Proclaimer Blog
Using the NIV Audio Bible
The new NIV audio Bible read by David Suchet is superb. Simply superb. It’s not just that he has a British voice (although I do think that hearing the Bible read in your own language is just, well, easier). He sounds like someone who believes what he is reading (which he does). Now, the NIV may not be your translation of choice. Even that does not matter, for when it comes to listening to long passages, you want a translation that is easy on the ears and comprehensible, and even if you don’t use the 2011 NIV in church (which a growing number of us do), it certainly ticks that box. It’s one of those resources which I count it a joy to commend.
But how do you use it in church? Here are three ideas over the next few days which, incidentally, will apply to any good audio Bible.
1. Use it yourself
I don’t know about you, but I am always trying to find ways to make sure God’s word comes to me freshly. I don’t mean that in a gnostic kind of way. I simply mean that as I study the word of God day in and day out there is a real danger of staleness. I’ve found that listening (rather than reading) has transformed this.
I can take in longer passages. Sure, I’m not studying detail in the way I might get my nose in the text, but who says one is better than the other anyway? I’ve found that using an audio Bible regularly has given me a new enthusiasm for reading God’s word (and not just studying it). Ultimately that benefits me and my congregation too.