this is a silly post for many but not for me. I have spent the last 7 years of my Christian life on the hunt for the perfect Bible. I am not talking about translation; i use the ESV as my primary preaching and reading Bible and love it. What i am talking about is the physical Bible. I love leather and i love the craft that goes into fine Bibles. I have owned virtually every high quality Bible to date and i have loved them all, even as i give them away marked up and battered. In my quest for a better layout, bigger or smaller margins, nicer leather or even just a different color i have learned a ton about yaps, smyth sewn bindings and the difference between the cambridge wide margin and the RL Allen Readers edition. I have learned i prefer the single column reference edition for preaching but not for carrying around. In short i have spent a ton of effort exploring the best Bibles on the quest for the perfect Bible.
Everything changed however when i started using the Ipad. All of the sudden i found myself really questioning the virtue of my physical Bible. The apps are amazing and the ability to customize my Bible reading experience is unmatched. So i tried using it as my daily reader for two weeks – i even wrapped my ipad in quality leather case to give it the book feel and used my physical Bible for preaching and teaching on Sunday. I loved it. It was easy and convenient…but something bothered me. i felt i was missing something. after a few days of pondering and actually praying to God about this weird fascination i relized what my problem was.
the Bible is more than just the words. It is a symbol. I realized that i felt naked without the trusty symbol of the Word of God. When people see it they think about the authority of God. When i see it i do the same. I feel settled and secure that i want to carry this symbol with me everywhere i go. what do you think?
i think i am glad u made a decision. im expecting another debate in about 6 months.
If we as Christians don’t carry the Bible, who will?