“It sometimes pains me to “ruin” the pristine-ness of a new Bible by letting the stroke of a pen or the tip of a highlighter tarnish the perfection of a new Bible—but I’m entirely convinced it’s worth it.” - Colin Smith
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“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17)
Five Blessings of Marking Up Your Bible
Since 2005
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NewNo, no, no
This is just wrong!
(No, I haven’t read the article. Just my visceral reaction to marking up any book, let alone the Bible. YMMD)
Maranatha!
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
NewSerial marker here
I think his point two is probably the best. But it can have a downside as well. By marking certain words/repetitions of ideas, we may not see what else is there when reading it later.
NewA preference rather than a conviction
I take notes. I don’t mark up books, other than electronic ones (and those are for saving as notes for study files, reviews, etc).
but of course this is just a preference. I do think we need to read our Bibles with an actively engaged mind. It is very easy to get into a rote duty
Maranatha!
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
Newmy strategy
This is why I like having cheap, paperback copies of books (including the Bible) that I feel no pangs about marking up.
If I have a particularly lovely volume, I'll leave it be.
I always tell my students, marks and annotations are how you dialogue with the text. It's speaking to you; that's how you speak back to it.