how much is too much scripture?

[lauriepop]

When you project scripture references into your worship service, do you project the entire passage or just the main points, especially if it is a long passage? This week our leader wants me to project Matthew 20:20-28, and I think it is waaay too much. I am using a size 30 font and I still need 3 slides to get to all in. I would prefer to just project the last verse as this is the main point of the passage. Is there a rule of thumb to follow?

Also, when you project scripture, do you reference the translation? I have seen it both ways and I am never quite sure which is correct.

Thanks
Laurie

[kbob]

generally, I just defer to the speaker that day as to what he or she wants to have displayed, and do it. For the record, most Bible translations require that the translation be acknowledged when qouting-but don't qoute me on that!

[[Director] Joseph B]

This is one of those questions where there is no "correct" answer.
What works for you is what's best in your situation.

[tedanderson]

It would depend on whether your congregation is taught specifically to bring a bible to church or if it is optional and the screen is used as bible tool.

If you are in a church where 98% of the people have a bible with them, then listing the scripture chapter and verse is sufficient. However, I have seen churches that put all of the scriptures being discussed that day into the church bulletin. And in order to be effective where most of the congregation does not have bibles, you will probably need to fill the entire screen.

It's just like song lyrics. Use the same rules for that. They need to be legible. It drives me nuts when our church puts a ton of scripture on one slide. Split them up if you have to. It's all about presentation.

Yeah, put up the reference. Why not?

[[Admin] osborn4]

The eye gets lost at more than 7 lines of 7 words each.

I just hit the highlights of the text (using the dot-dot-dot method), much less than th e7 x 7 rule, to emphasize the main points.

Otherwise the congregation doesn't know whether to read or listen and quite often doesn't absorb either.

Better yet, let a picture tell the story. I've used these sites:
http://thebiblerevival.com/clipart.htm
http://www.searchingthescriptures.ne...e_clip-art.htm
for public domain Bible pictures.

I do this a lot, just popping up text bubbles with pertinent text, if needed.

Here's an article. Worth a Thousand Words? : Story in Image

By engaging them visually with the screen, you are pulling them in to the story and letting them listen to the pastor tell the story. Otherwise, you will get the "ping pong" effect of folks bouncing their eyes between the text and the pastor.

However, if the pastor was sold on wanting the entire passage, I would not go against him. But I would try to talk him out of it.

[Len Wilson]

Go Joel!

And the way you talk him out of it is you say, you don't want people to become Bible-lazy do you? We want to encourage them to have their Bibles with them in church, or at the very least, we can have the scripture printed in the bulletin. The screen isn't meant to replace the printed word but to complement it.

[[Admin] osborn4]

Originally Posted by Len Wilson

Go Joel!

Well, you know where I learned it. Do you have "dot-dot-dot method" and "ping pong effect" trademarked yet?

I wanted to refer to the story youse guys tell of the desert road picture with Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:26-40), but I couldn't find it on your site.

[Len Wilson]

The only place we have it on the site is embedded in an article, here:

http://www.midnightoilproductions.co...w-to/19ways/2/

[[Admin] osborn4]

Originally Posted by Len Wilson

The only place we have it on the site is embedded in an article, here:

http://www.midnightoilproductions.co...w-to/19ways/2/

That's it!

Point 5. Scripture Graphics

That's all good stuff, but showing the words (Words?) themselves isn't a sin. Not everyone has time to put a graphic to a passage. You put up scripture for the same reason you put up song lyrics, so people can read them. A lot of the same reasoning applies (head up, not flipping through pages, people with poor eyesight, you can read together, same translation, don't have to bring your Bible ). It's not a big deal, IMO.

The function of showing scripture is built right into worship software, so people are going to use it more often than not. She has a valid question and hopefully we've answered it along with giving her some other options to think about.

[Esoteric]

We split long passages up into multiple slides,

Mike