This will be the first of many book reviews I plan on doing from my recommended reading list. I felt it was appropriate to start with the bible. I'm not going to take time here to debate the value of reading the bible or its authenticity. That's a subject for a whole other discussion...
The bible that I use 90% of the time is an NIV Thinline Bible. My current one has a black faux leather cover. I'm pretty sure Christy got me this one when we were in Phoenix a few years back. The first one I had completely wore out. They are not exactly high quality, but the price is right. It's not too big for carrying around; in fact it'll fit into the back pocket of a pair of Levi's. It has some cross references down a center column that are convenient. It also has a limited concordance in the back. For underlining in it, I use a ruler, just to keep things neat.
My choice for a study bible is the Life In the Spirit Study Bible. The study notes are written from a pentecostal perspective and pretty helpful. It was originally published as the Full Life Study Bible.
I also like the notation in the Dake Study Bible. Finish Dake was very thorough in his work, and it has 35,000 commentary notes, and 500,000 cross references.
Another favorite is the Key Word Study Bible. It has the key words numbered, which links to a Greek/Hebrew dictionary in the back. It's a very handy reference guide for seeing some of the original language.
The final bible on my list is the Wuest translation of the New Testament. Kenneth Wuest was a noted Greek scholar and his work is a literal translation of the Greek language. It's a little hard to just sit and read, because he follows the original sentence structure. It almost seems like you are reading the verse backwards at times. But, it's a great resource!
Okay... So there's the list. But, the key is not which bible, but do we actually read it? The average American Christian home has 8 to 12 bibles in it. Most of those are covered in dust and just there for show. And more than just reading it, do we apply it's principles to our lives?
3 comments:
Cool! I forgot about Wuest - I think I may find a copy of that for myself!
I look forward to reading your reviews. By the way, like the new site theme - readable, fresh. I'm not a fan of the little diamonds on the links at the right, but that's my belly button...
1. i really enjoyed this stuff. thanks for this.
2. after bible i would sugest you to read quran too and then write your honest thoughts about it.
3. i personally think keeping sacred books like bible in back pockets doesn't seem appropriate. we must give respect to the books sent by ALLAH.
4. you are absolutely right in saying that we need to apply god-given principles in our lives.
good article.
mansoor
Another question to ask, does the bible read us?
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