American Bible Society recently released the State of the Bible 2020 ebook, which reveals what Americans believe about, and how they use the Bible. We shared the first four chapters with you:

1. The Bible in America
2. The Bible in a COVID-19 World
3. The Impact of Scripture Engagement
4. Scripture Engagement and Wellbeing

Now you can access Chapter 5: Scripture Engagement and Technology. Technology has been a key driver of Bible engagement for over 500 years. And today that trend continues as Bible reading guides, plans, commentaries, concordances, and stories are now available in digital formats. In addition, digital distribution, audio-first translation, and immersive video experiences are also being used to advance the goal of universal access to the Bible.

Turning to Digital Technologies During the COVID-19 Pandemic

In April, as the COVID-19 pandemic began to impact the United States, Americans sought new ways to gather information, connect, and collaborate with others. Specifically, Bible users began increasingly turning to digital technologies to engage with Scripture. And Scripture unengaged Americans seem to be exploring it more frequently.

In the first six months of 2020, YouVersion reported a 32% increase in unique daily users, compared to the same period in 2019. They also saw a 183% increase in Bible searches, and a 121% increase in Bible Reading Plan days completed, year over year.

Here are other key trends during COVID-19:

• Sales of print Bible are down significantly
• Use of digital Bible technologies has risen sharply
• Digital Bible tools seem to be helping men maintain relatively high levels of Scripture engagement

There’s no doubt technology plays a key role in connecting people to the life-giving messages of the Bible. Bible users are accelerating their adoption of digital Scripture engagement tools including smartphone apps, websites, and audio Bibles.

Praise God for unprecedented access to his Word! But we want to see even more lives impacted by the power of Scripture. Will you join us as we pray for more people across America to connect to the Bible using technology?

To get the latest chapter of the State of the Bible 2020 report, download your free ebook here.

Let’s Pray Together

Father, we are grateful that your Word is readily accessible through technology. We pray for increased Scripture engagement through the various digital tools and platforms available. And we pray for lives to be transformed as people learn about you through your Word.