WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (RNS) — Often when Mike Sheppard listens to the stories of the Crucifixion or Mary's discovery of the empty tomb, he gets so distracted he almost forgets he's behind the wheel.
“There are points in the New Testament where you'll be brought to tears while you're driving down the road,” said Sheppard, 56, a computer software technician in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Sheppard, a Southern Baptist, said he's read the sacred text many times, but listening to The Word of Promise audio Bible really transports him to the first century.
Christian publishers are increasingly catching up with their multimedia-savvy consumers and offering Bibles beyond the traditional book format. Eager listeners like Sheppard can buy the story on tapes, CDs, MP3 downloads, iTunes and in other formats.
Andrew Block, founder and president of the audio Bible company GoBible, started his company after noticing technology wasn't reaching the faith-based niche.
“I just didn't see anyone using new technology to bring people of faith content that's important to them in an easy and affordable manner,” Block said.
GoBible's The Listener's Bible looks like it's cut out for Gen-Y listeners, with an iPod-like screen and buttons made in the image of the popular portable music device. The entire Old and New Testaments are available, with 70 hours of 31,000 verses individually marked so listeners can scroll through.
A study conducted by the company in the spring of 2007 showed their listeners landed all over the demographic map — from tech-savvy youngsters to gray-bearded Methuselahs.
Similarly, the makers of the celebrated audio recording Inspired by … The Bible Experience were pleasantly surprised that people of all ages are buying their New and Old Testament audio Bibles. The recording features actors Samuel L. Jackson and Denzel Washington, along with Pentecostal pastor Bishop T.D. Jakes.
“The concern was that this would just be a trendy thing — that people would purchase it because of the star power — but then not really get engaged in the Bible. But just the opposite has been happening,” said Paul Caminiti, vice president and publisher of Bibles for Zondervan, which produced The Bible Experience.
Some users have reported they use the GoBible device to listen along while they're reading and help with some of the trickier name pronunciations, Block said.
“We never created GoBible to replace the reading of the [written] word,” Block said. “Rather, we see it as a supplement. It's for people who don't always have the time.”
Listening to the Bible on audio can bring new meaning into the text for some.
“When you listen to it, the readers bring from their experience,” Sheppard said. “Sometimes the voices bring out a nuance that may bring insight that you hadn't thought of before.”
Pointing to the Bible's history as an oral text, Caminiti said, “The Bible was really written to be listened to.”
Jim Lahman, 48, a native of Brunswick, Ohio, uses the Bible Experience recording when he teaches his adult Bible study class. He encourages his students to read along as they listen to the actors, who are complemented by sound effects like bleating sheep and barking dogs.
“It really adds depth to the Bible study,” Lahman said. “It's just not sitting there reading the Bible.”