These last 90 days I have read through the entire Bible. I wrote my thoughts and an additional part of this experiment in a post back in February (Digitizing Devotion). I used Ted Cooper's plan through YouVersion.com, and only read scripture on my iPad or phone.
I wanted to do this for several reasons. The first is I think scripture should be an immersed practice of those in ministry. As I transition out of school and back into full time vocational pastoring, I wanted to start this foundation. I did a cover to cover last year, but the 90 days appealed to me.
I decided to only read via a screen because more and more people are ingesting the scriptures this way. I believe people will be reading the Bible in this manner, so I wanted to know first hand what it was like.
Here are my thoughts:
1. Living in scripture grounds the reader in a life of holiness.
I can't put to words how I grew these last 90 days. Tracing the biblical narrative and the story of a redeeming God so quickly helped me connect points better than ever before. Reading so much (13 chapters a day on average) consistently reminds the reader of what God has done. It is fitting that the last few books, the "little" Johns and Revelation, urge us towards holiness and then speak of a world where a holy God comes to dwell with His holy people.
2. Biblical themes are compounded.
Whenever I teach people how to read the Bible, I always tell them to start keeping track of common words and phrases. The writers of scripture have phrases that hold a certain weight. Reading in this manner helps to show the key ideas that exist in certain groupings of books. From the idea of "the land" in the Pentateuch, Joshua and Judges to the prophetic identity of "Lord of Hosts" and the familial language of the Gospels, the Bible's articulate framework speaks of its intentionality of communication. Reading like this helps us to really see the entire story, not just unconnected fragments.
3. The Loss of Memory
The first con to my experiment, which is situated only in my digital experiment. I enjoy getting to know actual Bible's. Students of scripture start to remember distinct pages. I know that John 15 begins on the 1st column, lower left side on a right hand page in my favorite bible. I lost that over the last 90 days. Chapters blurred into each other, only changed by a tap on the screen. I bookmarked around 1,000 verses, but I have no actual remembrance to them, no place to take notes. I read the scriptures, but did I really work through them? This reading strategy means more of an overview, but I wish I had more of a record of the journey.
4. The Loss of Connection
I like to chain things together when I read scripture. When I see something that reminds me of another passage, I chase it down and make the notation. I do a little outlining of sections I spend large amounts of time in. The digital read doesn't allow that. It simply is to hard to track something down. I felt that though my heart was formed, I didn't gain a better knowledge of scriptures because I couldn't link, notate and allow the greater sense of scripture to relate to itself. Most of this comes from my own desires, but I did feel disconnected at times.
So my pro's all surrounded the practice of a quick read through the Bible, and my negatives stemmed from the digital journey. I wouldn't discount using a tablet or phone for scripture, but I would caution against it as primary. The scripture should be tactile, thumbed through and brooded over...and I don't think technology provides the best place for this.
So what next? I really am not sure...but I will go ahead and start Genesis tomorrow in a new Bible I have never really used. I am excited about no longer owning that copy.....but making it truly mine.
Related Posts:
Creating a Rhythm of Scripture
A Community "Textology"
They Don't Know The Bible...
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