{"id":11645,"date":"2025-09-23T19:13:36","date_gmt":"2025-09-23T19:13:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/?p=11645"},"modified":"2026-01-14T17:55:58","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T17:55:58","slug":"the-bible-app-tells-me-so","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/23\/the-bible-app-tells-me-so\/","title":{"rendered":"The Bible App Tells Me So"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"11645\" class=\"elementor elementor-11645\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4b80cf73 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4b80cf73\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-48abd5a\" data-id=\"48abd5a\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-1dd00217 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"1dd00217\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-27846139\" data-id=\"27846139\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6f5f213e elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"6f5f213e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"614\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Uplugged-2-scaled.jpg?fit=768%2C614&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-image-11651\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Uplugged-2-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Uplugged-2-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C240&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Uplugged-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C819&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Uplugged-2-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C614&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Uplugged-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1229&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Uplugged-2-scaled.jpg?w=2400&amp;ssl=1 2400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-700ac51 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"700ac51\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Bible App Tells Me So<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2bff58fd elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2bff58fd\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-7654893f\" data-id=\"7654893f\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-4de2fe74 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4de2fe74\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-487f0e3c\" data-id=\"487f0e3c\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-40d72fdb elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"40d72fdb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>What if in fixating on the risk technology poses to our faith, we risk overlooking its potential to strengthen our faith?<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-705ded11 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"705ded11\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><em>By Allison MacLeod<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-52ecc7ba\" data-id=\"52ecc7ba\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-562548a9 elementor-drop-cap-yes elementor-drop-cap-view-default elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"562548a9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;drop_cap&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"output\" class=\"page-generator__output js-generator-output\"><p>The YouVersion Bible App has been installed on over 975 million devices across the globe. It is consistently a top-ranked reference app on the Apple App Store, often second only to Google Translate (though interestingly, at the time of this writing, it has been pushed to third by an app called Bible Chat that offers an AI chatbot for answering spiritual questions). By packaging the Bible into a format for digital consumption, the Bible App mediates spiritual discipline, particularly scripture reading and prayer. Scripture is the content, and the app is the medium. The Bible App is hardly the only way in which our experience with God is mediated \u2014 think of Biblical studies and commentaries, devotional guides, and even the people we talk to about God \u2014 but the rise of digital media has unique consequences that affect many of our now-digitized daily activities and are especially worth considering when we are mediating something as significant as our spirituality.<\/p><p>In their book <em>Remediation: Understanding New Media<\/em>, professors Jay David Bolter and Richard Grusin argue that digital applications convey content not only through mediation, but through \u201cremediation,\u201d that is, the \u201crepresentation of one medium in another.\u201d While remediation is not unique to the digital (the Bible App remediates the printed text of the Bible, but so does a Rembrandt painting of a Bible story), it is, they argue, a defining characteristic and tension of the digital. Bolter and Grusin identify in remediation a double logic: \u201cOur culture wants both to multiply its media and to erase all traces of mediation,\u201d they write. \u201cIdeally, it wants to erase its media in the very act of multiplying them.\u201d To understand what this double logic means, think of a virtual reality game that lets you explore your dream destinations. To have the immersive experience of feeling like you\u2019re \u201creally right there\u201d at the Louvre in Paris or an iceberg in Antarctica, you don a clunky headset and look through a set of lenses to view 3D computer-generated graphics on a display screen inches in front of your face. The goal is a sense of immediacy, that \u201creally right there\u201d feeling, but the sensation is only possible through hypermediacy: the existence and awareness of many instances of remediation. It seems contradictory, but so much of our digital consumption is shaped by this contradiction, which is amplified further as technology evolves to create more opportunities for both immediacy and hypermediacy.<\/p><p>YouVersion, the digital ministry arm of Oklahoma-based Life.Church, states that their mission is \u201cto encourage and challenge people to seek intimacy with God every day.\u201d Intimacy. Connection. Relationship. To feel like you\u2019re \u201creally right there\u201d with God. To move users toward intimacy with God, YouVersion designs and provides remediated experiences that encourage spiritual discipline, such as a Verse of the Day, a guided prayer and devotional experience, and a variety of study tools. Yes, the Bible App provides immediate access to scripture in the palm of my hand, but not without a multiplicity of features to remediate and direct engagement with scripture and spiritual discipline.<\/p><p>These features imitate many of the same aesthetics and mechanics that social media apps like Instagram use to remediate connection. It is not just a Verse of the Day; it is a \u201cstreak\u201d game mechanic counting how many days in a row you have used the Bible App. It is not just a guided prayer and devotional experience; it is a collection of content, often including a video recording from a Christian social media personality, that I can tap through much like I would tap through a series of Instagram Stories. It not just a suite of study tools like highlighting and note taking; it is a tool to share Bible verses via major messaging and social media apps.<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e3536e0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"e3536e0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Unplugged-3.jpg?w=768&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-image-11661\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4d32e0c6 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4d32e0c6\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-7feed428\" data-id=\"7feed428\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-3caec0fa elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"3caec0fa\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-6e84a46c\" data-id=\"6e84a46c\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c661157 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"c661157\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"226\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/FF-Quotation-1.png?fit=300%2C226&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-image-520\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/FF-Quotation-1.png?w=309&amp;ssl=1 309w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/FF-Quotation-1.png?resize=300%2C226&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6c69cfb elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6c69cfb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Suddenly the Word of God is constrained by what I am able to read, tap, and swipe on a six-inch screen, and it is fighting for attention against the other apps on my phone.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-6dc89588\" data-id=\"6dc89588\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7a1586 elementor-drop-cap-yes elementor-drop-cap-view-default elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7a1586\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;drop_cap&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"output\" class=\"page-generator__output js-generator-output\"><p>The Bible App experience is further remediated by the design of the smartphone itself. To be packaged as an app, to exist as a little square on my phone screen amidst all the other little squares, is to be reduced to a standard form. Suddenly the Word of God is constrained by what I am able to read, tap, and swipe on a six-inch screen, and it is fighting for attention against the other apps on my phone. When I get a push notification from the Bible App reminding me to spend time in scripture, it gets slotted into a list of other ignored notifications in the Notification Center: an Uber Eats promotion for 15% off my next order, a Duolingo nudge to practice my French again today, and a slew of unanswered messages across a variety of platforms.<\/p><p>The particularities of digital media present new challenges compared to legacy media: the volume of instances of remediation, the proliferation of social media\u2019s persuasive design practices, and a cultural environment where attention is currency. A digital product like the Bible App is more than access to information\u2014it is a cultivated experience that employs the design patterns popularized by other major apps. The nudges and notifications that we have grown accustomed to in digital experiences may provide some sense of immediacy, but they seem opposed to attentive and meaningful engagement with God. When a spiritual experience is designed to mirror the social media experience, it risks encouraging users to translate their worst social media habits into their faith lives, distractedly clicking and scrolling just to watch the daily streak counter tick up.<\/p><p>But what if in fixating on the risk technology poses to our faith, we risk overlooking its potential to strengthen our faith?<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f662e1a elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"f662e1a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"614\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Unplugged-4-scaled.jpg?fit=768%2C614&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-image-11668\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Unplugged-4-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Unplugged-4-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C240&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Unplugged-4-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C819&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Unplugged-4-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C614&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Unplugged-4-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1229&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Unplugged-4-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1638&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Unplugged-4-scaled.jpg?w=2400&amp;ssl=1 2400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-e7d6372 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"e7d6372\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-35acbe0b\" data-id=\"35acbe0b\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-4799b4c4 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4799b4c4\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-60edeb66\" data-id=\"60edeb66\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4e894a84 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"4e894a84\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"226\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/FF-Quotation-1.png?fit=300%2C226&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-image-520\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/FF-Quotation-1.png?w=309&amp;ssl=1 309w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/FF-Quotation-1.png?resize=300%2C226&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1be391d9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1be391d9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>We are all being spiritually formed by the environment around us, whether or not we are intentional about it.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-23d6c6e9\" data-id=\"23d6c6e9\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1d7b825d elementor-drop-cap-yes elementor-drop-cap-view-default elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1d7b825d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;drop_cap&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"output\" class=\"page-generator__output js-generator-output\"><p>At 7:04 this morning, I got a notification from the YouVersion Bible App announcing that today\u2019s Verse of the Day is 2 Peter 1:3. I turned on notifications for the Verse of the Day for the first time about a year ago. Why 7:04 a.m.? I wanted to be notified shortly before I leave my apartment to take the train to work. I was also convinced that 7:04 felt more organic than 7:00 sharp or 7:05, which was exactly the kind of irrational narrative I needed to assuage my fear that turning on Bible App notifications would dilute my spiritual life into robotic repetition.<\/p><p>Second Peter 1:3 reads, \u201cHis divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.\u201d My daily Bible App streak ticks up to 114 days (my previous best, according to the app, was 191). Today\u2019s devotional video features Sadie Robertson Huff, Christian speaker and influencer originally of Duck Dynasty fame.<\/p><p>For the next 45 minutes, it is just me and God\u2014and my phone and the other commuters in this train car as supporting players. This is what my time spent with God and his Word looks like, not like the ideal I had in my head: an image of cozy solitude at sunrise with a leather-bound Bible in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other (I do not even drink coffee). Nor does it look like it used to when I was in college, running from one Bible study to the next thanks to the convenience of living within walking distance of all my friends. I have grown into new routines, phone in hand.<\/p><p>For me, embracing technology\u2019s role in practicing spiritual discipline was an act of surrender. It was an admission that I needed God\u2019s help to follow him and that my own strength and willpower were insufficient to establish routines of spiritual discipline. Rather than fear the power that my phone and its applications had to spiritually shape me, I chose to explore how that power could be leveraged to live a life more aligned with God\u2019s purpose for me. We are all being spiritually formed by the environment around us, whether or not we are intentional about it. Knowing that my phone is inevitably one of the things that forms me, since it is always on my person, I have decided that I want to use it well\u2014as a tool that shapes me into someone more and more like Jesus.<\/p><p>As it turns out, the same features of the medium that I feared would dilute my spiritual experience have in practice strengthened it. The Verse of the Day notifications and gamified reading streak have increased the consistency with which I turn my attention to God. The guided prayer and devotional experience that felt eerily similar to Instagram Stories has prompted me to consider daily practical application of the scripture I am reading. The ability to highlight, bookmark, and share verses has enabled me to more easily find and send scripture to friends when they need encouragement. I changed my phone\u2019s lock screen to a verse that I want to memorize and keep top of mind. I turned on a second set of Bible App notifications for my daily Old Testament reading plan. I made a new worship music playlist to listen to when I am getting ready for work in the morning. These are small steps to make God a more immediate priority in my daily life, but he has used them to draw me closer to him. I cannot count the number of times a Verse of the Day or a worship song on shuffle has been exactly the message I needed to hear.<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cfa0f0f elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"cfa0f0f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"614\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Uplugged-5-scaled.jpg?fit=768%2C614&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-image-11675\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Uplugged-5-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Uplugged-5-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C240&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Uplugged-5-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C819&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Uplugged-5-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C614&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Uplugged-5-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1229&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Uplugged-5-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1638&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Uplugged-5-scaled.jpg?w=2400&amp;ssl=1 2400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-52da648a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"52da648a\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2a44ed08\" data-id=\"2a44ed08\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-2b9a25b7 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2b9a25b7\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-27d3dfcf\" data-id=\"27d3dfcf\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2c8a3dd2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"2c8a3dd2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"226\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/FF-Quotation-1.png?fit=300%2C226&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-image-520\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/FF-Quotation-1.png?w=309&amp;ssl=1 309w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/FF-Quotation-1.png?resize=300%2C226&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4c756b5d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4c756b5d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>I choose to keep engaging technology in my spiritual discipline routines because I see the ways that God is using it for my good even amid its other distractions and distortions.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-56319600\" data-id=\"56319600\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3aff10fa elementor-drop-cap-yes elementor-drop-cap-view-default elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3aff10fa\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;drop_cap&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"output\" class=\"page-generator__output js-generator-output\"><p>In his book <em>The Life We&#8217;re Looking For: Reclaiming Relationship in a Technological World<\/em>, author Andy Crouch defines technology that encourages human flourishing as one that focuses on \u201cinvolving us more and more deeply as persons rather than diminishing and sidelining us.\u201d He labels these more human-centered technologies as \u201cinstruments\u201d that equip us, in opposition to \u201cdevices\u201d that replace us. In building his instrument vs. device paradigm, Crouch measures four effects of technology: expanded capabilities, reduced burdens, restricted capabilities, and enforced burdens. Consider audiobooks as an example: they may expand a user\u2019s ability to consume books while on the go and reduce the burden of making time for reading, but over time they may also diminish a user\u2019s ability to concentrate on written text and may enforce the burden of paying a monthly audio streaming subscription. Crouch suggests that an instrument focuses on the first measure of providing extended capabilities, with minimal restricted capabilities or enforced burdens. He proposes the telescope as an ideal example: it expands our ability to understand the universe without diminishing our ability to simply look out and admire the stars on a clear night. In fact, a telescope might even increase the awe of that experience by increasing our understanding of the complexity at which we are gazing. In my experience, the Bible App functions similarly, expanding my ability to engage with scripture without limiting my other interactions with God.<\/p><p>Whether the technology we use expands or restricts our capability to build a rich life is influenced by how that technology is designed. The design is often entangled in the goals of many stakeholders, from the end user of the technology to the company that stands to profit from it and consequently, the result is not always a technology that is optimized for our good. But Crouch urges us to \u201chold out for what [was] promised and not let go until we have it.\u201d In choosing how we interact with technology, we can co-create a vision for a future in which technology is optimized for our good.<\/p><p>I choose to keep engaging technology in my spiritual discipline routines because I see the ways that God is using it for my good even amid its other distractions and distortions. At times, I do catch myself falling into the patterns of surface-level engagement that I feared the Bible App would cause. There are days when I open the app, read the Verse of the Day, and close the app as quickly as possible just to check it off my to-do list. I am not resistant to the effects of the medium. But rather than view my faith as too sacred and important to integrate with my digital life, I view my faith as too sacred and important not to integrate with my digital life.<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-a30ffdb elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"a30ffdb\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-4d49324a\" data-id=\"4d49324a\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-62e7a86 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"62e7a86\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><em>Illustrations by Sarah Clark<br \/>from photos by Andrik Langfield on Unsplash, Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash, Priscilla du Preez on Unsplash, Jessica Mangano on Unsplash, &amp; Georgia de Lotz on Unsplash<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-50b54861\" data-id=\"50b54861\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3d868633 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3d868633\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Allison MacLeod<\/strong>\u00a0is a Boston-based business strategist who finds people and technology equally fascinating. She graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in Anthropology and Human-Centered Design.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What if in fixating on the risk technology poses to our faith, we risk overlooking its potential to strengthen our faith? By Allison 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