Reading the Bible on Twitter
Are you on Twitter? I sometimes forget that many people have never heard of Twitter, or if they have simply do not understand it! I am what I describe as a “lurker” on Twitter. I don’t announce to the world every meal I eat or place I go, but I occasionally share links and send direct messages. Others (mentioning no names!) seem to narrate most of their daily activities in 140 characters or less. However techno-savvy you are, have you ever considered reading the Bible on Twitter?
One Durham resident recently made headlines by beginning a chapter-by-chapter summary of the Bible. Beginning with Genesis 1, he is posting a precis of a chapter every day, planning to reach Revelation in about three years’ time. The plan seemed to catch the imagination of a large number of people, and national newspapers like the Guardian and Telegraph carried reports.
All of this got me thinking, How effective is Twitter for getting people reading the Bible?
If you are after a summary of the Bible, Chris Juby’s @biblesummary is the place to head. By going from the beginning to the end, he guarantees not to cherry-pick verses. The downside is that a single tweet is not always going to be adequate. You can get the impression of a genealogy fairly swiftly, but I challenge you to summarise Romans 8 in 140 characters. To his credit, Juby is not trying to replace the Bible: he told the Telegraph, “I hope in doing the summary, it will inspire people to read the Bible for themselves. My summaries are no substitute for the real thing.”
If you want a closer look at the Bible, many Twitter users are posting verses for reflection each day. @biblepromises specialises in tweeting verses which are specific promises from God. These are themed, so every few days there is comfort for the depressed or a word for the tempted. @daily_bible also posts single verses, often from well-known passages. @versesfrombible is similar, but is notable especially because today’s verse from Mark is wrongly attributed to Luke. Perhaps there is a danger that, because the New Testament and widom literature are more “quotable”, the Old Testament is largely ignored. More troublesome, too, I fear that many of these nuggets of scripture may be taken out of context.
Don’t think Twitter is all serious Bible business, though: there are some inventive Christian-based comic accounts. The popular @wwgt (What Would God Tweet) is pretty funny. A favourite tweet of mine from Easter time reads “RT @Jesus: OMG! OMG! Why have you unfriended me?” Frivolous? Perhaps, but not nearly as frivolous as the Fake Bible. @FakeBible is easily the most inventive Bible-based Twitter account: it runs verse-by-verse (currently in Exodus), only each passage has a funny – sometimes rude – take on it.
Practically speaking, I think one Twitter account has a lot of potential. @one_year_bible tweets through a Bible reading plan each day, including a link to an online version of a passage. For those who are forgetful, or who rely entirely on their iPhone for physical stimulus, this could be a great, unobtrusive way to encourage Bible reading. Out of interest, it uses the fantastic ESV API.
As more and more people do more and more on the Internet, these kinds of creative ways to read the Bible are only going to become more popular. Personally, for now, I think I will stick to a printed copy.
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Ali grew up in London, but is currently at university in the North East of England. He helped to re-launch Crossring in 2009, and has acted as Managing Editor of the website since then. He occasionally dabbles in photography and web development - he also designed and maintains the Crossring website.
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An interesting post, Ali! I didn’t realise there were so many Bible tweeters out there!
I’ve only really scratched the surface! Most of them are fun but pointless. I think the Mashable article on the subject sums it up really nicely: “File this under “people with good intentions, a whole lot of commitment and an Internet connection.”"