Tag: Holman

CSB He Reads Truth Bible

~ Bob Hayton ~ 1 Comment

The CSB He Reads Truth Bible is here and it is a joy to hold. This Bible is designed to draw the reader in — in to the Word. The aim of “He Reads Truth” is for men to read the Bible daily. See HeReadsTruth.com for an app, Bible reading plans and a blog designed to draw men into God’s Word. This new Bible serves the same purpose. (As a side-note, there are also She Reads Truth and Kids Read Truth Bibles too, but this one is for men!)

The He Reads Truth Bible is presented in a minimalist and clean way. There are study tools and organizational helps embedded throughout, but they don’t take pride of place over the scripture text itself. White space abounds (wide margins and lots of room around the graphs, lists and study helps) and is available for personal note-taking or to keep things clear. The maps and timelines have an artsy, almost blueprint-type feel. The lists and mini-articles are clear and to-the-point. The grouping of the books that make up the Bible is emphasized by a color-coding according to type/genre (although the genre is quite generic and at the book level, and I don’t know why the Major and Minor Prophets have a different color when their description only differs by one word). I also appreciated the cloth-like cover provided for the hardbound version I have, as well as its two ribbons (for marking where you are reading).

The most useful features of this Bible are the key verses (one for each book of the Bible), and the reading plans. The key verse is found at the beginning of each biblical book and is artistically represented (calligraphy highlights the key message of the verse). The 66 verses are also helpfully collected at the end of the Bible. As for the reading plans, I appreciate how each book has its own (undated) plan that is supplemented with readings from other parts of Scripture, because “The Bible is a complete work in which many stories combine to tell one story…. the additional passages [help you] to discover how the whole of Scripture works together” (from the “Read and Understand” section of each book of the Bible). There is also a whole-year (dated) Bible reading plan at the end (Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s classic plan).

The translation used is the Christian Standard Bible (CSB): an evangelical translation that aims to make God’s Word understandable through an “optimally equivalent” translation (roughly standing between the looser paraphrase style of the New Living Translation, and the rough literal translation of the New American Standard Bible). You can learn more about the CSB translation by reading this interview with the publisher (Trevin Wax), checking out the FAQ page at CSBible.com, or reading this helpful review.

I am looking forward to using the He Reads Truth Bible in the future, and encouraging others to give it a try. May the format and design be a help to bring others into a more regular reading of God’s Word!

For more on the He Reads Truth Bible, I recommend this short video clip from Lifeway. You can also check out HeReadsTruthBible.com.

You can win a free copy of this new resource through a giveaway at my blog, now through June 20th. Enter here.

Purchase a copy of He Reads Truth Bible at Lifeway.com, Christianbook.com, Amazon.com, or direct from Holman Bible Publishers.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by the publisher. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a positive review.

“CSB Day by Day Chronological Bible” with Daily Readings by George Guthrie

~ Bob Hayton ~ Leave a comment

Holman Bible Publishers will soon be releasing the Day by Day Chronological Bible. The brown imitation leather edition is being launched later this month. Now through January 25, there is an opportunity for one of my readers to win a free copy of this Bible, compliments of the publisher. Enter the giveaway here.

Have you ever read the Bible through in a chronological order? You may not know that the books of our English Bibles are not arranged chronologically. Genesis through 2 Kings are mostly in chronological order, and Ezra through Esther are from roughly the same time-frame: but the arrangement of the Old Testament books are made by type (law, history, poetry and prophecy) rather than time. Daniel comes before Hosea, but was written later. Ezra comes a few books before Isaiah, but is closer to Haggai and Malachi’s era. The Gospels often tell the same story three (or four) different times, and are followed by Acts: but the rest of the New Testament is composed of letters grouped according to author.

In the Day by Day Chronological Bible, the Old Testament books are given in their chronological order (with respect to the historical unfolding of God’s dealings with Israel). Psalms and Proverbs are interspersed throughout (where their theme complements that day’s reading). The prophetic books appear in the time periods when the prophet was ministering. For example, Isaiah has some sections which describe King Hezekiah’s interactions with the Assyrians. These sections are parallel with similar accounts in both 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles. The three accounts appear together in this Bible. Also, since Isaiah had a long ministry which overlapped with other prophets, the book of Micah is found in its entirety within the Isaiah readings in this Bible. (On another note, Isaiah 40-66 is treated as written by Isaiah in the same time period – which is in line with most conservative interpreters). For the New Testament, the Gospel accounts that describe the same events are arranged together, and the epistles are interspersed with Acts in the order of when they were likely written.

Reading the Bible chronologically gives a fresh perspective and is quite enjoyable. This endeavor is made much easier when you use a “day by day” Bible like this one. The chronological arrangement of the books of the Bible is spread out and divided into daily readings. Each reading is numbered in two separate ways. First, there are 52 weeks of readings, with 7 days per week. (The Bible text is actually divided into just 6 textual readings per week, so if you miss a reading it is easy to catch up.) Then the readings are also arranged according to acts and scenes. There are three acts: God’s Plan for All People (Gen. 1 – 11), God’s Covenant People (Gen. 12 – Mal. 4), and God’s New Covenant People (Matt. 1 – Rev. 22). The acts are further divided into scenes, with readings making up the content of those scenes. A final word about the arrangement: the readings are numbered and not dated. This means you can pick up this new Bible in February or June and start reading it then (no need to wait for January 1).

What makes this particular edition especially helpful are the guided readings by Dr. George Guthrie (Professor of New Testament at Regent College, Vancouver and author of several commentaries – learn more about him here). Guthrie introduces each week’s reading plan, and each individual day’s reading – highlighting themes to be looking for and points to pray or meditate over. His thoughts are typically a short paragraph or two to get you going with that day’s reading. He provides somewhat longer introductions for each act and brief introductions for each scene as well. Aside from these introductions, there are no additional study helps outside of a Scripture index and a few maps in the back.

The look and feel of this Bible is really nice, and the text is uncluttered and easy to read (9 point font). Often daily reading Bibles don’t get the royal treatment. And while this is not actually leather, the brown imitation “leathertouch” feels like the real thing and is nice enough to bring along on Sunday morning. There are two ribbon bookmarks which is nice (but do you need two if you are following the daily reading?). I absolutely love the single column text with a nice wide margin. My main critique is that there are no footnotes or cross references. The CSB Bible normally comes with footnotes that provide additional information about the Greek text and alternative renderings, and many editions have cross references. Perhaps it was determined that notes and references get in the way of just reading the text day by day. I can sympathize with that, and a Bible like this may be aimed more for those new to Bible reading. But I still miss the notes, and feel that readers miss out on the inter-textual parallels that the cross references provide.

The Christian Standard Bible (CSB) text is noticeably improved from the earlier Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) of which it is a revision. I never liked the free use of “Yahweh” to refer to the LORD, and it seems the translation “Messiah” was inconsistently applied (used only in Jewish contexts). These idiosyncrasies have been abandoned for more mainstream translation choices, and the publisher’s name was removed from the work as well. This translation aims to be both readable and literal (using “optimal equivalence“) and compares well with the ESV, my translation of choice.

I highly recommend this exceptional Bible. It provides a user-friendly tool for reading the Bible chronologically with understanding. May it encourage people to read the Bible more and enlighten them on the big picture of what the Bible is really all about.

For more information on the Day by Day Chronological Bible, see this interview with George Guthrie on reading the Bible chronologically, and check out the sample daily readings in the images included in the ChristianBook.com product page. For more information on the CSB Bible translation, see this interview with the publisher (Trevin Wax), check out the FAQ page at CSBible.com, or read this helpful review.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by the publisher. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a positive review.

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In the Box: New Titles from Broadman & Holman and Baker Academic

~ Bob Hayton ~ 3 Comments

“In the Box” posts highlight new books I’ve received in the mail.

It is time to showcase a few of the titles to arrive at my doorstep in the last few weeks. I’m truly blessed to be able to read so many great books, and Christian publishers seem to never let up in their race to get high quality materials out the door. We are truly blessed with an abundance of Christian resources to help us in our walk with Christ.

Apologetics Study Bible for Students edited by Sean McDowell (Broadman & Holman)

This study Bible promises to “ground Christian students in the truths of Scripture by equipping them with thoughtful and practical responses to difficult and heartfelt challenges to core issues of faith and life.” . The format is attractive and handy, with tabs for finding Bible books and attractive knowledge articles for exploration. Study Notes, “Twisted Scripture” snippets, archaeological notes, notable quotes, apologetic tactics/strategies, and personal stories are some of the features that may equip young readers. With a few preteens of my own, I’m hoping this resource will be a benefit to my children and look forward to examining this more closely in the weeks to come.

To learn more about this book, visit apologeticsbible.com and click on “Student Edition ASB,” or check out the preview available at , Amazon, Christianbook.com or Broadman & Holman.

The Pastor as Public Theologian: Reclaiming a Lost Vision by Kevin J. VanHoozer and Owen Strachan (Baker Academic)

A book endorsed by both Tim Keller and Eugene Peterson deserves your attention. The theme of this book backs up Peterson’s assessment: “This is a timely, more than timely–urgent–book.” Reuniting theology and pastoring certainly seems like an urgent task today and the blueprint provided in this book by one of the foremost evangelical theologians is both optimistic and helpful. The personal comments by twelve pastors sprinkled throughout the book add a special poignancy and bring the vision down to earth. This looks good and I can’t wait to delve in deeper.

To learn more about this book, visit the book detail page at Baker Academic, or check out the preview available at Westminster Bookstore, Amazon, or Christianbook.com.