Bibles Books - Page 4

The Message: The Bible In Contemporary Language, Burgundy Bonded Leather

Eugene H. Peterson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 58 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

The Message 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book is an excellent contemporary version of the Bible. The language helps to better understand the meaning of the text. The print is really small, I wish I had purchased a larger version.

Smaller in Size Than Anticipated 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The Message Bible is really great, however, I was a little disappointed that it was so small. I don't remember when I ordered that it mentioned the size of the Bible and when I received it, I was very surprised with the small size. I could not read the small print without reading glasses (I do not require prescription glasses) and it's still hard to read. I will enjoy the content of The Message, but will have difficulty because it is so small. I caution others who are ordering to make sure that it is not the extra small size that I purchased, unless they are looking for a pocket-size Bible.

The Message Bible 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The Bible itself is wonderful. The only problem is that the print is REALLY small.

The Message 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I was dissappointed with the size of the Bibles. Maybe I had missed that in the ad. All else was fine.

Editorial Review:

Take the life-changing words of The Message wherever you go in this convenient pocket-sized edition.

Holy Bible: King James Version, Complete

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 32 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Feeling Like a Horse's Patoot 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I'm extremely dissatisfied with this product! I bought it thinking James Earl Jones would read the Bible with his signature slow, rich voice and I didn't notice he'd only be reading the New Testament. Unfortunately, Mr. Jones and Jon Sherberg, who reads the Old Testament, both race through the sacred texts as if the recording studio was on fire. Mr. Sherberg adds insult to injury by his flamboyant delivery ~ "eevill" a la Mike Meyer and other dramatic flourishes. With hindsight, I wouldn't buy an audio Bible without being able to listen to part of it first because you can't return CDs once they're opened. So I'm just out about $50 because I don't even know anyone who'd want this dud! FYI: Johnny Cash has an audio reading of the New Testament that's excellent. I just wish he'd done the Old Testament....

Editorial Review:

The vocal talents of two of the world’s most gifted artists combine in service to the most popular book of all time, resulting in the Complete Audio Holy Bible on compact disc. Exalt in the Word, as every syllable of the King James Old and New Testaments are brought to life, providing hours of inspirational listening.

- Jon Sherberg reads the entire Old Testament (KJV). Having worked with everyone from gospel singer Scott Wesley Brown to Oscar® winner Sir Ben Kingsley, Jon Sherberg brings his rich theatrical background to the forefront, with this masterful recitation of all 39 of the books of the Old Testament.
- Oscar®-nominated, Emmy- and Tony Award-winning actor James Earl Jones lends his celebrated vocal talents to this distinctive reading of the complete, unabridged text of the New Testament.

The Case for the Real Jesus: A Journalist Investigates Current Attacks on the Identity of Christ

Lee Strobel

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Total reviews: 71 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Disingenuous 1 out of 5 stars.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.

This is the second Lee Strobel book I have read. It is clear, as many people have pointed out, that even though Lee presents himself as a seeker who is earnestly trying to find the truth, this is a facade.

As a thinking Christian, I have been troubled by many of the issues Lee brings up in his books. I have yet found no simple answers. Yes, research has shown that Mithras was basically an A.D. Religion. But other mystery religions are not so easily dismissed.

The fact that Lee interviews one side, and declares them the winner, is disingenuous to me. A true investigative journalist would interview both sides, and then decide. It is even clear from his "thoughts", as he is interviewing people, that he already has decided the outcome.

One specific example that irritates me: Was Isaiah 7:14 a messianic prophecy? "A young woman(virgin) will conceive and bring forth a son...". Anyone who has studied the context of this prophesy knows that this was specifically intended for the IMMEDIATE future. Not for Jesus born 700 years later. There's no way around this(unless you believe in dual prophecy). Michael Brown responds to the challenge by saying "No one knows what this prophecy exactly meant". Yet Lee Strobel accepts this explanation!!!! HUH?!! How in the world could you accept this explanation, if you were truly undecided. The only way is, you already have your mind made up.

Bottom line is, you can be for or against something. But please be upfront, and don't pretend to undecided, when in fact, you are not.

Editorial Review:

From college classrooms to bestselling books to the Internet, the historic picture of Jesus is under an intellectual onslaught. This fierce attack on the traditional portrait of Christ has confused spiritual seekers and created doubt among many Christians – but can these radical new claims and revisionist theories stand up to sober scrutiny?

More Than a Carpenter

Josh McDowell

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Total reviews: 169 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A long review of a short book 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

The shortness of this book is both its strength and weakness, but I definitely enjoyed it for what it was.
He attempts to make the argument that science is invalid when investigating something that already happened, or historical events. He says, "The scientific method can be used only to prove repeatable things; it isn't adequate for proving or disproving many questions about a person or history" (page 38). I couldn't possibly disagree more. If we were to adopt McDowell's rather narrow definition of science, then paleontology (the study of the fossil record) should not be considered a science, because fossils aren't "repeatable" (i.e. you can't, and really shouldn't need to, actually see an animal being fossilized to make paleontology possible). Likewise, astronomy, forensic anthropology and archeology should also not be considered sciences, because it is impossible to "repeat" and observe the big bang, or a murder, or an ancient civilization. I consider history (and, in effect, scriptural history) a science because it should require the same sort of evidence seeking as any of the other fields that I mentioned above. A field of study doesn't need to have repeatable results to be considered a science.
I realize that this might just be how we choose to define what "science" is, so I can't really hold this against McDowell. But what I can say is that, even if we adopt his more conservative definition of what the "scientific method" is, I still have quite a few things to say about McDowell's claims. For one, if he's claiming that someone in history literally rose after being dead after three days, then that's something that most definitely can be repeated and observed. He says "based on overwhelming historical evidence Christians believe that Jesus was bodily resurrected in time and space by the supernatural power of God. The difficulties of belief may be great, but the problems inherent in unbelief present even greater difficulties". Difficulties in disbelief are greater than belief? Oh really? Since the dawn of modern science, there has never been a verified instance of anyone rising from the dead, anywhere at any time (There has, however, been many instances of staged deaths). What's more, in claiming that Jesus literally rose from the dead, he's also undermining all of our current knowledge of human anatomy and of modern medicine. So far, there is no known physical mechanism by which a dead corpse can be reanimated. What's more likely: for all the known laws of physics, medicine and general biology to be completely suspended (such would be necessary for a supernatural event such as a real resurrection), or that there was a simple misunderstanding about Jesus' death? Perhaps the writers of the New Testament felt they had to embellish Jesus' story with a few miracles so that he would seem more believable as the messiah - who knows. There as many things that could potentially explain the account of Jesus' resurrection, but claiming that it was due to a supernatural event that defies all that we know about nature is definitely not the most probable answer.
McDowell actually reveals himself to be a young-earth creationist in chapter 9. If you didn't already know, a young-earth creationist Christian is a person who takes the stories of Genesis literally and thus is confident that we can measure the age of the universe by tracing the lineage of mankind all the way back to Adam and Eve. This view implies, among many, many other outrageous things, that during the great flood of Noah, the human population was reduced to only three reproducing couples. In the book, McDowell argues that it's highly unlikely that Jesus was not the Messiah, because God, through the prophecies of the Old Testament, narrows down the possible candidates for Messiahship to a very exclusive set of people, Jesus being one of them. Part of his defense was this: "Noah had three sons, Shem, Japeth, and Ham. Today all of the nations of the world can be traced back to these three men. But in this statement, God effectively eliminated two thirds of them from the line of Messiahship. The Messiah will come through the lineage of Shem." (page 104) Did you catch it? He said today all the nations of the world can be traced back to these three men. This is most definitely not just a historical statement, but a scientific one, i.e. we aren't simply able to use testimonial evidence to prove that statement (actually, even the testimonial evidence is lousy, because while many cultures have "big flood" stories, they don't all agree, and they don't involve animals going into a big arc in pairs). We can take DNA from people around the world to trace the lineage of mankind, and the evidence suggests that we all came from a small population in Africa. Note that when I say "small", I don't mean merely three couples (Shem, Japeth, Ham and their wives), as McDowell believes was the case, but a population of about 15,000 individuals. That may sound like a large number, but it really isn't if you wanted to avoid marrying a relative. A species that is reduced to just three reproducing couples (not to mention that all the fathers are brothers!) has an ice cube's chance in hell of surviving. This is because incest is inevitable once you get to the next generation, and everybody knows what happens when you marry blood relatives.
With that said, I'll concede that if Noah and his sons and their wives had exceptionally good genetic health, they could technically repopulate the earth just between themselves. But even this presents a problem. The genetic variability within the different peoples of the world is much too great for all of us to have descended from just three couples no more than 6000 years ago. 6000 years is the age of the earth, according to young-earth creationists, and this number, I reiterate, was found by tracing the lineage back all the way to Adam and Eve and counting the years. Now, McDowell doesn't specifically say that he believes the earth is only 6000 years old, but I'm betting dollars to donuts that he does. If you take the Bible literally enough to believe that we all came from Noah's three sons, you kind of have to believe in the 6000 year estimate to stay consistent.
McDowell admits that he relies completely on scriptural testimonies to prove his points. Well, so do Muslims, and they have as fervent a belief in their scriptures as any Christian (and they fervently believe that Jesus was not the Son of God). Who's to say which religious scripture is correct? McDowell seems to be going the right direction when he says that there are three ways to prove whether a document is historical accurate: "the bibliographical test, the internal evidence test, and the external evidence test" (page 47). The Bible passes the "bibliographical test", which is really not so hard as long as you have enough people willing to copy it with enough precision. But copying a document that was false to begin with would still produce a false document, no matter how accurate copiers were. What is important is the validity of the original document. Okay, for "internal evidence", he has no trouble yanking out multiple passages from the Bible that he beliefs proves that the Bible is literally the word of God. But how far can you really go by simply quoting from the same text that you want to prove? It would be like saying "I know this book is true because it says so in its pages". In addition, he presents nothing from the Bible that could not have been written by a man 2000 years ago. On the most important test, the "external evidence test" he only has a little more than 2 pages written, and I think I may know why: because no such external evidence exists! McDowell quotes someone who says, "Archeology often provides powerful external evidence [for Christianity]" (page 56) but never actually provides the archeological evidence that he says exists. Unfortunately for McDowell and any other scriptural literalist, no big, wooden arc or any remains of an arc have ever been found, no external records or archeological evidence has ever been found to verify the Exodus, and there is no record of Jesus in any other ancient text other than the Bible. You'd think that if someone really did rise from the dead and perform a whole slew of miracles, a Roman guard or someone - anyone - would have written it down or told someone about it. But the fact of the matter is, no external text describing any aspect of Jesus' allegedly world-altering life has ever been found. He uses the testimony of two friends of John to claim that therefore, ever word that John wrote down about Jesus was absolutely, one-hundred percent true (page 55). Does the testimony of two friends seem like enough evidence to you? It seems to me that the testimony of two enemies of John might be more convincing, because then they wouldn't have any incentive to stick by their buddy.
In addition, to "prove" that the New Testament was actually written by some of Jesus' disciples, he quotes "Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons (A.D. 180)" (note the date) who said something along the lines of "Yes, the guy who wrote the Gospel of John was really Jesus' disciple, so his account of Jesus is accurate" (page 55). Okay, now, I don't know much about who actually wrote the New Testament, but does this argument sound convincing to you? Why wasn't there anyone who actually lived at the same time as John to confirm that he was, in fact, Jesus' disciple? Why did we have to wait one hundred years before someone actually confirmed that, yes, indeed there was a first-hand, written account of Jesus' life? I'll give you my speculation: none of Jesus' disciples or any of his acquaintances actually had anything to do with writing the scriptures. They were all written by people who heard about Jesus, but never actually met him or met anyone who knew him personally. (Okay, this isn't just speculation. I've read about it before).
Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that the scripture is an absolutely, one-hundred percent truthful account of Jesus' life (even though this is highly dubious). So, was Jesus a liar, a lunatic or Lord? I would have to say that Jesus was, at worst, a lunatic, and a best, a well-intentioned lunatic. McDowell quotes J. T. Fisher who said "Here... rests the blueprint for successful human life with optimism, mental health, and contentment" referring to Jesus and his life. I will certainly agree that Jesus had a lot of exceptionally wise and profound things to say during his short career on earth, but to claim that he was somehow a perfect, ideal human being with flawless mental health is somewhat of a stretch. He had many moments when he simply lost his temper, or would give bad advice, which would indicate that he's not the flawless son of God, but rather an imperfect leader with good intentions, but was just a little insane (which is really not so unusually for a religious leader):

"Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, `Why are you doing this?' tell him, `The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.'" (Mark 11:1-3) (Comment: Jesus never actually returns the colt).
"If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell." (Matthew 18:8-9) (Comment: the Christian parent who cut off her child's arms may have unfortunately taken this message to heart).
"On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out
those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts." (Mark 11:15-16)
"Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26)
"The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, `May no one ever eat fruit from you again.'" (Mark 11:12-14)
I agree with McDowell that Jesus was, in many ways, an exceptional teacher and leader, but McDowell doesn't stop there. He insists that He also had absolutely flawless mental health. Such is required for the Son of God, after all - and this is how McDowell "proves" that Jesus was more special than any other religious leader in history. However, does a person who curses a fig tree for not giving him fruit seem like a person with flawless mental health to you? There's nothing undeniably special about him that could only be explained by concluding that he's the inerrant Son of God.
McDowell goes on to say "wherever Jesus has been proclaimed, lives have been changed for the good, nations have changed for the better, thieves are made honest, alcoholics are cured, hateful individuals become channels of love, unjust people become just" (page 28). It's funny, because while the US has a much higher percentage of believing Christians than do countries like England, Switzerland and Germany, these European countries have far less crime than the US. This does not in any way prove that Christianity inspires crime, but it does indicate that Christianity does nothing to deter crime, and that anyone who says that it does it sadly mistaken.
McDowell asks, in chapter 5 of his book, "Who Would Die for a Lie?" He suggests that because the apostles of Jesus were willing to be persecuted and die for their belief in Jesus, it could not have been a big lie. These people were serious about what they believed. From this, he concludes that Jesus really must have been the son of God, and that he really must have rose from the dead, etc. I hope that you can see the glaring logical flaw in this argument. It's true that it is difficult to die for a cause that you don't honestly and passionately believe in, but that alone doesn't prove that the cause was true to begin with. This is what McDowell specifically says: "The apostles went through the test of death to substantiate the veracity of what they were proclaiming. I believe I can trust their testimony more than that of most people I meet today, people who aren't willing to walk across the street for what they believe, let alone die for it" (page 70). I suppose now McDowell should become a radical Muslim, because currently, they seem to be the most willing to die for their beliefs. How do we know that in another hundred years, people aren't going to look back and argue that Islam must be the true religion, because so many people were willing to die for it, just like McDowell did to argue for Christianity?
Okay, now for the question "Isn't There Some Other Way?" Did Jesus have to die on the cross to save our sins? Why didn't God just forgive us? Or couldn't he have just sent Jesus down and then let him die of old age? Why did God have to make Jesus' death a violent and bloody one? McDowell goes through a lot of hoops to justify this one: "many people ask the question, `Why couldn't God just forgive?'... People fail to realize that wherever there is forgiveness there's a payment. For example, let's say my daughter breaks a lamp in my home. I'm a loving and forgiving father, so I put her on my lap, and I hug her and say `Don't cry honey. Daddy loves you and forgives you'... who pays for the lamp? The fact is, I do. There's always a price in forgiveness" (page 116). McDowell's cute little analogy doesn't really work, because there's a very important difference between God and himself that he seems to be forgetting. God is all-powerful, but McDowell isn't. Therefore, God can do whatever the heck He wants, while McDowell is stuck with paying for broken lamps. You see, because McDowell isn't all-powerful, he can't magically make a lamp appear out of nowhere. But for God, such things are possible. And since when did God have to pay for anything? The entire universe is His on making, so there's nothing that doesn't already belong to Him. So where exactly does the "payment" for forgiveness come in? More important, isn't God the top man, the biggest of all big cheeses - why does He ever have to do anything? Why is he forced to make Jesus die on the cross in order to redeem the sins of mankind? In order for McDowell's argument to have any validity, he must concede that God is not all-powerful after all, and that even He is confined by a set of rules. But of course, you'll never get McDowell or any true Christian to admit this, because omnipotence is one of God's most important traits. Either God is all-powerful, or He is bound by a set of rules that mandates Him to sacrifice Jesus. You can't have it both ways!
As a final note, I'd like to point out one of McDowell's earlier points. "If Jesus wanted to get people to follow him and believe in him as God, why did he go to the Jewish nation? Why go as a Nazarene carpenter to a country so small in size and population and so thoroughly adhering to the undivided unity of God? Why didn't he go to Egypt or, even more, to Greece, where they believed in various gods and various manifestations of him?" (page 30) If I may paraphrase a bit, he argues that if Jesus really wanted to lie to people about his divinity, then he would have had an easier time at it if he had gone to Greece, where they were much more willing to believe in half-god individuals. If Jesus was truly a con artist only pretending to be the son of God, McDowell argues, then why would he do it the hard way? This is meant to be an argument for Jesus' divinity, but when I read it through the first time, it actually sounded like an argument against Jesus' divinity. I mean, if Jesus really was the Son of God, would it have been better if he had gone to Egypt or Greece, where hundreds of merchants from all over the world go to trade, so that his message would have spread much faster throughout the world?
Doesn't it seem odd that God would decide to send his one true messiah to a small, extremely isolated country in the Middle East, and not to a more accessible country like Greece or Egypt? Sending Jesus to the Middle East ensured that the soul-saving message of Jesus would not reach East Asia for at least 600 years. Doesn't that seem unfair? Christianity would not reach the Philippines until the Spanish brought it over in the 1500s, suggesting that native Filipinos went on living and dying and going to hell (because they most certainly worshipped false idols) even after Jesus supposedly redeemed the world with his message. Remember what Jesus said: "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to God the Father except through me." (John 14:6) Isn't it unfair of God to give only some people the secret to salvation (people in the Middle East) while leaving others (such as people in Asia, the Americas and Africa) out of the loop and in the dark for at least another few hundred years?
I found the last chapter of the book very touching, and I'm not being facetious. I'm reminded of the saying: "Nietzsche said that God is dead. Freud said that God is dad". I feel that the reason why McDowell turned to Christianity was because he was in dire need of a solid parental figure to set rules for him. His own, earthly dad was an embarrassment to him, so for guidance he looked to the heavens. He seems to me one of the people who would genuinely be lost if they did not believe that there was a God to guide their every action. However, I think that the majority of people aren't like McDowell and don't need God in order to determine what's right and wrong. Most of us, I believe, eventually grow out of our childish need for parental rule. We do the right thing not because we are told by a celestial parent, but because our own inner convictions tell us to do so. Doesn't that seem like a much better way to live one's life?

Editorial Review:

Josh McDowell's timeless examination of the true nature of Christ and his impact on our lives is one of the best-selling Christian books ever (more than eight million copies in print worldwide!). Written by a former skeptic of Christianity, it is a hard-hitting book for those who doubt Jesus' deity and his purpose.

1 cassette

Daniel: Lives of Integrity, Words of Prophecy

Beth Moore

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Total reviews: 26 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

More preaching than teaching 2 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Beth Moore is a very engaging preacher and I was inspired by some of her messages in this Daniel study. Unfortunately I didn't care for the study format, which is an hour of a preaching video and almost no allowance for discussion. The homework also does not lend itself to deep scriptural discussion, as it deals more with themes and folksy stories than exegesis.

Also, I think making Daniel half about prophecy is not a wise idea. There are many end times views that don't see Daniel as having a place in future prophecy. Even though Beth mentions the other views, she focuses one the one she agrees with (which is understandable) but which bothered me, as I obviously don't agree with her view. She pulled alot of her viewpoints from commentaries and people who agreed with her viewpoint, as opposed to using inductive Bible study study methods.

For someone interested in a serious study of end times, I recommend Revelation: Four Views: A Parallel Commentary by Steve Gregg (available here at Amazon). This focuses on the Book of Revelation, and going verse by verse through the book of Revelations, shows what each of the main 4 end times views has to say about it. By reading through this, a student of end times can come to his/her own conclusion based on the strongest Biblical apologetics.

The Beth Moore Bible study formula would be good for those who are more comfortable being told what to think--and I don't mean that snidely--just so you know there's not a good format for digging in on your own--or for finding out about generalized themes of the Bible.

Honestly, Beth Moore's strength is preaching, and like I said, she had some very inspirational messages that encouraged me to apply Biblical truths to my own life. Just use her studies with the caveat of knowing her format.

Zondervan NIV Study Bible, Personal Size

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Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The NIV is not a Bible just for dummies 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

The New International Version is the most readable English translation ever produced. And if that doesn't make it a "Good Book," then I don't know what does!

Granted, I still prefer to read God's Word in the original tongues, not in a modern translation. (I've got nothing against the watered-down English versions sold today in Bible bookstores, but the ancient biblical scrolls are just a whole lot funnier.)

Most people these days cannot do that: they cannot read Scripture as it was first intended by the Author. Not to worry: Bible translators have saved you a headache and you can thank God for them. Many of the holy Ghost's original sentences are so ungrammatical and awkwardly constructed, and others so unintelligible, that the translators for Zondervan Corp and these other big Bible companies have graciously re-written the text so as to enhance Scripture's appeal to the 21st-century reader. And in the N.I.V. more than in any other, those scholars have done a truly wonderful job of tidying up.

If you prefer an English Bible that is halfway faithful to the original, then read the Authorised Version, better known in America as "the King James Version." The KJV/Authorised Version also has the most authentic prose style, with thee and thou and hath and dost and verily, which is how God actually talks, albeit in Hebrew. ([...]

But if it's a highly readable New Age paraphrase of the Bible you want, and if you cannot decide between the eighteen leading options in your local bookstore or on BibleGateway.com, then allow me to recommend Zondervan's "New International Version" (NIV). Here, at last, is an English-language Bible in which all obscenities and difficult words have been euphemised; God's curses, tempered, and His personality, softened; all theological conundrums, solved; all contradictions, removed; and all the howlers, corrected - which is also why the NIV is ideal for the younger generation, grades five and below.

Here's another thing you will love about Zondervan's New International Version: it is reader-friendly. The NIV makes the Lord sound like an affable American football coach, but with His bad words deleted, such as "piss" (Hebrew shathan) which is a word that God, in the Authorised Version, uses quite a bit (but only when He is angry, e.g., 1 Sam. 25:22, 1 Sam. 25:34, 1 Kings 14:10, 16:11, 21:21, 2 Kings 9:8).

And how's this for a major improvement? Almost every place that the word "Hell" appears in the Authorised Version, the NIV substitutes "the grave" or "the realm of the dead." (Where would you rather spend eternity - in "Hell," or in "the realm of the dead"?)

Then, too, in the NIV, every instance of the word, "Ghost" has been eliminated, and not just the holy one. ("Why should we scare people?" That's Zondervan's policy. "We're marketing Christ the King, not Stephen King! And if you can't tell the difference between those two, well then! - Don't blame us, but you can expect a warm welcome, someday, when you die and your aura gets sent forever to the realm of the dead!")

--L

Editorial Review:

#1 Best-selling study Bible in the best-selling NIV translation

Study features fully revised and updated.
Over 20,000 in-text study notes.
A library of study resources at your fingertips.

Archaeological Study Bible: An Illustrated Walk Through Biblical History and Culture

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Total reviews: 79 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Small-Print Bible 2 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I'm very sorry I purchased this "Archaeological Bible". It's very interesting to look at, but impossible to read -- at least, for me. The type is quite small, and my 66-year-old eyes can't handle it. I can understand the reason they did this; with all the sidebars and footnotes, the thing would have been a foot thick in normal-size print. But what's the use in having all this information if you can't read it? I've given up and gone back to my Oxford Annotated Study Bible for my studies.

perfect gift 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

i ordered this bible as a birthday gift for my mother. it arrived promptly, was in even better condition than i had expected, and mom loves it. thank you for great service!

Unsure 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Ok, so I am debating about whether to buy this study Bible or not. Maybe somebody can help me out. My concern is that the field of archaeology develops and changes so quickly that by the time something like this is printed it is already out of date. Could someone help me out here? What are the real advantages?

Editorial Review:

A unique study Bible filled with informative articles and full-color photographs that will take you on an illustrated walk through biblical history and culture.

The Jefferson Bible: The life and morals of Jesus of Nazareth

Thomas Jefferson

List Price: $16.00 By: Beacon Press Amazon Marketplace: 11 new & used starting at $2.35

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Subjects -> Religion & Spirituality -> Christianity -> Reference -> New Testament -> Study

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 45 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Jesus said... 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I have long believed that the way Jesus said to live was more important than his immortality (or mine). I knew our "Founders" didn't base our constitution on "Judea-Christian values", as is frequently proposed by some
political/religious leaders, but on principles of the Enlightenment which they believed would bring a new kind of government, free of religious oppression, first to America, and then to the world.

The only books on the subject are very large, very scholarly, very informative, but... how nice to have this little book on my coffee table where curious minds can explore the thinking of one of America's most forward looking leaders, and read just the words of Jesus, without the mythology attached to his death by future theologians.

The preface, the introduction and chapter about Jefferson's contemporaries is a history lesson every
American should review. No-one who has visited my home has found it in any way offensive, but all
find it enlightening !

Editorial Review:

Thomas Jefferson regarded Jesus as a moral guide rather than a divinity, and in The Jefferson Bible, he highlights Christ's ethical teachings from the Gospels. Discarding the scriptures' supernatural elements and dogma, this volume reflects the deist view of religion, focusing on Jesus' message of absolute love and service.

Twelve Extraordinary Women: How God Shaped Women of the Bible, and What He Wants to Do with You

John MacArthur

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Subjects -> Religion & Spirituality -> Christianity -> Christian Living -> Women's Issues
Subjects -> Religion & Spirituality -> Christianity -> Christian Living -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 42 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Respulsive and Insulting 1 out of 5 stars.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I could only get through the first two chapters before I had to put it down. I sought this book out for inspiration, but found it was sexist and insulting. I write this not because I one of those "new fangled feminist types", but because I posses a brain - a God given one. What I glean from the way the stories are presented is that the author's belief is that women exist only through men and have no real intrinsic purpose or value to God or the world, except through men.

Eve is portryaed as a pathetic figure, the author writes patronizingly about Eve's sin: "As the weaker vessel, away from her husband, but close to the forbidden tree, she was in the most vulnerable position possible..." and "...Adam's sin was deliberate (when he took the apple) and willful in a way Eve's was not. Eve was deceived". So, the author doesn't even think she deserves equal billing in the "downfall".

In chap. 2 about Sarah, when explaining how Sara and Abraham lied when they entered Egypt, saying that Sara was his sister so other men would not kill Abraham for her the author concludes: "...Abraham's motives were selfish and cowardly, and the scheme reflected a serious weakness in his faith. But Sarah's devotion to her husband is nonetheless commendable, and God honored her for it..". So, she is not a whole person in this author's view - they both lied, he calls it "cowardly" on Abraham's part, but believes God commends Sara, because she it was good she supported him - EVEN when he did something "selfish and cowardly".

As a Christian I found the simplistic and ridiculous for the 21st century.
I cannot recommend this book to anyone with a brain.

Editorial Review:

Join best-selling author and highly esteemed Bible teacher John MacArthur as he studies the lives and faith of key women from both the Old and New Testaments. Written in the same style as his popular book Twelve Ordinary Men, each chapter includes a biographical summary of the woman along with spiritual lessons drawn from her life.

Beginning with an opening chapter about the inclusion of several women in Luke's genealogy of Christ, MacArthur then focuses on the following women in individual chapters: Rahab (Luke 1:3); Ruth (Luke 1:5); Mary, mother of Jesus (Luke 1:36-38); Anna (Luke 2:36-38); Martha and Mary, sisters of Lazarus (Luke 10:38-42); Mary Magdalene (Matt. 27:56-61); the woman at the well (John 4); the poor woman of Luke (21:1-4); Eve (Gen. 3); Sarah (Genesis 11-25); and Hannah (1 Sam. 1-2). The author also considers the seductress described in Proverbs 7 and the faithful woman described in Proverbs 31.

Holy Blood, Holy Grail

Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, Henry Lincoln

Amazon Price: $27.26 List Price: $34.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Random House Audio Amazon Marketplace: 25 new & used starting at $15.00

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Total reviews: 480 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Is the traditional, accepted view of the life of Christ in some way incomplete?

• Is it possible Christ did not die on the cross?
• Is it possible Jesus was married, a father, and that his bloodline still exists?
• Is it possible that parchments found in the South of France a century ago reveal one of the best-kept secrets of Christendom?
• Is it possible that these parchments contain the very heart of the mystery of the Holy Grail?

According to the authors of this extraordinarily provocative, meticulously researched book, not only are these things possible — they are probably true! so revolutionary, so original, so convincing, that the most faithful Christians will be moved; here is the book that has sparked worldwide controversey.

"Enough to seriously challenge many traditional Christian beliefs, if not alter them."
— Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Like Chariots of the Gods?...the plot has all the elements of an international thriller."
— Newsweek


From the Paperback edition.