The iPhone, Bible Study, and My Heart

I bought an iPhone about a month ago. I've been a Mac user for 7 years, but had resisted the move to the iPhone. I was never really able to justify the expense. However, when the company I work for, Logos Bible Software, announced internally that we were building a free Bible iPhone app to launch in conjunction with the release of Logos 4, the draw to the iPhone became ever increasing.

The deal for me was finally sealed last October, when I first saw a beta version of our Bible study app. In the palm of my hand I was able not only to read the Bible, but also to study the original languages, read commentaries, view Passage Guides, and access much of the digital theological library I've built in Logos. I couldn't wait to get an iPhone so that I could bring this powerful Bible study tool with me wherever I went.

Over the past couple days on my bus ride to work, I've been thinking about the implications of having such an amazing tool at my disposal. More specifically, I've been examining my own heart and how I choose to interact with the technological resources that are, literally, at my finger tips. I've begun to wonder if these tools have increased a laziness within me. Has the Bible simply become "another app" in my life? Has the familiarity of instant access to information bread contempt in my heart? Has technology led me to take that which is sacred and treat it as common. Do I engage Tweetdeck more than I engage God's Word?

I don't think the issue is with the technology. On my bus ride into work every day, I make the choice to use my time either reading God's Word or reading Facebook. Technology has provided a way to deliver both of these to me while I travel across town, but it is my decision what to do with the technology. Sometimes I chose wisely and enter into communion with God through His Word. Sometimes I squander the opportunity by reading about the latest addition to someone's virtual farm on Facebook or seeing how many airplanes I can navigate onto a digital runway.

The advancement of technology and the Church's use of it are simply staggering. I rejoice at the manifold ways that Christians around the world are seeking to use technology to take God's Word to the ends of the earth. I think the thing I am trying to keep in my mind is that simply having the Bible on my iPhone doesn't mean any more than it does that I have it on my shelf. The question is, "what am I going to do with it?" Technology offers us amazing opportunities. What we do with those opportunities is the crux of the matter.

So, what about you? How has technology and the ever present access to information impacted your spiritual journey? Does having the Bible on your shelf, your laptop, the web, your iPhone, have a positive impact on your walk with God? I work at a Bible software company, so I hope it does. But I'd be interested to hear your thoughts. The comments are now open. Have your say: