More to see, the growth of digitized Scripture

Neal Grillot/Dudley Baptist Church

Dudley Baptist Church pastor Billy Daws preaches from his iPad each Sunday. A personal love for technology has led Daws to incorporate it in several aspects of the church’s ministry.

DULUTH — Georgia Senator Bill Heath, R-31, can’t avoid hesitating when he thinks about opening his Bible … at church.

Scripture is always near Heath, a member of First Baptist Bremen. There’s a Bible on his desk at his Atlanta office; another stays in his car. A step into technology, though, brought Heath into company with millions of others that keep a downloaded version of Scripture on their phone or tablet device.

And with that came a concern of any image-conscious public figure. Despite wishes that it weren’t so, perception is a part of the churchgoing experience. Suits and ties are standard for one congregation while flip-flops do well in another. At one setting child sits beside parent the entire service even as others across town have specific age-related ministries during the worship time. The options can go on: contemporary or traditional; hymnbooks or overhead screen; KJV or HCSB or ESV or NIV or NASB …

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