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And the Bible is still powerful in changing lives today and into the future. But how does it goes from a book with words and stories, into the attitudes and actions of people that make a difference in everyday life?

3 charts in this article titled, The Three Faces of Bible Engagement, at the Bible Engagement Project, show this visually and explains it better than words alone.

Bible Engagement from the Inside Out

To be engaged with Bible, the Assemblies of God USA and Barna Group research determined, is to allow all spheres of a person’s life to be heavily and positively influenced by the Word of God. Barna identified 3 spheres of influence: practical, emotional, and missional. Each is a face that together forms a complete picture of high engagement with Scripture.

And, that is the ultimate power of the Bible and its life-changing message, as a community of Christ-followers regularly engages with the Bible individually and corporately, it feeds the emotional foundation, and motivates outward actions that benefits and blesses the good of all humanity.

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The Interactive Christian Community is a ministry of Spoken Word Ministries, a missionary outreach to the blind. ICC has a weekly Schedule of Programs and Activities with events every day.

For New Year’s Day 2023, they’re hosting an ICC 2023 Bible Marathon on Sunday, January 1st, 2023. Get more info at https://iccsite.org/member/marathonInfo.php

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Search Widget

The Search Widget will place a search box on your site that will allow your users to search for Bible passages and display those search results in a popup modal or take them to the configured Global.Bible site to view the results.

Passage Widget

The passage widget allows you to place almost any length of passage on your site for readers to see. Just include the following code anywhere on your site or blog post. We’ll load the text in for you and make sure it’s properly attributed! For the Passage References, please refer to this list of three letter abbreviations to use for the Bible widget.

Auto-Linker Widget

Auto-linker is not a widget so much as a utility that turns plain text into into Link Widgets. It looks through text on a web page for Bible references, so you don’t have to provide any additional code.

Link Widget

With the Link Widget, you can allow users to read a passage in its entirety in a pop up modal on your site by simply adding a small snippet of code to your links. These are auto-created for you via the Auto-Linker, but if your scripture reference has more complicated markup or you want custom text in your scripture reference you cam manually create a Link Widget. Additionally, it can be configured to show the text in a new tab.

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To be considered a Catholic Bible, a translation has to both have a nihil obstat (Latin for “nothing hinders” or “nothing stands in the way”), a phrase meaning an official Church certification proclaiming the book is not objectionable on doctrinal or moral grounds, along with an imprimatur (from Latin ‘imprimere’, meaning to “imprint” or “impress.”), a phrase for official approval by clergy, most often the bishop. A translation also have to include the entire Biblical canon.

3 websites were found with lists of approved Catholic Bibles. You’ll notice there are differences as well as similarities in these lists. The ones that are in BOLD indicate they appear in more than one list.

This is a complete list of the translations of the Sacred Scriptures that have received the approval of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops since 1983.

• Books of the New Testament, Alba House
• Contemporary English Version – New Testament, First Edition, American Bible Society
• Contemporary English Version – Book of Psalms, American Bible Society
• Contemporary English Version – Book of Proverbs, American Bible Society
• The Grail Psalter (Inclusive Language Version), G.I.A. Publications
• New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE)
• New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition, National Council of Churches
• The Psalms, Alba House
• The Psalms (New International Version) – St. Joseph Catholic Edition, Catholic Book Publishing Company
• The Psalms – St. Joseph New Catholic Version, Catholic Book Publishing Company
• Revised Psalms of the New American Bible (1991)
• So You May Believe, A Translation of the Four Gospels, Alba House
• Good News Translation (Today’s English Version, Second Edition), American Bible Society
• Translation for Early Youth, A Translation of the New Testament for Children, Contemporary English Version, American Bible Society

This is the list of Bible versions that are approved for Catholics, according to uCatholic.com:

• New American Bible: Revised Edition – 2011 – Optimal Equivalence
• Ignatius Bible – 2006 – Formal Equivalence
• Good News Bible: Catholic Edition – 1992 – Dynamic Equivalence
• New Jerusalem Bible – 1990 – Dynamic Equivalence
• New Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition – 1989 – Formal Equivalence
• Jerusalem Bible – 1966 – Dynamic Equivalence
• Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition – 1966 – Formal Equivalence
• Douay–Rheims Bible – 1582 – Formal Equivalence

And according to maybetoday.org, this is the list of approved Catholic Translations:

• New American Bible Revised Edition
• Revised New Jerusalem Bible
• New Catholic Version/Bible
• New Community Bible
• Abbey Psalms and Canticles
• Jerusalem Bible
• New Jerusalem Bible
• Christian Community Bible
• Alba House New Testament/St. Paul Catholic Edition
• Revised Standard Version—Catholic Edition
• Revised Standard Version—Second Catholic Edition
• New Revised Standard Version—Catholic Edition
• English Standard Version—Catholic Edition
• New Living Translation Catholic Edition
• Douay-Rheims-Challoner Version
• Knox Version
• Confraternity New Testament

Also, the New American Bible is available online at the Vatican website. (cf. Preface)

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Accelerating Every Book of the Bible Online

To make it easy to remember and to access, users can add the .BIBLE ending to any book of the Bible. And, voila, before you can say Mississippi, there’s the Bible on your web browser. Here’s the 66 books of the Bible in alphabetical order:

Sharing from the Bible App on Social Media

You may have noticed .BIBLE verses being shared on social media, too. When you use the YouVersion Bible app, that directly links users to these fast-loading Bible verses. For example, here are the latest tweets with psalm.bible.

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Launching websites is not a one-and-done kind of a thing. It’s an on-going effort, and these top Bible websites have endured for a long time.

Have you noticed how many movies are retelling the origin stories of comic superheros? Yes, that’s what we’re going to do in this article, because if we were to mention what the current features and contents of these Bible sites have, like how many Bible versions and languages, it’d be dated information pretty quick. Kudos to these Bible search website teams for keeping up the good work to help more people engage with the Bible more.

BibleGateway.com

“The original multilingual searchable Bible website, Bible Gateway was started in 1993 by Nick Hengeveld, a student at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI, who had a visionary passion to make the Bible digitally accessible to everyone through the very new technology at the time called the Internet.

Bible Gateway is a member of HarperCollins Christian Publishing and continues to add new translations, languages, and powerful functionality to help people conveniently engage the Bible.”

Blue Letter Bible

“God impressed upon the hearts of a group of Christians in Southern California to invest time and effort into a new venture utilizing the World Wide Web: to put the Bible up on the Internet, along with a special set of digital tools, to accelerate the in-depth study of God’s Word. 

In 1996, Blue Letter Bible went live on the Internet. In Psalm 138:2, God says that He is exalted according to the truth of His Word. This truth has fueled their desire to make an in-depth study of God’s Word digitally available to everyone free of charge, so that people might grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

StudyLight.org

“Since 2001, StudyLight.org has been providing quality Bible resources to the Christian Internet community. Starting with a handful of Bibles and reference tools, we have grown to be the online resource leader.

A 1987 graduate of Johnson University (Knoxville, TN) Jeff earned a degree in Bible with a specialty in computer skills. Since that time, Jeff would hone his skills for site development. His expertise and experiences became StudyLight.org, a well-respected site for studying God’s word.”

BibleHub.com

“Bible hub was a production of the Online Parallel Bible Project that began in 2004. This project is privately owned and supported for the express purpose of sharing Bible study tools online. Most of our work is done by volunteers with an interest in using their technological skills to this end.

When the Online Parallel Bible Project started, it provided a parallel, verse by verse view of 8 translations. Over the years, many new tools were developed into a single integrated platform, with over 40 languages and 120 translations. The site is popular among pastors, small group leaders and seminary students for its ease of use, reference materials and original language tools.”

YouVersion and Bible.com

“YouVersion launched in 2007 as a free online Bible that connects the interactivity of Web 2.0 with the timeless truths of scripture. The Bible App launched in 2008 on the iPhone first, then many other mobile devices afterwards.

In 2012, Bible.com launched to provide the same rich Bible experience as YouVersion.com and the Bible App: to read and study the Bible, subscribe to reading plans, and access the Bible in many languages.

Created by Life.Church, YouVersion designs biblically centered experiences like the YouVersion Bible App and Bible App for Kids, which encourage and challenge people to seek God throughout each day. Since it launched in 2008, the YouVersion Bible App has been installed on more than 460 million unique devices worldwide. It offers a free Bible experience in 1,500 languages, using features like Verse of the Day, Bible Plans, Verse of the Day Stories, and Prayer to help people deepen their relationship with God.”

What Makes a Popular Bible Website

Here’s some observations about these most popular Bible websites and what ingredients go into making something so valuable to so many:

• Multiple Bible versions and translations
• Multiple languages
• Reading plans and daily devotionals
• Bible study tools (commentaries, concordances, dictionary, lexicon)
• On-going updates and upgrades

How are all of these popular Bible websites able to offer so much for free? With regards to their financial sustainability, 1 site is entirely donor-supported, 1 is solely ad-supported, 1 is supported by donors and ads, and 2 are both paid membership and ad-supported.

Related Article

//top-30-bible-websites-in-2019/

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Top 20 Bible Channels on YouTube (by Relevance)

• BibleProject
• What’s in the Bible
• OverviewBible
• The Bible Recap
• The Ten Minute Bible Hour
• Audio Video Bible Alexander Scourby KJV
• Wheaton Bible Church
• Redeemer Bible Church
• Irving Bible Church
• Bible Insights
• Bible Stories for Kids
• McLean Bible Church
• Israel Institute of Biblical Studies
• Coffee and Bible Time
• The Holy Tales: Bible
• KJV Audio Bible
• Women’s Bible Study
• Charis Bible College
• Logos Bible Software
• Back to the Bible Canada

BibleProject stands out as the most popular YouTube channel with its Bible explainer videos that is relevant for how digital communication is most effectively done today. At the time of this post, the BibleProject YouTube channel has over 196M views and over 2.3M subscribers. And you might be surprised to know that its most popular video happens to be the oldest book in the Bible.

Explain.Bible makes it even easier to browse and watch all the BibleProject videos by alphabetical order, canonical order (the traditional arrangement for the books of the Bible), topical, and by language—like Chinese, French, Arabic, Polish, Russian, Spanish, and Telugu.

YouTube Channels for Children about the Bible

Here are 4 useful lists of YouTube Channels that have been carefully curated by different Christians:

• 7 Awesome YouTube Bible Story Channels For Kids (Homeschooling Today)
• 11 Awesome Bible Channels for Kids on YouTube (ABCKidsINC)
• 11 Great Bible Channels for Kids on YouTube (internationalblessing.com)
• Great Bible Youtube Channels for Pre-K through High School (homeschoolgiveaways.com)

Top 10 Christian YouTube Channels (2018)

Pastor Steve Cioccolanti sorted through YouTube channels to compile this list: Top 10 Christian YouTubers — The Best Channels Ranked by Subscription & View Count.

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Bringing God’s Word to Developing English Readers

By the 1990s, the New International Version was the bestselling English translation of the Bible. But developing English readers had difficulty with the NIV’s longer words and sentences. Was there a way to make the text more comprehensible for these people without sacrificing the merits of the translation?

In the spring of 1992, the International Bible Society voted to begin a simplification project to meet the needs of these developing English readers. Led by Ron Youngblood, a member of the Committee on Bible Translation (CBT), 40 translators and English-language experts from 14 denominations worked to bring the reading level of the NIV from about an eighth-grade level down to a third-grade level. The participants, including several contributors to the initial NIV translation, consulted the original Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic and kept the text of the NIV whenever possible. When they finished, each chapter was evaluated for sentence and word length, grade level and reading ease, and the accuracy of the text as determined by Bible scholars.

In the fall of 1996, the full text of the New International Reader’s Version, or NIrV, was ready. Children and other developing English readers could now more easily read the Scriptures by themselves and follow the readings in church.

As time went on, however, another challenge arose. The text of the NIV had continued to be updated after the NIrV was published in order to account for advances in biblical scholarship and shifts in English language usage. The NIrV text was not keeping up with these revisions to the NIV. By 2011, it was time to incorporate these changes into the NIrV and erase any disconnect between the NIrV and the NIV. Led by CBT member Michael Williams, a small group met to begin updating the NIrV. This group included CBT members Ron Youngblood and Jeanine Brown, as well as Yvonne Van Ee, a reading specialist. “My specific task,” Van Ee said, “was to look for the word choices that they made, to look at sentence length (because we wanted each sentence length to be within a 13- to 15-word range), and then also to read for clarity within the sentence and the paragraph structure.”

Van Ee shared the group’s work with second- and third-grade children and asked them if they understood the passages or specific words. For example, when the translators ran into a problem with the words “responsibility” and “accountability,” they turned to these focus groups for help. “Those are two really big words,” Brown said. “They sat outside of our word group allowance, but those were our best options.” After looking at both choices, the children chose “responsibility.” Over the course of the two-year update process, the children came to feel a special ownership of the translation, asking again and again when “their” Bible was going to come out. “They can say that,” Brown said. “It’s their Bible, not just a Bible that scholars hold. . . . No, this is for all people.”

Today, the NIrV is one of the top-selling English-language Bibles. It continues to help developing readers engage not only with the biblical text but also with the God behind it.

About the NIrV from Christianbook.com

The New International Reader’s Version (NIrV) is a simplification of the New International Version (NIV), one of today’s most popular translation. The easy words and short sentences of the NIrV make it ideal for the beginning readers. Written at a third-grade reading level, the NIrV is a natural stepping-stone to the NIV.

The NIrV strives for a balance between a word-for-word and thought-for-thought translation, with an emphasis on meaning for simplification.

In August 1991, Zondervan Publishing House wrote guidelines for developing a simplified version of the Bible to be based on the New International Version (NIV). The new version would be at a reading level of third or fourth grade and would be intended as a stepping-stone to the New International Version. The board of the International Bible Society voted to begin the project early in 1992.

In March 1992, a committee met in Colorado Springs to set up the working guidelines. Once the “simplifiers” had been recruited, training sessions were held and the process began. Fourteen denominations were represented by the forty translators and simplifiers of this Bible. Many of the translators had also worked on the NIV. All work went through a final review by an Old Testament scholar, a New Testament scholar, and an educator.

While constant reference was made to original manuscripts, the translators used the words of the NIV wherever possible. When questions arose, Greek and Hebrew scholars were consulted to help formulate what the earlier texts said and meant. The team used synonyms for some words and explained words that might not be easily understood. They also worked hard to use shorter and simpler sentences.

The initial simplification of all of the books of the Bible was completed in early 1994. In March of that year the New Testament was completed, and the painstaking review and proofing process began. The name New International Reader’s Version (NIrV) was announced by the International Bible Society in August, 1994. The Old Testament was completed by the end of 1995, and the complete Bible was published in the fall of 1996. A revised edition was published in 2014, to more closely match the 2011 edition of the NIV.

Readability studies have verified that the NIrV was translated at a third grade reading level, making it the ideal choice for children and adults who are learning to read, adults who are unacquainted with the Bible, and readers for whom English is a second language.

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Essential 100 Challenge – Bible Reading Plan

The Essential 100 Challenge (E100) helps you get an overview of the Bible… without getting bogged down. The Plan guides you through 50 Old Testament passages and 50 New Testament passages — The Essential 100 — so you can see the big picture of God’s Word, and form a daily Bible reading habit in the process. E100 is an achievable way to have a “through the Bible” experience; it’s the Bible reading plan people love to complete. (100 days) Read it in the YouVersion Bible app or at Bible.com.

What is the Essential 100?

Former Scripture Union President Whitney T. Kuniholm longed for a way to connect his kids to the Bible. He started developing a short list of “essential passages” for them to read. That list continued to expand to 100 passages that tell the grand narrative and message of God’s Word.

The Essential 100 core material has grown into an incredible suite of life changing study material for all ages, including the Essential Jesus and the Essential Question, youth study guides, daily reading guides and more.

Buy E100 resources from Scripture Union.

And this description is mirrored from the YouVersion blog from 2010:

https://blog.youversion.com/2010/06/new-reading-plan-the-essential-100-challenge/

We’re incredibly excited to introduce a new reading plan to our awesome YouVersion users: The Essential 100 Challenge. It’s the 23rd addition to our diverse list of Bible reading plans, and has some great features that will help individuals benefit from their Bible reading time.

The Essential 100 Challenge is “built around 100 carefully selected Bible passages – 50 from the Old Testament and 50 from the New Testament. It enables [you] to get the big picture of God’s Word and in the process develop a daily Bible reading habit.” The topical, guided nature of The Essential 100 Challenge brings a unique approach to the lineup of YouVersion reading plans.

We’re thankful to Scripture Union for providing The Essential 100 Challenge and helping us make it available to the YouVersion community. Many people have recommended this plan after following it, so if you’re one of those folks feel free to leave a comment below telling us a little about your experience with The Essential 100 Challenge.

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