I've talked lately about the quest for Church on the Internet, and batted around the idea of a "wikichurch", or Church 2.0 if you will.
The nice people over at LifeChurch.tv (don't forget these guys too!) are developing a new web app... YouVersion.
What wikipedia did for knowledge, YouVersion will do for the scripture...
YouVersion is a free online Bible that allows users to associate video, audio, images, text, tags, and links to other websites with any verse or series of verses in the Bible. Each piece of contributed content can be labeled as public or private, so the application can be used both as a personal study tool and a public expression of user-generated commentary. In addition to contributing content, Scripture can be organized by assigning user-defined “tags” to any verse of the Bible.
For users who are skeptical about whether the Bible has application for their lives, YouVersion provides a platform to learn from the experiences and perspectives of others from around the world in a non-threatening and easily navigated environment.
What makes wikipedia popular is that it's users define the subjects. Disagree with how wikipedia defines "missional" compared to "missions" (I did!) then tell wikipedia and let the debates (and understanding) begin. YouVersion will do this with scripture... what makes this scripture significant to YOU! what does the scripture mean to YOU! How did YOU differ with others interpretation? This is beautiful.
Danger: could users have the ability to up "altering" scripture? maybe... but could the scripture become more real, more relevant to people when it's described by normal people? Can the scriptures come alive with stories and testimonies? The beauty of this is that it is not a "Study Bible" with fact and insight. This is the scripture come alive.
LifeChurch.tv, thanks for thinking outside the box. Can't wait to see it!
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