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Behind the Lexham English Bible

The Lexham English Bible is a translation dedicated to transparency, which makes it both an ideal second Bible and a go-to translation for comparing the original languages.

To achieve this transparency, a team of top scholars was assembled and given strict parameters: to hold fast to the flow of the original text while adding (and italicizing) English words only as needed to preserve meaning and clarity. The greatest challenge was not the translation work itself—in fact, the starting point was original language work Logos had previously commissioned—but keeping the end product clear and suitable for teaching, preaching, and Bible study. The Lexham English Bible proves it is possible to create a translation that is highly loyal to the original languages’ most likely meaning and intention while still being readable.

The most difficult issues in translating a project this size stem from creating consistency among translators’ methods and phrasing: it is obviously preferable for repeated phrases to be translated the same way wherever they appear. The Lexham English Bible is a well-documented project. The translators’ decisions are apparent because the translators annotated idioms, textual issues, and major translational issues throughout.

The LEB’s Old Testament needed special attention. If Greek flows easily into English, Hebrew and Aramaic trickle. Editorial work on the final translations ensured the text was clear.

Now complete, the Lexham English Bible is free and comes automatically with the Faithlife Study Bible. You can also download it separately at Logos.com.


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Find a Predefined Reading Plan That Fits Your Faithlife Groups!

Faithlife is your online tool to connect around the Word. On Faithlife, you can share reading plans with all your Christian groups, study Scripture, tackle difficult passages, and share notes. From custom reading plans to preexisting reading plans, there are options to fit all your needs.

The Power of Predefined Reading Plans

Predefined reading plans give you a different approach to reading in community. They let you focus on a single biblical theme and discover where that theme comes up in Scripture. Defined reading plans are built into your Logos software, Faithlife account, and the Faithlife Study Bible. They’re terrific ways to study specific topics like faith, worship, baptism, discipleship, love, and much more. Each plan is tied to a specific theme and an allotted amount of time—you can take a seven-day journey on forgiveness, or experience 10 psalms on thanksgiving, or take two months to dig deeply into the Gospel of Luke. There are reading plans for just about anything. And now you can read anywhere with the Faithlife Study Bible—get it FREE through March 2014!

How Do I Use Predefined Reading Plans?

Now you can share these predefined reading plans with any of your Faithlife groups. Here’s how to set up a predefined reading plan just right for you and your groups:

1. Select the group you want to read with in Faithlife.

2. In the sidebar, click the “Add” option in the Today’s Readings widget.

3. In the dropdown window, choose from the long list of predefined reading plans.

4. Members in the group can then “connect” and start the group reading plan.

It’s as simple as that. This powerful tool allows you to delve deeper into the faith and share your journey with others. You can create reading plans for any of your Faithlife groups, or form a group around any of the 20,000-plus resources available through Logos. Get your groups ready, and start reading today!

*Don’t have a Faithlife account yet? Sign in using your Logos account, or sign up for a free account today!

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Bible Study Made Easier with Faithlife’s Group Reading Plans

The Faithlife Community is bringing Christians together around the Word. It allows you to create and join groups, share announcements and events, share your Logos resources within those groups, and even share notes on Bible verses and Logos resources through the Faithlife Study Bible. And with Faithlife’s newest feature, you can create custom reading plans in Logos and share them with your Faithlife groups!

For any of your Logos resources, you can create dynamic group reading plans for your Faithlife groups—plans that fit your schedule. You could choose to read the new Free Book of the Month, The Christian Doctrine of Prayer, over the course of a year, six months, or just a couple of weeks.

For this month’s free book, we’ve created a Faithlife group and a corresponding reading plan so that we can read the book together. This is a wonderful way to try out group reading plans and interact through the text. Plus, you get a free book out of the deal!

Entering into this group reading plan is easy. Here’s how to do it:

1. Download The Christian Doctrine of Prayer from the Free Book of the Month page on Logos.com. (You must own a resource to participate in a group reading plan.)

2. Go to the Christian Doctrine of Prayer group in Faithlife.*

3. On the Christian Doctrine of Prayer group page, click “Join” at the top right.

 

4. Once you join, you’ll be prompted by the “Today’s Readings” widget in the sidebar to “Connect” with, or “Ignore,” the group reading plan. Click “Connect” to begin the reading plan.

Now you’re ready to start reading! You can participate in the group reading plan through the free Faithlife Study Bible app, Biblia.com, or your Logos Bible Software. Click the link in “Today’s Readings” to view the text in Biblia, or find it in your current reading plans to the right of the search bar in your Logos software or the Faithlife Study Bible app. Faithlife will update you on how you’re progressing through the text with reminders in “Today’s Readings.”

Get The Christian Doctrine of Prayer  (for free!), join the Faithlife group, and start reading in community today!

*Don’t have a Faithlife account yet? Sign in using your Logos account, or sign up for a free account today!

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Create Custom Reading Plans to Share with Your Faithlife Groups!

Building a custom reading plan is an easy way to connect with your Faithlife groups. Whether it’s for your church, your small group, or your Christian book club, Faithlife allows you to create a plan around your schedule and needs. Maybe you already have a Faithlife group you want to transition into a reading group, or maybe you want to form a group around a certain text. Creating a group is easy.

Once you have the group you want, it’s time to select the text. In order for everyone to participate in your group reading plan, everyone MUST own the resource you want to read. Just like in a face-to-face book club, you can’t read if you don’t own the text! Here is a step-by-step tutorial on how to set up your custom reading plan:

1. Open your Logos Bible Software

2. Under File, select Reading Plan

3. Select the text you want, how often you read, when you start, when you want to finish reading, and what group you want to share with.

4. Click “Generate”

Now you’re ready to read with your group. A reading schedule will automatically appear in Faithlife’s “Today’s Readings” widget to keep you on track. You’ll be able to talk about the text, share your insight, and so much more from within your group on Faithlife. Get started today!

*Don’t have a Faithlife account yet? Sign in using your Logos account, or sign up for a free account today.

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The Faithlife Study Bible Gets New Content!

The Faithlife Study Bible is one of the most comprehensive study Bibles available, but that doesn’t mean we’re content to stop there. We’ve recently added tons of all-new material to the FSB.

These brand-new additions include updated FSB sidebars by reliable and prominent contributors, including:

In addition to the sidebar notes, more than 20,000 words have been added in notes on Genesis, Ephesians, and Philippians. We’ve even revised and updated other notes throughout the FSB.

The Lexham Bible Dictionary (bundled free with the FSB) has also been enhanced. We’ve added new articles totaling more than 66,000 words! These articles address subjects like:

  • Baptism
  • Joseph
  • Early Christian worship
  • Trinity
  • Rhetorical criticism
  • And much more

You want a study Bible that will grow with you, and the Faithlife Study Bible is adding new study notes, maps, media, and articles constantly.

Download the Faithlife Study Bible free through March 2014 and you’ll get:

  • Three layers of study notes—go deeper into the meaning of the text.
  • The Lexham Bible Dictionary—learn from more than 2,800 articles.
  • Rich media—augment your study with tons of photos, videos, and infographics.
  • Community Notes—share favorite verses, thoughts, and questions with your church, small group, etc.
  • Reading plans—read through the Bible with groups.
  • Devotions—reflect on the Faithlife Study Bible’s daily devotionals.
  • Smart searches—find what you’re looking for when you need it.
  • Highlighting—customize your notes with more than 80 colors and symbols.
  • Document sharing—share notes, lesson plans, outlines, and more with your groups.
  • The freedom to study anywhere—use the FSB in Logos 4 or on your mobile device.

If you haven’t downloaded the Faithlife Study Bible, why wait any longer? Get it free today!

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The Making of Lexham Bible Dictionary

“Lexham Bible Dictionary is an unbound product—it has no back cover.” This statement drove all discussion and decisions about creating this resource.

Could an enormous pool of content and information—not just the articles but the articles’ status and other project-management details—be maintained in one place? Multiple systems would snuff, or at least greatly hinder, a project of this magnitude. The solution involved some technological “secret sauce” Logos had used almost exclusively for internal work.

Once the platform was ported over, the focus turned to prioritizing articles. LBD deployed much of the data that works under the hood of Logos 4 to generate—and disambiguate—every possible topic before the extensive work of curating began. Rather than one article on Zechariah with multiple entries, there are articles for each Zechariah (more than 30 entries in total). Once the initial scope was established, writers were recruited from within the building and around the globe.

The editorial push began after it was decided that all content would be academic in nature yet readable by most anyone. Editors eliminated theological jargon and focused on crafting succinct, well-structured articles. Relevance dictated organization: essential information before details.

True to its inspiration, Lexham Bible Dictionary has shipped, but it is by no means finished. LBD is the most current Bible dictionary in the world, and it will continue growing to answer more questions, address current issues, and share new discoveries.

Lexham Bible Dictionary will complement any Bible study efforts, and it works even more effectively when used in conjunction with the Faithlife Study Bible, which includes the LBD and over 3,000 links to its articles in the layered notes.

Get your free copy of the Lexham Bible Dictionary today.

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Faithlife Adds Important New Features

Your Christian community happens online at Faithlife.com.  And with visible reading plans, group associations, and the ability to share documents—connecting with your community online just got a little easier.

You could already:

  • Create and join groups of friends, family, coworkers, and classmates.
  • Share your Logos resource notes with groups.
  • Share announcements, news, and events with your church groups.
  • Create study groups for your seminary classes.
  • Share notes on Bible verses through the Faithlife Study Bible.

But Faithlife’s new features make connecting with your groups even easier!

Group Associations

If you’ve created a group for your worship team, small group, etc., you can go into your settings and connect it with other groups.

When people visit your page, they can see other entities and ministries your group is affiliated with.

As a church, you can add all the groups associated with you, too. As you can see, when you go to CrossPoint Church’s page, you can access the Worship Team page in the group tab.

Shared Documents

When your church is connected through Faithlife, all the groups you’re part of can communicate seamlessly. I can go to one location online and leave a message for the worship team, find out when I have nursery duty, encourage my men’s group, and find out about the next week’s upcoming BBQ.

Faithlife’s latest update makes sharing documents a snap.

I was able to upload the lead sheet to “A Mighty Fortress Is My God” for my worship team. Not only can we as a team stay up-to-date with practices and gatherings, they can upload songs, spread sheets, or anything we need to stay connected.

Faithlife is always improving with updates and new features. Do you know a way to make it better? Do you want to talk to other Faithlife users? Why not get involved on the Faithlife forum?

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Connect the Testaments: Writing a Devotional

“You eventually discover that it’s not about you reading the text, but the text reading you,” a professor once remarked. If we don’t allow the Spirit to make us more like Jesus through our reading of the Bible, then why read it at all?

Devotional content sweeps away the proverbial dust from our Bibles—making the text more personal. It also allows the Bible to “read itself”—to speak to us directly through its inner monologue and the dialogues between its inspired authors. These ideas combined to create Connect the Testaments: A Daily Devotional.

The devotional began as an idea for a reading plan offering biblical theology. The biblical authors had unique insights and interests: how God’s work began and begins, new beginnings, spiritual renewal, prophecy, God’s work in history and how he grew and grows his kingdom. The reading plan was developed with those interests and themes in mind, intentionally setting up exchanges between the biblical authors across the testaments. It was designed to cover every day of the year. Each reading includes passages from the Old Testament, the New Testament, and Wisdom literature like Proverbs, Psalms, and Job.

The devotional focuses on how the biblical text connects between the testaments. It demonstrates what those conversations teach us about living for Jesus. Some links are made through broader themes, and others are as simple as the biblical text quoting itself. The devotional is dedicated to making God’s message understandable and relevant for those seeking to live for Jesus.

The late scholar Brevard Childs once said, “Wherever the Spirit is not present, there is no great explanation possible.” Connect the Testaments is about empowering people to find explanations for problems in both the biblical text and in their lives. Right now, it’s free with Faithlife Study Bible.

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The Story of the Faithlife Study Bible

The Faithlife Study Bible began with a question: “What if there were no page constraints?” Imaginations began to churn: “What if I could go deeper at any time?” “Could we link to articles and books?” “What if I could use different translations?” “What if this Bible could keep growing with more answers and discoveries?” “What if ‘my Bible study’ became ‘our Bible study’ with everything integrated into a faith-based social network?” “Could the FSB help more people find Jesus and make the Bible central to their lives?” To every question, the answer was, “Let’s try it.”

Further questions and answers developed into guiding principles for the project: The editorial stance would be balance and transparency with everything, including theories and possibilities. Everything would be rooted in fact. Passages would be explained historically, culturally, linguistically, and contextually. The product would offer curated links to a Bible dictionary and a glossary to provide definitions. The FSB would include a new media package of videos, maps, family trees, and infographics. It would provide reading plans and a daily devotional to help people get into the Word.

The project called for hiring and contracting more scholars. Many notes were read and reviewed by at least a dozen people. Late nights and all-nighters, box lunches and midnight pizza deliveries—all point to the heart of the Faithlife Study Bible: It was birthed from a deep desire to help people find Jesus and become his disciples by making it easier than ever to answer the big questions.

When the project neared completion, it was clear that God had provided a gift—one to be used every day and shared with the world. Today the Faithlife Study Bible is free with the coupon code FREE.