Our pastor is admittedly old school. (He isn’t official but we love him anyway.) He carries his Bible with him always. I’ve always admired that about him. It is well-worn (falling apart to be honest). He lovingly covers it in paper as we used to have to cover our school texts in grade school. Would that our Bibles were as in danger of wear and tear as our school primers!
The only Bible I carry with me is on my smart phone. The internet has made Bible-toting so unnecessary that I’ll never feel guilty. I read a lot more of Scripture since it is accessible with the size of type adjustable and with any number of translations available at the click of the mouse. Just Google a key word and the passage you are trying to remember pops up. How spoiled can we Christians get?
To think of the time I wasted memorizing the books of the Bible! At least I got a prize for my effort. While it still provides an understanding of the structure of the Bible, it is no longer necessary for easy reference. It’s almost like the Dewey Decimal System. Remember that?
How I remember the arguments among my elders when I was a child! Which was the real Bible, the true Word of God? King James or Revised Standard? My old Sunday School teachers would suffer apoplexy at the number of versions available today!
And so, I was reading some suggested passages this morning, when I noticed the requisite banner ads. Bibles were for sale.
How would monetizing Scripture fly with the people who shaped my faith? But then that’s nothing new. Each of those translations is copyrighted and you can be sure that new translations will pop up when the copyrights expire. Yes, someone on earth will always claim ownership of those wonderful words of love!
One ad caught my eye.
The Message Remix Solo New Testament
Brown Imitation Leather
Slightly Imperfect
Six dollars were knocked off the list price.
Does “imitation leather” cheapen the Word?
Slightly Imperfect. Are they referring to the cover—or the translation—or the Bible itself? Is that sacrilege?
Back to the adage(s). You can’t tell a book by its cover. The proof of the pudding is in the reading—and the living.