This past week in attending a Bible study, there was a handout given. When the handout was given I remarked, “why was Google Docs not used?” Do understand that all those who attend that bible study would have already given their emails to the group leader, and so it would just be a matter of sharing a document – or even building a form that all could work on and save within their unique profiles.

But, in doing so, I opened the can of worms that is sometimes perceived as a digital crutch. If you will being enough wrapped into the tool to get something done (remember a verse, recall notes, parse text, etc.) that when its removed that the user is essentially paralyzed.

A recent post on the Logos blog took a look at the idea of a digital crutch from the perspective of learning Greek and Hebrew. As anyone who has studied and learned a foreign (to them) language, you have to have more than a head knowledge of the language, but be associated enough with its contexts that you can correctly speak and apply the language and contextual concepts portrayed with it. Just being able to repeat an address, or being so dependent on an electronic index doesn’t help, but makes you appear to not respect the context for a form of association that isn’t always received as genuine.

Such is the issue that we have dealt with in all media since oral/auditory learning took a back seat to various types of media. And this isn’t completely a bad thing, media has done much to engage the cognitive abilities of people that traditional forms of oral/auditory learning just couldn’t jog just by itself. That being said, the key to learning has always been to associate as closely with the content as possible.

Bible applications are important in light of this. Not everyone has someone who is learned in languages, histories, etc. of Scripture that they can simply sit under them and gain enough to become a teacher to others (i.e., disciple). And yet, even with these applications, we run the risk of making them a crutch if all we do is rely on the search algorithms and database methodologies of the people who created this software. It vitally important that we embed into our beings the literal Scripture, and even contextual facts, so that to the best of God’s ability to work through us, we are not just giving people words, but embracing them with life.

So let this admonition to get in your text encourage you to not just read your Bible, study deeper into a passage, or even learn something new via your mobile/digital devices. But take the time to embed the word into your heart, mind, and soul so that you can speak forth wisdom that sounds like a concordance, but comes from the intimacy of time that you spent with the Author of the Text.