Customer Reviews

Minister's Bible-Hcsb

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Being a minster, and appreciating the translation of the Holman Christian Standard Bible, I thought this Bible would be the perfect marriage of my use and the translation. while it is true I love the translation, I was very disappointed in the Bible itself.

In working to make the Bible thinner, they had to make the pages thinner. This is the biggest problem that I have found with the Bible. I used it for only a short time and the pages curled up from use. When you opened up to a text, and left it open for a short time, the pages would curl, and crease permanently if I didn't catch it and fold them back before closing the Bible.

The thin pages also allow for serious bleed-through of whatever type of marking instrument you choose to use. Even dry pencils could be a problem.

The binding on this Bible is good and lays out well in the hand, feeling natural, unlike many other Bibles I have used.

In the end, this is the Bible that is Good, but they didn't make it Great. Make the pages a little thicker of better quality, and this Bible would have been a winner hands down for ANY serious Bible student or Minister.

I really enjoy this bible. I've had wide margin bibles in the past, and this could use a little more room for notes, but some space is better than none at all. I tend to take sparadic notes anyway, so the bible is perfect. The version is easy to read, and great for reading out loud.

This is a nice Bible. The leather is thick and grainy. The Bible appears to have a sewn binding, unlike some other American-made garbage. The print is nice and bold, and in single-column, and the margins are wide. There are two ribbon markers of good length. Without sounding like a crabbit, the only gripe I have with this Bible is that the paper is too thin and has a tendency to curl up, which is annoying. But, other than that, I enjoy the HCSB---it strikes a perfect blend between a formal and dynamic equivalent method. It sticks remarkably close and precise to the Greek. What more could one want?(NOTE: The second edition of the HCSB will appear in 2009. Maybe it's best to hold off buying any (H)CSB till then?)

Description
The HCSB Minister's Bible is designed especially for preaching and ministering. This Bible has many features of a Minister's manual such as sections on weddings, funerals , altar calls, and other topics. Another nice aspect of this Bible is that it lays flat while your reading.

About the Binding & Cover
This edition is made from high quality Genuine leather, with a sewn binding. The cover has a nice leathery feel, rich color and finely detailed grain. Bibles covered in Genuine leather are very durability and will last for many years. Genuine leather is made from the remaining layers after the top layer has been removed, at that point it has a suede surface which is then refinished to add grain and texture. Genuine leather can be refinished in many textures from fine grain to crocodile skin.
The Bind of this Bible is Smythe sewn binding, which is very durable. Smythe sewn binding is considered the highest quality binding, the pages are sewn and glued to the spine of the Bible. The benefits are a long lasting Bible that can be read and reread for years without falling apart. Books with Smythe sewn binding will stand up to more abuse than regular glued binding, and can be read on a flat surface. For these reasons many textbooks, picture books and Bibles that are designed to stand the tests of time use Smythe sewn binding. Smythe sewn book printing and binding gets its name from its inventor, an Irish-American named David McConnell Smythe (1833-1807). A pioneer of modern day bookbinding, Smythe took a bold leap forward over the centuries old methods of binding by producing the first technology and methods for sewing book pages to the spine to create a book of superior quality and appearance. Smythe-sewn Bibles are durable, but they may be heavier and less flexible than glued Bibles. That said if you want the best, then you want Smythe sewn binding. Size 9.75 X 6.75 X 1.25 (inches)

What's inside?
The text of this edition is 9.5 pt which is clear and easy to read, making this Bible a good choice for public speaking. Other aspects of this Bible that Ministers will appreciate are the single column format, the paragraph/subject headings, and black letter text. Features of this edition include HCSB's Plan of Salvation, HCSB's Bullet Notes, Table of Weights and Measures, Where to Turn (Pastoral Care), 21 Essentials of Authentic Ministry, Weddings, Funerals, Giving the Invitation (Alter Calls), Commitment Counseling, Dedication Services, The Christian Year and the Church, Calendar, The Apostles and Their History, Principles of an Orderly Business Meeting, and Concordance. This Bible was printed in South Korea on quality paper. The paper itself is thin, and has a semi-transparent quality. The Wide Margin measures one inch in most places of the Old and New Testament, in the poetic books the margin is slightly larger. When writing notes in the margin its best to use a pencil instead of a ink pen, the ink will bleed through and may cause the page edges to slightly curl while reading. Personally I do not recommend using highlighters in this Bible, crayola color pencils work best on this type of paper. This edition has two ribbon markers one black, the other red, the pages are edged with gold which looks very elegant with the traditional Black cover.

In the Front

1. Books of the Bible in Canonical Order
2. Plan of Salvation
3. Introduction to the HCSB

In the Back

1. Bullet Notes HCSB
2. Table of Weights and Measures
3. Where to Turn (Pastoral Care)
4. 21 Essentials of Authentic Ministry
5. Weddings and Funerals
6. Giving the Invitation
7. Commitment Counseling
8. Dedication Services
9. The Christian Year and the Church Calendar
10. The Apostles and Their History
11. Principles of an Orderly Business Meeting
12. Concordance

About this Translation
The Holman Christian Standard Bible is an English translation of the Bible, published by Holman Bible Publishers. The first full edition was completed in March 2004. This translation is a Optimal Equivalence Translation below is more information on this translation from Wikipedia.

"Holman Bible Publishers assembled an international, interdenominational team of 100 scholars and proofreaders, all of whom were committed to biblical inerrancy.[4] The translation committee sought to strike a balance between the two prevailing philosophies of Bible translation: formal equivalence (literal, "word-for-word", etc),, and dynamic or functional equivalence ("thought-for-thought"), The translators call this balance Optimal Equivalence.According to the translators, the primary goal of optimal equivalence translations is "to convey a sense of the original text with as much clarity as possible". To that end, the ancient source texts were exhaustively scrutinized at every level (word, phrase, clause, sentence, discourse) to determine its original meaning and intention. After wards, using the best language tools available, the semantic and linguistic equivalents were translated into as readable a text as possible. "

This edition does not contain the Deuterocanonical books (Also known as the Apocrypha)
To the best of my knowledge there isn't a Catholic edition of the HCSB.

My Personal Opinion
This Bible has many aspects that I really like, one of those aspects is the text size. I find the text size to be clear and easy to read, which is always nice. The single column format of this edition makes writing notes in the margin easier. The cover of this Bible is genuine leather, and feels nice to the touch. I really like the flexibility of this Bible, and that it lays flat while reading. The only aspect of this Bible which could be improved upon would be the thickness of the paper. Even though this is quality paper its a little too thin for taking notes, unless you use a pencil. The Minister's sections are very interesting, and ministers' would find this edition very useful.

I was excited to get the Holman Christian Standard translation because I read that the translation is based on the most up-to-date manuscripts available (NA27/USB4 and BHS5). I also read that it was a perfectly balanced translation that was right between "formal equivalence" and "dynamic equivalence." In addition, it's a translation that conservative evangelicals can feel comfortable with (unlike the NRSV). However, upon receiving THIS particular version of the HCSB I was VERY disappointed. Holman did a very bad job binding the Bible and deciding on the paper type to use. The genuine leather was not that great and the papers used was just terrible. Most Bibles I have in my possession contain very good paper (thin but glossy and strong enough to write on) but this one you can rip apart easily and you cannot take notes on the paper or else it will see right through on the other side. I suggest people find another Bible version of the Holman translation. It's a good translation to lead Bible studies with and for personal devotion. However, avoid this one. You'll regret it and wished you didn't purchase it. The structure and actual quality of a Bible really matters and I hope Holman really understands that soon.

Before discovering this Bible, I was using an NIV application study Bible with the single column format. But NIV does not capitalize "He" and "Him" when referring to Jesus or God. The Holman Christian Standard Bible does. I like that because sometimes, especially in the Gospels, when Jesus is talking to His disciples or groups of people, I'd get confused on exactly who was saying what. By capitalizing "He", "Him", "His" etc. when referring to Jesus or God, understanding becomes much more clearer.

It's true that the pages would be nicer if a little thicker, but it is a very easy read... not really the kind of bleed-through like the "thin-line" Bibles. The spacing of the wide margins is quite easy on the eyes.

The two ribbon markers are a plus. The leather is soft and the gold tone page exterior is very pleasing to the eye. I like the page in the back that says, "Where To Turn" ....then gives the chapter & verse, such as, when you're feeling blue, tempted to do wrong, when you need wisdom, etc.

Since this is a Minister's Bible, and I'm not a Minister, I didn't know what to do with the pages in back for performing weddings and funerals. So what I did was paste notes and church sermon inserts over those pages.

I did enjoy the other pages about "The Invitation or Altar Call", "Baptism", "Church Membership" and "Assurance of Salvation." Reading those informational pages made me realize just what a very difficult, stressful, yet rewarding job a Pastor has. I have a much higher respect for Ministers & Pastors now.

I used to collect Bibles... one of each version, for comparison. I donated all of those other versions after discovering how easy to read the Holman or HCSV is. By far, this version and this Bible is my favorite. Not perfect. But very good indeed.

If you like study notes in your Bible, the Scofield III study Bible and the Apologetic's Study Bible... both in the Holman Christian Standard Version (HCSV) are also excellent resources. I hope this has helped. Thanks for reading my review. Have a blessed day!

The Ministers Bible: Holman Christian Standard, Black Genuine Leather, Single Column, Wide Margins

Excellent leather bible. It is very soft and flexible, not as soft/flexible as calfskin, but very nice. The font size is easy to read, single column is a very interesting way of reading the bible. Makes we wonder why we don't print all of our bibles that way. Decent wide margin for notes, lays nice and flat.

Very happy with the purchase. Would like to see it offered in Red Letter edition (just a personal preference).

I purchased this bible hoping for: 1) a single column format; 2) sufficient side-column space for limited key notes; 3) a very nice "feel" in the hand, 4) sufficient contrast between "whiteness" of page and text to render it easily readable, even while standing up teaching; 5) small enough (thin enough) to easily carry around without unnecessarily "bulking up" my smaller carrying cases, and as a last point, 6) a text that was not "red letter", as I happen to consider all the words of the Bible "from God", equally important...and while I agree that putting the words of our Lord in red is nice for those who need that help early on (and I agree, at times also for seeking a key passage in a hurry), I still find it personally unnecessary and (sometimes) distracting. I just pray to God that it isn't also misleading for some...God forbid!

There was no disappointment on any point. This bible fulfills ALL those desires/criteria.

Some of the comments below by other reviewers regarding the thinness of the page, and the closeness of the text to the binding channel, while no doubt important to the reviewer, in my view and for my preferences are hardly worth mentioning in view of the overriding excellency of the features of this bible. Frankly, there are many study bibles of huge girth whose pages are even thinner...and some whose text is even deeper into the binding channel.

Overall, I believe this particular bible meets its objectives (and my personal criteria) very well, for the particular application for which it was purchased. No bible is going to be perfect for everyone, or for every application...which is why most of us own multiple bibles and versions, and also why the market is flooded with so many, of so many different types...just as the mass-manufactured Ford automobile didn't fit all the driving population.

The good news for anyone who may purchase it and find themselves dissappointed with it, is that they can pass it along to someone who will appreciate it, and who otherwise couldn't afford one...a tremendous blessing indeed, for both giver and receiver.

God bless this Bible, and each purchaser.

Although the Bible is beautiful, the pastoral helps were a huge disappointment. I was hoping for suggested worship/funeral/wedding (even hospital visit) formats/helps which are not there. I would not recommend this particular Bible to anyone who is looking for anything more than a nice looking Bible in a faithful translation.

Pages and cover are thin. Ribbon markers are skinny. Font and single
column text are delightful, which is the reason for my purcahse.
Some useful ministerial information in the back is enjoyable reading.
I do not prefer this translation to KJV, NKJV, ESV or NASB.