Benefits Of Providing And Using Physical Bibles In Worship

I’ve written a few posts over at chucklawless.com in recent weeks; grateful to Chuck for his inviting me to provide a few “Thursdays With Todd Linn” on his terrific site. This post is similar in content.

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 own Bibles. For this reason, many churches no longer provide physical Bibles in worship and also why many worshipers no longer carry a hard copy Bible of their own. While I hold my position loosely, I want to make a case for having hard copy Bibles available as well as 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 available in pews or chairs, they likely infer that the Bible is important to the church. While this benefit is more symbolic in nature, it nonetheless helps communicate a church’s belief in the prominence of Scripture as well as 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 sound off in some way. 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 look quickly at a text message, read an email, or check that game score. To be sure, 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 like reading the Bible on my phone or tablet, I especially enjoy being able turn pages in my hard copy Bible. Seeing a wider span of text helps me understand the wider context and flow of a particular passage. I just can’t do that as well when I’m clicking through hyperlinks or depending upon text that’s 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 easily 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 just doesn’t allow for the same seamless experience.

Pastors: What are your thoughts on having and using physical Bibles in the worship service?