There are millions of people in this country who have never really opened a Bible.
Not necessarily because they’ve rejected it. For many, they’ve simply never been given a reason to begin.
It may be an old book on a shelf, something tucked away in a drawer, or something they’ve encountered at a funeral, wedding or Christmas. But what is actually in it? Why do people still read it? What are the Old and New Testaments? What’s the point of it all?
While Bible sales are up and reached a record high in the UK in 2025, increasing by 134% since 2019, there are many people who will never think of picking up a book that long.
But half an hour on an app? No problem. That’s where Bible Matters comes in.
A Bible people can begin to discover
The Bible is sixty-six books, written over more than a thousand years by many different people — yet it tells one unfolding story.
And what a story.
A book of giants and dragons, Behemoth and Nephilim, good angels and fallen angels in chains, battles and miracles, kingdoms rising and falling, the dead raised to life and walls collapsing at the sound of trumpets.
But this isn’t mythology presented as make-believe.
The Bible is history — a true story of God, humanity and the world we live in.
It begins with a world made good. It tells of innocence lost, of humanity’s rebellion and a world broken. And then, running through generation after generation, comes a promise of rescue.
It asks questions that haven’t gone away:
- Who are we?
- Why are we here?
- What went wrong?
- Is there hope?
The Old Testament lays down the promise and preparation.
The New Testament brings the answer — Jesus Christ, the one who came.
It’s an ancient book, but open it up, and you find a story filled with power, mystery, wonder, tragedy, sacrifice and hope.
But I bet school or Sunday School never told it like this.
The Bible Matters App is being built to help someone who knows little or nothing about the Bible open that door and begin to discover the story for themselves.
The foundations are being laid
We are not launching a finished app. We’re a long way from that.
The work at the moment is largely about laying the foundations.
The full King James Bible text is already running, with the red words of Christ, italicised supplied words, small-capital LORD, and the Hebrew acrostics in Psalm 119 preserved.
We’ve also been building the underlying Bible-study data: cross-references, topical references and fulfilled prophecy. These aren’t simply features to put on a screen. They are part of the foundations that will eventually allow someone to explore how the Bible connects with itself.
graph LR
A[KJV Text] --> B[Cross-reference]
A --> C[Subject reference]
A --> D[Prophetic references]
A --> F[More]
B --> E[Bible reader]
C --> E[Bible reader]
A --> E[Bible reader]
D --> E[Bible reader]
F --> E[Bible reader]Alongside that, the first teaching material is being written.
The introduction to the whole Bible has been drafted. The introductions to the Old and New Testaments have been drafted. Now we’re beginning to work through the books themselves, starting with Genesis and Matthew.
graph LR
A[Bible notes] --> B[Old Testament]
A --> C[New Testament]
B --> D[Genesis]
C --> E[Matthew]
classDef done fill:#2d6a4f,color:#fff
classDef draft fill:#b08d3e,color:#fff
class A,B,C done
class D,E draftFrom here, the work will continue — book by book, chapter by chapter, building a clearer picture of the Bible and its story.
This will take time
There is a lot still to do.
The foundations need extending. The content needs writing, checking and editing. The connections need refining. And the app itself needs to be developed around all of this material.
This is not a project that will be finished in a few months.
It is a work of years.
And that’s why we’re starting to share the journey now.
We want people to see what is being built, understand why we’re building it, and perhaps decide that they would like to be part of it.
More than money
There are several ways to help.
Pray. Pray that the Bible Matters App will eventually help people who have little or no connection with the Bible to discover it.
Follow the journey. Keep up with what we’re building and share it with people who might be interested.
Help with the content. As the project grows, there will be a need for careful editorial help — people who can read, check, question and help us make the material as accurate, clear and useful as possible.
Support the work. The Bible Matters App is intended to be free to the reader. If you believe this is worth building, you can help through a one-off or monthly gift.
We’re still laying foundations.
But every book we work through, every connection we uncover, every piece of teaching we write and every improvement we make brings the project a little closer to its purpose:
helping people who may never walk through a church door discover the Bible.
There’s a lot still to build.
But we’re getting started.