Terms of Service

1. Agreement to Terms

Welcome to TheoScriptura. These Terms of Service ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("User," "you," or "your") and TheoScriptura ("Company," "we," "us," or "our") governing your access to and use of the TheoScriptura application, website, and related services (collectively, the "Service").

By creating an account, accessing, or using our Service, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not access or use our Service.

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. We will notify you of material changes by email and/or prominent notice on our Service. Your continued use of the Service after such modifications constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms.

2. Eligibility

To use our Service, you must:

• Be at least 13 years of age (or the minimum age of digital consent in your jurisdiction)
• Have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement
• Not be prohibited from using the Service under applicable law
• Provide accurate and complete registration information

If you are under 18, you represent that your parent or legal guardian has reviewed and agreed to these Terms on your behalf.

3. Account Registration and Security

3.1 Account Creation

To access certain features of our Service, you must create an account. When registering, you agree to:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete information
• Maintain and promptly update your account information
• Keep your password secure and confidential
• Not share your account credentials with others
• Notify us immediately of any unauthorized account access

3.2 Account Responsibility

You are solely responsible for all activities that occur under your account. We are not liable for any loss or damage arising from unauthorized use of your account. You may not transfer your account to another person without our prior written consent.

3.3 Account Termination

You may delete your account at any time through your account settings or by contacting support@theoscriptura.com. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, engage in prohibited activities, or remain inactive for an extended period (12+ months for free accounts).

4. Service Description

TheoScriptura is an AI-powered Bible study application that provides:

• Bible Reading: Access to 8 translations including LSV, BSB, WEB, ASV, YLT, KJV, NHEB, and Darby (all public domain)
• AI-Powered Insights: Verse explanations, cross-references, word studies, and contextual analysis
• Personal Study Tools: Notes, highlights, bookmarks, and journaling with rich text editing
• Reading Plans: Curated and custom reading plans with progress tracking
• Community Features: Study groups with real-time chat, forums, and shared notes
• Gamification: Reading streaks, achievements, challenges, and leaderboards
• Offline Access: Download translations and content for offline study

Features and availability may vary by subscription tier. We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any aspect of the Service at any time.

5. Subscription Plans and Payment

5.1 Subscription Tiers

TheoScriptura offers the following subscription options:

• Free Tier: Basic access with 5 AI questions per day (10 when signed up), 1 reading plan, join 1 study group
• Plus Tier ($7.49/month founding, $9.99/month regular): 20 questions per day, 5 reading plans, join 3 study groups, offline reading, full conversation history
• Scholar Tier ($18.74/month founding, $24.99/month regular): 50 questions per day, unlimited reading plans, create/join unlimited study groups, priority support, early access to features

5.2 Billing and Payment

• All payments are processed securely through Stripe
• Monthly subscriptions are billed at the beginning of each billing cycle
• Annual subscriptions (if offered) are billed once per year
• All prices are in USD unless otherwise specified
• Prices are exclusive of applicable taxes, which will be added at checkout
• You authorize us to charge your payment method for all fees incurred

5.3 Price Changes

We reserve the right to modify subscription prices. For existing subscribers, price changes will take effect at the next billing cycle following 30 days' notice. Lifetime purchases are not subject to price changes.

5.4 Cancellation and Refunds

• Cancellation: You may cancel your subscription at any time through your account settings. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period.
• Refunds: Monthly subscriptions are non-refundable. Annual subscriptions may be eligible for a prorated refund within the first 30 days. Lifetime purchases are refundable within 14 days of purchase if the service has not been substantially used.
• Downgrades: If you downgrade from a paid tier, you retain access to paid features until the end of your current billing period.

5.5 Failed Payments

If a payment fails, we will attempt to charge your payment method again and notify you via email. After multiple failed attempts, your subscription may be suspended or downgraded to the free tier.

6. User Content

6.1 Your Content

"User Content" includes any content you create, upload, or share through the Service, including notes, highlights, journal entries, forum posts, study group messages, and shared insights.

You retain ownership of your User Content. By submitting User Content, you grant us a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, store, display, and distribute your content solely for the purpose of operating and improving the Service.

6.2 Content Standards

You agree that your User Content will not:

• Violate any applicable law or regulation
• Infringe on intellectual property rights of others
• Contain hateful, discriminatory, or harassing content
• Include spam, malware, or malicious code
• Impersonate others or misrepresent your affiliation
• Violate our Community Guidelines

6.3 Content Moderation

We reserve the right to review, edit, or remove any User Content that violates these Terms or our Community Guidelines. We are not obligated to monitor all content but may do so at our discretion.

7. AI-Powered Features

7.1 AI Disclaimer

Our AI-powered features are designed to assist and enhance your Bible study experience. However, you acknowledge and agree that:

• AI May Produce Errors: AI-generated content may contain factual errors, theological inaccuracies, misattributed quotes, or completely fabricated information
• Not Professional Advice: AI insights are not a substitute for pastoral guidance, scholarly study, professional theological counsel, or advice from ordained clergy
• Verify Everything: You should independently verify all theological conclusions, historical claims, and scriptural interpretations with trusted pastors, teachers, and established resources
• Computational Analysis Only: AI responses represent computational pattern matching and text analysis, not divine revelation, prophetic insight, or authoritative doctrinal interpretation
• No Pastoral Functions: AI cannot and does not provide pastoral care, spiritual direction, confession, absolution, counseling, or any function traditionally requiring ordained ministry or human spiritual discernment
• Life Decisions: Do not make significant life decisions (regarding marriage, career, finances, health, relationships, or major commitments) based solely on AI-generated content

7.2 Usage Limits

AI features are subject to daily usage limits based on your subscription tier. These limits reset at midnight UTC. We reserve the right to modify these limits to ensure fair access and system stability.

7.3 Acceptable Use of AI

You agree not to use our AI features to generate content that violates these Terms, attempt to circumvent usage limits, or exploit the AI system in any harmful way.

7.4 Ask Questions Feature

The "Ask Bible Questions" feature provides AI-generated answers grounded in Scripture and trusted theologians. By using this feature, you acknowledge and agree that:

• AI Disclosure: Answers are generated by artificial intelligence, not humans
• Data Collection: We collect and store questions, answers, and usage data to operate and improve the service
• Account Association: When you create an account, prior usage may be associated with your account
• Usage Limits: The feature is subject to usage limits to ensure fair access
• Educational Purpose: Answers are for educational purposes only and do not constitute professional theological or pastoral advice

We may use anonymized, aggregate data to improve our services. We do not sell your individual questions to third parties.

8. Intellectual Property

8.1 Our Intellectual Property

The Service, including its design, features, functionality, code, graphics, logos, and trademarks, is owned by TheoScriptura and protected by intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, or lease any part of our Service without our prior written consent.

8.2 Bible Translations

Bible translations available through our Service:

• Literal Standard Version (LSV): © 2020 Covenant Press. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
• Berean Standard Bible (BSB): Public Domain (CC0) since April 30, 2023.
• World English Bible (WEB): Public Domain. “World English Bible” is a trademark of eBible.org.
• American Standard Version (ASV): Public Domain (copyright expired 1957).
• Young's Literal Translation (YLT): Public Domain (published 1898, pre-1923).
• New Heart English Bible (NHEB): Public Domain. Dedicated by Wayne A. Mitchell.
• Darby Translation: Public Domain (published 1890, pre-1923).
• King James Version (KJV): Public Domain in the United States. In the United Kingdom, rights are vested in the Crown and administered by Cambridge University Press under royal prerogative.

Note: Copyrighted translations (ESV, NIV, NASB, NLT, NKJV) are not available through our Service.

8.3 Feedback

If you provide feedback, suggestions, or ideas about our Service, you grant us an unlimited, irrevocable, royalty-free license to use such feedback for any purpose without compensation to you.

9. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

• Use the Service for any illegal purpose or in violation of any laws
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the Service
• Interfere with or disrupt the Service or servers
• Use automated systems (bots, scrapers) to access the Service without permission
• Reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble any part of the Service
• Circumvent any security measures or usage limits
• Harass, abuse, or harm other users
• Use the Service to distribute malware or spam
• Impersonate TheoScriptura, its employees, or other users
• Use the Service in any way that could damage our reputation or goodwill
• Create multiple accounts to evade restrictions or bans

10. Disclaimers

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

We do not warrant that:

• The Service will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free
• AI-generated content will be accurate, complete, or reliable
• The Service will meet your specific requirements
• Any defects will be corrected

Your use of the Service is at your sole risk. We are not responsible for any spiritual, theological, or personal decisions you make based on content provided through the Service.

11. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THEOSCRIPTURA AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, USE, OR GOODWILL, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE.

In no event shall our total liability exceed the greater of (a) the amount you paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim, or (b) $100 USD.

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless TheoScriptura and its officers, directors, employees, contractors, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or related to: (a) your use of the Service; (b) your User Content; (c) your violation of these Terms; or (d) your violation of any rights of another party.

13. Dispute Resolution

13.1 Informal Resolution

Before filing any legal claim, you agree to contact us at support@theoscriptura.com and attempt to resolve the dispute informally for at least 30 days.

13.2 Arbitration Agreement

Any dispute not resolved informally shall be resolved by binding arbitration in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association. The arbitration shall be conducted in English, and the arbitrator's decision shall be final and binding.

13.3 Arbitration Opt-Out

You may opt out of the arbitration agreement by sending written notice to support@theoscriptura.com within 30 days of first agreeing to these Terms. Your notice must include your name, email address associated with your account, and a clear statement that you wish to opt out of the arbitration agreement. If you opt out, you and TheoScriptura agree to resolve any disputes exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Delaware.

13.4 Small Claims Court

Notwithstanding the arbitration agreement, either party may bring an individual action in small claims court for disputes within the court's jurisdiction.

13.5 Class Action Waiver

You agree to resolve disputes with us on an individual basis and waive any right to participate in a class action lawsuit or class-wide arbitration.

13.6 Exceptions

Either party may seek injunctive relief in court for intellectual property infringement or unauthorized access to the Service.

14. General Provisions

14.1 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, United States, without regard to conflict of law principles.

14.2 Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and Community Guidelines, constitute the entire agreement between you and TheoScriptura regarding the Service.

14.3 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

14.4 Waiver

Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision.

14.5 Assignment

You may not assign or transfer these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign our rights and obligations without restriction.

14.6 Force Majeure

Neither party shall be liable for any failure or delay in performing their obligations under these Terms due to circumstances beyond their reasonable control, including but not limited to: acts of God, natural disasters, war, terrorism, riots, embargoes, acts of civil or military authorities, fire, floods, accidents, pandemics, strikes, shortages of transportation, facilities, fuel, energy, labor, or materials, failure of third-party AI service providers, cyberattacks, or interruption of internet services.

15. Copyright and DMCA Policy

We respect the intellectual property rights of others and expect users to do the same. If you believe that your copyrighted work has been copied in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, please provide our designated copyright agent with the following information:

• A physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or authorized agent
• Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed
• Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing, with sufficient detail for us to locate it
• Your contact information (address, telephone number, and email)
• A statement that you have a good faith belief that the use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law
• A statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notification is accurate and that you are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner

Send DMCA notices to: support@theoscriptura.com with "DMCA Notice" in the subject line.

We may terminate the accounts of users who are determined to be repeat infringers.

16. Contact Information

For questions about these Terms, please contact us:

• Email: support@theoscriptura.com