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The Future of Technology and the Bible

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Throughout human history, the Bible has prompted the development of new technologies for recording and distributing the sacred text of the Scriptures. Technologies ranging from papyrus, scrolls, and the printing press have served Christians for many centuries. Now with electronics and digital technologies, we have Bible software and apps to help access the Scriptures.

Seeing how today’s innovative technologies are changing our everyday life through mobile apps and internet connectivity, technologies can also be built for people to further interact with the content in the Bible. After all, we as Christians believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God. It changes lives more powerfully than anything else.

Where can you get a sneak preview of where Bible technologies are headed? The Future.Bible podcast features individuals and Bible-inspired organizations making a difference in the digital world at the intersection of Bible and technology.

Here are highlights from five episodes to take notice of:

#1 – Accelerating Bible Translation for Everyone

Mart Green and Todd Peterson shared about the future of Scripture translation and the mission to provide all people access to God’s Word by 2033 through illumiNations.Bible. This alliance has brought together 12 Bible organizations to collaborate and to accelerate the translation work. Over 3,900 languages still do not have the Bible in their heart language. Listen or watch this episode to hear how this can be accomplished in 13 years and how you can join this movement.

#2 – Making the Bible More Real through Virtual Reality

Nils Smith (of Sonterra Labs) talked about developments in virtual reality and how the Bible can be explored through it. There are several virtual reality (VR) experiences that take people through a tour of the lands of the Bible, including one that’s available now at Museum of the Bible in Washington DC. Listen or watch this episode to learn how virtual reality makes the world of the Bible come alive.

#3 – The Humanization of Technology

Digerati Pastor Terry Storch at Life.Church shared about the innovation of the YouVersion Bible App and how it’s helped millions of people engage with the Bible around the world. Terry exhorts the church about using the tools of the day to reach the people of today and being good stewards of technology. Regarding the future, Terry contemplates how technology is becoming more human-like. You’ll want to listen or watch this episode to hear how technology is becoming more a part of our everyday life and what that means for the future of the church.

#4 – See Biblical Insights Through Data Visualization

New technologies have enabled the analysis of big data to make complex information more easily understandable, as well as revealing insights about human behavior, business trends, and many other aspects of life in the 21st century. These technologies can be applied to the Bible text, too. 

Robert Rouse has brought interactive data visualization to the Bible through a number of personal projects, including the family trees in the Bible, visualize Paul’s missionary journeys in an interactive way, and much more. His goal is “to gather facts about biblical people, places, periods and passages and structure it ways that enable more people to build innovative applications and creative ways to communicate data stories.”

Listen or watch this episode with Robert Rouse of Viz.Bible to learn how the latest data technologies can help people engage the Bible in new and interactive ways.

#5 – Personalizing Your Spiritual Journey

While today’s digital technology makes it possible to distribute the same content to many people, technology can also powerfully engage users by customizing a personal experience based on preferences and behaviors.

Chris Davis (Director of Digital Services at Back to the Bible) shares about how the goTandem Bible app gives a personal assessment to its users and customizes a Bible experience. Additionally, Chris explains how Back to the Bible and goTandem is providing their free custom apps for over 1,000 churches.

Listen or watch this episode about goTandem to learn how the Bible can be experienced more personally through their app.

Shaping the Future of the Bible Together

You will want to stay in the loop about how digital technologies can be used in conjunction with the Bible, and perhaps, even participate in creating the future through app development. Subscribe and listen to the Future.Bible podcast, where you’ll hear profiles of individuals and Bible-inspired organizations making a difference in the digital world. Check out two seasons of episodes with stories of innovation, advancement, and real-life change, at Future.Bible.

DJ Chuang
DJ Chuanghttps://djchuang.com
DJ Chuang is an ambassador for .church domain names, a part of Identity Digital powering the most relevant domain names on the Internet. DJ also works as the Technical Registry Manager for the .BIBLE top-level domain (operated by American Bible Society). DJ is known as a thought leader who helps churches and nonprofits learn how to use the latest digital technologies.  

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