I had been hearing about this Bible that was coming out in October 2017 called the Pastor’s Bible from Holman Publishers. This is a style of Bible that has been called “the Minister’s Bible” in the past with other translations. I finally got me a copy, and after a couple of months, I am ready to share my thoughts.
Translation
It is important that a person have a copy of God’s word in a translation that they can understand. This was one of the heartbeats of those involved in the Protestant Reformation. They wanted to get God’s word into the language and hands of the common people so that they could experience the life-changing power of the Bible.
While there are many good English translations on the market, I have come to really appreciate the Christian Standard translation (CSB). I believe that it was more than an update to the Holman Christian Standard (which was not the greatest). The CSB is a translation that tries to bring the original languages into today’s English. I really think that the CSB might be best English translation since the 1984 NIV in that it not only tries to be true to the original languages, but it brings the text in a way that is easy to read.
Check out more about the CSB at their website by clicking here.
Features
- Single-column text. This was one of my favorite features of this Bible. Having the text in a single column makes it much easier to read and keep your place while preaching/teaching.
- All black text. I know that some people like the words of Christ in red, but I think by keeping all the text the same it keeps the focus that all of the Bible is important and God’s word.
- Very readable font. The font is a 10-point Serif that is very clear for reading.
- Two formats. It comes in either genuine leather (brown) or deluxe leathertouch (black). I went with the deluxe leathertouch because of price (typically about $40 cheaper). The leathertouch feels nice and is holding up well so far.
Special Features
- Tips and sample sermon outlines for weddings and funerals. These come in handy especially to a younger pastor who is looking for helps in these areas. The tips for what to do in these events have helped me out greatly in the past. There are samples of traditional and contemporary wedding services. There are also samples of funeral sermons for different situations.
- Articles on various duties of the pastor’s life. These articles serve to help a minister in giving tips on preaching, leading, and other areas of the pastor’s life. Some of the contributors are Jim Henry, Matt Chandler, Eric Geiger, Jared Wilson, Tony Merida, Keith Getty, Robert Smith Jr, Daniel Im, and many more.
- Pastoral Care references. There is a two-page reference of verses to turn to when dealing with different situations in ministry.
Conclusion
The CSB Pastors Bible is one of my favorite bibles that I own. It has just about everything you would want in a bible as a pastor. It is not bulky, but it comes packed with many resources for today’s pastor.
With Christmas just around the corner, I would recommend that you pick up one of these as a great gift for you pastor this season. He will no doubt get much use out of this Bible.
You can find this Bible in a number of places like LifeWay, Amazon, Christianbooks.
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