Had a talkin' to my daughter

y rule is, no iPhones during Worship Service

Shoot, I don't even carry my bible in church anymore, all I use is my iPhone.

I may be an old fuddy-duddy,

George, you may will be, I don't know you well enough to make that judgment.[;)]

Diversity is one of the strengths of the Body of Christ, and if a big fat bible is what it takes for you to worship God, I will defend your right to carry one. When I realized that the brief case that I was carrying to Church every week could be replaced by L4 on my iPhone I was sold. But of course, it has been years since I used my paper bible for anything other than teaching SS or doing pulpit supply. So the transition wasn't too hard for me.

Of course it does make it harder for my Pastor to tell wether I am following him in the Word, or checking football scores. But then again, if it really matters to him, he can always ask.

but I really don't like iphones and computers in church -- not even projected powerpoint displays.

I have thought of stuff like this before. In some respect, it seems we are doing ourselves a disservice with technology. I can say for myself that I don't even know what 5% of the phone numbers are off-hand in my contacts because the phone remembers them for me - I only know the names attached. I used to be able to decently run through the Bible to find stuff because I generally knew where it was if I didn't know the exact address (this process refreshed everything I was skimming to find what I was looking for). Now I just find my phone/computer and hit the search button.

But, I look at it this way: at first it was word of mouth, then word on paper, and now word in RAM (computer memory). If He tarries much longer, it will then be word by...

As far as electronics in service, its the new medium the next generation will wonder at what the fuss was all about; bound paper and ink will be a relic. We're the generation that has to break this stuff in.

Why?  Every Episcopal Church has a pew bible that one may pick up and read during the readings, but I prefer to simply sit and listen as the text is read or to open my Hebrew OT / Greek NT and check anything I wish that arouses my interest during the reading.   I can also simply review the readings either in whatever translation I wish or in the original when I return home.  I really don't prefer to have anything, even a bible (whether print or electronic), get in the way of the process.