A Review of the ESV Verse-by-Verse Reference Bible, in Black Top Grain Leather.

February 12, 2016February 12, 2016 Bob Snyder9 Comments

Crossway sent me this beautiful Bible for review. It is a wonderful value. You get so many great features with this Bible. It is also a good multipurpose Bible. Initially I thought the font might be too small for Pastors to use it from the pulpit, but I was wrong. The verse format layout, terrific paper, and crisp clean print, make it well suited to serve as a preaching Bible. It is a reference Bible, so it also lends itself to study. The references and notes are out of the way at the bottom, so it also works good for reading. If you are in the market for a new Bible to fill a few roles, keep reading. I think you’ll be as impressed with this edition as I am.

The ESV Verse-by-Verse Reference Bible was packaged in a small white cardboard box.

The Bible itself was inside the retail clamshell box. Keep the box for storage. This is not a Bible to be stood up on edge like a hardback book. The Bible arrived undamaged from Crossway. Inside the packaging the Bible was wrapped in clear plastic.

Once removed, I was able to begin assessing the top grain leather. It had a very supple feel to it. It was nice and soft. There is also a perimeter groove on the cover.

The inside liner seemed to be a bit different than the outside cover. I e-mailed Crossway and asked them about it. They informed me that it is Cromwell® bonded leather. For those of you who are balking at that, keep in mind that Cromwell® bonded leather is not the same as the low grade bonded leather you are used to seeing in the past. It is a far superior product and should last as long as the top grain leather cover, if not longer. One of the bonuses of using this material as a liner is that it can be had in thin sheets. This makes it possible for the bindery to get the cover mated to the liner with more precision and less bulges on the corners.

This, being an edge-lined Bible, it is important to not use a heavier material that would reduce the supple feel of the cover.

In my opinion, it was implemented quite well. For the price, I would definitely recommend purchasing this edition over the ones with genuine leather or synthetic covers if you can afford the extra money.

In the front you’ll find a Presentation Page, Publisher’s Page, Table of Contents, Books of the Bible in Alphabetical Order, Preface, and an Explanation of Features.

The spine is ornamented with four spine hubs, and gold lettering.

The page edges are gold gilt and the corners are rounded. There are also decorative gold and black, head and tail bands.There are two black ribbons that are decent quality.

They are thicker than some less expensive ribbons. For me two ribbons or more is a must. Three ribbons is perfect in my opinion. You get one for the Old Testament reading, one for devotional reading of Proverbs, and one for the New Testament. Of course, two will suffice, and is certainly better than only one. Four just seems supernumerary to me.

Of course where this Bible shines is the paper and print. Crossway has done a good job utilizing superior paper compared to their competitors. Rarely do you find Bibles in this niche with paper of the same weight and opacity. Crossway is employing a 36 g.s.m. Apple Thin Opaque paper. Keep in mind that many of their competitors call 28 g.s.m. paper top notch. The print in this black letter edition is sharp and uniform throughout. I haven’t run into any areas where the print fades or is smudged. The font is 9 pt. in size and is Lexicon face. At first glance it seems larger than it is, in my opinion. I think that is due to the opaque paper, print, and line spacing, making it very legible. It is easy on the eyes.

Preaching from the pulpit and looking down at a 9 pt. font in another Bible with lesser paper and more ghosting would be a bad idea, but with this Bible you could easily do it. There is also a generous outside margin for some limited note taking.

The drawback of course is that some of the type gets lost in the gutter.

In some regards, like the paper and print, I would rate this Bible up there with the premium ones. Due to the lack of some of the more ornate features, like art gilt page edges, better ribbons, gilt perimeter lines, and better leather for the inside liner I can’t call it a premium Bible. Of course the price on this edition more than makes up for what little quibbles I might have. I’ve paid over $200 for an Allan. This Bible can be had for a bit over $80. That makes it an outstanding value. The suggested retail is $149.99. Some publishers list a suggested retail that I would never pay. This Bible is worth the suggested retail. On some retail sites it can be found for as little as $84.99. Other than the gutter complaint, the layout is great. You get a double column, verse format, with approximately 80,000 cross references located at the bottom of the pages. You also get a 76 page 3 column concordance, and 8 color maps in the back.

At the start of each book is a brief introduction. I personally love well written book introductions.

You also get a smyth-sewn spine with this edge-lined Bible adding to the durability and flexibility.

You would be hard pressed to find a Bible with all of these features even in a higher price range. In my opinion, Crossway has hit the ball out of the park with this edition and set the standard for their competitors in the $80 to $150 range.

Make sure to check out all of the pictures I took of this Bible on my Flickr page.

ISBN-13: 9781433545689

marriage · Movie Review · Uncategorized

I Finally Watched the Movie, “Fireproof 2” Woops, I Meant, “War Room” and I’m Left Wondering, What Was all the Fuss About?

January 28, 2016 Bob Snyder7 Comments

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I know this is old news, so I won’t spend a bunch of time on this. I finally got around to watching the movie, “War Room.” It really did make me think that I liked it better when it was called, “Fireproof.” So many people were telling me how great it was and still others were voicing concerns. I didn’t want to waste my money on a bad movie so I waited for it to go to rental. I watched it mostly by myself. My Wife and Daughter would watch here and there. As I was watching it I became aware of a couple of scenes with really bad theology. However, I kind of expected it from Christian movies these days.
There was a scene where the main character is fed up with her life and prays out loud to the devil and then commands him to leave her house and go to Hell, in the name of Jesus. First, don’t pray to the devil, don’t talk with the devil, and don’t rebuke the devil. Even the angels say, “The Lord rebuke you.” Second, the devil doesn’t live in hell and he is not from hell. He is on the Earth and won’t be in Hell until he is sent there by God.
The other scene that was laughable was when a mugger confronted the older lady and the younger lady and attempted to rob them at knife point. The older lady commanded the thug to drop his knife in the name of Jesus… and guess what… He did. I had to laugh, but it also made me a bit angry. What if someone actually tried that? Disregard all of the Pentecostal mythology surrounding this type of thing. Honestly, it is not the way to handle that situation. Let’s see… Did it help the early Church Fathers when they were being martyred? Did it stop the Romans from using Christians as torches to light the streets? Does it help the Christians being martyred by the Muslims today?
The biggest problem I had with the movie is one that my 15 year old Daughter picked up on just from watching a little bit of the movie. She said something to the effect of, “Is this one of those Christian movies where everyone gets saved and their problems all go away?” The sad thing is that she was correct. This movie forwarded the, “life enhancement gospel.” This is a false gospel that goes like this, “Become a Christian, and God will make your life better.” This can be very damaging to immature Christians. This movie would have been so much better if the husband would have went to prison after repenting. The husband ends up repenting. He then takes responsibility for getting fired from his job as a pharmaceutical sales representative. He also admits to his bosses about stealing pharmaceuticals from the company. One of the bosses wants to have him prosecuted. Of course, because he comes clean and gives back what he stole they forgive him and then he gets a great new job closer to home. God makes everything better and life is peachy keen again…
What if he would have done all of the good things like repenting, returning what he stole, and he still ended up going to prison? They could have shown her praying for him and waiting for him to get out. They could have showed him accepting the difficult things as part of God’s will. If a person decides to become Christian for a better life, they are missing the point. We should become Christians because we sorrow over our sins and love Christ for His sacrificial work on the cross to atone for our sins.

Book Reviews · Journal Review

A Review of the JOT Bible Life-Notes Journal in Black Genuine Leather.

October 24, 2015October 24, 2015 Bob Snyder6 Comments

Do you study your Bible? I don’t mean devotional reading. I mean, do you sit down with your Bible, a journal, Greek/Hebrew resources and some commentaries, to unpack God’s word? If you are a serious student of God’s word, you’ll love this journal. Pastors study to prepare for sermons, Teachers study to instruct, Evangelists study to make the gospel known, Apologists study to make reasonable arguments, Christians study to be discipled. As Christians we all should be studying God’s word. Out of the available tools we have at our disposal, recording our thoughts on paper is one of the most effective ways of revisiting them. Considering the above callings, it is very beneficial.

As a student, I’m often frustrated with the journals available on the market today. They don’t open flat. You always are fighting the cover of the journal. They are small. You can’t fit all of your thoughts from the entire Bible in one journal. You end up with several unmatched journals floating around your house. It ruins the continuity. I also find that I lose them. If you are going to a few different places in your Bible during a lesson, you have to remember which journals you wrote in. You have to gather them and bring them with you. The covers are usually flimsy card paper or moleskin.

I realize some of you might be wondering what the fuss is about. “Isn’t that why the invented wide margin Bibles?” Well, yes and no. Anyone who has used a wide margin Bible has run into the problem of not having ruled lines. This might not seem like a big problem to those of you who have been blessed with the “spiritual gift” of beautiful handwriting. (just kidding. I know that is not one of the gifts.) No ruled lines, is a real problem for me. My notes meander all over the margin, not to mention that there is never enough room for some of the most elementary notables to be notated 🙂 While, wide margins have their place, they don’t fit the bill for some of us. Space is the next issue with wide margin Bibles. There is never enough blank space for notes. You can never seem to get all of what you are thinking down on the paper next to the verses you are meditating on.

I often wonder what will happen to all of my journals? They are all disorganized, and haphazard. Will my kids toss them out after I’m gone? Will they know what is in them? I want to have my all of my ruminations in one volume, organized, durable, functional, and easily referenced. On more than a few occasions, I’ve wondered if that was too much to ask. After talking to several other Christian friends over the years, I found that I wasn’t alone. We just consigned ourselves to the notion that our notes would forever be a collage of our faith journeys.

I’m glad to say that someone has finally remedied this malady. The JOT Bible Life-Notes is the perfect receptacle for your meditations, ruminations, and contemplations. It matches your Bible in looks and size. It is a fitting companion to bring to the pulpit with your trusty Bible. It looks like a Bible, but it isn’t.

It matches the Bible book, chapter, and verse. For every verse of the Bible there are two ruled lines with the verse number next to them, printed on fine, acid free, highly opaque, 42 g.s.m. Bible paper! I mean what!? You’ve got to be kidding me! That is far superior to most paper used in Bible printing, and they have an entire journal made from it, sweeeeeeet! I don’t know if you can tell from the pictures, but I am a pencil masher. I tend to push pencils and pens through the page when I write. If I am writing on thin paper, fogehtaboutit… I hope you can tell from the pictures that this paper holds up to pencil quite well. I would recommend pencil, as you can go back and edit notes later on. We are always learning more, every time we read the Bible so sometimes you have to go back and add things to your notes or fix misunderstood verses. Pencil erases nicely from this paper without leaving the paper wounded.

I did write notes in John 1 in black ink. This section of scripture will always assure me of Christ’s power, and the truth of God’s Word. This is what it looks like when you use ink. Just be sure it is something you aren’t going to change. I will only use pencil for the rest of my notes.

The printing of the lines and features of this journal is done in a consistent fashion. I haven’t noticed any breaks in the lines. The page edges are gold gilt.

The JOT comes in a heavy duty two piece box that should be retained for storage. It is seriously built better than most Bible boxes.

The cover is supposed to be genuine leather. I can’t place it though. It seems too nice to be pigskin leather, but it is tougher than other cowhide leather covers. Regardless, it is flexible and durable. It is a work of form and function.

The binding is a smythe-sewn spine in a case bound cover. The spine of the JOT Bible Life-Notes is ornamented with five raised spine hubs. The perimeter is stitched. There is a presentation page in the front that includes a spot for you to write your contact information incase you lose your journal so that the person who finds it can get it back to you.

There are three ribbon markers in, black, red, and blue. This thing is pretty much built like a quality Bible, but beefed up for note taking. Again, to be clear, THIS IS NOT A BIBLE, IT IS A JOURNAL!!! Don’t buy this thinking it is a Bible. I know it looks like one, but it isn’t.

So just to recap the high points here; durable, useful, all your notes in one place, attractive, helpful, heirloom possibilities, preaching aid, study tool, memoirs from time with God’s word.

To be honest there is only one drawback that comes to mind. It is a hefty tome, but if you know anything about book design, you’d know there are finite attributes that are interrelated. When you change one thing it affects the others. Using thick paper, and giving us room to write, necessitates a larger volume. It can’t be helped. I’d much rather have ample room along with function and form than have all form. This thing is meant for work and does not need to be forgiven for that. So if you are in the market for a high quality depository for all of your meditations instead of just a smattering of them, this is the journal for you. Give it a try and recommend it to your friends, I know I am. Make sure to check out all of the close up pictures I took of this journal on my flickr page here. You can purchase yours on Amazon. You can also check out their site here.
ISBN: 9780692396193

Bible Reviews · Bibles

The (2015) ESV New Classic Reference Bible in TruTone Synthetic Cover.

October 11, 2015October 11, 2015 Bob SnyderLeave a comment

Let’s see what the 2015 New Classic Reference looks like, and compare it briefly to the edition it replaces. I think you’ll find that there aren’t very many changes. I ordered this Bible from Amazon. It arrived in generally good shape. It does not have a retail box. Instead, it has a sleeve. I prefer clamshell or two piece style boxes for storage. You tend to see clamshell style with premium Bibles, not value editions.

After tossing the sleeve away, I scrutinized the cover. I like synthetic covers more than bonded leather. If I can afford them, I purchase ones that are edge lined and covered in goatskin leather. This synthetic cover was not bad. It was soft and flexible. I did get a crease in it by folding it over. Once you get the paper liner creased it shows through the cover. I don’t know how durable it will be. I’ll get back to you on that on in a couple of years. There is a good lifetime warranty on these Bibles. I’m not worried about service should anything go wrong.

Here is the old edition in genuine leather

Both Bibles have family records pages and presentation pages in the front

One of the major qualities that I love about Crossway Bibles, is even their value Bibles use better paper than almost all of their competitors. The paper in this thing is as good as some of the paper in the cost prohibitive premium Bibles. It is very opaque and seems pretty heavy. The old edition was printed on 24 pound (36 g.s.m.) Thincoat™. The paper in the new edition is uncoated. It remains the same weight. It is whiter than the earlier edition which in comparison seems a little more off white. It could be that since I’ve had the other Bible for a few years the paper has yellowed a bit, but I doubt it. It is more likely that the coated paper of the earlier edition was responsible for the slight color difference.

Here is a look at the previous edition.

There is a slight tradeoff when using a heavier paper. The Bible, by necessity of finites becomes thicker. That being said, I would much rather a Bible be thicker and very legible than be thinner and barely legible. Ghosting is a real problem on thinner paper and can make daily reading a near impossible task. The New Classic Reference is not too heavy or big. It feels good to hold and read from. The fact that it is a tad bit thicker doesn’t make it uncomfortable to use. I find it to be subjectively, one of the most comfortable Bibles I’ve spent hours reading from.

Both the older edition and the new one, offer good contrast between the paper and the text. The text is a modern setting of Lexicon font in 9 pt size. It is sharp and crisp against the backdrop of the page. This is a red letter edition with the words of Christ printed in red. Some people like this feature and others think it detracts from the entirety of the word being inspired. I don’t have an opinion either way. If it is done well, I like it. The red and black ink is consistent throughout.

Here is the new one

Here is the old one

There are book introductions at the beginning of each book.

This is pretty helpful without adding the bulk that a study Bible would have. The New Classic Reference is laid out in a double column, paragraph format, with center column references.

This is pretty standard, but again due to the paper quality, uniform printing, and smyth-sewn binding this Bible stands out. I am thinking about rebinding it in goatskin leather. It is an excellent candidate for rebind because of the low initial purchase price, paper, print, and the sewn binding. If you couldn’t tell by now, this does have a sewn binding making it flexible and durable.

It has one ribbon marker that matches the color scheme of the Bible. It is a pretty thin ribbon.

The spine has also been rounded.

The older edition has a flatter spine that doesn’t appear rounded.

The older edition was manufactured in the United States, while this one was manufactured in China. As long as Crossway can ensure quality control, this shouldn’t be a problem. Other publishers have not been able to, and have suffered the consequential negative effects to their reputations.

An excellent three column concordance is included in the back with 32, color maps and illustrations.

The overall impression I got was that this is still the same reference Bible that so many people have loved over the years with some small changes. The most important qualities have not changed. It remains very legible, and easy on the eyes for long bouts of reading. It wins, hands down over many other similarly priced Bibles due to the paper, print, and binding. Throw in the formal equivalent English Standard Version (ESV) translation and you have a great reference Bible.

Make sure to check out all the pictures of the New Classic Reference here, and the old one here.

Here are the stats and info from the Crossway product page,

About the ESV New Classic Reference Bible

The ESV New Classic Reference Bible is a new edition of the first ESV Bible edition ever published in 2001—the ESV Classic Reference Bible. This practical and popular format combines the ESV text with a robust concordance and one of the most comprehensive and useful cross-reference systems available today—more than 80,000 references conveniently located in the center column on each page. This edition adds 32 pages of full-color maps of Bible lands and illustrations of historic biblical sites, structures, and objects for ready reference and insight. The ESV New Classic Reference Bible’s balance of helpful reference features and convenient size make it an ideal Bible for everyday use—at home, at church, at school, and on the road.

Size: 5.5″ x 8.4375″
9.0-point type
1,344 pages
Double-column, paragraph format
Words of Christ in red
More than 80,000 center-column cross-references
32 full-color pages of maps and illustrations
Introductions to each Bible book
Extensive concordance
Ribbon marker
Presentation pages
Smyth-sewn binding
Lifetime guarantee

Specifications

Format:	TruTone
Page Count:	1,344
ISBN-10:	1-4335-4557-8
ISBN-13:	978-1-4335-4557-3
Trim Size:	5.5 in x 8.4375 in
Weight:	31.8 ounces
Published:	January 31, 2015
Type Size:	9.0
Page Layout:	Double Column
Additional Features:	Sewn Binding Maps Illustrations Lifetime Guarantee Cross-references Concordance Book intros Ribbon Gilded edges Words of Christ Red

ISBN-13: 978-1-4335-4557-3
ISBN-13: 9781433545573

American Made · economics

A Review of No-Mes Fingernail Clippers, American Made by Industrial Tool and Die Co. Inc. Happy Labor Day!

September 7, 2015September 7, 2015 Bob Snyder1 Comment

Today we are going to take a look at something a little bit different on the Soapbox. Usually we do Bible reviews and post Christian articles. We are going to look at No-Mes Fingernail clippers. I know this is unusual, but I think it will be a good thing. I found myself looking for a replacement set of clippers. I had inherited a set of American made clippers from my Father. I keep them on my key ring as a functional memento. My Dad passed away a few years ago. He was a big fan of good tools and American craftsmanship. He used to fabricate his own tools when he was a mechanic. When I use them, I think about him. I wanted to get another pair of American made nail clippers to keep on my key chain so I could put my Father’s up. I didn’t want to lose them. So, I set out to find an American made set of clippers.

I have had several Chinese made nailclippers. They are dull, they smash the nail, they tear the nail, they break, and they cost too much for what they are. I know there are at least 8 sets of clippers sitting in drawers at my house unused, because they are garbage. Everyone shares the one sharp set of clippers in the house. We all ask, “Hey, where are the clippers at? Who had them last?”

As a Christian, I am opposed to communism. It is a godless system that forces the worship of the government and created things instead of God. Communism is not good for human flourishing. I grew up during the cold war and remember the horrors of communism reported to us on the nightly news. This was back when news was not yellow journalism, a term I fear the youth of this nation knows nothing about. My Dad and his brothers were all vets. My Uncle Larry was in the first class of Air Commandos. He flew three tours in Vietnam fighting communism. Before the Air Force he was a Marine. My Dad was in the Air Force and served in Northern Africa in between the Korean War and the Vietnam war.

I began looking for some clippers by doing a search on the internet for, “American made fingernail clippers.” This lead me to Amazon. I saw several pop up but only one was truly American made, the No-Mes clippers from Industrial Tool and Die Co. Inc. in Troy, New Jersey. I felt angry. I’m not going to lie. I was angry that much of our industry has been shut down and shipped out. Not just shipped out, but shipped out to communists who enslave their own people to make shoddy quality goods for us to buy at low prices. Then the anger turned to a fondness. Fondness for a company started by one man and kept in the family. I’ve never met anyone from Industrial Tool and Die Co. Inc. I’ve never talked with them outside of my e-mails. I know nothing about them other than what their site says. Just the fact that they are in America making a quality product, for a decent value, warmed my heart. When I went looking for them on the web, I was surprised to see that they didn’t have much of a web presence, so I decided I would e-mail them and ask them for some clippers to review. They graciously accepted and here we are. I hope to bring some recognition to them and their product.

The clippers arrived in a padded envelope.

They were packed in a little white box with some padding and an instruction card with the warranty information on the other side.

The clippers were in a little plastic bag. When I took them out, I noticed they were a bit larger than my old clippers.

They also had a tool that was noticeably missing. The nail file/nail cleaner. I wondered why this was absent. After using the clippers, it was obvious that a nail file was not needed. The clippers cut the nail cleanly leaving no burs or rough spots. You just don’t have any snags to file. I was pretty impressed by that. I noticed something these clippers had that most do not, is the bin that catches the clippings.

No finding them later on the floor or seeing them snap and fly out into the room. The nails are cut cleanly, not smashed or torn. The blades are sharp and there were no irregularities on them to cause the clippers to malfunction.

They simply, did what they were intended to do! Amazing! I know, a product that did what it is supposed to do… How could we demand such a thing? Kids, you don’t know what you are missing. When you grow up using substandard tools and equipment, then replacing them with more of the same when they break, you never get to know what it is like to work with something of quality. These clippers are just good quality clippers. They are not gimmicky at all. The bin works the way that it is supposed to. I noticed there isn’t much travel with the handle the way that it functions and it is easy to hold.

They are a bit wider and have good flat spots for you to squeeze the handles. There are also grooves in the surfaces to help you keep hold of them. They were much easier to use than traditional styled clippers.

Traditional styled clippers allow the handle to swing around 360 degrees. These do not. They won’t pop out from under your thumb the way others will. They also have a hole in the end so they can be kept on a key ring.

The little metal flap that you fold over the bin is also the surface that the cam on the handle engages to actuate the clippers. It has two protrusions, one on each side. I think a person could use them to clean under a nail if they had to.

These would make a great stocking stuffer, or gift for the man in your life. They are a good value as well. You can pick them up on Amazon for about $13. Here is the product description from the Amazon product page,

The patented no-post/no-swivel design offers a simpler no fumbling method of trimming nails. Clippings stay inside a specially designed compartment, unlike ordinary nail clippers that launch your nail clippings across the room. The “No-Mes” nail clipper is easily emptied by opening the handle, then folds up for compact storage. All hardened tool steel with precision ground cutting edges, polished and chrome plated finish. The “No-mes” nail clipper is designed and manufactured in the USA to last forever and is guaranteed for life!

I really appreciate having a good pair of nail clippers handy. Don’t be fooled by imitators or cheap Chinese made knock-offs. Make sure to get the No-Mes clippers. Here is their web address, www.nomesnailclipper.com Here is a link to them on Amazon, No-Mes Clippers. If only they could figure out a way to put a knife blade, laser beam, grappling hook, and internet on these… nope, just kidding. They are great the way they are. Make sure to look at all the high resolution pictures of these clippers on my Flickr album page here.

You can watch my youtube video review of them here.

Book Reviews

A Review of, “The Good, the Bad, and the Grace of God, What Honesty and Pain Taught Us About Faith, Family, and Forgiveness.”

June 27, 2015June 27, 2015 Bob SnyderLeave a comment

By Jep and Jessica Robertson, with Susy Flory

What can I say? I think the Robertson family is funny. I can’t help liking them. When I saw this book come up for review, I decided to read it, considering how much garbage is put out by Harper Collins. Harper Collins owns Zondervan, Thomas Nelson, and Westbow. Seriously, most of the books coming out of these publishers for Christian book stores are heretical, seeker sensitive, neo-liberal, drivel. That being said, this book was written by baptismal regeneration heretics. You could see them hint around a bit in the text of the book. Their beliefs seem orthodox, until you start understanding their take on baptism and regeneration.

Thankfully this book is not a work on theology. It is about their lives and in that area it was very informative, engaging, and entertaining. I read it very quickly and enjoyed getting to know how simple this couple is. Their unorthodox beliefs about baptismal regeneration aside, they seem like a couple of people who have had very similar struggles to many people you or I would know. Jep struggled with drugs when he was younger. He was molested by an older girl when he was a very young boy. This led to a pornography problem as an adult. Jesse struggled with self-esteem issues, was taken advantage of by an inappropriate older man who was her youth pastor, married him out of pressure, divorced within a year, and shamed. They share about how their relationship started, how their faith in God set their focus on Him instead of their own brokenness, and how they both came to believe in God.
If you’re a fan of the Duck Dynasty show, and would like to know more about the youngest brother, then read this book. It is a quick easy read, that will make you feel like you have known them for their entire lives. Don’t read this book for a theology lesson. The Church of Christ that they belong to needs to renounce baptismal regeneration.

Book Reviews

Rachel Held Evans, “Searching for Sunday” is Liberal, Emergent Church, Ecumenical, Drivel at Best.

May 28, 2015May 29, 2015 Bob Snyder3 Comments

In my opinion, this is one of the most convincing pieces of evidence against RHE. Unless she is being completely dishonest in her book about her doubts, this book should open everyone’s eyes to the fact that she needs help. She has some knowledge of the Bible and theology, but it doesn’t seem to have changed her thinking or lack of faith in regards to some very serious articles of the Faith. She is one of the most dangerous false teachers of our time. She is leading sinners straight to hell while wishing them well and waving as they perish. If the gospel had truly changed her she would demonstrate repentance of sin and a faith that perseveres. Instead she celebrates sexual sin and feminine rebellion as she continuously vacillates between belief and not-belief.

She expresses how she wants to love people, but it seems she wants to do it her way not God’s. She actually rebels against God in so many ways it leads me to conclude, that after reading her book, she probably is not a Christian, or perhaps a very spiritually immature, confused one. It seems like so many liberals, she has made love her god. “God is love, but love is not God.” The fruit of her lack of faith is the evidence, of which there is plenty in just this book alone, never mind all of her blog articles. She affirms women pastors, Roman Catholicism, horrible ecumenism, feminist rebellion, homosexual marriage, and homosexual pastors. On page 135, in the second paragraph she even refers to a homosexual pastor and HIS husband. “…In Seattle, Pastor Tim and his husband Patrick served up fresh salmon…” On page 184 she writes, “…there are denominations of which I cannot in good conscience be a part because they ban women from the pulpit and gay and lesbian people from the table…” homosexuality is not an orientation it is sexual sin that needs to be repented of.

At the start of each chapter she has a quote from someone or she uses a Bible verse. The people she quotes are either, feminists, Roman Catholics, Episcopalians, leftists, homosexual, or a combination of those errors. She uses them as examples of what she believes are the best of Christianity. This is obviously where she stands. Her book seems to be a polemic against men and orthodoxy, unless of course they are liberal or gay. She has some major hang-ups with men and the Church. Her rebellion is evident on every page. It is very sad to see. It is more sad that others will read this damaging book and be tossed into sin and confusion.

After reading the book all I can gather is that her reason why millennials are leaving the Church is that we are too concerned about God’s word and adhering to it rather than tossing it out and having a big gay love fest. She is insane. The non-stop feminist agenda is sickening. She is a basher of heterosexual, conservative, orthodox people who hides behind her, “love everyone” facade. As testimony to her sloppy ecumenism she quotes her friend on page 185, “…”When you join a church you’re just picking which hot mess is your favorite.” That sounds about right to me…” She even makes the stupid tree analogy about how we are all part of the same tree. RHD is like your bitter, manipulative, little sister, who has whipped up some false tears, so she can point her finger at orthodox Christians, and falsely accuse them of being bullies, because they love God instead of the world system.

Her biggest flaw is that she does not understand the purpose of the gospel or the Church. She has completely missed it. In all of her self-doubt, self-righteous, ecumenical man bashing, she misses the point. The sinner who hears the gospel and repents and believes is saved by grace. They repent. They no longer think or feel the same about sin in general and their own personal sin. That means that homosexuals who get saved will begin to hate their sexual sin of homosexuality. They might still feel that same sex attraction, but they won’t live the lifestyle. They will leave their gay lovers and become celibate or they will be changed by God and become straight. It is not impossible with God. If porn addicts can get free, if the adulterous can get free, if drug addicts can get free, so can people with SSA. There is no sin too great for God to conquer and leaving people in their sin while telling them they are Christian is giving them a ticket to Hell. It is one of the most hateful, unloving, unchristian, things I can think of to do to someone. The Church is for the worship of God.

Millennials aren’t leaving the Church over, “…politics, sexuality, science, and social justice…” They are leaving the Church because they have never heard the real gospel. They are not saved. They are sinners under the condemnation of sin and are leaving because they have never truly repented and believed the gospel in the first place.
ISBN-13: 978-0718022129

This book was provided gratis by bookblogger for an honest review.

Bible Reviews

The Holman HCSB, Deluxe Ultrathin Reference Bible in Black Genuine Top Grain Cowhide, is an Excellent Idea, but Poorly Executed.

May 11, 2015 Bob SnyderLeave a comment

I would love to give this Bible a glowing review. It is a good idea. My favorite size Bibles have been ultrathins. They are generally pretty portable and handy. An ultrathin with, sewn binding, some references, top grain cowhide leather cover, edge lined binding, opaque paper, and legible typeset is a wonderful Bible to have. If done correctly, they could sell them as fast as they could make them. Like I said earlier though, the design needs to be properly executed. There have been some problems with both review copies I was sent. The first copy arrived with the gold stamping on the spine missing in spots,

the tail band was sliced, one of the end pages was dog eared, the cover was not glued down to the inside liner well enough, this allowed the pages to get between the liner and cover, and the pages were all stuck together. The gold stamping would have been enough to send this Bible back as it is fairly expensive. The second Bible sent to me to replace the first one has leather debris sandwiched between the cover and the liner, leaving two lumps on the front cover.

These will cause the cover to wear out and eventually put holes in it. That would have been enough to warrant sending that Bible back as well. Generally, I am very pleased with Holman Bibles. Many of their Bibles are produced in South Korea. This one was produced in China. Almost all of the incidents I’ve had with defects in workmanship or materials, have been with Bibles made in China. It doesn’t seem to matter who the American publisher is, whether it is Lockman, B&H, or Hendrickson when they make Bibles in China the quality control is problematic.

Where Holman stands above some of the other publishers is in their customer service. They have quickly and courteously supplied me with another copy, when I brought the defect to their attention. Some publishers were unwilling to replace defective copies. Lockman has replaced defective copies as well, but this review is of B&H.

If this Bible would have been produced without defects, with a higher quality liner, and end papers, it would have been worth the retail price. I would suggest that B&H stop making this Bible in China, and move the production to someplace with higher quality standards. This would have been a great Bible considering the ambition of the design. It was shipped in a cardboard box with paper packing.

The retail box inside is a two piece box, that should be retained for storage.

The Bible inside the box was wrapped in black construction paper to protect it during shipping. The cover is supposed to be top grain cowhide leather. It does feel very soft,

but it has been pared pretty thin.

I don’t know if Holman supplied the leather or allowed the Chinese binder to provide the leather. The liner looks like a synthetic material. It doesn’t glue well to the hide cover. The end papers are very thin as well. This might have been done to increase the flexibility of this Bible given that it is edge lined bound and not case bound. I appreciate what they were attempting to do, but the end papers just came off as cheap. I love when a Bible has a genuine, high quality hide as a cover. The smell and feel of a genuine hide, not to mention the durability, ensure many years of use. Combine that with a flexible sewn binding, and you have an easy opening Bible that lies flat on your table, or can be wrapped around itself, to be held in one hand for easy reading.

The line matching helps to keep the text legible in conjunction with the uniform printing and ink consistency.

This is a double column paragraph format, red letter edition Bible.

There is an oddity that puzzles me. They printed the book names and chapters on the bottom of the page, instead of at the top where it typically is located. It makes you pause for a moment when trying to turn to a specific scripture. Chances are good that I could have been sent a Bible with zero defects and my review would have been extolling the virtues of this great little Bible. Chances are, you might order it and receive a good copy. I just happened to get tow in a row with defects. The good news, is that Holman will make it right if you get a bad one. If you really want an HCSB in ultrathin that is edge lined and covered with top grain leather, this is about one of your only choices.

Make sure to check out all of the pictures I took of this Bible and its replacement on my flickr page.

9781586404314

Bible Reviews

Need a Complete Bible in a Handy Size to Slide into a Pocket? The NASB Compact Bible in Black Bonded Leather with a Snap-Flap Fills the Niche at a Great Value.

April 22, 2015 Bob Snyder1 Comment

As a fan of the NASB translation, I find myself needing a copy of it for several applications. The problem is that my choices are limited once I demand a sewn binding. If I want a compact NASB with a sewn binding, I can either spend around a hundred dollars for a Cambridge, or I can spend around twenty for a Chinese made Lockman Foundation. I know how nice a Cambridge can be, but I there are some benefits to spending less, especially when you are getting a compact Bible. If you tend to carry the compact with you everywhere, it can get worn out from travel. You might also forget it on a table somewhere after a talk. Not to mention the accidental spills and drops. If you spend around a hundred dollars on a Bible, and then have all of that happen, it would probably give you some heartburn.

Then there are the numerous glued Bibles from companies like Yawn-durp-ven, you know who I mean. I can’t begin to tell you how much I hate glued bindings. Constantly losing the front pages and pages from the back, the spine breaking in the middle, I mean, come on already! I’ll pay the extra few bucks for a sewn binding. Wait, what’s that? Lockman Foundation makes a value priced, compact Bible, with a sewn binding? Do tell. Yes, it is true. Now don’t get me wrong, these are not premium Bibles, but if you need to have access to the printed word and you don’t want to use an app on your phone, this little Bible could do the trick. I know, I know, “It has rubber on the flap… It smells funny… The pages pucker where the treads secure the signatures… It is covered with bonded leather…” I understand the complaints, but there has to be a compromise. Like I just got done explaining, do you want to lose a hundred dollar Bible at a coffee shop? I didn’t think so. Do you want to open your Bible up to help someone out, and have pages fall out on the ground? I didn’t think so. So you see there is a niche that this little Bible fills quite well.

As for some of the gripes, the rubber flap holds up much better than just having a bit of bonded leather there. The smell is not as strong after it airs out for a couple days. The puckers are there, you have a sewn binding, deal with it. Better to not have pages falling out. The bonded leather keeps the cost down. Hides are expensive. This is a value Bible. You can even afford to lose them or give them away. I think I saw this one online for like fifteen bucks. Come on, that is extremely affordable. So, don’t be a Bible snobs like Bob, get what works for your application.

Time for the rundown, this Bible was shipped in a cardboard box, packed with paper padding.

It was in a two piece retail package. Inside the retail package it was wrapped in plastic.

Some of the features of this Bible are a sewn binding,

verse format with section headings,

bonded leather cover, protective snap-flap,

gilded page edges, presentation page, black ribbon marker, 6.8 pt. font, and compact size. (4.5″ x 6.5″ x 0.75)

Due to the sewn binding this Bible can be opened up without hurting the spine. The spine is stamped with, “New American Standard Bible” in gold. The snap-flap protects the page edges, so you can just slip it in a pocket. The verse format helps you find verses quickly. The 6.5 pt. font makes it legible. The end pages are a bit flimsy, but I think that is to keep this small edition from being too rigid. Overall, this Bible performs the purpose it is intended for. I would recommend it based on the low price and sewn binding.

be sure to check out the rest of the pictures on my flickr page

If you’d like to purchase a copy of this Bible here are a couple of links,

amazon.com

Christianbook.com

Bible Reviews

Oxford University Press, King James Version, Scofield Study Bible III, Red Letter Edition, in Burgundy Genuine Leather, with indexes, Model 524RRL.

April 7, 2015April 9, 2015 Bob Snyder1 Comment

I received the Oxford University Press King James Version Scofield Study Bible III in the mail gratis from Oxford, for the purpose of review. It was shipped in a cardboard box with paper packing.

It arrived safe and sound, with no damage. Inside the shipping box, was the retail box. It is a two piece box, with a clear plastic window in it. It is sturdy enough to retain for storing the Bible in. Inside the retail box, the Bible is wrapped in plastic wrap.

This Bible is burgundy in color, and is listed as genuine leather. It feels like pigskin leather. It is hard and shiny like pigskin leather. Upon opening it, I was struck with a strong odor. It smelled strongly, and not in a pleasant way. I have had it opened for a few days now, and the smell has dissipated quite a bit.

There is a groove around the perimeter, and on the inside there is a gilt line.

This Bible has a decorative head and tail band.

It also has a gold/yellow colored ribbon marker.

The spine and corners of this Bible are rounded. The thumb indexes are pretty typical of other thumb indexes.

Some people love them, I don’t really use them. This Bible is printed and bound in Korea. They seem to be the new middle of the pack printers as far as quality and price go. Most of the Korean made Bibles are a good value. They aren’t as well made as the Jongbloed Bibles, and they aren’t near as expensive either. They far exceed the quality of the Chinese made Bibles and are generally about a third to twice the cost. In my opinion, it is worth it to spend the extra money. The Chinese quality is so hit or miss, it is ridiculous. This Bible seems to be pretty well made. The binding is sewn and the leather is decent grade pigskin genuine leather.

I am pretty pleased with all of the features this Bible has for the price. It seems to be a good value. The presentation and family records pages are attractive compared to most. They are printed on a textured, colored paper. They look fancy compared to the plain paper ones, and they take ink better than the glossy paper in others.

There is a lot of articles, cross references, their version of chain references, maps, footnotes, and other helps dispersed throughout this Bible. Book introductions at the beginning of each book are just enough information without being information overload. The Bible is a bit thicker than some study Bibles, but not near as large as others, like the ESV Study Bible. I think they made a decent compromise between features and size. Sometimes it seems there is never enough in a study Bible to please some customers, and if there were, it would be so large they couldn’t carry it. A good editor is a must. The paper is opaque enough so that ghosting is minimal. The 9 point font is inked uniformly and printed clearly, to contrast well with the paper. The layout is double column, verse format, with side column references in the gutter and margin, notes are at the bottom of the page. The text that is in red is also printed uniform, and clean. The verse numbers are in black regardless of whether or not they precede black text or red.

The page edges are gold gilt. There is a large, useful concordance, and 12 color maps in the end of this Bible.

Here is what Oxford says about this Bible on their product page;

Packed with new supplementary materials, each Scofield® Study Bible is durable and made to withstand daily use. Each volume includes a presentation page for gift giving, a full-color map section, and attractive binding in a variety of styles to suit any occasion.

This burgundy genuine leather edition combines the renowned Scofield® study notes and reference system with the historic King James Version translation. Generations of Bible students have chosen the Scofield® Study Bibles for its unique study and reference features. Clean, clear text and annotations are laid out in an easy-to-read format, guiding readers to a fuller understanding of the Bible.

The Scofield® Study Bible III KJV includes cross references that link topics and words together, introductions to the various books of the Bible, a superb system of chain references, the concordance, study notes, charts and diagrams, a subject and a proper name index, and much more.

* An exclusive, subject-based topical chain reference system.
* Over 100 boxed factual articles and lists.
* Expanded introductions with detailed outlines of each book.
* An expanded Subject index.
* Study not biblical references are in “chapter-and-verse” format.
* Side-column references are grouped by chapter and verse.
* Over 550 in-text definitions of proper nouns for people and place names.
* Nearly 70 in-text black and white maps and charts.
* In-text articles of nearly 250 notes crucial to understanding the Scofield®.
* Indexes to Proper Nouns, Chain References, and Subjects.
* 16 pages of accurate, full color New Oxford Bible Maps (with index of places and natural features).
* Bottom-of-the-page study notes.
* Sectional headings.
* Select KJV Concordance.
* Red Letter.

I have 70 pictures you can see on flickr.com

ISBN-13: 978-0-19-527860-6

ISBN 9780195278606

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About the ESV New Classic Reference Bible

Specifications

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By Jep and Jessica Robertson, with Susy Flory

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