Sony Releases E-Book Bible: Will It Catch On?

Though the newest move from Sony may not rival Johannes Gutenberg’s 15th century printing press revolution – at least, not yet – Sony has released the Contemporary English Version of the Bible as an e-book, further evidence of the increased demand for Christianity in the digital world.

Announced Tuesday on Christian Newswire, Sony customers can now visit Sony’s e-book store and download the Bible for $14.99 by using Sony software, the Reader Digital Book. Smaller portions of the Bible, from passages to entire books, are available for $1.99 each, also requiring the Reader Digital Book.

Selling the Bible online may seem unreasonable, at first, as the text from every version is likely available somewhere on the Web. But Sony claims that e-books through its reader are better than text. They’re searchable, high-resolution and easily downloadable and transportable. People can carry a Bible e-book on their pocket flash drives or PDAs. Most of all, the Reader Digital Book’s high-resolution, high-contrast electronic paper display technology provides a reading experience similar to ink-on-paper.

The Contemporary English Version first appeared in print in 1995. By all accounts, this Bible version is written in straightforward, modern English, a vernacular that could appeal more to the young generation, high-tech unchurched.

But will the electronic version of the Bible replace the printed one? Probably not anytime soon, but this may signal the beginning of a trend. When preachers ask worshippers to pull out their PDAs or Blackberries and “click” to Philippians 4:13, then something will have radically changed.