The Open Bible
Thomas Nelson
I am having problems deciding whether I really enjoy the
Open Bible or think it’s a waste of time/money. I know there’s a large span
between those two opinions, but I think in the end, I feel as though the Open
Bible is a good Bible to have around, but I would never recommend buying it.
Let me explain.
I love a good study Bible with relevant, interesting and
easy to use resources. But I really dislike the idea of putting out a new Bible
just for the sake of selling more Bibles. After spending some time with the
Open Bible I am sad to say that I feel as thought this Bible falls squarely in
the realm of the latter classification.
The extras in this Bible are great. I enjoy the write-ups on
history, archeology, anthropology, etc. But these materials are not linked at
all with the Bible content and so they would have been just as useful if they
were contained in a separate book (EXCEPT for the fact that when they are in a
Bible, they are (theoretically) with you when you need them as opposed to when
you find yourself at a Bible study and wish you had some certain book or other
at that particular moment… well with the Open Bible, it would be right there.
But really, how often does that happen? And how often are you at a Bible study
and find yourself with 10 extra minutes that would be necessary to peruse through
the many essays and write-ups in the Open Bible to find the piece of
information that you are looking for?)
I guess my biggest problem with the Open Bible is that it is
not really a good study Bible nor is it a great Bible for reading. I found the
in-Bible references lacking in substance and the legends difficult to remember
and, thus, use effectively. I was really excited by Nelson’s catchphrase for
this Bible, “Read and Discover the Bible for Yourself”, but this Bible really
fell short of the goal because it doesn’t really promote that at all. A study
Bible that doesn’t have meaningful in-text content doesn’t help me to discover
the Bible for myself.
It’s a nice Bible to HAVE but I wouldn’t waste money on it
if you already have a perfectly good Bible.
So which one would you recommend?
ReplyDeleteHi Eliel,
DeleteIt depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for a bible to READ I would recommend a devotional NKJV. But if you're looking for a Bible to study and read (which is important) than if you're a woman I would recommend the Women's Study Bible from Thomas Nelson. If you're a man (or a woman who doesn't like women's study bibles!) I would recommend the plain old NKJV study bible. Its excellent!