Common English Bible ~ Review & Giveaway

Common English Bible
ISBN: 9781609260163
$29.95

The Common English Bible is a new translation focused on making the Bible easier to understand for the average worshipper. It's perfect for New Christians, anyone that is searching for answers and even kids who may be reluctant to read their Bibles because "they can't understand it".

When I first received my copy of this new Bible I loved the "look" of the Bible. The cover doesn't feel cheap like many of the "leather look" covers do. It's very soft, almost like suede to the touch. The text is very small and I was wishing I had asked for a large print (available March 2012) as I'm finding I'm having more trouble with the small prints these days. At less than 1" this bible isn't heavy like many of the Study Bibles are and at 5 3/8 x 8 3/8 it's small enough to fit in a purse or briefcase to take with you.

Written as an inter-denominational Bible it was translated by 122 biblical scholars from 22 faith traditions and in addition members of 77 reading groups from congregations throughout North America reviewed and responded to early drafts of the translation. The key goal is make the Bible accessible to a broad range of readers: children, youth, new Christians and to enhance worship and personal Bible Study.

The only thing I missed was the lack of a concordance and cross-referencing. There are footnotes at the bottom of the page (kept at a bare minimum) and these are used to explain WHY they choose to translate a word in the way they did.

The next few months I will be participating in a book tour to introduce this new Bible to readers. I will admit I am partial to either the Ryrie Study Bible, the Life Application Bible or the Induction Study Bible. I prefer The New International Version as I find it very easy to understand and I love the concordances, maps and historical notes in the books. I'll be using these versions in addition to my Precepts Bible Studies as I get to know this new version and I hope it doesn't get to confusing for you as I do. (Actually hopefully I won't get confused - I'm not really strong with  theology and explaining what I believe.) At one time I dreamed of being an archeologist so I love the history and archeological studies that have been conducted and I think that's why I enjoy those other versions so much.

You can learn more about the Common English Bible online at: http://www.commonenglishbible.com . You'll learn about how it was translated, why the need was felt for a bible that everyone could understand and more.

Read a passage

You can order online at Amazon or at the Common English Bible website. There are many different styles (paperback, leather, hardback) and if you'd like small New Testaments to hand out as gifts those are $1.99 on the website. They also have community packs of the small bibles available. These make nice little gifts for the homeless, those displaced due to storms (hurricanes, tornadoes, etc) who lost their own Bibles and haven't gotten a new one yet, or children for memory work.