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Thread: The Dangers of a Digital Bible

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    The Dangers of a Digital Bible


    The Dangers of a Digital Bible
    By Bob Perry Published on April 22, 2022
    The Dangers of a Digital Bible - The Stream

    When I refer to the dangers of a digital Bible, I mean "digital" in two different ways. First, it is about the practice of interpreting the Bible as a collection of discrete packets of information instead of a continuously flowing narrative. Second, it is about the way the Bible, like every other kind of written communication, has been digitized so that we can read it on our electronic devices. There are dangerous aspects to both of these forms of digitization. And every Christian needs to be aware of them.


    Discrete Thoughts vs. Flowing Narrative

    It's hard for us to imagine not having chapters and verses in the Bible. We've never seen a Bible without them. But they haven't always been there. Though earlier versions of the Old Testament contained chapter divisions, the first translation of the New Testament to include verses within those chapters was the Geneva translation of 1557. Chapter and verse divisions first appeared in the whole Bible three years later.

    Chapters and verses are convenient. They make it easy to locate our favorite passages and memorize them. Some of those chapter-and-verse combinations have even become icons of the faith — a kind of mini-sermon on a sign.

    But there are dangers that come with isolating sections of any written document and using them to make a point, even if it's a good one.


    "Never Read a Bible Verse"

    Apologist Greg Koukl has said that the most important lesson he could ever teach any Christian is that they should "never read a Bible verse." That sounds like a weird thing for someone who cherishes Scripture to say. But Koukl says that precisely because he cherishes Scripture.

    It's important to understand not only that the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament didn't contain chapters and verses, but that they didn't have punctuation at all. The format in which they were written was a continuous flow of thought. We've added divisions in the text to appeal to our modern sensibilities. And there's nothing wrong with that — unless you forget that you did it. Our propensity for extracting one-liners from the text means that we frequently take them out of context. The meaning of a phrase or sentence can change dramatically if you isolate it from the narrative in which it was written.


    Genre Games

    The minimal level of analysis that should go into interpreting a passage of Scripture is understanding the genre in which it is written. As an example, take the popular idea to: "Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6). It's a proverb — a "wise saying." It's not a promise. And there are plenty of Christian parents with rebellious children who will attest to that fact.

    Historical narratives, poetry, theological treatises, and circular letters addressed to churches are all completely different forms of writing. And the audience matters. Old Testament exiles in Babylon are not New Testament Christians suffering in Jerusalem, for instance. The purpose and form of the narrative matter.


    Follow the Flow

    The only place where people will quote a single sentence or phrase from a book as authoritative is when it's in the Bible. But nobody thinks like that. You wouldn't do it with any other book you've ever read. If you're confused about how to understand a particular verse, the simple act of reading the entire paragraph in which it is embedded will often clarify its meaning. Always read at least a paragraph. Sometimes, it takes a chapter. But in every case, you have to take into account the context of the book in which the passage appears.

    Along the same lines, most of our Bibles today include section headings meant to summarize what will follow. Ignore them. The original authors didn't put them there. And they can be misleading. In fact, they sometimes interrupt a line of reasoning that is supposed to follow from a previous passage. A subtitle can thereby separate thoughts that were not meant to be separated.


    Digital Scripture

    Thomas Jefferson famously cut out all the references to miracles or the resurrection in his personal Bible. He didn't accept that things like that could be true. So, he got rid of them. His version of the New Testament was only 84-pages long. But doing that took a lot of time and effort on his part. Imagine if he had an electronic version of the Bible. Cutting and pasting would be way too easy.

    Don't like some "judgmental" idea you read about in Romans 1? Right-click -> Select -> Delete.

    This illuminates the second kind of danger that comes with a digital Bible: If it's electronic, it's not reliable.

    Don't get me wrong. I have the Bible on my phone and on my computer. This is not some old-fashioned Luddite declaration that the only kind of Bible you should own is a real one that you can hold in your hands. Personally, I prefer actual books to digital ones. But that's not my point. The problem with a digitized Bible is that it can be so easily altered by those who control the platform on which it is delivered.

    To those of us who grew up with an actual book, this issue is not as big of a deal. We've read the real words and would recognize if they were changed or missing. But in a world of only e-books and Kindle Bibles, how do our grandchildren — or, worse, our great, great, great, great-grandchildren — have any guarantee that the Bible they're reading is the one the disciples wrote? For that matter, what happens if we reach the day when the Bible is only available in electronic form ... and the powers that be don't approve of it at all?


    What You're Guarding

    In 2 Timothy, Paul exhorts us not only to "continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it" (2 Timothy 3:14), but to "guard the treasure that has been entrusted to you" (2 Timothy 1:14). The treasure is in the form of a collection of inspired manuscripts we call the Bible.

    Ideas matter. And the ideas God wanted to be preserved are expressed in the words the original authors wrote down. That's the only standard that should concern us. Pithiness, convenience, and cultural acceptability have no bearing on the message God meant to convey through Scripture. And that's why, no matter how many ways we find to do it, digitizing the Bible is a bad idea.


    Interpreting Scripture

    If you're interested in a short video course on how to interpret Scripture, the Bible Project guys are a fun, informative resource. Their "How To Read The Bible" videos are a great introduction.

    If you'd rather hold a book in your hand, I highly recommend these two outstanding books: How To Read The Bible For All It's Worth, by Gordon Fee & Douglas Stuart and Playing With Fire, by Walt Russell.













    This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity (futility) of their mind, having the understanding darkened...
    (Ephesians 4:17-18)

    Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly...
    (Psalm 1)

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    Senior Member Highly Favoured's Avatar
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    I do agree with the idea of having a printed hardcopy version of the Bible. Editing and changing things is so prevalent in our society, and we are seeing where ideologies are being forced on society in an unprecedent wave of deception and lies.

    However, the information about Jefferson cutting out parts of the Bible he didn't like may be false. I do need to find the source where I heard it from and investigate. What I had heard about him was that he basically took only the "red letters" - passages that Christ spoke - and made his Bible on only that. Like I said, I need to dig and find that information.

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    I simply must have a printed paper paged bible. Digital for me is only in a pinch. Too many rely on their phones. I find the digital bible to be lifeless.

    Editing? Strong's Concordance is often edited to bring it into modern day thinking and living.

    ***contents are sold by weight not by volume. Some settling may occur during shipping***

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    Senior Member Smitty's Avatar
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    I've noticed in church or when in a special meeting that around 80% of those in the pews/chairs have their faces buried in a phone or tablet screen when Scripture is read.
    I'm old fashion and lug my big 'ol' bible under my arm to meetings. I could never adapt to a screen over paper and ink when it comes to reading the word in public or private.
    If you put God First, you have Him at Last.

  8. #5
    There is not a better thing than a printed Bible.
    Here in Albania I am glad to have a Bible on my phone in albanian, english and german. I have 2 printed albanian Bibles, but here the letters are printed to small to read in the same speed scripture is read.

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    If I take my physical Bible now it's normally if I think I need to save my seat. I always use my phone now. I still use it at home a lot though. I still use the KJV and like to use that as the main foundation for my study and meditation.

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