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theoblank

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Show HN: I made a new kind of Bible app

sparkbible.com
347 points·by theoblank·5 anni fa·253 comments

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theatlantic.com
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npr.org
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1 points·by theoblank·5 anni fa·0 comments

comments

theoblank
·5 anni fa·discuss
I use HEY for all my personal email now too. I definitely believe it's a step in the right direction.
theoblank
·5 anni fa·discuss
Very cool. Somehow I've never seen Catena before.
theoblank
·5 anni fa·discuss
Sure. Essentially all the videos, topics, and any new type of resources added in the future have Bible reference(s) set (this happens via admin controls). This is another big reason content has to be manually reviewed before allowing it to show up in the app.
theoblank
·5 anni fa·discuss
Sorry, just realized that my comment above had confusingly poor grammar.
theoblank
·5 anni fa·discuss
No, from my list I’m currently paying for licensing on the NIV, ESV, and NRSV.
theoblank
·5 anni fa·discuss
There is a basic web version if you visit https://sparkbible.com/read. I built it mainly for SEO purposes, but eventually I do see it having feature parity with the other apps.
theoblank
·5 anni fa·discuss
It's actually all built from scratch. I'm not very familiar with Crosswire but will look into it some more.
theoblank
·5 anni fa·discuss
My approach will likely improve over time, but for now it is based on a few main factors. 1) Is the content primarily concerned with teaching the Bible? 2) Does the teaching fall within what is broadly considered orthodox? 3) Is it a good "fit" for the UX of the app?

By "fit" I mostly mean duration. If there is a good sermon, but it's 45 min long, then it may not be approved. Since people are actively reading the Bible, ideally a video will say something meaningful and specific about a Bible passage without taking too long (<5 mins).
theoblank
·5 anni fa·discuss
Thanks! Can you clarify what type of taxonomy you're asking about?
theoblank
·5 anni fa·discuss
That's a good point; I appreciate that perspective.
theoblank
·5 anni fa·discuss
UPDATE: I just made the app available to all countries.
theoblank
·5 anni fa·discuss
UPDATE: I just made the app available to all countries.
theoblank
·5 anni fa·discuss
UPDATE: I just made the app available to all countries. Not sure how long until that change is propagated by the App Stores, but you can try soon.
theoblank
·5 anni fa·discuss
Sorry about that. I'm working to make it available in more countries ASAP.
theoblank
·5 anni fa·discuss
I have an admin back-end that allows for reviewing, editing metadata, and then approving resources. Once approved new videos get pulled into the app via an API without requiring an app update.
theoblank
·5 anni fa·discuss
It is currently mostly resources from Protestant teachers (iirc Yale has some good videos on there that include back & forth discussion from both Protestant and Catholic scholars). This is driven mostly by my familiarity with Protestant resources, but I believe it's also true there's less video content available for Catholic or Orthodox teaching that focuses particularly on the Bible (correct me if I'm wrong). I think it would be great for people to have resources from a variety of faith traditions though.
theoblank
·5 anni fa·discuss
Sorry about that. I'm still working to expand it to more countries.
theoblank
·5 anni fa·discuss
Thanks for pointing those out! I'll add to the todo list.

Yes, I definitely plan to add deuterocanonical books at some point, although I think it's low priority for the average Bible reader. It does add a good bit of technical complexity since there's conditional logic involved if you expand outside the Protestant canon.
theoblank
·5 anni fa·discuss
Thanks—cool idea! I could definitely see it used as a platform for other texts.
theoblank
·5 anni fa·discuss
While this could very well change as the app evolves, my current vision is that Spark Bible bridges the gap between a normal Bible app and more academic tools like Logos. I would like for people to experience the same ideas that a biblical scholar has via studying commentaries and Greek/Hebrew using Logos, but without having to go to seminary. Organizations like BibleProject and many seminaries are making some great educational content freely available online, which in large part gave birth to this idea.