Bible version?

[Anto9us]

I do not know when Daniel was written.

I do not know if Revelation was written in 60's or 90's.

I do not know if Peter actually wrote 1 and 2nd Peter.

I am just trying to get the notes right in the choir - on the music - I can never harmonize all the "commentary notes" in various editions of the Bible

I am not an expert on "Jewish Feasts"

but I know our UMC church has a "Harvest Festival" coming pretty soon...

 

[circuitrider]

I
If Cokesbury chooses to only cater to a very limited audience of ordained clergy, then it probably needs to go fully online. If it wants to diversify its product lines, as Lifeway or Family Christian Stores has done, then it might be successful--and it might have an actual mission in addition to being a business.

You lost me Bryan. I never ever suggested that Cokesbury catered to the limited audience of ordained clergy. And by the way, Family Christian isn't doing well in our market. And Lifeway is simply the Sunday School Board of the SBC repackaged so they can sell SBC stuff to non-Southern Baptists and fool some of them who'd never buy SBC stuff if they knew that is what it was. Not to mention we don't have those stores this far north either.

I would suggest that producing books that say what the customer wants the book to say could be very good business and very very bad theology. I imagine I could write a best seller by telling everyone what they want to hear, by confirming that their political views are right, that American consumerism is God blessed, and that no one needs to change for Jesus. But Joel Osteen beat me to it and is making bucks doing it.

Solid theology isn't only for the ordained and I saw a lot of lay people in our Cokesbury store here in Iowa. Cokesbury catered not to clergy but to United Methodists and other mainline Christians.

Family Christian and Lifeway didn't "diversify." They cater to the same conservative markets they always did. I still can't find a NRSV Bible at our Family Christian.

 

[WiredSpirit]

I really like the CEB and I thought I was the only one. I don't know anyone else at my church that uses it. We have the NRSV in our pews and it is what our current pastor uses, but in the past we've had pastors that primarily used the NIV. My primary study Bible is ESV, but I use the CEB on my phone which is primarily what I use in church.

 

[graceandpeace]

Hey, can anyone help with part of my original post - make a suggestion for a good study Bible & Bible dictionary? I like my NIV study Bible so far, but since I am seeking a UMC maybe a NRSV study Bible of some variety would be helpful? I have read very little in the CEB & did not like it, but maybe if I read more I would change my mind.

 

[circuitrider]

Hey, can anyone help with part of my original post - make a suggestion for a good study Bible & Bible dictionary? I like my NIV study Bible so far, but since I am seeking a UMC maybe a NRSV study Bible of some variety would be helpful? I have read very little in the CEB & did not like it, but maybe if I read more I would change my mind.

If you were looking at CEB I'd recommend the new revision of the Wesley Study Bible. They first made it in NRSV but I think the NRSV version is being discontinued. You may still be able to find the NRSV copy somewhere though, maybe Amazon if not Cokesbury.

 

[Maid Marie]

I have read very little in the CEB & did not like it,...

I'm glad that I am not the only one. It is doing nothing for me. I am stuck in Isaiah and feel like I am walking through quicksand.

 

[GraceSeeker]

I think that the Wesley Study Bible (which is available in both NRSV and CEB) is a pretty good study Bible. But, if you like your NIV study Bible there really is little reason to change. What you are buying with a study Bible is not the text, but the notes. As for the text itself, despite how much we might debate between the various options available today, in some ways it's like debating how long to cook a 3-minute egg. No matter how precise your measuring instrument is, it is still going to be off a little because it takes us anywhere from 3 to 5 seconds to get it out of the pan. And I'll also bet that while you might detect those differences through in-depth analysis, they won't make any real difference at all in your actual enjoyment of and benefit from the final product.

The RSV, NRSV, CEB, NIV, even the KJV are all perfectly adequate translations. More important than worrying about finding the perfect one is to have one that you are comfortable enough with to actually use and then get into God's word. If you've found a Bible that meets that later need, then you've already got the right Bible for you.

But, still, if you are looking for suggestions, the Bible I find myself picking up the most lately when leading a Bible study is the Serendipity Study Bible, it isn't filled with notes like most study Bibles are designed, but rather with questions. And I like that when teaching. You might find you also like that for personal study. You can check out what that look like by just turning to the examples from the pages of scripture in the above link.

 

[circuitrider]

I'd give one word of caution with study Bibles. You should research who wrote the study notes and give some thought if you want their slant on theology whenever you read it.

Just as an example, I think the New Jerusalem Bible is a great translation but the notes most definitely hold a Roman Catholic Theological position. The NIV Study Bible is conservative Evangelical, the Holman Study Bible is Southern Baptist, the Wesley Study Bible is Weslyan/Methodist, the Ryrie study Bible is most certainly from a Premill Dispensational view of the second coming and also pretty much Baptist in orientation.

If you know the author's background you can always use your own mental filter and remember that they may be coming from a different perspective and take some ideas with a grain of salt as necessary. If you want a perspective that already fits your church or theological background that may effect what you want to buy.

Oh, and always remember the study notes are someone's opinion.

 

[GraceSeeker]

Also, if one is wanting something for serious study, I don't recommend a study Bible at all. A study Bible has very limited amount of notes compared to a commentary. And there are lots of commentaries available. Some of them are even called "study bibles", such as William Barclay's very famous "Daily Study Bible." For a layperson, this would have been my suggestion until recently. But today, I believe that N.T. Wright has produced a superior commentary series: "The New Testament for Everyone". His "________ For Everyone" series is really good enough to be used by pastors, and simple enough to, just as the title suggests, be read by everyone.


As for a Bible dictionary, I've been looking for 30+ years and, other than theological dictionaries that I use for word studies, I've yet to find one that I really like. Some that I see being recommended by many, I would caution you to stay away from -- Ungers, Smith's, Baker's -- for the same reason that circuitrider cited with regard to study Bibles above; I can't find myself supporting the theology (or Biblical timelines) that are put forth within them. In my opinion, a dictionary, including a Biblical dictionary, should stick to defining things. Dictionaries are not the place to be making interpretive commentary; yet most Bible dictionaries do just that. If that is what I wanted, I would get a commentary. That's why I recommend a simple Merriam-Webster's dictionary as your "Bible" dictionary and then get a good concordance and a quality commentary.

 

[graceandpeace]

Thanks again for the suggestions!

I had looked at the Wesley Study Bible before, so perhaps I will look into it again.

I can't comment on past NIV Study Bibles, but the one I bought this year & have been reading in (it's the updated NIV version) seems fairly middle of the road in most of the notes. For example, I read their notes on women being silent in the church (I think that was what I had looked at anyway) & they offered the different perspectives held by Christians, which I appreciated compared to the ESV Study Bible I looked at, which was very one-sided no women preaching kind of deal, LOL. Other notes I have come across, however, I have found inadequate for different reasons. Again, it's just notes, so I know I can pick & choose on those.

I really dislike the Bible dictionary I own, so I may look into a commentary. I first heard of N.T. Wright in my previous Church of the Nazarene, so maybe I will have to check out his material.

Anyhow, overall I like the updated NIV so far, but I won't know how I feel entirely until I complete my chronological reading & I am no where near the end. The NRSV has interested me, I just never got into it, but if I join a UMC (which my family is likely to do if we find one we really enjoy), then I kind of would like to read from whatever translation they use most. So far with ones I have visited, it has been NRSV.

 

[Maid Marie]

The Study Bible that I love is the NLT Chronological Life Application Study Bible - the notes are in color, have lots of archaeological notes and I like the application notes. Plus as a historian, I love the chronological nature.