Apologetics Study Bible, Black Genuine Leather Indexed

10 reviews for Apologetics Study Bible, Black Genuine Leather Indexed

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   The Man – June 6, 2013

   Love this Bible-Strictly from a tactile perspective, this is the nicest bible I have ever held. The cover is very soft, and the pages are easy to read- they have good textual contrast against the paper, which too has a great feel to it and it has some excellent timelines which are not found in other texts, which assist in understanding the history of the bible itself.Here are the other three that have helped me immeasurably along the 30 year journey of my own Christianity, along with this, the fourth, as they are I the order of how I have owned these volumes.1) “The Defender’s Study Bible” (King James Bible/ JKV)Is a wonderful study resource, and will afford the technically most accurate translation, along with commentary, narratives from ICR, Institute of creation research, and other narratives of doctrinally correct theologians. Very much a fact finding Bible- similarly as is The Apologetics Study Bible. The KJV is only slightly confusing at times due to the pronoun use that many find as unfamiliar. However, it affords a uniqueness to scripture, specifically that I have found to make memorization easier. The more unique it sounds against what we normally hear from day to day causes it to stand out in our minds- not the opposite. Bible study is extremely difficult at times- it is not all easy breezy- challenge yourself.2) “The Neslon Study Bible (New King James Version/ NKJV, which is not an updated King James version, but rather it’s own translation altogether)Ok, well, this is an amazing resource. Maps, commentary, quality, If you can only buy one- buy this one. The Nelson Study Bible has a ton of additional information in it. It is overwhelmingly wonderful simply in the amount of content- it is a cumulative, theologically correct study bible, that encompasses oh so much material, which also can open doors to extraordinarily deeper study of the scripture. This is the best place to start deeper study of the bible, and/ or for a new Christian.3) “The Reformation Study Bible” (English Standard Version/ ESV)The ESV is a perfect up to date translation which can stand all on its own, as can the Nelson NKJV- If you are a new christian, and have limited understanding of anything scripture, I would say to pick this one because it balances, in a concise and understandable way, every principal of theology within the text to grasp enough to fully understand and pursue further study should you desire. Also this is the most beneficial in understanding where the Bible came from, specifically the historicity of the scripture itself. The same can be said of the others as well- however, the purpose of this study bible is to show the reader how the reformation period specifically is an essential victory for the church to the path of practicing the worship of God and practice of living in the way He lays out within scripture. I owned the Nelson NKJV first, but would have benefited from this ESV Reformation prior to it.4) The Apologetics Study Bible (Holman Christian Standard Version/ HCSV)The information inside this bible is a good resource as well. additionally, it does does speak in a translation that is current to the day (even more so than the ESV)- yet this I do not think is as relevant as some may think, as many scriptures (especially noticeable within the most popular for memorization, and thus the ones many require for simple understanding of deeper theological issues, are short by one word or so and lack the additional emphasis required to fulfill it as a good bible to stand on it’s own, affording the conviction of the text to search-out you, the reader (the Bible is the only Book which can truthfully accomplish such a task). However- the resources within and the validity of the translation as a good foundation for understanding God’s word cannot be ignored. Additionally, the expose on each book within the Bible is accurate and straight forward. The whole purpose of this Bible specifically, is to know how to defend (both to yourself and to others) what you believe, why you believe it, share it, love it, know it, etc. and look at the world and see evidence of our faith, where others do not see any. This is an awesome Bible. This, along with the ESV, is an excellent bible for the new and mature Christian alike. One should not feel lost in reading this bible. Anyone who finds the Bible especially difficult to understand, this is your bible for sure. However, the Bible, as the word of God, is the most important text to ever be in, well… text- so give it time to understand. I gave one of these to a fellow Christian struggling with some popular doctrinal misunderstandings of the modern church; misunderstandings that specifically come from lazy study. Understanding takes much time. give it time, and, perhaps, own all four.Each one has its own tone, feel, specific resourceful purpose, and uniqueness. I hope this helped.

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   David C. Leaumont – February 24, 2009

   Great Bible for Apologetics study (Bonded leather version review)This Bible serves very well as an apologetics (simply put, defense of the Christian faith) tool. Since the Bible should be the center of apologetics regardless of your apologetic method, a Bible infused with notes geared towards apologetics is a great idea.Another reviewer mentioned his basis being presuppositional apologetics. This is the belief that the Spirit convicts people of the existence of God and that there is no need to conduct apologetics at that level. I hail from a cumulative case apologetic, meaning rather than relying on classical apologetics or evidentiary apologetics alone, I take arguments from several arenas to make my case for Christianity. It is close to evidentiary apologetics, except that the evidence is more broadly based and from several disciplines. This is the view this Apologetics Bible seems to hail from. This Bible provides evidence from a host of disciplines from biology, astronomy, archeology, history, textual criticism, and most of all- from Scripture.The overarching Christian influence of the notes and articles is scholarly orthodox Protestantism. It has aspects of many different Protestant groups and from authors.There are several great tools in this Bible. First, there are a myriad of articles from different noted apologists. They cover topics such as a testimony from Lee Strobel, Evolution from Philip Johnson, the reliability of Scripture from Norman Geisler, history and chronological accuracy from Kirk Lowery, Miracles from Gary Habermas, and many many more. There are 132 articles interspersed in the Bible.There are also notes within the Scriptures that denote when a passage is used by a group dissenting with orthodox Christianity. For instance, it discusses passages used by Oneness Pentecostals, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, and Wiccans. For instance, 1 Cor 15 has notes about Jehovah’s Witnesses’ use of 1 Cor 14 and 15 to support their belief Jesus was raised in spirit only. Also, 1 Cor 15 is described as being used by Mormons for baptism of the dead. There are 58 specific passages cited as being used by different religious groups.The articles and notes mentioned above are in line with the Biblical texts. These are delineated from Scripture by having a light grey background.On top of the notes mentioned above, there are apologetic commentary notes at the bottom of each page. These are not as comprehensive as some study Bibles (ie NIV Study Bible).After Revelation, there are several tools for use by apologists. First there is an HCSB Bullet Note list, which is a definitions of several terms used in Scripture. This is not exhaustive, but is useful for many interesting terms. There is an index pointing the reader to page numbers. There is a bibliography of apologetics. There is an HCSB concordance.After these typical research aids, there are a few that will specifically aid in apologetics. There is a timeline for apologists and their notable works. There is a list of significant archaeological finds showing what was found, when and its significance. There is a section devoted to comparing major themes for religious groups. One section talks of LDS, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christian Science, Scientology, and Wicca, while another gives an overview of Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism an Christianity. Finally, there is a chronology of OT kings and a series of maps.The HCSB translation is one of the newest translations of Scripture. It is based on the newest manuscript evidence (NA27 and UBS4) and seeks to blend thought-for-thought with literal translation. It leans toward literal translation when it is best, and uses thought-for-thought when literal translation is less possible across the language barrier. The idea behind the HCSB is that each generation needs a fresh translation, while remaining conservatively tied to Scripture, as the English language changes. It does not try to follow an agenda of removing gender as other recent translations have, and it includes disputed passages such as John 7:53-8:11 and Mark 16:9-20. These passages are in brackets showing the issues with oldest manuscripts.The bonded leather binding is sturdy and the layout is useful. Despite the low price here, it is well bound.Overall, this study Bible is a great addition for a budding apologetic library. It is a good tool to carry for evangelism, as many of the tough questions asked are covered in essays and notes.

3. 

   Rated 3 out of 5

   D. Ward – October 8, 2007

   Speaking of Twisted Scriptures………………I have to admit that I love Christian Apologetics. I could sit and listen to Ravi Zacharias all day! The new Apologetics Study Bible has many great features but in a few areas I notice that Christian apologists have to take Scriptures out of context in order to prove their point.In the Apologetics Study Bible on page 1481 we see a section titled “Twisted Scripture”. This particular section deals with some groups claiming that believers should observe Israel’s kosher food laws.Acts 10: 13, 15 are mentioned here as being proof texts to show that Christians “should” be able to eat whatever they desire. I have heard this text mentioned many times in my life. Unfortunately the Christian interpretation involves “Twisted Scripture” of its own! Christians cite that God told Peter to “Kill and eat” and “What God has made clean you must not call common.”Please carefully read this story within its context. You will discover that this has nothing to do with “food” at all. First notice that Peter protests in Acts 10:14 by saying, “No Lord for I have never eaten anything common and unclean.” The fact that even after the death and resurrection of Jesus Peter still eats a kosher diet. This must mean that after walking the earth with Jesus he was never told to change his diet by Jesus or he would not have protested in this book of Acts. Apparently Jesus and the disciples always ate kosher meals. This is beside the point though when it comes to Twisted Scripture.Acts 10:13, 15 cannot be used to prove that we can eat whatever we want—–look at Acts 10:28 (which is still part of the main context) Peter says, “YOU KNOW ITS FORBIDDEN FOR A JEWISH MAN TO ASSOCIATE WITH OR VISIT A FOREIGNER. BUT GOD HAS SHOWN ME THAT I MUST NOT CALL ANY PERSON COMMON OR UNCLEAN” There it is! Read in its proper context God revealed to Peter that he should go to the Gentiles. This section of Scripture has absolutely nothing to do with “food”. It has to do with “people” that Peter considered unclean and common.We cannot take the Scriptures, pull them out of context, and use them for proof texts to fit our agenda. That is not apologetics. That is making us equally as guilty as the people we try to claim are twisting Scriptures.You cannot combat against Scripture twisting by twisting Scriptures yourself. I was really unhappy when I discovered this lame excuse for eating whatever we want in the Apologetics Study Bible.I still believe the Bible has many good points but Christians need to stop and read the Scriptures in context and consider the audience it was intended for before making a false assumption or using it to justify what tradition has taught us is true when it just might be false.Also in Mark 7:16 when Jesus said it is not what goes into the body but what comes out that defiles a person He was not discussing food either. He was discussing ritual cleansing. The Jewish audience he spoke to knew exactly what he was talking about.Unfortunately our anti-semitic history and heritage in the church has led us away from many proper interpretations because of our hatred and bias. We need to get back to our Jewish roots if we are to discover proper biblical interpretation.It’s difficult for me to hear Jesus say that “Heaven and earth will pass away before the law will pass away” and that “He came to fulfill the Law not to abolish it” (Fulfill could not mean to “do away with” the Law because He just said “I have not come to abolish it”) coupled with our Pauline teachings concerning the Law. Are we really right?We claim Jesus is God yet seem to only concentrate on his birth and resurrection. Everything else that He said and did is largely ignored and the words of Paul are given higher priority. Maybe we should rethink some things. (I’m sure many will not agree but neither did I when I was presented with this type of information) When you think about it with an open mind you might find that what we teach as fact is merely opinion based on false traditions of men.Should you buy the Apologetics Study Bible???? SURE! Many areas of the text are strong but be aware that everything out of the apologists mouth or from his/her pen is not always fact. This is true for any study Bible.

4. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Joe D. – June 10, 2008

   Holman Apologetics Study BibleI have read this bible and my New King James version concurrently to determine if the Holman translation compares in accuracy and “purity” to it. This translation uses the modern english terminolgy to make it easier to read. However, if one prefers the “flavor” and phraseology of the older KJ and NKJ versions, one may find this bible not as satisfying to read & study. That said the bible is suited for those who would not find the modern translation a negative. I compared identical verses in the Holman bible to the NKJ for accuracy. I found that their translation retains the essence & meaning of the NKJ.The study notes at the bottom are informative without being overly wordy. I found the articles on apologetics to be very verbose and somewhat hard to decifer exactly what point the author was trying to make. Maybe that’s because I never had any philosophy or theology classes, and I was trained to write in a succint style with brevity and clarity.The format and style of this bible left something to be desired for me. That may be just a personal preference on my part. I will enumerate just in case anyone shares my preferences as these points may be the deciding factors on whether or not to buy this bible. The pages are an off white or grayish on a medium density black print. The type size is 8 or 9 point (not sure). If you have difficulty reading normal print type size, and require reading glasses, as I do, you may find this bible a little hard to read. You may opt for a large print bible.The bible verses run continuosly, namely, each new verse does not start at the left margin of the column, but as the next sentence with the bible verse number preceding the verse. I prefer to have the verse start on a new line. This makes searching easier. This is not a “red letter” edition. The words of Christ are not in red. Again this is a personal preference, as I have found it easier to search for a particular verse of Christ when in red.The cross reference notes are a very small type size, (6 point ?). Much smaller than the verse text. I have to use a magnifying glass. Again I state this for those of you who have difficulty reading small type. I have found over my 20 years of bible study that if you can’t read comfortably you won’t for long.To summarize, the translation captures the meaning of the scriptures, and that would not be a major impediment to buying this bible unless you are used to the KJ or NKJ. For those who find these bibles difficult to read, you will like this translation. For those who can’t easily read normal & small size type, you could find this uncomfortable to read for any extended period.J. Di Pardo

5. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Placeholder – March 25, 2011

   This is a really well researched Bible. A Must haveI own allot of study bibles. In fact I think I have every one sold by Amazon. Each Has their own focus. This one is a *must* for Christians from every denomination. Or people who think they want to be Christian but not sure why. In fact it is one of the ones I give as a gift during holidays.I especially recommend it as presents for other and your agnostic friends. Every Christian should know why he or she believes in God. I will help secure your own faith knowing the information in this bible.I am an Electrical Engineer and friends of mine, some educated in the sciences some not, have very little idea of the massive evidence there is for the existence of God and the basis of Jesus Christ as our savior.Allot of people have been conditioned to think that “science” is in opposition to religion or disproves the existence of God. That is propaganda actually and not fact. The fact is Science rather than disproving God has proven just the opposite. Not only does God exist but that he *must* exist in order for our universe and us to exist. Most of the very notable scientists such as Newton were very devout and studied the Bible very deeply. Newton in fact did so at least 6 hours a day.The law of Causality for instance which people have heard of was formed by Saint Thomas Aquinas and is one of the proofs that there must exist a God. Then it comes down to which God? Science has certain criteria for God and certain properties he must have. You find out that 2 religions have the God that satisfies the criteria. Islam and Christianity (God of Abraham and Mosses). Then it comes down to the Question of Jesus Christ. There is another Study bible called the case for Christ that focuses in on that one question alone, But this bible does an excellent Job as well.IF you have ever questioned your faith or you question the faith others have or if you have ever asked your self : Is there a God? This book is a must. It will open your mind, it will blow away the conditioning you received in schools about religion from so called “teachers”. You will see the truth and the truth shall set you free….. If you need a first Bible even, this one is excellent . I just wish it came leather bound as well

6. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Justin L. – April 18, 2016

   Incredibly valuable resource for the thinking Christian.This Bible has the best written commentary of any Bible I’ve ever seen. It’s a must-have resource for any thinking Christian in today’s world. If you are tired of feeling like scientists, academics, and skeptics have the upper hand in knowledge, and that Christians are often told to believe things “because the Bible says so” (without a detailed explanation of exactly where and how and why), or to “take it on faith,” this Bible is for you. Of course, our faith is based on just that – faith, but we have the profound advantage of having a worldview that is deeply rooted in facts and knowledge and evidence – much of which the average Christian does not understand! You can provide immediate and logical, fact-based answers to skeptics and academics who challenge your faith, and that is incredibly valuable. If you are a student, this Bible is a must-read because your faith may be challenged by those who ignorantly profess to “know better” or have “disproven” the Bible with “facts and evidence.” They have not, and the eternal truth of God’s Word will set you free from being misguided and led astray by man.This Bible also does a great job of tackling the many areas where man-made religions have twisted scripture and taken it out of context to mean things it never said. It also does this with skeptics and critics, showing how they ignorantly or maliciously abuse the scripture and misrepresent it to deceive people who don’t have a good understanding of what the Word actually says and means.This Bible is also a good introduction to the field of apologetics, so it will make a good jumping off point for further study of this fascinating and valuable field.This Bible is based on the HCSB, which is an “Optimal Equivalence” translation, which is a hybrid of “Formal Equivalence” and “Dynamic Equivalence.” This means the translators stick to formal equivalence (word for word) when it is possible and readable and understandable, but switch to dynamic (though for thought) translation when necessary to preserve ideal comprehension of the text in modern English. It strikes a very good balance of easy readability with textual accuracy and clarity and for a study Bible like this it is a good match.

7. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Snowgator – March 6, 2014

   Just an excellent addition to any collection.If you are interested in learning about how to defend your Faith with reason and common sense, this is an excellent tool to begin with. It is structured with side notes and essays all through the chapters in all kinds of subject matters. They are brief and easy to understand. The Bible itself is the Holman Christian Standards Bible (HCSB), one of the most recent translations on the market. However, do not confuse that with it being a “casual” Bible. This is a formal style of writing. If you have ever spent time with the New King James Version or the New International Version (NIV), you will have an understanding of it’s structure. It is not always an “easy” read, but I believe from the time I have spent with it that it is a very relible piece of scripture. You will not lose any of the true emphasis in this that you might in some of the more relaxed versions.My only gripe with this is the chapter structure. It does not always have “breaks” between the end of one and going into the other, just using large chapter number to show a new one has started. This results in a little more time trying to find verse one of that chapter as opposed to the last verse of the previous chapter as they run together. It is not a huge complaint, but it is annoying enough to be distracting.I still highly recommend this version. It makes it truly interesting to flip through the Bible to read the extras in each book. The Apologetics who contribute are among the most recognized names in the field.Also incuded in the Bible: Lists of important Archological finds, maps, detailed history of the “New Religious” movements, camparisons of the world religons, concordance (an excellent one, at that), and many other extras.I do not give 5 star ratings often. This is an excellent translation.

8. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Allen W. Bauck – January 4, 2021

   This Bible is written in the way we can understand much better!This Bible Apologetics has been written by several different people who are certified writers of biblical literature and this study Bible is confidently been written into what is much more able to understand in the terms of how people speak English these days in comparison to the ways people spoke in the days of the translation of the bible was put into the English language. I have this Bible and it was given to me by my Pastor and I have been learning from this bible much easier that allows me to learn more. I gave one to a close person who hasn’t been going to church for over 20 years and started reading it before he knew who gave it to him because I didn’t put a gift card in it. That’s great to hear ! The LORD works in special ways to pass HIS words onward to others.

9. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Joel D. Weber – September 13, 2014

   Excellent Bible for those with Questions.This is overall a very good Bible to own and use.From an Apologetic side, it has excellent short articles (1-2 pages long) dealing with many of the most common misunderstandings and questions regarding: truth, the Bible, morality, biblical history etc…These are well written by well-studied scholars, and in themselves offer a valuable collection of 135 solid answers to real questions, whether concerning the historicity and accuracy of the Bible, comparison of other religions, proper interpretation of Scripture, and a variety of doctrine.There are also shorter (paragraphs) articles dealing specifically with the right interpretation of key passages – that other religions and cults “twist” for their own purposes. Each book of the Bible has a 1-2 page introduction, and there are helpful “study notes” at the bottom of pages. The font is slightly larger than others, and easily readable.In comparison to my NASB Zondervan study Bible, this has far fewer study notes, but I have yet to find study Bibles with as many. It also uses some “artistic” colored splotches or patterns to highlight the “twisted Scripture” articles and other apologetic articles – and these seem to distract me from the overall clean presentation.The HCSB translation is quite good, and reflects a good balance between the NASB (literal) and the NIV (dynamic equivalence). Some of the verb tenses are changed, and generally reflect well the intended action and aorist.Overall a very good Bible, excellent for questioning believers and skeptics alike.

10. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Butch H – October 9, 2015

    Very nice Bible! Love it a lot!This is a very nice, well made Bible. Despite what other folks have said, this is well worth the money! The pages are, unlike what some people have said, just as thin as any other Bible. They are made thin so that the whole bible can be fit into a smaller sized binding. Old bibles used to be huge because they had thick pages. To make them easier to carry around and read, they started making thinner pages. Also, the HCSB is a great version of the Bible! It’s taken from the same script that the KJV was taken from so you know that you’re reading a trustworthy version. There are so many helpful and informative extras in this Bible that I cannot wait to read them all! Also, I would like to point out that although it might seem as if the introduction page to Genesis is misprinted, they are all printed with the same design. Genesis through Revelation, they all have the same design. And lastly, the only pages that are “busy”, as one reviewer put, are the introduction pages and a few other special pages. The idea that it is too “busy” is purely that, an idea. It’s an opinion. Personal preferences differ, but too me, none of the pages are “busy.” Over all this bible is one of the best I’ve seen. I definitely recommend that everybody buys one!