Bible bother

The Government has let it be known that the Prime Minister plans to send a copy of the King James Bible to every school in the country. The initiative is intended to mark the 400th anniversary of the publication of the KJV and to acknowledge its impact on our culture and society. Apparently Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education,  is writing a forward to the edition and has commented on the significance of the KJV:

Some people look at certain battles, or some look at certain parliamentary acts, as hinge moments in history, I actually think the translation of the Bible into the vernacular is a critical moment in the life of the nation.

It’s a thing of beauty, and it’s also an incredibly important historical artefact. It has helped shape and define the English language and is one of the keystones of our shared culture. And it is a work that has had international significance.

I would want to say that the Bible is much more than an important historical artefact but welcome the government’s attempt to acknowledge the significance of the KJV.

Needless to say, the usual headbangers have been swift to respond. The National Secular Society’s President Terry Sanderson comments:

“It‘s not as if Bibles are in short supply in schools, but if (Mr Gove) intends to go ahead with this, will he also please ensure that a copy of On the Origin of Species is sent out on Darwin Day. This book is much harder to find in schools and would be in line with his policy of promoting science and evidence-based education. I‘m sure that he could write an excellent foreword to this, too.

The British Humanist Association has joined in with its campaigns officer Richy Thompson stating:

Either the Government is funding this initiative itself at a time when it is making severe cuts elsewhere, or the Church is funding it but using the Government as a vehicle through which to promote Christianity - both are unacceptable.

I really don’t think the NSS and BHA interventions merit much comment and to be honest their complaints sound rather half hearted.

Much more interesting is the revelation that The Beaker Folk of Husborne Crawley have a bit of a scoop with an exclusive of the preface to the KJV written by Little Mickey Gove.

#Follow me

Came across this picture on Facebook.

Here’s a few of the questions it raised for me:

• How has social media impacted on our understanding of language in general and religious language in particular?
• What image of Jesus is being presented here?
• How do we communicate the Christian faith in a digital age?
• Why do I detest text speak so much IMHO?

h/t Arvind Munshi & the BigBIble project.

Don’t you know it? Bible Year 2011 (10)

I have a Bible on my Blackberry. In fact, I have lots of versions on my phone thanks to Youversion. However, I sometimes feel embarrassed getting my Blackberry out during a service as it looks like I’ve had enough of the liturgy and started to check my emails. I have a mate whose wife wants to get a sign which says ‘It’s O.K. he’s reading the Bible on his iPhone’ to avoid the scowls of disgruntled worshippers.

A couple of days ago I was chatting to a colleague and one of our area bishops and the conversation turned to Bibles on phones and iPads. My colleague explained that in the parish he had encountered a problem with reading the Bible on his phone when visiting parishioners. No sooner has he turned to an appropriate passage than the parishioner says something like ‘Oh, that’s very clever, what sort of phone is that? Can I have a look please?’ Accessing his Bible on his mobile became a distraction in such circumstances and so he has reverted to the printed word. The bishop joked that only the Word of God on the printed page was good enough, before going on to quip that more preferable still would be a scroll or perhaps a wax tablet.

As a wet behind the ears curate I learnt an important lesson while visiting an elderly housebound member of the congregation. I asked her what she would like me to read and she requested Psalm 121. I explained that I only had my New Testament with me. For some bizarre reason you are only given the New Testament when ordained deacon and get the whole enchilada when ordained priest. ‘Don’t you know it?’ my parishioner asked, before proceeding to recite Psalm 121 word for word. She then went on to various evening prayer collects by which time I was in a cold sweat. Needless to say, I never left the house without a Bible and a small copy of the Book of Common Prayer tucked in my jacket pocket after that experience.

I think back to my pastoral visits some 20+ years ago and reflect on how much easier it would have been if I’d had my Blackberry with Bible and daily prayer at the click of a couple of buttons. Then I remember that lovely faithful elderly lady I used to visit and I begin to shake as I think about what she would have said if I’d got my mobile out in the middle of our chat.

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

Never take it for granted. Bible Year 2011 (9)

A powerful reminder of what the Bible can mean for a community receiving it for the first time in their own language. In 2010 the Kimyal Tribe of West Papua, Indonesia celebrated the arrival of a plane carrying copies of the New Testament.



It is easy to forget what a precious gift it is to have the Bible in our language and so easy to take for granted. There are still many peoples who do not have the gift of the Bible in their own tongue. For more information check out Eddie and Sue Arthur’s blog including When will Bible translation be finished.

Beer and Bible Video

Here's a short video about Beer and Bible.

 

With thanks to Big Bible for promoting the initiative and Pete Phillips for recording the video with me at #Ashmedia.

Although Beer and Bible was developed by Chelmsford Diocese there is no reason why other churches and organisations can’t have a go, so feel free to get in contact for more information.

To be continued… Bible Year 2011 (8)

Excellent podcast by +Stephen Cottrell on the importance of the Bible. Here is the full text and it is always worth listening to him speak.

I have to confess to feeling slightly irritated by the Radio 4 insistence that the 400^th anniversary of the King James Bible is an important cultural event. You know, all that stuff about the incomparable prose of the Authorised Version, its indelible mark upon the English language. Well, all that is true. It is impossible to understand European literature and art without some familiarity with the Bible. It has indeed shaped our culture and our laws.

But the reason we are celebrating this anniversary is not primarily about the form of the Bible, however beautiful, but its content. The Bible is vital and central because it is God’s word, not faxed down from heaven, but inspired by the Spirit, the indispensable record of God’s dealings with his people, written by the people themselves, a record of God’s activity in history, God’s ways and God’s heart and supremely God’s revelation of his self in Jesus Christ who is God’s word made flesh and then the beginnings of the Christian church and the story of how we are formed as God’s people today.

The Bible, which is a great library, a collection of books within a book,  enables us to meet with God and to know God. That is what we are celebrating in this year of the Bible. That is the reason we are encouraging people to open their Bibles. And here it doesn’t really matter which translation you are using. What matters is letting the word of God into our lives and through us into our world. The word that was made flesh in Jesus Christ is made available to us through the written word of scripture and now God wants to write that same word in our hearts.

Sometimes I rather provocatively say to people, I would like to make a change to the Bible. It is this, a simple addition, right at the very end: ‘To be continued  until that great day when we see the Lord face to face.’ The great promise of scripture, the great Christian hope is that  God wants to write his word in our hearts, and we need to listen and brood upon that word so that we can learn to be his people. What was revolutionary about the King James Bible 400 years ago was that it put the scriptures into everyday language and into the ears and hearts and hands of ordinary people. That is also the challenge for us today.

Further details about  Bible Year 2011 in the Diocese of Chelmsford can be found here.

iPhone Confessions

A few weeks ago I blogged about an iPhone app called Penance. Now a new app has hit the market called Confession: A Roman Catholic App and this one comes with the blessing of the church, or so its creators claim.

Confession is described on the iTunes site as follows:

Designed to be used in the confessional, this app is the perfect aid for every penitent. With a personalized examination of conscience for each user, password protected profiles, and a step-by-step guide to the sacrament, this app invites Catholics to prayerfully prepare for and participate in the Rite of Penance. Individuals who have been away from the sacrament for some time will find Confession: A Roman Catholic App to be a useful and inviting tool.

The text of this app was developed in collaboration with Rev. Thomas G. Weinandy, OFM, Executive Director of the Secretariat for Doctrine and Pastoral Practices of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Rev. Dan Scheidt, pastor of Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Mishawaka, IN. The app received an imprimatur from Bishop Kevin C. Rhodes of the Diocese of Fort Wayne – South Bend. It is the first known imprimatur to be given for an iPhone/iPad app.

- Custom examination of Conscience based upon age, sex, and vocation (single, married, priest, or religious)
- Multiple user support with password protected accounts
- Ability to add sins not listed in standard examination of conscience
- Confession walkthrough including time of last confession in days, weeks, months, and years
- Choose from 7 different acts of contrition
- Custom interface for iPad
- Full retina display support

The Confession app could be seen as a serious attempt to take up Pope Benedict’s challenge for Christians to embrace all things digital. However, it could be just one more product jumping on the burgeoning market in products encouraging people to bare their souls for the purposes of entertainment. There are a variety of these products available from the iTunes app store including iConfess and Confession Booth.

I welcome anything that helps people in their Christian discipleship, my Bible apps are a must on my Blackberry, and there are plenty of useful resources out there. I do hope the Confession App doesn’t treat faith and spirituality as a game and I will watch the reviews with interest. I confess I’m not tempted to part with $1.99 to find out more and not just because I don’t have an iPhone.

For some really useful resources why not check out Big Bible and Biblefresh. One of my favourite and most used applications is You Version.

Update: One of the developers of Confession has been in touch to leave the following comment for which I am grateful:

I'm one of the developers of the app. Thanks for not assuming things about the app (as I've seen happen on my twitter feeds). The app is not a joke, but is meant to truly help individual reflect on their life. Nothing is ever shared or transmitted from the iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch. All user info is password protected and once a person walks their way through the confession all of the sins are erased. Let me know if you have other questions.

The Good Book Tour: Bible Year 2011 (6)

To engage with Biblefresh, and to begin exploring the biblical theme for their main event this year, Spring Harvest is joining forces with a few of Britain's cathedrals and some larger churches to commemorate 400 years of the King James Bible and celebrate the retelling of scripture for every generation.

They're joined by poet Gerard Kelly, and historian Derek Wilson for an eight-date tour, sharing insights and reflections on the text, set alongside Lacey Theatre Company's extracts from the award-winning ‘Word on the Street’ (formerly ‘the street bible’).

Ancient meets modern, text meets expression and people meet scripture in an ever-unfolding story. It will be an opportunity to explore how the Bible has shaped and influenced our culture, and to enjoy an evening of theatre, poetry and more.

Details about The Good Book Tour can be found here. Abby Guinness and Gerard Kelly chat about the tour in this short video.

Bible and Culture: Bible Year 2011 (5)

Honestly, this isn’t just an excuse to post a picture of Emilia Fox. Ms Fox was one of the actors who took part in the Readings from the King James Bible on Radio 4 yesterday. As part of the celebrations for the 400th anniversary of the KJV the BBC has been running a series of programmes on the Bible with a particular emphasis on its cultural significance. You can download the readings from the BBC website but you will need to get a move on as they are only available for seven days.

A few bloggers have raised concerns about the focus on the cultural significance of the KJV, arguing that this detracts from encountering the Bible as relevant and significant for people’s lives today and I posted about that in Mythbusting. Others are much more positive about the cultural dimension and are also well worth reading. Maggi Dawn has written a post on the BBC programmes and her book Writing on the Wall explores the impact of the Bible on our culture.

Jonathan Evens has written a short story The New Dark Ages which he is publishing in parts on his blog. I’m grateful to Jonathan for sending me an advanced copy and it is a fascinating and thought provoking reflection on the damage caused by forgetting our cultural heritage, not least the Bible. A character in the story, journalist Don Wolf, writes:

Culture, to be preserved, must be lived and breathed in order that it fertilises future creativity and learning. Too much of our current culture is already blind to the extent to which it utilises and is informed by past culture. We think and act as though we emerge from the womb as fully formed independent individuals with no debt to nurture, yet our every thought and word and action is inevitably and unconsciously predicated on some past learning.

This year, we celebrated a cultural artefact – the 1611 King James Version Bible – which is among those artefacts that will shortly be lost from sight should this dark blight on our culture continue its relentless progress. When this Bible is lost from sight, we will not only lose the artefact itself but all that it has contributed to our culture in terms of imagery, story, phraseology and much, much more.

From my own point of view the opportunity to listen to Emilia Fox’s voice must be a good thing and the fact I can do that during my personal devotions makes it even better.

Mythbusting: Bible Year 2011 (4)

Several of my recent posts have focused on the 400th anniversary of the King James version of the Bible and I make no apology for that. It seems to me that as this significant event is being acknowledged in the church, the media and wider society, it gives us a great opportunity to promote the value and importance of the Bible to our culture. Anything which encourages engagement with the Bible is to be embraced and treated as a gift not a problem.

However, I hope I have also sought to point out that what is most important is not a focus on one particular English translation of the Bible as a cultural artefact but reading the Bible in a translation appropriate for our own particular context today. I want people to discover that the Bible contains Good News for each of us, for our communities and wider society. This is certainly the focus of Bible Year 2011, which we are celebrating in Chelmsford Diocese, and of the many other initiatives across the country including Big Bible and Biblefresh.

There are several good blog posts drawing attention to some of the issues and problems raised by the King James translation and these are an important counter balance to some of the more effusive articles about the King James version.

Tim Goodbody raises a concern about the way in which the KJV has locked some people into an idealised "traditional" faith, holding back the church in mission.

Eddie Arthur has posted a couple of pieces on myths surrounding the KJV or Authroised Version of the Bible. Eddie and his wife Sue are Wycliffe Bible translators and he draws attention to fallacies about the KJB as an English translation and then widens out the debate from an international perspective.

What I find encouraging and exciting is that so much attention is being given to the Bible at this time and it would be a tragedy if we didn’t make the most of it.

Introducing the iBible

Out in time for Bible Year 2011, the must have iBible. ‘It saves only the verses that apply to you. It even self deletes the verses it knows you don’t like.’

As the advert says ‘It’s guaranteed to enrich your iWalk with God.’




Alternatively, you could just pick up the Bible in a modern translation and read it. Lots of help and advice on how to get the best out of reading the Bible from Biblefresh and Big Bible.