The world’s favorite Bible verses

The world’s favorite Bible verses January 16, 2017

phone-1052021_640Do you have the Bible app YouVersion on your phone?  Over 255 million people from around the world do.  It gives the entire Bible in over 1500 versions and in over 1,000 languages.  (This was originally the project of a church here in Oklahoma.)

The technology gives the YouVersion people lots of data.  They can tell what Bible passages are the most highlighted, bookmarked, and shared with others.  With those criteria, guess what the world’s favorite Bible passage is.  See the answer after the jump.

The link also gives the favorite Bible passages of 88 different countries.  What can you tell about them or about the state of Christianity on the basis of that Bible verse?

UPDATE:  Notice how the world’s favorite Bible verse is about being “called”; that is, it is about vocation!

From Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra, The Favorite Bible Verses of 88 Nations | Gleanings | ChristianityToday.com:

Zechariah 14:9 doesn’t show up often on lists of favorite Bible verses.

“The Lord will be king over the whole earth,” it reads in the New International Version of the Bible. “On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.”

But last year, these words of Zechariah showed up as the top verse on YouVersion with the most highlights, bookmarks, and shares in two countries with little else in common.

People in both Israel and Afghanistan engaged most with it—and so did those in France, Finland, Sweden, Guadeloupe, Belgium, Martinique, and Cyprus.

Overall, the world’s favorite Bible verse in 2016 was Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

It was highlighted, shared, and bookmarked more than any other verse by YouVersion’s users, who have now installed its Bible App on more than 250 million unique devices.

[Keep reading. . .] 

Photo from Pixabay, Creative Commons, Public Domain

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