The Word Became Visuals

How Data Visualization Is Helping Readers Better Understand the Bible

By Helen Gibson

How do you make dense passages of Scripture and theological truths stand out to your congregation?

Technologist Robert Rouse suggests data visualization.

Rouse, creator of the online Bible visualization app called Viz.Bible, recently spoke on this idea at Lifeway’s Faith Leads Tech conference.

Rouse said data visualization—or using images to convey information—connects with people because of our brains’ unique visual processing capability.

“God designed our brains with a special capability to process visual information faster than we can process any other sensory input,” he said. “We can spot patterns, and deviations from those patterns, instantly.”

This makes data visualization a useful tool for ministry, he said.

“We know images capture people’s attention online,” Rouse said. “But 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.”

Early examples

Whether you realize it or not, you’re probably already familiar with some simple examples of biblical data visualization.

Using red font to highlight Jesus’ words in the gospels is one example, Rouse said. Including maps of Paul’s missionary journeys in the back of Bibles is another.

Even the first edition of the King James Bible utilized data visualization, Rouse said.

“This idea isn’t especially new,” Rouse said. “… 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.”

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

“We 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,” he wrote.

“But 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–visual theology.”

Taking it a step further

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.

In Chris Harrison’s 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’s color represents the distance from one reference to another.

“It’s 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,” Rouse said.

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.

“It’s not something you’re going to hear in a sermon; it’s not something that’s going to sell as a part of a small group Bible study, but I firmly believe that if there’s 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,” Rouse said.

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.

“Why would I get tens of thousands of clicks on genealogies?” Rouse said. “It’s because when people can see a story, it takes on new life. It becomes understandable.”

He said data visualization projects like these help us better understand and appreciate God’s plan and provision throughout history.

“By taking this data—these lists of relationships—and 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,” Rouse said.

“We 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’s promise to Abraham to multiply his descendants through the various tribes of Israel.”

This is the heart behind Rouse’s current project, Theographic, which will provide Bible readers with additional context and information as they read, much like a Wikipedia page.

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.

“How do we make this as easy as humanly possible—as easy as technologically possible—to ask new questions and answer those questions?” Rouse said. “Because 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.”

To watch Robert Rouse’s full talk — in addition to 20 other talks, interviews and presentations — purchase the Faith Leads Tech conference recording. To learn more about Faith Leads Tech, explore the conference website.