Christianity Today published a roundup and some analysis of search terms used on Bible Gateway, the original multi-lingual website for Bible verses. John 3:16 was the most popular individual verse, but other less obvious search terms were popular, seemingly influenced by news and current events–including ‘blood moon’.
From the article:
On February 16, one day after ISIS beheaded 21 Coptic Christians in Libya, “beheaded” was the fourth most-searched term on Bible Gateway. The weekend after the US Supreme Court’s same-sex-marriage decision in June, searches for “homosexuality,” “abomination,” and “Sodom and Gomorrah” spiked. (So did “rainbow.”) And in September, on the day of the total lunar eclipse, the No. 1 search was for “blood moon.”
Christianity Today also reports that many users seem to have read the entire Bible–or specific portions–in 2015. You can learn more in their article and in the blog on Bible Gateway.
Do you use online resources for the Bible? Are you going to make any New Year’s resolutions involving reading the Bible?
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The top scriptures searched were: John 3.16, Jer29:11, Phil4:13, Rom8:18, Ps23:4, Phil 4:6..all very inspiring words from God to live by.
The other day, I was trying to get on Bible Gateway, and it seemed like I was going to have to pay a members fee to get access. I almost panicked.
When I’m trying to construct an argument, appealing to Scripture, I bring the “Somebody Said Somewhere” hermeneutic! BibleGateway helps me locate that “somewhere” (hopefully w/ some idea of the “somebody” and the “some time” also).
Ooops, I meant to say, the traditional Episcopalian “Somebody Said Somewhere” hermeneutic! [I’ve heard Roman Catholics appeal to this one, too. Whereas Protestants often have the “somewhere” memorized. ;-/]
I compare translations on the Bible Gateway a few times a week.
And to find the passages where I know a phrase of scripture, but I don’t recall the location. Such as, “to him who knows to do good,” I would find as James 4:17.
I just finished the Hebrew Scriptures and Christian Testament for EfM (Education for Ministry- from Sewanee U.) This time through I listened to the scriptures — quite a different experience.