It's Your Bible Calling...

Released yesterday was the newest "version" of the Bible. Called the SMSBible, the Bible can now be sent as text messages. Read an article about the SMSBible here. Or check out their website here.

I would say that few love gadgets and technology more than I; however, I fear that this new technology, while designed to draw youth to the Bible, will become nothing more than a fad.
Remember these?
I think that all this technology does in the end is promote poor grammar. The last thing we need is illiterate youth, especially with the Bible.

John 3:16 (ESV) goes from this:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

To this:

"God luvd da ppl of dis wrld so much dat he gave his only Son, so dat evry1 who has faith in him will have eternal life & neva really die." Jhn 3:16 CEV

While I do not know anything about the CEV translation of the Bible, turning that translation into the language of text-messagers just seems problematic. Maybe it is only me, but I could not take the SMSBible version of John 3:16 seriously. It just didn't show me the splendor that is God's grace and love for us by giving His Son. I can't imagine having to reflect and meditate on "dis's and dat's." Are we so busy that we can only read from our cell phones? Is our society shifting away from what has worked for 1000s of years, sitting down and pouring over good ol' books? I think carrying my Bible is just as easy as carrying my cell phone.