Proclaimer Blog
A preaching Bible?
One of the most helpful things I ever heard Mark Driscoll say (!) was that – as a preacher – you needed to have a Bible that you were comfortable holding. I've not always found that an easy thing to achieve. For sure – there are hundreds (probably thousands) of Bibles out there. But getting the right one is not always that easy.
- You've got to obviously have the right translation, the one your church uses. For us that's the NIV.
- You've got to have one that is legible. I've never had good eyesight, but now middle age is approaching ('approaching' I said!), I find that my short sightedness is being matched by difficulty reading too. So I can't do with an 8pt text. I am constantly amazed at people who preach from pocket Bibles. But, for the most part, preachers can't do that.
- It needs to be lightish. There's no point having a 3kg monster.
You'll have other criteria too. Driscoll continued his advice by saying something like "get the best you can afford." There's some wisdom there, at least. You want a binding that is not going to fall apart. You want one that will not slip out of your sweaty grip and so on.
Which leads me to rave about RL Allan Bibles. I used to use a Cambridge University Press bible, but they don't make NIVs any more. And whether you're an ESV or NIV user, I've yet to find a Bible maker that makes Bibles Allan's. I've been trying one out the last few days and I'm completely sold. Even in a short space of time I can see that this is the edition for me. My version is made of Highland Goatskin and smells and feels great. But, truth be told, smell is hardly top of the preacher's criteria list.
So what is so good about this Bible? Apart from the fact it has three markers, that is. It sits in my hand very nicely. I can fold it back on itself (I know, I know…). It's taken the Hodder block so I've got the same pagination as the rest of the church and the same excellent typesetting. It is quality. This is a good preacher's Bible – no, an excellent preacher's Bible.
OK, it's expensive. It will cost you about three times the amount of the mainstream bonded leather version. But, brother, using, handling, preaching this book is the heart of your ministry and so, I contend, it is money well spent in the end. You can read more about RL Allan here and here you'll find a more detailed review by a complete book-nerd (my kind of man).
Think about it.