.Bible becomes new domain of Bible websites

American Bible Society has won the rights to operate .bible, a new top-level domain (called gTLDs) to enter into an arena dominated by .com and .org.

The application process has taken ABS over a year to secure .bible from the International Corporation For Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which it says will be used by ABS and its supporting partners, like the other 145 Bible Societies across the world, to “accelerate global online Bible access and facilitate engagement in ways not previously possible”.

The organisation says it was the only applicant for the .bible TLD and has been preparing for several years to make it happen.

“The goal of making the Bible more accessible has inspired innovation since the 1400s when the printing press was created, so it is not surprising that the Bible would continue to be pushing progress,” said Scott Wennermark, director of strategic advancement for American Bible Society.

“The .bible top-level domain will allow American Bible Society to increase the availability of Bible resources and expand the reach of Scripture in new and relevant ways.”

ABS told Christianity Today that it will limit domain names for new .BIBLE websites to those “who have a healthy respect for the Bible.” The aim is to make it easier for people seeking more information about the Bible to access relevant online information easier and faster, without having to sort through hundreds of irrelevant websites linked to .com and .org. read more