5 Reasons we Live in the Greatest Age for Bible Distribution





While it is tempting to get depressed about the decline of the North American church in recent years, we have to remember that God is still in control. His kingdom will thrive. So while we wait for revival here, we can be encouraged by vibrant church communities in South America and parts of Africa. Here are 5 reasons why we live in the greatest age for Bible distribution that the world has ever seen:

Photo Credit: Stephen Cuyos on Flickr

1. Apps

Craig Groeschel's church, lifechurch, decided 5 years ago to put out a free Bible app. Has there been any interest? Well, recently the YouVersion app passed the 100 million downloads mark and that number grows larger every day.

The app comes equipped not only with a wide range of English translations but also Bibles in an expanding list of other languages, Bible reading plans, and study tools (such as expert commentaries). Plus, there are ways to bookmark, highlight, and share verses with your friends.

I have no doubt these kinds of apps are getting the Word of God in front of individuals who would otherwise never step into a church or open a traditional Bible. After all, it only takes a whim of curiosity and a couple clicks of phone keys to access this great resource. We should praise God for the ways new technologies bring Him glory.

2. Infrastructure

In the United States we struggle with our infrastructure because we have to deconstruct, replace, and upgrade some old and broken systems. Whether it's the Internet or travel methods, we're stuck with what was once innovative. Third world countries don't have that same problem; they start with a clean slate.

No wonder we are seeing poor, hungry villagers with more advanced phones than we have! No wonder there are struggling countries who now do most of their commerce in phone-to-phone digital transactions. What this means is that the needy of the world are suddenly thrust into a new position of opportunity.

Consider this: there are individuals in this world who could more easily access a digital Bible than a physical copy. Isn't that crazy? If a digital Bible is offered at no charge, it makes sense that more people would read it.

3. Linguistics

When I was in my Senior year of college  (less than a decade ago), we dreamed of the day that software could accurately record someone's spoken voice. Most of my peers in linguistics (the study of languages) thought there would be great job security in working on these software programs the rest of their lives.

Well, technology has increased at a rapid pace. Now we have algorithms that write books, software that decodes languages, and finely-tuned programs for recording and reading language.

My recent distraction has been a site called LiveMocha where users are rewarded points for grading assignments in their native language. With those points a user can then purchase lessons in another language, which native speakers of that language will grade. So I'm teaching English to help me learn German, and vice-versa. Pretty cool, huh?

All of these advances in linguistics help us to bridge cultures and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

4. Causes

Postmodernism has spiraled our nation into a deep skepticism of metanarratives. Okay, whatever, that's fine. So young people are less likely to become members of institutions [or any source that claims to be a bastion of timeless truth] and more likely to become participants in causes. It's about meaning, not truth.

Fortunately, along with that shift has come a renewed passion for making a difference in the world (praise God we're not all like Gen-X!). Instead of lamenting paradigm shifts, we should pray that young people rediscover God. And if we're to be honest, that's how it's been since the dawn of time; every generation needs to discover Christ for themselves.

5. God

God sees the whole picture and He promises that His church will not falter. Which means God will continue to reach people, transform lives, to demonstrate mercy and justice.

If the institution of church gets too off-track, He may send a monastic order to revitalize passion for the truth. If we decide to stay well within our comfort zone, God may choose to reach our neighbors and friends with different methods.

There's no stopping it; God loves people too much, He is going to keep extending His offer of salvation to everyone who seeks Him. So that's why this age is the greatest age for Bible distribution. And I'm guessing the next age will be even better. Can't wait.

iPad Developers

Okay, so the iPad has only been out a few months now. And while some of the concepts that worked on iPhone apps do effectively carry over to the new device, the extra real estate of the larger screen brings a new level of immersion and possibility. Developers are slowly working through a process of trial and error to figure out what concepts work best.

I have no doubts that in a year or two we'll see polished and fun new concepts being delivered on iPad and other touch-screen devices. For the time being, though, we have to slog through cluncky mechanics (I'm looking at you, dual-thumb analog stick interface) and poorly executed gimmicks.

For what it's worth, here a few apps that I think are using the iPad capabilities well:

UZU (similar to Spawn Glow for the iPhone)



This is really just a toy. The application itself doesn't accomplish anything, it is just a way to spend some time, but the visuals are so fun and the interaction so rewarding that you will end up sitting in front of it for long periods of time and coming back to it over and over again.

Basically the physics change depending on how many fingers you contact with the device. One finger trailing across the screen does something different than five fingers.

A lot of talk has been thrown around about how touch-screens take away an intermediary between the person and the information. No mouse. No clicking through menus, just simply touching the information you want to access. In the near future we will probably see the same kind of "hand swipes" and "pinch zooms" in motion-sensing peripheries for game systems, "smart tables" in public places, and on personal computing devices. Think of this -- kids growing up nowadays will only know a world where information is instantly accessible and accessible through intuitive touch/movement. I saw a youtube video of a 4 year old playing a first person shooter game on a touch device, navigating through menus as if it were the most natural thing in the world. A four year old!!

Musicians have perhaps been the first subgroup to really unlock some of these touch navigation possibilities. A few years ago composing a song meant knowing complex music theory, painstakingly inputting notes into music software, and fine-tuning the final product until something decent was produced. Nowadays there are programs that will intuitively shape algorithms around what you shape with your hands. You can "compose" music by moving around lines for balls to bounce off of in Soundrop app, make visual songs on TonePad, etc.

On a slightly related note, I have a friend who taught himself basic drum beats through playing a lot of Rock Band. Seriously. So while you may knock kinetic interaction as a passing fad, there are real possibilities for "tricking" people into producing new works of art or other products.


Touching Stories



All I really have to say is two words: interactive movie. This app contains four tiny vignettes and I use the word tiny intentionally. You'll run through each of the stories in a minute or two but the fact that you can actually tap your way through the story (or shake, bump, whatever else the story calls you to do in order to interact with the story) is pretty epic. I would love to see apps take more advantage of interactive media like this.


Word Games

"Word Games" isn't actually the name of the app but I am referring to all the creative word games you can find in app form. As a word games lover, my two choices in the past were to play a board game with friends or play some dorky flash game online. It doesn't make sense to sell word game software in stores (you're not going to see a $60.00 bundle of competitive HD action Scrabble). So I have been pleasantly surprised at the creative surge touch-tablets have brought to word games. I'm talking Imangi, iAssociate, Tripletters, Moxie, Scramble 2, Words Free, etc.


Harbor Master, FlightCtrl HD, RocketCop HD, etc.

All these games share the same premise: you trace your finger along the path that you want the vehicles to travel. Your job is to move the vehicles to the right spots without them crashing into one another.

These kinds of games are only possible on large touch-screens. I want to see more of these kinds of games and less of badly designed/clunky first person and awkward platformers! Anyone with me?

HoloToy

This app is downright incredible. It's basically a collection of "mini-games" that are all completely 3d. The whole 3d effect is kind of a craze right now --- tv's are doing it, video games are doing it, and of course movies are doing it. But what gets tricky is how the effect is accomplished... either the person needs to wear special glasses or a camera needs to track the person's eyes so the program can compensate. Meh on both, sometimes it works well and other times not so much.

The reason you should check out this app is because it uses the accelerometer to figure out how to create the 3d experience. In one of the games, "Projection Puzzle," you have to move your device around until you see the image completed:



Fun, yes? I'm not a fan of wearing glasses to have a blurry 3d effect on my television. I am a fan of using an accelerometer to intuitively move my way through a 3d environment that moves around me.



Runners up (apps worth checking out):

ColorSplash is a photoshop-type program where you finger-draw in the part of the picture you want to remain colored vs. the rest of the picture which is turned black-and-white. It's great for a quick and easy way to create incredible looking pictures. If I can use it successfully, anyone can.

CaptainsBlog is something I have to mention. It is by no means the most powerful journal program out there (for that check out MaxJournal) but it is Star Trek Next Generation themed!!! It gives a red alert when it's asking if you're sure you want to delete something. It looks like TNG computer interface. It is a must-have for any Trekker.

Dictation blows me away as a linguist. Very simply it takes your recorded voice and turns it into text. I sure hope the app is still free because if it is, you have no reason not to get it and check it out.

Touchgrind HD is a finger skateboard game where your swipes and flicks make the board do tricks underneath you. It's a fun one, yeps.

DropBox is for viewing PDF's off of your computer on any mobile device. Nothing flashy just uber-practical.

I could keep going but I have no idea who I'm writing this post for so no worries, I'll just hit post.