Kerygma wrote:
The bottom line for me is simply this: is my reading of the bible changing me for the better? Am I a more loving, caring, tolerant, patient person or am I still the same guy picking away at others and self-righteously forgetting the beam in my own eye?!
I think this is a good point, Kerygma. Reading the Bible is supposed to allow us to know God better, know our own sin better, and remind us of our need for mercy. This is the bottom line for me any time I read the Bible.
At the same time, I can do this by getting a free Bible from the Gideons with no notes, and donating $50 to the poor, can\'t I? I think the question about the OSB is what does it do that justifies a hefty price tag.
Finally, I think that both the production side and the consumer side of the OSB need to be considered. Anyone with a grammar and dictionary can translate the Bible so that someone who doesn\'t know Greek won\'t know the difference. I think the producers of the Bible need to be sure that they are doing a top-notch job for the sake of the people who *won\'t* know the difference; it\'s a matter of integrity. (I\'m not saying that the OSB doesn\'t have integrity. I just want to say that this is a necessary consideration in producing a study Bible & translation.)
Because I believe that reading and understanding the Bible is key to becoming a \\"more loving, caring, tolerant, patient person,\\" I think that one should stop at nothing to be sure that the consumers of this version of the Bible can be sure that they have in their hands a top-notch work of translation and commentary. At least until they learn Greek and Hebrew :)
