OK, so I’ve gone a couple of different directions on NoCamo about paper versus plastic (electronic) Bibles.
On the one hand, I love my paper Bible. Love it. I am actually beginning to despair, because I’ve noticed recently that some of the binding is breaking in the front and I don’t relish the task of replacing it.
On the other hand, I love my Kindle Fire. Love it. Love studying YouVersion and Logos on it. Invaluable.
Our son, Tony, recently got an iPod Touch, and has been using it during devotions so that he could have the same translation of the Bible as I use (ESV).
So, he asked me Sunday if he could take his iPod to church instead of his paper Bible.
I told him no.
Philosophically, I don’t care. I have heard of legalistic people who have actually asked tablet users to move from their seat on Sunday morning because they were being “distracting.” Yes, seriously.
I told him no for a more roundabout reason. Namely, I want him to be able to find verses in The Book. Without a table of contents or a touchscreen.
My mind flashed to a scene from a post-nuclear war movie, where technology and Internet access were memories. Could my son locate the book of James then? In a Bible-drill-at-the-end-of-time scenario?
Overkill? For sure (especially the graphic at the top of the post).
I want his Bible to be a companion. A guide. A source of truth. A discipline, not subject to crashes or battery levels.
Have I flipped my lid? Thoughts?
Not a Camouflaged Soul 
The look, the feel of paper….the fabric of our lives…
I am 95% electronic these days WRT bibles. A fellow Logos user, I’m able to study at an immense depth via software. Since I use a heavy Windows 7 tablet, I don’t also carry a paper-based bible to church with me. If I’m somewhere where folks are sitting around/behind me (especially the sanctuary) I’ll decrease the brightness to minimum–otherwise it does have a distracting effect on others (like a cellphone in a movie theater). I also ensure the sound is off. I use a tablet because tapping on a keyboard is very distracting too. Like you use your Fire, I sometimes use my Nook Color–but because of weight issues I won’t bring it if I’m also carrying my tablet.
I had been caught before by long boot-up times and bad timing of crashes/re-indexing/poor battery life. Were I a preacher, I would always have “hard copy”–and I’d probably use a paper bible for normal pulpit preaching. A study seminar might be the occasion for a computer-based teaching method.
I think that starting with a paper bible is a really great idea, and I’ve become fond of the ESV. I’d compare it to piano and organ…you learn piano first, then organ–otherwise, you can’t learn piano right. I’ve got my kiddos using ESV–and have moved my oldest to an ESV Study Bible.
He can get a workout from that bad boy, too!