HCSB

Blog Post: New Bible Study App for iPad

DevinMaddox — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:10:00 GMT

WORDsearch debuts a new iPad app this week. iPad users can now access their WORDsearch library of Bibles (including the HCSB), books, and commentaries via the new free app in Apple's App Store. Here are some of the features highlighted on WORDsearch's website:

Easy-to-Use Navigation Buttons

You’ll discover navigating is easy with the handy buttons located above and below each open window. These buttons put you one tap away from choosing books in your library, searching scriptures or topics, bookmarking, answering questions, setting preferences, and much more.

Easy Searching for a Bible Text

Quickly navigate to any Bible passage by tapping your Bible, book and chapter. Your selected Bible will open exactly where you want it.

Switch Bibles Easily

You can switch to a different Bible with a simple tap or two. Your new selection will open to the same verse you’re studying.

Synchronize Bibles and Commentaries

It’s easy to sync any Bible to any commentary by tapping the handy Lock/Unlock icon between your two window panes. Tap on any scripture reference, and the entire reference will pop up for easy reading, just like it does in WORDsearch.

Highlighting Bible and Book Text

You’ll love the intuitive highlighting tool. You can color-code your highlights with six different colors, or underline any text. You can also add your own notes anywhere in the text and save it to your iPad.

Study Pane That Saves Your Personal Notes

Tap the “Study Pane” icon in any book to open a personal work area. This is where you can enter your own notes, and paste in text you have copied from Bibles and books. When you “save” notes in this Study Pane, a little note icon will appear in your Bible or book next to the referenced text.

Fast Answers to Your Questions

As you are growing familiar with your iPad app, tap the Info icon any time you have a question. You’ll find FAQs to explain most anything related to the app.

Below is an overview of the new WORDsearch app:

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGTEAm9nYms]

Blog Post: Going Deeper on Issues is Translation

DevinMaddox — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:21:00 GMT

Often on Facebook we get a questions about a nuance of a particular translation in the HCSB. The questions are usually very sophisticated, and require the expertise of the contributor who helped translate that particular book, chapter, and verse. The questions prompt a chain of emails from social media moderators that persist until the "expert" repsonds with an explanation for why the Greek/Hebrew was rendered into English in a particular way.

Biblical studies are an important discipline for local church ministry. Increasingly, churches are faced with more and more choices in regards to English Bible translations. There are many good English Bible translations to choose from, so church leaders continue to examine deeper issues in translation when selecting a Bible for their churches.

Back in 2010, we highlighted the launch of new blog co-sponsored by BibleGateway.com and the Gospel Coalition. 'Perspectives in Translation' is described on the site as "a discussion on English Bible translations." Drawing from a diverse pool of biblical scholars, the blog goes deep on issues in translation. We would heartily recommend this as a resource in keeping up to date on trends in biblical studies, and for those of you who are examining (or re-examining) all of the issues related to choosing an English Bible.

Contributors to 'Perspectives in Translation' include:

Collin Hansen - editorial director for The Gospel Coalition

Craig Blomberg - distinguished professor of New Testament at Denver Seminary in Littleton, Colorado

Douglas J. Moo - Blachard Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois

Tremper Longman III - Robert H. Gundry professor of biblical studies at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California

Denny Burk - associate professor of New Testament and dean of Boyce College in Louisville, Kentucky

James M. Hamilton - associate professor of biblical theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky

Ray Van Neste - associate professor of biblical studies at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee

Michael Bird - lecturer in theology and New Testament at Crossway College in Brisbane, Australia

E. Ray Clendenen - Bible commentary editor for B&H Publishing and associate editor of the HCSB

Darrell L. Bock - research professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary

T. David Gordon - professor of religion and Greek at Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania

Thom S. Schreiner - James Buchanan Harrison professor of New Testament interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky and chairman of the HCSB translation oversight committee

Robert Yarbrough - professor of New Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri

Richard L. Pratt Jr. - president of Third Millennium Ministries

George Guthrie - Benjamin W. Perry professor of Bible at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee

We are grateful for increasing awareness and engagement in these issues, indication of growing concern for maintaining the authority and sufficiency of Scripture. We pray you will find this resource (and others from B&H and HCSB as well) useful as you study the Scriptures to the glory of God.

Blog Post: Considering Changing to the HCSB? One Church's Story

DevinMaddox — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:32:00 GMT

We are often asked what factors a church should think through when considering switching their Bible translation. For the past decade many churches have switched Bible translations, deciding a switch is worth the effort. Here are two important questions churches are asking in the process of evaluation:

Is the translation readable?

Many have switched from older translations like the King James Version, for a more readable translation. As English continues to evolve and change, new Christians and seasoned Christians alike find it increasingly difficult to study an English language Bible with ancient speech patterns and vocabulary.

Is the translation accurate?

Churches also tend to switch when they discover a translation they feel is more accurate in rendering biblical manuscripts into English. Evaluating accuracy can be difficult without a great deal of research. A background in the biblical languages is helpful in this regard. But tools like MyStudyBible.com make study in the original languages more accessible than ever before. One of the unique features of the tool is the ability to hover over an English rendering in multiple translations and correlate the corresponding Greek and Hebrew words.

Each church has unique questions to consider when it comes to changing translations. This is why we like to tell stories of churches making the switch to the HCSB, highlighting why making the switch is helpful in their individual ministry context. First Baptist Church Houston, TX recently posted their decision to switch to the HCSB on their website. We are always excited and honored when churches make the switch, because we know churches do not do so flippantly. Here is a look at why First Baptist Church Houston made the switch:

Blog Post: A Fresh Look at the HCSB: 3 Videos

DevinMaddox — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:18:00 GMT

As we talk about the HCSB all over the world, we use videos like these to give a bird's-eye-view of the translation. Below we have 3 different versions of the video, all different lengths. Since, in many cases, conference vendors and meeting planners have different time needs, we trimmed the same video into 3 different edits. Feel free to use any of the three below as you have need.

Version 1 (4:12)

Version 2 (5:42)

Version 3 (2:01)

Blog Post: Advent and Bible Reading

DevinMaddox — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:20:00 GMT

Does your church participate in an Advent Bible reading plan? John Piper's ministry, Desiring God, recently posted an article on their blog about Advent with some compelling reasons why you might consider doing so. Jonathan Parnell describes Advent this way:

"Advent" is from the Latin word for "coming" — translated from the Greek word parousia. It's a stretch of four weeks where we reenact and remember how the Old Testament saints longed for Messiah to come.

Noel Piper, the wife of pastor John Piper, describes Advent in Desiring God's free online book Treasuring God in Our Traditions, saying:

So here we stand in the middle. Advent is the season of looking back, thinking how it must have been, waiting for the promised salvation of God, not knowing what to expect. And at the same time, Advent is a season of looking ahead, preparing ourselves to meet Jesus at his Second Coming. (Treasuring God in Our Traditions, 77).

While many evangelicals have tended to avoid more liturgical approaches to Christian worship, recent trends have reversed to embrace more an more events on the "Christian calendar." Advent, often observed for four weeks before Christmas, can be a focused time of Bible study and prayer centered on remembering the first time Jesus came into our world. Many churches provide devotional guides for families to use throughout the week in family worship to prepare for Sunday services that focus on the same Scripture passages and biblical themes.

The Village Church in Texas has produced an excellent devotional guide for their church that they are sharing for free online. You can download the guide here. The Village Church sets aside 5 weeks for Advent (instead of 4) and focus on the following themes:

WEEK 1: PROMISES AND PATIENCE

Theme: Our God makes and keeps promises, and His people are called

to wait with patient longing.

WEEK 2: AWAITING AN ADVENT

Theme: God made a particular promise of a Messiah, and Israel longed

for His coming.

WEEK 3: INCARNATION AND IMPLICATIONS

Theme: God fulfilled the promise of a Messiah in the first advent of

Jesus Christ.

WEEK 4: RESURRECTION AND RETURN

Theme: After dying to redeem His people from slavery, Christ rose from

the dead and promised to come again to redeem us fully.

WEEK 5: WATCHING AND WAITING

Theme: As we await the second advent of Christ, we are called to a life of

prayerful and prepared patience.

If you are looking for something less devotional and more focused on the biblical text itself, YouVersion offers a free Bible reading plan for Christmas. You can choose to read in the Bible translation of your choice, including the HCSB.

If you are willing to spend $12.99, Nancy Guthrie has edited a short but exhaustive guide to writings of theologians throughout history. Some of the contributors include:

Nancy Guthrie (Editor), Alistair Begg (Contributor), James Montgomery Boice (Contributor),Joseph Ryan (Contributor), John Piper (Contributor), J. Ligon Duncan (Contributor), Randy Alcorn(Contributor), John MacArthur (Contributor), Francis A. Schaeffer (Contributor), R. C. Sproul(Contributor), Joni Eareckson Tada (Contributor), George Whitefield (Contributor), Martin Luther(Contributor), Timothy J. Keller (Contributor), Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Contributor), Jonathan Edwards(Contributor), Charles H. Spurgeon (Contributor), Augustine (Contributor), J. I. Packer (Contributor),John Calvin (Contributor), Alistair Begg (Contributor), Raymond C. Ortlund Jr. (Contributor), J. C. Ryle (Contributor)

You can find Come Thou Long Expected Jesus: Experiencing the Peace and Promise of Christmas by Nancy Guthrie here.

Blog Post: New Mobile Bible Study Tool from B&H

DevinMaddox — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:27:00 GMT

Yesterday, B&H Publishing launched a new mobile version of MyStudyBible.com. The HTML 5 site is compatible with both Android and iPhone, making it easier than ever to access your free and paid MyStudyBible.com library. Choose from different translations of the Bible, including the HCSB, in the mobile version while you're on the go. Mobile users can quickly and easily search the entire Bible with MyStudyBible.com's new mobile search feature. To access the mobile site, simply key in www.MyStudyBible.com on your Android or iPhone device, or use the URL www.MyStudyBible.com/mobile.

To read more about updates to MyStudyBible.com, visit the B&H Blog.

How many times have you opened your suitcase only to discover you left your Bible on the kitchen counter miles away? People today are busy and mobile. There are hundreds of scenarios when it would be really handy to have access to your bible and some study helps. At “MyStudyBible.com” you will find an attractive interface to do verse-by-verse bible study with cross reference study notes side by side with the text. You will have access to word study databases, including the original biblical languages. In addition to all of these features, you will find a Bible dictionary and footnotes. If you find yourself on the road without your bible, hop on to “MyStudyBible.com” for help, now available on your Android or iOS device.

Blog Post: Thom Rainer Giving Away HCSB Study Bible Today

DevinMaddox — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 13:26:00 GMT

Today at thomrainer.com, Dr. Rainer is giving away an HCSB Study Bible. Here are the details:

"My giveaway this Friday is the black, genuine leather version of the HCSB Study Bible. The unique, full-color design and format are the direct result of a nationwide research project. The Bible people wanted is the Bible B&H built. The result is a visual Bible that's comprehensive, easy to read, and easy to use, with features and formats specifically designed to enhance your Bible study experience. You can also go to MyStudyBible.com and dive right in for a complete digital experience.

This Bible has a retail price of $79.99 and features 15,000 study notes, 290 Hebrew and Greek word studies, 66 highly detailed book introductions, 62 maps, 27 topical articles, 20 charts, and 18 illustrations, all focusing on the most important topics and questions in Bible study.

To be eligible to win, take a fresh look at your favorite Scripture or passage at MyStudyBible.com. Then copy and paste it in the comment section for this post.

The deadline to enter is midnight CST this Saturday. We will select one winner from the entries on Monday morning."

Blog Post: B&H Breakfast at ETS 2011

DevinMaddox — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:43:00 GMT

Dr. Tom Schreiner was kind enough to speak at the B&H Publishing Group's authors breakfast. Schreiner, the chairman of the HCSB translation oversight committee, delivered a powerful message about the implications of the preeminence of Jesus Christ. The audio is below.

Schreiner serves as James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation (1997); Associate Dean, Scripture and Interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. Schreiner, a Pauline scholar, is the author or editor of several books including, Romans, in the Baker Exegetical Commentary Series on the New Testament; Interpreting the Pauline Epistles; The Law and Its Fulfillment: A Pauline Theology of Law; The Race Set Before Us: A Biblical Theology of Perseverance and Assurance; Still Sovereign: Contemporary Perspectives of Election, Foreknowledge, and Grace, co-edited with Bruce A. Ware; Women in the Church: A Fresh Analysis of I Timothy 2:9-15; Paul, Apostle of God’s Glory in Christ: A Pauline Theology, 1 and 2 Peter, Jude. Most recently, Schreiner was elected Vice President of the Evangelical Theological Society.

Click here to see Dr. Schreiner's B&H author profile.

Dr. Thomas Schreiner - Living Like Jesus is the Only Way - ETS 2011 by BHPublishingGroup

Blog Post: The Gospel Coalition on the HCSB, ESV, and NIV

DevinMaddox — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 21:14:00 GMT

David Croteau at the Gospel Coaltion Voices blog writes today about Liberty University's recent biblical studies symposium. Croteau writes:

"As a Bible professor, I hear a lot of questions regarding translations:

When a translation says it's more literal, it's the most accurate, right?

Doesn't "gender-neutral" mean it's bad?

Do certain Bible translations promote women pastors?

Which Bible translation should I use?In trying to help them answer these questions, Liberty University allowed me to invite three representatives from three of the bestselling Bible translations today. Doug Moo agreed to speak on behalf of the 2011 New International Version (NIV), Wayne Grudem defended the English Standard Version (ESV), and Ray Clendenen contended for the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB). The symposium offered just a glimpse of what we'll be exploring in a book I'm editing with Andreas Köstenberger that will be published by Broadman & Holman Publishers and available in fall 2012. This book will compare about sixteen passages between four major translations."

Liberty is now hosting the videos of the symposium on their site here.

Blog Post: B&H Giving Away A Free Life Essentials Study Bible

DevinMaddox — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 22:03:00 GMT

B&H is giving away a free Life Essentials Study Bible! Click here for more information about their giveaway.

Below is an introductory video, explaining what makes the Life Essentials Study Bible unique.

Blog Post: Liberty University Biblical Studies Symposium

DevinMaddox — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 16:05:00 GMT

This week, audio and videos from Liberty University's Biblical Studies Symposium were released. Participants highlighted a different translation of the Bible and engaged in a panel discussion responding to one another (taking questions as well). Presenters included scholars Ray Clendenen (HCSB), Wayne Grudem (ESV), and Doug Moo (NIV). Click here to see videos from each presenter and the panel discussion at the end. Thank you to Liberty University for hosting and capturing this helpful conversation. B&H will publish a book based on the symposium in the future.

Blog Post: B&H Releases Life Essentials Study Bible QR Reader App

DevinMaddox — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:39:00 GMT

The Life Essentials Study Bible contains 1,500 principles to live by connected to teaching videos from Gene Getz. These apps allows you to scan the QR codes in the Study Bible or select the individual principles for instant access to the 1,500 teaching videos. By using this app, you will be able to save your favorite videos and keep track of which videos you have watched.

The teaching videos from Gene Getz elaborates on 1,500 principles in Scripture that are as relevant today as when the sixty- six books of the Bible were written. Distilling these truths into principles, Getz helps you more easily remember and effectively apply the Bible's wisdom to everyday life. He explains how each of these principles represents a supracultural truth - one that can and should be applied at any moment in history and in every cultural situation.

Click on one of the images below to download the app for your mobile device.

Blog Post: MyStudyBible.com: March Update - New Content, Advanced Copy, and Short URL Links

Aaron Linne — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 14:43:00 GMT

With much excitement, the @StudyBibleTeam is proud to introduce our March Update of MyStudyBible.com!

The past few months we've been quietly fixing bugs on the site, preparing for future updates, and making sure all the pieces and parts fit for different browsers and services. A large part of this release has been "under-the-hood" work... but you don't care about that. Let's dive into the good stuff!

Advanced Copy and Paste Features

With this release we are introducing an Advanced Copy feature for Bible verses. In your browser, simply highlight a verse and you will be presented with a few new options: Copy Text (this is a simple copy of the text), Copy Link (copies a link to the verse), and Advanced Options.

Clicking Advanced Options gives you full control of the Biblical text you are copying and pasting. You can turn on/off headers, verse numbers, or limit the content to 140 characters for easy Tweeting. The full list of options are:

Headings
Verse Numbers
Footnotes
Reference
Translation
Formatting
Links
Limit to 140 Characters
Turn On/Off HTML Links

From this screen you can also easily share your favorite verse. Pressing the Facebook button starts a post for you with the link to the verse already created. Pressing the Twitter button starts a new tweet for you with the first 140 characters; we don't auto-tweet so you can edit!

Short Links to MyStudyBible.com Content

When you use the new Copy tool, you may notice a "Copy Link" button for Bible verses. You can now easily get links to direct verses for any translation in MyStudyBible.com!

Click this link to see it in action: MSB.to/Jn3:16

In this release only Bible verses have the links automatically created for you, but fret not; check out this post for how to create links to all of the free content in MyStudyBible.com.

New Content

We've added to the library of content that is fully integrated with MyStudyBible.com! This release introduces four new pieces of content for you to add to your study tools:

Bibles

New American Standard Bible

Dictionaries

Commentaries

Matthew Henry Concise Bible Commentary

Please don't forget the most important feature of our site: the Feedback link. We are building this site for you, listening to the needs and requests of our users. The feedback you send from that form will be read by a member of the @StudyBibleTeam; please don't hesitate to send on your thoughts!

Thanks, and Explore More with MyStudyBible.com!

Blog Post: MyStudyBible.com: December Update - Sync Controls, Read in Parallel and Chinese Translations

Aaron Linne — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 23:07:00 GMT

Greetings from the @StudyBibleTeam! We are incredibly excited to be able to release the December Update for MyStudyBible.com today!

Sync Controls

When you visit MyStudyBible.com, you will see a new Sync icon between the main reading pane and the cross-reference pane. This new features gives you even more control over your study experience.

By keeping the sync icon on, whatever verse you are looking at in the reading pane will sync with the content in the cross-reference pane; that's how it's been since launch. However, now you can turn the sync off, in case you want to keep the cross reference pane where it is, while exploring other scripture. The sync is also on a per-content basis. In other words, if you have multiple items open in the reading pane, you can turn it on/off for individual content. Again, making it easy to be sure that what's showing up in the cross-reference pane is what your'e wanting to see.

Read in Parallel/Sync

Now you can read multiple translations at the same time, in parallel! By opening a second Bible translation with the "Read in Parallel" button from the Library, two Bibles will be open; one in the reading pane and one in the cross-reference pane. Now, with the sync controls, you can keep both translations tied together at the same verse.

Of course, it's not just Bible translations that can be read in Parallel. Any MyStudyBible.com content that can be read in the cross-reference pane can be opened via "Read in Sync." Doing so will tie the content to the main reading pane. For example, if you open the Holman New Testament Commentary for Mark via "Read in Sync," the commentary will open in the cross-reference pane. Once you navigate your Bible to Mark 1:1, the commentary will automatically follow along as you move forward in the text.

Please feel free to send us feedback on the Sync tools and how your'e utilizing them!

Chinese Translations: CSB and CUV

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we have added two new translations to MyStudyBible.com: the CSB and CUV. With over 1.3 billion Chinese speakers in China alone, we wanted to be sure that the largest number of people possible could study the Bible online. The CSB is a new translation of the Biblical text, and has been developed in partnership with the Asia Bible Society. You can read about the translation here: www.ChineseStandardBible.com

The CUV is the most well-known Chinese language Bible; you can read more about it here.

And, of course, the English-language translations and the Chinese-language translations can be read in-parallel!

Feedback

As always, please let us know what you like about the new features and what you want to see us add to MyStudyBible.com both here and on the site!

Experiencing the Word Bible Audio

DevinMaddox — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 19:15:00 GMT

HCSB Super Giant Print Bible

DevinMaddox — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 23:57:00 GMT

HCSB Compact Large Print Bible

DevinMaddox — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 23:19:00 GMT

HCSB Gift and Award Bible

DevinMaddox — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 23:12:00 GMT

HCSB Interactive Notetakers Bible Womens

DevinMaddox — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 22:43:00 GMT

HCSB Cornerstone Hand Size Giant Print Black

DevinMaddox — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 22:34:00 GMT