Technology is changing the very nature of how we live our lives. At the core of that is how we take in and consume information. Many people, including myself, attest that attention spans have gotten lower, and reading as a mode of information consumption, or even enjoyment, seems less effective than it was in the past. For Christians, this begs questions about the Bible, which we champion as the greatest and most important written work of all time. A Pew Research survey from 2014 indicated that less than half of Christians read their Bible on a regular, weekly or more, basis, and that this number is decreasing. Could technology explain some of this shift? If so, how can technology be used to fight this problem instead of perpetuate it? In what ways can, or should, we adapt the delivery methods of Scripture to enhance comprehension and readability? If reading is harder than it used to be, and other mediums consistently win in the “attention economy,” could adjustment be a net positive?
The Minecraft Bible Project is an attempt to answer, or at least start to answer, those questions. Many audio Bibles and other mediums exist. However, this project is an attempt to dive right into the attention economy to see if it sticks. Many kids (and some adults too) spend hours every week immersed in video games and other digital, recreational activities. So, this project takes the most popular video game in history and uses it’s unique creative attributes as a background to display the Bible in a format that is different than anything that’s been done before. Social media, furthermore, is consumed by millions every day. This project is the cross-section of two cultural phenomena and the Bible.
At its current state, the book of Genesis is complete and adapted into this new format. It utilizes the royalty-free World English Bible translation. Is this an effective alternative to other methods of reading? Time will tell, but the changing technological landscape and a continued mission of ‘making disciples for the transformation of the world’ merits trying.
I hope you enjoy this unique Bible-reading experience, and thank you for your interest!
The Bible translation used is the royalty-free World English Bible, US.
All music used was licensed from uppbeat.io via subscription.