Hopkins App Developer Looks at Bible’s Seedier Side

Sunday school classes aren’t necessarily the best preparation for prevailing in White Buffalo Solutions’ Bible trivia apps. One of the company’s products—The Bible Drama Exercises—is rated 12+ on iTunes and includes titillating categories such as “gruesome executions,” “rape and incest” and “prostitutes.”

Owner Sue Metoxen is both a Bible trivia freak and someone who has had a long-time desire to be a computer programmer. Today, she is combining both into a part-time business she runs out of her Hopkins home.

“I have always enjoyed Bible trivia—not the kind that focuses in on passages, but more the history which they Bible conveys. I think that is much more interesting,” she said. “As I said, I wanted something rather exciting and not what people usually think of when they think of Bible passages.”

White Buffalo Solutions has been in business since the summer of 2010—designing apps for iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch. Next month will mark a year since the introduction of its first app.

The company has had “several thousand downloads” since it introduced that app. Today, White Buffalo offers five apps and hopes to introduce several more during the coming year.

“We have for the most part, offered the first group of apps for free, but plan to—like almost all apps designers—begin charging a very reasonable fee for downloading one of our apps,” Metoxen said.

Currently, the company charges for two apps: The Bible Drama Exercises and Christian Meditation, both of which cost 99 cents.

Since many of the apps deal with subjects that don’t come up in kids’ Sunday school classes, Metoxen is sensitive to the fact much of the subject matter is suited for adults and clearly states the topics in advance.

But White Buffalo’s untraditional take on Christianity isn’t limited to titillating subjects. The Christian Mathematician is a series of devotionals written by a Christian math professor that connects Christianity and math, along with quizzes to test math prowess.

On the other hand, Christian Meditation and other categories in The Bible Drama Exercises offer a more-familiar look at the Bible.  

White Buffalo has spread into non-religious subjects. It has a free app about the Minneapolis lakes system and is in the midst of designing a comparable one for Lake Minnetonka. Both give information on the lakes—including attractions, directions and key recreational spots.

“We have a couple of other subject areas we are just beginning to look into,” Metoxen said.

She works full-time in the health insurance field, so White Buffalo Solutions is a part-time activity for her.

The company’s name comes from the Native American belief that a white buffalo is a symbol of good luck. Her husband, Bob, a newscaster for Minnesota News Network back in the 1990s, is a member of the St. Croix Ojibwa tribe anddid voiceover for the Christian Meditation app. Today, he is a Minneapolis Park Police officer.

Metoxen’s son Shane Smith—a 23-year-old recent graduate of the University of St. Thomas and programming wiz—has been very helpful in getting the business launched.

“Generally, we are pleased with the way things have gone,” Metoxen said.