Analogue Reading - 8 Reasons Why Using A Paper Bible Is Way Better Than Digital Bibles

I love technology. It’s a big part of my role at work and my every day productivity.

I think some of the greatest innovations come from apps like the Youversion Bible app, Logos Bible study tools, STEP Bible, Bible Memory app and lots more! I use these all on a regular basis!

But by in the journey of really wanting to know the word of God, I decided to reconsider my paper Bible and some of its advantages.

After spending time exclusively using my own paper Bible for a number of weeks instead of the usual apps, I figured out why using a paper Bible more often seemed like a great option. Here are some of the advantages of using a paper Bible:

1. Unlimited Power!

This is a simple one, but paper Bibles don't require any battery power. Now it’s unlikely that you'll be tearing through your device's battery by just using Bible app.

But at the end of a long day, its likely you'll be needing to charge your device to use it further. Not having to worry about a power source is one little thing that makes using a paper Bible just that little bit easier.

2. Less Distractions

I don't have the greatest attention span. I need to be very intentional about staying focussed. So its a great thing that my paper Bible doesn't have Instagram or Whatsapp built in to it.

If you're finding that trying to read larger chapters and chunks of the Bible on your device is difficult because of the notifications, you could firstly try turning on the DO NOT DISTURB or AIRPLANE MODE when reading.

If that doesn't work, then a paper Bible with your smart phone out of reach is a good idea.

3. Better for Learning Your Bible Roadmap

I'm not just to referring to memorising Bible verses, but memorising references and the layout of the Bible.

Skipping throughout the verses on a Bible app makes them fleeting and hard to memorise. When you're forced to read something within the confines of a book and chapters, you start to build a framework.

There is evidence that reading a book helps you retain the information as well! But please don't ask me for a source on this, I can't remember where I read it which means I probably didn't learn it by reading it in a book.

This is all an important part of building your Bible roadmap - being familiar with the layout of the Bible makes understanding it as a whole significantly easier.

4. Its a Lot Easier To See Your Notes

You should be taking notes of what you're reading - these can be insights, questions, answers, revelations, highlights or points of interest.

Yes you can do this on a digital app, but usually its just left as a highlight or underline that you then need to click on to reveal the notes.

But when it’s written in to your Bible, it is a lot easier to notice.

This contributes to something I like to call ORGANIC REVELATION - you can see the journey of a revelation and a thought line as you add more notes to your Bible.

You also don't need to worry about your notes syncing or waiting for them to load.

5. Peripheral View

When you use a device like an iPad or smartphone, your point of view is limited to a very specific section of the Bible. Its just a snapshot of everything else. But your paper Bible has a lot more periphial information.

For example, here is a screenshot of the start of Genesis 3:

Here is a picture of my Bible, with the exact same section in the red square:

There is a huge amount of information surrounding those same verses that I just can't easily see when using a digital Bible.

I can very easily refer back to the Genesis 2 story to see the mandate given to mankind from God, as well as Adam and Eve's undoing of that in Genesis 3. I can also look forward in Genesis 4 and see the continued consequences of the fall of man.

This is really useful when you're wanting to understand the narrative structure of a Bible.

6. References

This won't be present in all Bibles, but a big part of Reference Bibles and Study Bibles.

I love having a dedicated reference column where certain verses are connected both literally and thematically throughout the whole Bible.

It isn't possible for all references to be listed, but its really interesting to see a specific verse listed in the reference column with many of other places its used elsewhere by the Biblical authors.

For example, Genesis 8:21 has 21 other references listed in my Reference column:

This is a huge indicator of a theme that is used throughout the Bible, and something I should take note of in my own studies.

Although there are apps that help with this, they're not always as obvious and easy to get to as this.

7. Quicker to Flick Through

I haven't done any official competitions or timing on this, but it is usually a lot quicker for me to flick to a specific chapter and verse with a paper Bible than it is with a digital Bible.

You may be thinking that this is an absurd statement and of course a digital Bible loads up any part much quicker than slowing working through page to find a specific verse.

But I'd argue that once you get to know your paper Bible and where each book is, it can be a lot quicker to access a specific chapter and verse than an in app.

Digital Bible have factors like loading of the app, lag (if you have an older device), scrolling through selection options and unhelpful user interfaces. Usually when you select a book and chapter in a Bible app, it just takes you to verse 1 and you then need to scroll down to the right place!

This may seem like a little thing, but if you've ever listened to a preacher who quickly jumps to difference verses it can be hard to keep up.

It is also another small thing that reduces the mental friction of using a paper Bible.

8. Make It Yours

When I turned 30 I bought myself a new Bible. Coincidentally I'd also received a new Bible at various milestones of my life (getting baptised as a kid, teenage years, turning 18).

I spent probably too much time researching various Bibles to make sure I had all the characteristics I wanted. This included going to my local Christian book store with a ruler to measure out difference Bible to make sure it wasn't too big and would fit in one hand and in my bag. I wanted to add all sorts of highlights and notes that would reflect the following decade of reading and studying the Bible.

I wanted to make it my own.

I've heard stories of people being a new Bible at the start of the year and filling it with new notes as they read it each day - I love this!

This isn't something you can do with a digital Bible. When its all online, is it really yours? When you're offline, or of the servers of an app go down and you can't access it, what do you do!

Disadvantages

There are definitely a few disadvantages to using a paper Bible. But they are all slight inconveniences - and is that really a bad thing?

It’s not really simple to carry it everywhere.

Notes don't sync up to all other Bibles.

And when the lights are dark it can be hard to read.

But in comparison to the advantages listed, I think thats worth it.

So should you ditch the digital Bible altogether?

No.

I use a combination of both. My daily reading and devotions will usually involve my paper Bible. Any questions that come up or things I want to study further will then find its way on to some sort of digital note that'll become a study guide.

But give it a go, try using a paper Bible for one week. If you don't have one, then go buy a pew Bible (these are cheap, small, and usually in stock in lots of places). List down the differences you notice.

The fact that a Bible is so easily accessible is a miracle. Don't waste this opportunity.

Use it to get to know your Bible and build your own Bible roadmap.