Content & Structure Of Scripture
Building on the previous point, because physical Bibles enable worshipers to see more Scripture at once, readers can become more familiar with the overall content and structure of the Bible. They can quickly see the layout of the Old and New Testaments, scan chapter headings, and quickly compare Scripture with Scripture by placing a finger in one passage while looking up another. Clicking on a linked text while scrolling on a phone is convenient, but it doesn’t allow for the same seamless experience.
Again, I hold my position loosely and won’t fight anybody over it. If you prefer digital to physical, God be with you! These are merely suggestions to think about.🧐
Soli Deo Gloria
Chaplain Mike Poirier
I could not agree more that physical (paper) Bibles are a much-needed item in every pew. Many times, a new person comes to visit our church, and they are not carrying a Bible, there are only song books behind the pews, so they would sit without the benefit of scripture if we did not hand Bibles out.
Another thing I do not like are churches that is project scripture to follow on big screens. No matter what media of Bible you are using it eliminates having to look up the text (Bible Drill). I often wonder if this does no promote laziness in “looking up” Bible text at home, i.e. devotionals.
Lastly For those that use phones and tablets in church they can be a distraction. No matter ho0w hard you try anything that is connected to cellular, or the internet will continue to send data to the device. Even when I shut down all the sounds on mine it still buzzes slightly in my hand. The temptation to look at what the buzz was distracts me/us from hearing the Word of God.
Will repost this to our site https://fsmandfsmwo.blog/
Todd Linn, PhD
Amen, Chaplain Mike! I guess you and are a bit more “old school” in our views. Thanks for your added insights!😃