Do You Prefer a Hard-Copy of the Bible or One in Digital Format?

[BrotherTony]

Do you prefer a hard-copy of the Bible or on in digital format? Why do you suppor the choice you've made? 

The article below gives a bit of information on the subject.

https://www.independentbaptist.com/is-a-digital-bible-still-the-word-of-god1/

[Pastor Matt]

To me there is nothing like carrying a Bible in my hands. For a few reasons.

1. It is easier for me to read paper than digital screen. I have a very short attention span. 
2. Where was I? oh yeah...
3. Don't need to charge it.
4. It is a great conversation starter when carrying a Bible in public.
5. I have noticed in our church that people that use their phones as Bibles, don't pay attention as much. May have to do with notifications and so forth.

I am not against the use of digital Bibles or technology, I  just find their is nothing like having God's Word in your hands.

[BrotherTony]

14 minutes ago, PastorMatt said:

To me there is nothing like carrying a Bible in my hands. For a few reasons.

1. It is easier for me to read paper than digital screen. I have a very short attention span. 
2. Where was I? oh yeah...
3. Don't need to charge it.
4. It is a great conversation starter when carrying a Bible in public.
5. I have noticed in our church that people that use their phones as Bibles, don't pay attention as much. May have to do with notifications and so forth.

I am not against the use of digital Bibles or technology, I  just find their is nothing like having God's Word in your hands.

I know that personally, I would rather use a real (physical) Bible. I, like you, would rather have a Bible in my hands when I attend services, teach Sunday School, preach, and witness to people. Digital Bible's are okay, but, as you stated, people seem to get distracted by the digital media. I noticed this distinctly in our men's Bible studies through the Cowpuncher's Cowboy Church. We had several men who liked to use the Kindle version of the Word of God, and they always seemed to depend on it more than the hard copy they were carrying. Of course, Kindle had it's good points...there were opportunities to look up items in their concordances and in their commentaries that were available. I'm with you, though, @PastorMatt, my attention span is short enough without having to look at a screen.

[SureWord]

Hard copy.

I feel like it really let's people know who you are. A "crazy, bible thumping, right-wing Christian fanatic". Carrying around your bible on a Kindle or tablet just isn't the same, IMO. Not that I'm against it or that I'm picking on anyone who prefers that way but to me it feels like I'm hiding who I am.

[Bouncing Bill]

For study, I like a digital bible. I can search for words and ideas much faster. 

I have nothing against people carrying Bibles if the want. My advice is let people comment on it. Don't beat them over the head with it. I have know women who carried a Bible saying men tended to leave them alone with they, the men, saw the Bible.

Other books can be great conversation starters as well. I had a copy of Detrick Bonhoeffer's book, 'The Cost of Discipleship' on my desk at work. Several people noted it and we had great conversations. It lead to one of the best friendships I have ever had. 

[BrotherTony]

8 minutes ago, Bouncing Bill said:

For study, I like a digital bible. I can search for words and ideas much faster. 

I have nothing against people carrying Bibles if the want. My advice is let people comment on it. Don't beat them over the head with it. I have know women who carried a Bible saying men tended to leave them alone with they, the men, saw the Bible.

Other books can be great conversation starters as well. I had a copy of Detrick Bonhoeffer's book, 'The Cost of Discipleship' on my desk at work. Several people noted it and we had great conversations. It lead to one of the best friendships I have ever had. 

I believe people ARE commenting on it. So far I haven't seen anyone "beating anyone over the head" with it. Have you?  I agree, other books can do the same thing...but, this isn't about "other books." It's about the Bible.

[Pastor Matt]

This communist manifesto is a conversation starter as well, but I prefer to let the "Truth" be my conversation starter. It doesn't get any better than the Bible.

[BrotherTony]

2 minutes ago, PastorMatt said:

This communist manifesto is a conversation starter as well, but I prefer to let the "Truth" be my conversation starter. It doesn't get any better than the Bible.

I carry my Bible into restaraunts, bookstores and pretty much wherever I go. I get a lot of questions about what it is, and it opens the door for me to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ in most cases. I wouldn't get that kind of a response if I had the Bible on Kindle and was walking through a store or sitting in a restaurant. People would just think I'm reading an ebook, surfing the net, or texting someone. It's better to have a hard copy with me, IMHO.

[SureWord]

1 minute ago, BrotherTony said:

I carry my Bible into restaraunts, bookstores and pretty much wherever I go. I get a lot of questions about what it is, and it opens the door for me to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ in most cases. I wouldn't get that kind of a response if I had the Bible on Kindle and was walking through a store or sitting in a restaurant. People would just think I'm reading an ebook, surfing the net, or texting someone. It's better to have a hard copy with me, IMHO.

I'm a little careful with my leather bible in where I carry it pretty much only to church but my cheap hard copy can go everywhere with me.

I agree with Bill that a tablet or electronic bible is good for looking up a verse quickly. I do that with my phone when I can't remember where a verse is in the bible but remember a word or phrase in it to look it up by.

As far as reading the bible electronically I can't do it. I have an Amazon Paperwhite and really, I have trouble reading any book electronically.

[BrotherTony]

2 minutes ago, SureWord said:

I'm a little careful with my leather bible in where I carry it pretty much only to church but my cheap hard copy can go everywhere with me.

I agree with Bill that a tablet or electronic bible is good for looking up a verse quickly. I do that with my phone when I can't remember where a verse is in the bible but remember a word or phrase in it to look it up by.

As far as reading the bible electronically I can't do it. I have an Amazon Paperwhite and really, I have trouble reading any book electronically.

If I need to look something up, even though I have a hard copy of the Bible, I sometimes will use my phone for the search. I do that for passage searches, as well as for word searches, etc. I myself have a problem reading a lot on the screen of a smart phone. I don't have as much trouble on the laptop screen. 

[John Young]

For research and online conversations I like digital but for all others I use a physical bible.