By Joe George
Wealth of Geeks
Makers of the popular Logos Bible Study app want to get back to basics. On July 7, Logos’s parent company Faithlife announced plans to do away with its church management services. These included Faithlife Giving, a tool for collecting tithes and donations from congregants, and Faithlife Ministry Tracker, used to schedule volunteers for church functions.
In their place, Faithlife will turn attention to its core set of Bible study tools, as found in the Logos Bible Study app and the Logos software suite. In a statement released to Religion News Service, Head of Product Phil Gons said, “While we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished in the church management space, it’s time to return to what we’ve always done best — continuing to develop a robust slate of Bible study applications and content.”
Although Logos will be receiving most of the attention, Faithlife still offers other products. The company will continue to support Proclaim church presentation software, the Catholic study suite Verbum, and Lexham Press, publisher of books on church history, theology, and Christian living, as well as books for children.
Fewer Americans reading the Bible
Faithlife’s pivot comes when disciples want more efficient ways to study scripture. A 2022 survey by the American Bible Society found that just 39% of Americans read the Bible on their own multiple times per year. That’s down from 50% of Americans who reported reading the Bible in 2021.
The American Bible Society attributes the decline to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. “There can be little doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has seriously disrupted Americans’ behaviors, including their relationships with church communities, which are the epicenter of these behaviors for most American Christians,” declared the group’s 2022 State of the Bible address.
However, the pandemic is just the latest in an ongoing series of trends that have distracted even the most faithful from regular Scripture reading. The Religious Landscape Study by the Pew Research Center found that only 63% of Evangelical Protestants, 61% of Historically Black Protestants, 30% of Mainline Protestants, and 25% of Catholics read the Bible at least once a week.
Bible reading and technology
When Logos launched in 1992, its creators hoped to make Scripture more accessible. Founded by former Microsoft employees Kiernon Reiniger and Bob Pritchett and Bob’s father Dale Pritchett, Logos brought the Bible to Windows computers. The company launched an iPhone app in 2009 and an Android app in 2012.
Since then, Logos has expanded to include not only multiple translations of the Bible but also devotionals and commentaries. Bible study apps include programs for various subsets of Christianity, such as Anglicans, Catholics, Baptists, and Lutherans. Users can access sermons, ministry sources, and other materials for free and for purchase.
As useful as these materials certainly are, they may distract from Logos’s core goals. According to the Faithlife website, the company is “committed to increasing biblical literacy and accessibility for every Christian around the world.”
But phones and other portable devices can be a distraction, even for those who use their devices for reading. The many options available to readers draw users away from the text and toward other things. From alerts and texts to definitions and quotations, readers struggle to finish a sentence without getting pulled away.
Thus, the Logos Bible Study App may undermine its core goal instead of reinforcing it.
For example, a user reading John 3:16 in the English Standard Version Bible available through the app features four individual hyperlinks with cross-references. Highlighting the passage brings up options for comparisons across translations, a passage guide with multiple commentaries, and an exegetical guide that examines the verse in its original Greek. These options come in addition to books, audio guides, reading plans, and courses that users can access through the app.
The challenge of Bible reading in the 21st Century
Traditionally, Bible reading has been a quiet and thoughtful process. Joshua 1:8 commands, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it” (NIV). Through the years, believers have followed this teaching by committing to memorizing verses or journaling. The faithful have learned to perform daily devotions, which require setting aside distractions and focusing on the Bible itself.
But as external pressures take away time and attention, Bible apps have been an attractive option for stressed worshipers. With scripture and reading guides in one app, users can quickly find verses and squeeze in devotional time whenever available. Developers have been quick to offer their own Bible apps. The iPhone app store alone features dozens of options, ranging from kid-friendly apps with simplistic translations to apps devoted to a single version of scripture.
The Logos Bible App has stood out from this crowded group by emphasizing a wealth of options. In addition to the free apps, Faithlife sells packages that feature further resources within the latest edition of its software, Logos 10. On the lowest end, Logos 10 Fundamentals includes multiple commentaries and Bible translation for $49.99. On the highest end, the Logos 10 Collector’s Edition includes more than 8150 digital books, sermon preparation software, and more, retailing at $10,799.99.
Different Bible apps to meet different needs
As this wide range of price points suggests, the full Logos 10 package isn’t for everyone. As user Jeffery Kranz puts it in his review, Logos 10 is “an industry-grade tool,” one that makes the most sense for in-depth and scholarly examination, not everyday Bible study for lay people.
But by committing itself to its main Logos app and software package, Faithlife has the opportunity to expand the already-impressive reach of its products. If all goes well, these products can help even the busiest believer continue their spiritual journey.
This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.
