{"id":32314,"date":"2022-09-10T16:04:42","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:04:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/the-word-became-visuals\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T16:04:42","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:04:42","slug":"the-word-became-visuals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/the-word-became-visuals\/","title":{"rendered":"The Word Became Visuals"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Rene B\u00f6hmer photo – Unsplash<\/div>\n

How Data Visualization Is Helping Readers Better Understand the Bible<\/strong><\/h2>\n

By Helen Gibson<\/p>\n

How do you make dense passages of Scripture and theological truths stand out to your congregation?<\/p>\n

Technologist Robert Rouse suggests data visualization.<\/p>\n

Rouse, creator of the online Bible visualization app called Viz.Bible, recently spoke on this idea at Lifeway\u2019s Faith Leads Tech conference.<\/p>\n

Rouse said data visualization\u2014or using images to convey information\u2014connects with people because of our brains\u2019 unique visual processing capability.<\/p>\n

\u201cGod designed our brains with a special capability to process visual information faster than we can process any other sensory input,\u201d he said. \u201cWe can spot patterns, and deviations from those patterns, instantly.\u201d<\/p>\n

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This makes data visualization a useful tool for ministry, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know images capture people\u2019s attention online,\u201d Rouse said. \u201cBut images that are built using data not only evoke some emotion and capture attention, but they also draw us in. They invite us to ask more questions and think about it a little while longer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Early examples<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Whether you realize it or not, you\u2019re probably already familiar with some simple examples of biblical data visualization.<\/p>\n

Using red font to highlight Jesus\u2019 words in the gospels is one example, Rouse said. Including maps of Paul\u2019s missionary journeys in the back of Bibles is another.<\/p>\n

Even the first edition of the King James Bible utilized data visualization, Rouse said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis idea isn\u2019t especially new,\u201d Rouse said. \u201c\u2026 The first printing of the King James Version of the Bible dedicated 35 pages to hand-drawn illustrations of those genealogies that we find from Adam to Jesus and all the tribes of Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prior to the release of his book Visual Theology<\/em>, Tim Challies wrote why he felt such a book was needed and consistent with God’s approach to communication.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe live in a visual culture. Today, people increasingly rely upon visuals to help them understand new and difficult concepts. The rise and popularity of the Internet infographic has given us a new way to convey data, concepts, and ideas,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the visual portrayal of truth is not a novel idea. God himself used visuals to teach truth to his people. If you have ever considered the different elements within the Old Testament tabernacle or temple you know that each element was a visual representation of a greater truth. The sacrificial system and later the cross were also meant to be visual\u2013visual theology.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taking it a step further<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Rouse said he first got excited about the idea of using data visualization to convey biblical truths years ago when he saw an image created by Chris Harrison, a computer science professor at Carnegie Melon University.<\/p>\n

The bar graph that runs along the bottom represents all of the chapters in the Bible. Books alternate in color between white and light gray. The length of each bar denotes the number of verses in the chapter. Each of the 63,779 cross references found in the Bible is depicted by a single arc – the color corresponds to the distance between the two chapters, creating a rainbow-like effect. Image by Chris Harrison, Carnegie Mellon University<\/div>\n

In Chris Harrison\u2019s image, the bar graph that runs along the bottom represents all the chapters in the Bible, with the length of each bar coordinating to the number of verses in that particular chapter. Meanwhile, the sweeping arches along the top of the image represent cross-references, or connections, found in the Bible. Each arch\u2019s color represents the distance from one reference to another.<\/p>\n

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See also  Fixing our Firsts and Lasts: Trading Our Screens for Scripture<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s this image and others like it that led to the realization that data visualization can be an incredibly powerful medium for telling stories about the Bible,\u201d Rouse said.<\/p>\n

This led Rouse to experiment with new ways to display biblical information, including the long genealogies that many readers often skip over or ignore completely.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not something you\u2019re going to hear in a sermon; it\u2019s not something that\u2019s going to sell as a part of a small group Bible study, but I firmly believe that if there\u2019s something important enough for God to put in Scripture and preserve it through the ages for us to read, then we ought to do everything we can to help people know more about it,\u201d Rouse said.<\/p>\n

So, Rouse created an image that maps biblical genealogy all the way from Adam to the 12 tribes of Israel to Jesus. He shared this image online, and said he watched it go viral.<\/p>\n

This image by Robert Rouse maps biblical genealogy all the way from Adam to the 12 tribes of Israel to Jesus.<\/div>\n

\u201cWhy would I get tens of thousands of clicks on genealogies?\u201d Rouse said. \u201cIt\u2019s because when people can see a story, it takes on new life. It becomes understandable.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said data visualization projects like these help us better understand and appreciate God\u2019s plan and provision throughout history.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy taking this data\u2014these lists of relationships\u2014and depicting it in an image, we can now put this in front of people on a Sunday morning and draw out important points about how God designed history to fulfill his promises through Jesus Christ,\u201d Rouse said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can show people that red line and how God worked through all of those people, from Adam all the way down to our Lord. We can see these colorful blossoming figures that show God\u2019s promise to Abraham to multiply his descendants through the various tribes of Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is the heart behind Rouse\u2019s current project, Theographic, which will provide Bible readers with additional context and information as they read, much like a Wikipedia page.<\/p>\n

For Rouse, it comes down to providing people with information and an easy, straightforward way to understand that information, so they can be inspired to learn and understand more about God and His story.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do we make this as easy as humanly possible\u2014as easy as technologically possible\u2014to ask new questions and answer those questions?\u201d Rouse said. \u201cBecause when we make it easy, simple, to answer those questions, people will ask more questions and then more and more, and continue on this chain of curiosity.\u201d<\/p>\n

To watch Robert Rouse\u2019s full talk \u2014 in addition to 20 other talks, interviews and presentations \u2014 purchase the Faith Leads Tech conference recording. To learn more about Faith Leads Tech, explore the conference website.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Helen Gibson<\/h2>\n

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Helen is a freelance writer in Nashville, Tennessee.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n