Endorsements
“At last a publisher has brought us back to the reality of the first fifteen hundred years of the church: a Bible without numbers. Although the numbers are a great convenience for ‘finding things,’ they in fact get in the way of good Bible reading. So in the language Augustine heard many centuries ago, ‘Take up and read; take up and read!’ with heavy emphasis on the ‘read.’ ”
—Gordon D. Fee, Author of How to Read the Bible Book by Book
"International Bible Society has given Christianity many gifts over the years, but The Books of the Bible is most surely among the greatest of these. Sacred scripture, like any other form of often-read literature, can become so familiar to us as to be lost to our attention and—alas—to our energetic appreciation. By the simple, but daring, decision to remove the accustomed markers of chapters, verses, and volumes, The Books of the Bible interrupts our sense of business as usual and demands that we look with more attentive minds and hearts at what the words are and, more importantly, at what they actually say. And those words, rendered in Today's New International Version, are as fresh as the method of their presentation is bold and affective.
—Phyllis Tickle, founding editor of the Religion Department of Publishers Weekly and author of Divine Hours
“Wow. This looks so smart. This is the wisest ‘new idea’ I've seen in Bible publishing that I can remember. As an old English major, it makes so much sense. Just having the reflections on chapters and verses in the Preface is worthwhile! I've been a bit of a fanatic about being ‘versus verses’ for exactly the reasons you address. The perspective on book order and genre make sense. This is a truly significant undertaking.”
—Brian McLaren, Pastor & Author
“First off, let me say that I love it. It has been so refreshing to read God’s Word in this new format. Just one paragraph into it, it was as if some part of my soul sighed in relief. This is good. This is the way it is to be read. I didn’t know how needed it was until I had it. Thank you for your work and vision and for thinking outside the box on this one.
—Shannon Taylor, ServLife International
“What an interesting idea—the simplicity of reading through the Bible without the distraction of numbers! Simple makes sense for this invitation into the life-changing reading of Scripture, especially for young people in our biblically-illiterate society unacquainted with biblical richness. I believe its impact can be huge.”
—Luci Shaw, Poet & Author
“Sometimes the best ideas are the simplest. The Books of The Bible sweeps away many of the pious additions that can obscure the ancient text of Scripture, revealing connections that readers have all too often missed. I will be turning to this edition often to clear my mind and refocus my attention on the grand story that addresses us from the Bible's pages.”
—Andy Crouch, Journalist & Author
“This Bible is very much like the Bible of the pre-modern (ancient) world in that it is not broken down into chapters and verses. Like the ancient manuscripts, this Bible follows a natural narrative that reads like a story. Today, the postmodern world has rediscovered some of the values of the pre-modern world and one of these values is the story. By dropping the modern invention of compartmentalizing the Bible into chapters and verses, we now can recover the powerful, all-encompassing divine story of the world.”
—The late Dr. Robert Webber
“You are encouraging readers to devour the whole book at once. I like that! I especially appreciated seeing Luke and Acts placed together and the Pauline epistles in a more chronological order. Thanks for your work!”
—Dean Deppe, Professor of New Testament, Calvin Theological Seminary
The Bible is irrelevant. At least that’s how most people view it in today’s culture. But with the launch of this project, you’re recovering an engaging and helpful way for us to embrace the beauty, wisdom, history and truth of God’s word. And because of the narrative format, you’re also helping us find our place in God’s grand story.
—Jason Malec,
Director of Starting Point,
North Point Ministries
For a veteran Bible reader like me, reading The Books of The Bible is eye opening and refreshing. It is so different! It will be a great help to new Bible readers too.
—Jim Singleton, Senior Pastor,
First Presbyterian Church,
Colorado Springs, CO
The Books of The Bible presents the Bible in an attractive, innovative, and inviting format that modern readers will find fresh and compelling. I welcome this new edition and hope that many will read the scriptures through this new medium with deeper understanding and renewed excitement.
—Craig A. Evans,
Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament,
Acadia Divinity College
“I’ve been enthusiastic about this project from the beginning. What a transforming experience I had with the Scriptures. I was reading it like a book. And I thought —this is really cool. Pretty simple, very revolutionary.”
—Jeff Yockey, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
“It's amazing how the most radical ideas are often the most orthodox. In turning back to the ‘original’ form of the Bible, you are upsetting the received, comfortable, established-and-disseminated wisdom of hundreds of years. This project is rooted in a very high view of Scripture. I'd sure love to teach from a text like this.”
—Patton Dodd, Author, My Faith So Far
“The Bible is meant to be read—both aloud and privately. There is no Bible more suited to reading the Bible—from the beginning of the book to the end—than The Books of The Bible. This ‘new’ approach is actually the original approach, and I love it.”
—Scot McKnight, Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies, North Park University
“The chapters and verses of the Bible were added late in history. They are not a part of the original text. The Books of The Bible presents an excellent English translation without such divisions, allowing the reader to appreciate the powerful literary quality of the Bible. Reading the Bible in this way will lead to new insights and applications of God's Word. Best
wishes with this fine work.”
—Tremper Longman III, Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies, Westmont College
“This format is a great idea because it makes it possible to read the Bible as it was originally intended to be read, without artificial divisions that interrupt the overall context. I wish your publication of this presentation of the Bible every success.”
—Rick Hess, Professor of Old Testament, Denver Seminary
“Thanks for alerting me to this worthy project. I applaud attempts to make the Bible more accessible and useful. May God bless your efforts. I like the uncluttered look and the lack of interruptions in the text. And I’ve always liked the single-column approach. I think this will put all readers on the same footing needing to engage the content without the distractions of what chapter or verse this is.”
—Bill Klein, Professor of New Testament, Denver Seminary
“Being an avid user of technology's toys, I have been using electronic versions of the Bible for several years now, and while it is a convenient way to search through Scripture, I have discovered—through reading The Books of The Bible—that I have been missing out on so much. The format in which The Books of The Bible is presented opens up the Bible in a whole new way. It has helped me to engage in Bible reading on a much deeper level. I have been so blessed by the way in which Scripture has been opened up as I read it in its full context—something that both my electronic Bible and old traditional Bible could not do.”
—Ryan Opfer, Software Services Developer
“This really excites me. I think it will do amazing things among students who have single verse theologies that are totally out of context. People will be forced to memorize larger sections, thus gaining a better understanding of the context and purpose.”
—Scott Roberts, Pastor, Hope in Christ Church, Bellingham, Washington
“I loved the new Bible! It's fantastic. I think you'll find a lot of enthusiasm among people my age.”
—Joshua Thomas White, Graduate Student, John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies
“The divisions between main literary sections were helpful —they also reminded me that these words are part of a larger story. I appreciate the grouping/order of the books, especially the pairing of Luke-Acts and the visual continuity between the two. I’m very pleased with your project and excited about this undertaking.”
—Jay Wright, Minister of Worship and Music, First Baptist Church, Dalhart, Texas
“The new arrangement gave me a fresh perspective on the Scriptures in their spiritual and historical context. It encourages reading whole books in one sitting, helps you to see associations between ideas, and even seems to create more ease in the reading itself.”
—Lois Puglisi, editor, Whittaker House, Pittsburgh
“I love seeing the Bible presented in a more natural format. I believe it will free many of us, Christians and non-Christians, from seeing only verses where we ought to see thoughts and stories.”
—Ryan Bouton
“I am so impressed by this project. I was amazed at what I had been missing all of these years. I have found that it has reinvented how I interact with the Bible —not because the formatting is novel, but rather because the formatting is, in some sense, correct. I was surprised by how much visual presentation affects how I read the text. I used to believe that ‘words were words’ but no longer.”
—Matthew Kim, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota
“I love the concept. The arrangement seems to help in a way that encourages immersion rather than extracting bits and pieces only verses at a time. It is an excellent way to present Scripture. It has an approachable yet contemporary structure.”
—Chris Diffenderfer, Church Planter
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