Back in my high school days, my family attended the old Midtown Church of Christ in Fort Worth, Texas.

Most every Sunday, minister Jim Hackney made the same request before he preached.

“Hold up your swords!” he’d say, and we’d all raise our Bibles to show that we brought them.

Those were the days, of course, before PowerPoint sermons with Scripture references shown on a big screen at the front of the auditorium.

And, yes, those were the days before technology made it possible to view the entire Bible — and quickly look up specific books and verses — on handheld phones.

In those days, a worn-out Bible with a battered leather cover and crinkled pages gave you a pretty good indication that the owner had spent quality time “in the Word.”

A “sword” that looked new and shiny, with no creases or dog-eared pages, wasn’t necessarily a badge of honor.

But can we make the same generalization today?

The Christian Chronicle ran a small item last month about church members in Abilene, Texas, bringing their iPhones and Blackberrys to worship.

As the Abilene Reporter-News explained, members at the Southern Hills church don’t use the phones to send text messages during the sermon. Instead, they take notes and access online versions of the Bible.

“When it gets a little darker, you can look around and see these little glows where people are … looking up Bible passages,” minister Phil Ware told the Reporter-News.

Is that progress? Or would you prefer the ruffling of pages to the tapping on tiny computer screens?

I must acknowledge that I find the Bible on my iPhone so convenient.

Outside of church, I do most of my Bible reading that way because my iPhone fits so easily in my hand. The ancient words seem to jump to life in a hip new technology. Moreover, the online Bible is accessible in a multitude of translations, from the King James Version to the Message, although I typically choose the New International Version.

But on Sunday, I take my regular Bible and — when the preacher refers to it — act like finding Habakkuk amid a few thousand razor-thin pages is no problem.

However, I can imagine a point in the not-so-distant future when online Bible reading becomes more widely understood. Maybe then I could use my iPhone at church without drawing too many curious glances.

Then again, I have to ask, would the temptation to check my e-mail or change my Facebook status be too great if the sermon drifted off into a, shall we say, less-than-compelling mode?

And, is there something more sacred about God’s word on a simple sheet of paper than on a computer screen?

Bailey McBride, an Oklahoma Christian University professor and the Chronicle’s editor emeritus, keeps more than 30 Bibles in his office. These are Bibles that Bailey has collected over the years, and he sometimes shares them with students who read exclusively online.

Besides just viewing God’s word, Bailey explains, he wants students to have the experience of holding it in their hands.

Back to my high school story: Several years ago, the Midtown church relocated to the north part of Fort Worth and became the Heritage Church of Christ, with a Keller mailing address.

After 30 years, Jim Hackney remains the preacher. As I wrote this, I gave Jim a call to see if he still asks church members to show their swords.

“Did it last Sunday,” he said with a chuckle. But these days, some members — particularly “the techies,” he said — hold up their phone instead of a Bible.

Jim, who read the entire Bible on his laptop for the first time last year, said he has no problem with that. “I could care less if it’s electronic or if it’s on paper,” he said.

In fact, Jim uses the online social networking site Facebook to solicit feedback and ideas for sermons. Often, he’ll share members’ comments with the entire congregation.

If he could figure out a helpful, non-disruptive way to do it, Jim said, he’d even consider using text messaging or “tweets” on Twitter.com to allow audience questions and observations during the sermon.

But while the technological revolution doesn’t bother him, Jim does voice concern about one thing. He sees fewer swords in the pews — traditional or otherwise — than he once did.

“Putting the text on the screen, I think, has taken away a little from people bringing their Bibles,” he said.

If I might make a request on Jim’s behalf, please don’t forget your sword next Sunday — and if it’s the electronic kind, try to remember to turn off the ringer.