Everyone can benefit from council estate discipleship

I've written on the Gospel Partnerships blog how the practical mindedness of estate Christians can help anyone in volved in discipleship, no matter what their background it.

You can read it all here:
http://thegospelpartnerships.org.uk/blog/permalink/2013-02/everyone-can-benefit-from-council-estate-discipleship

Logos 5 and how much software do you need?

How much Bible software do we need?
I recently got offered an upgrade to Logos 5 Diamond for £960. It comes with lots of books - but I don't know if I need those books. It seems to me that for anyone deciding which Bible software to buy, it would be wise to first work out which resources you actually need for what you're doing. I presently use Bibleworks and Logos 4.

These are the resources that I actually NEED on a regular basis for what I do (give or take a few).

For texts in the original languages:
Greek NT
Greek LXX
Greek combined NT & LXX
BHS
OT apparatus
NT apparatus
Apostolic Fathers in Greek and English (For Greek word/grammar studies)

Lexicons:
BDAG
BDB
HALOT or Holladay
NDIDDE
NDIOTTE
TWOT
Louw Nida
Moulton and Milligan
TDNT

Grammars:
Wallace
Robertson
Blass Debrunner Funk
Jouon Muraoka
Waltke
Gesenius
Arnold Choi (I don't think this is available electronically)


Systematic Theologies:
Grudem
Robert Raymond - New Systematic Theology
Bavinck - Reformed Dogmatics
Berkhof - Systematic Theology
Gerhardus Vos - Reformed Dogmatics
Berkouwer -
Calvin's Institutes

Commentary series:
WBC (not all the commentaries in this series are evangelical, or any good).
NIGTC
NAC
Pillar
Expositor's Bible Commentary
Keil and Delitzhe
Calvin
Exegetical summaries
New Testament use of the Old Testament

Textual criticism:
Metzger
NET Bible notes
NA27 apparatus
BHS apparatus
Comfort - Greek Manuscripts
Comfort - The New Testament Text and Translation commentary (don't think this is available electronically, except possibly in Accordance?)

Dictionaries:
The IVP essential library

Confessions:
Westminster
Second London Baptist Confession 1689


Conclusion:
I reckon that a big part of deciding what Bible software to get should be based on what resources we actually need.

FIrst impressions of Bibleworks 9 Mac preview

I was very excited to see that Bibleworks had released a Mac preview. I am a big Bibleworks fan. I tried not using it when I switched to Mac, but found that I really needed it and that there were things that Logos 4 just wasn't suitable for. Here's the good and the bad of the mac preview.

The good:
The Bibleworks team is thinking about Mac users. I was not planning on investing in Bibleworks anymore because I switched to Mac a year ago. Now however I have hope that they are going to work towards to good solution on a Mac (that doesn't involve using Parallels and losing the shift key function, and having another OS running, and needing further internet protection etc.).

The bad (but bear in mind this is just a preview - not the finished result):

1) Installation:
a) It took a long time to receive my code. I ordered a code online 26th Oct Friday morning GMT, I received a code Wednesday 31st Oct. I appreciate that Hurricane Sandy probably played a part in this, but this could have been set up as an automated service.

b) Having started the mac preview software, I then found I was unable to install the software to parallels. This meant I got out an old PC and installed Bibleworks 9 on that (I hadn't used Bibleworks 9 before). However the install keep freezing on DVD3, after 3 attempts this finally worked. 

c) Installation also took a long time. Each time I have upgraded Bibleworks I have dreaded having to copy and paste codes of already purchased modules. To try out Bibleworks 9, I ended up pasting those codes four times on my PC, and then once on the Mac preview, and then once again in parallels (because the mac preview did not work properly). By comparison, Logos runs an automated system whereby modules are remembered. The way I have been able to install Logos on my Mac or PC or phone or ipad seems very easy compared to Bibleworks.


2) In use:
a) It feels very good to not have to boot up windows in Parallels, but that wears off when you see the interface which does not look as nice as on a PC. The tabs have very straight edges, whereas on a PC they have nice rounded edges. The result is that I feel like I am using an old piece of software. I like the PC interface (although I've heard others say it looks old fashioned) - but the look on the Mac preview looks too clunky).

b) When I have the excellent verse function open, the verse up/down buttons in the browse window get stuck and continuously scrolled down. I am unable to simply click once and get the verse to change once. This unfortunately makes the preview unusable for me. I tried to do some work, but gave up after 45 minutes.

c) Reporting this problem: I have never liked the Bibleworks way of reporting problems. Having to get my serial number out and type it in, and then my address and phone number. I would much prefer to have a button to click on in the menu that enables me to report a problem straight away. Anyway, I reported the verse problem on 2nd November but have still not heard back (9th Nov).

In conclusion:
The preview is unworkable for me. I hope however that once Bibleworks fixes the problem I will be able to use the preview version and test it further. In the end, I installed my new version of Bibleworks 9 in Parallels (it worked once I had installed the Mac preview). The PC version is excellent, and I will post a review on it in the near future.Whilst dissapointed with the Mac preview, I am pleased that the Bibleworks team is trying to help us Mac users. I also think it will be crucial for them as so many Urban UK pastors have switched to Mac in the last few years.

How to work out what Bible software you need

So Logos 5 is now out, and every time a software developer brings out an update - it raises the question again about which is the best software to us.
It seems to me that for anyone deciding which Bible software to buy, it would be wise to consider the following:

1) Work out which resources you actually need for what you're doing.
2) Work out which features you need to do what you're doing.

I will post on these points in the near future.

Do we have diary lifestyles on estates? Yes!

Every now and then I hear Christian ministers say, 'People don't have diary lifestyles on estates.' But I wonder if this is true.
Growing up I went to school regularly, I went to birthday parties that had been arranged weeks in advance, and when we finally got a TV we had a TV guide, which we used to plan when we were gonna watch stuff.
Funerals and Weddings and Christenings were always well attended.
We went to the cinema at planned times, and clubs too.
I'm not sure that these things have changed too much today.
In fact with smart phones, people seem to use diaries every day.

Could it be that sometimes people don't wanna come to things we want invite them to, and then we say, "Well they don't have a diary lifestyle!"
Or maybe I'm just misunderstanding what middle class people mean when they say 'diary lifestyle'.

Why we need to repent as soon as we're aware

'The application to our lives is quite evident: if God gives anyone a desire to repent and trust in Christ, he or she should not delay and should not harden his or her heart (cf. Heb. 3:7–8; 12:17). This ability to repent and desire to trust in God is not naturally ours but is given by the prompting of the Holy Spirit, and it will not last forever. “Today, when you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” (Heb. 3:15).'
Grudem, Systematic Theology p.498

Bibleworks 8 review: The Puritan’s package

I recently realized to my horror that I wrote a review for Bibleworks 8 two years ago, and never posted it to my blog! Because my upgrade to Bibleworks 8 was given to me free of charge by Bibleworks, I feel that although my review is out of date, it is only fair that I do finally put this review online. I have also now purchased an upgrade to Bibleworks 9 so that I can review that too:

I had decided to not upgrade from BW7 to 8, for financial reasons, but then Bibleworks very kindly sent me a review copy. So, I’m writing this review now to help those who are considering whether its worth upgrading to BW8.

One of the key things BW8 has done is to make some of the features of BW7 more accessible. I have called this version, the Puritan’s package, because this makes interpreting scripture with scripture more accessible than ever before.

Installation:

Upgrading from BW7 was not as easy as I would have liked. There is no upgrade option, instead I had to uninstall BW7, and then install BW8 from scratch. Having done this, I needed to enter an activation code for BW8, and then new activation codes for all the modules I had previously purchased, plus Metzger now needed a code (Metzger is no longer free, except to BW7 upgraders).  The problem here was that Bibleworks had sent me the new activation codes for my previously purchased modules but not for Metzger. Bibleworks staff were swamped with the new release, and I had to wait a few days to be sent the new code. I also had to manually enter all my external links from BW7, and manually copy the extra databases I had collected over the last 2 years. I understand completely why BW implemented new activation codes (piracy), but they obviously weren’t ready for the high demand of this release. I also think a smoother way to upgrade would be nice.

What’s lost from BW7:

Some of the modules that were free in BW7, now have to be purchased: Metzger’s Textual commentary, Barclay’s Lexicon, and Lust-Eynikel-Hauspie’s Septuagint Lexicon. However there are free (activation codes are sent via email) for those upgrading from BW7.

Robertson’s Word Pictures is no longer included due to licensing issues, but I have this in e-Sword, so I’m not that bothered by this. Mark Futato’s “Basic Hebrew for Bible Study” is also gone.

What’s new in BW8:

Browse tab:

One of the previous weaknesses of BW7, was that when you viewed the browse window in multiple-version mode, you could not see the context (or cotext) of the verse. The way around this was to toggle into single-version mode, and scroll up a few verses, but this was frustrating when under time pressure such as in a debate. Now in BW8 the browse tab will display the whole passage in one version on the right of the screen, whilst you have multiple versions displayed in the browse window (in the centre of the screen). The browse tab will start the text 2 verses before the verse in the browse window, and will highlight the browse window verse in blue. Furthermore, you can put the browse tab in any version you want. This morning in my Bible reading, I put the BGT Greek text in the browse window, with the NET Bible (with notes) in the browse tab. Previously I had used Logos for this kind of set up, but I prefer doing this now in BW8. During sermon preparation, I have found the browse feature to be very useful. Before, when I was searching for how a word was used, it would take too long to check the context of each verse, now that is very easily done. This was one of the biggest appeals to me to upgrade.

Context tab:

This tab will display a frequency list of the words used in the current book, pericope and chapter. For example today I was studying Philippians 1:27 which contains the word euangeliou, and at a glance in the I could see that Philippians has 6 instances of euangeliou, 2 instances of euanglion, and 1 instance of euangeliw. This is also a great way of finding cognates, for example 1:27 containts the verb politeuesthe, and by glancing at the book context (which I listed in alphabetical order) I can easily spot the cognate word politeuma. When I click on this it takes me straight to Phil 3:20. There is also a chapter context window (bottom right), but this is limited due to the sometimes bizarre nature of chapter division of the Bible (which were not inspired). I would rather have had a version context window (but this can be obtained by clicking on the Words tab).  Under BW7, you could have found out all this information by using  the word list manager, but it would have taken longer, and I found it quite fiddly. Now in BW8 you can see this information at a glance without any knowledge of the word list manager. This is a tool that I will probably use much more, now that it is so accessible.

Words tab:

Now when you search on a word, the words tab will show you the following:

1) a frequency word list of the version (in alphabetical listing) so that you can see how often the word you searched for is used.

2) A word list for the current search results then shows the most commonly used words found in the search, showing you if there are significant words that repeat alongside the word you searched for.

3) The wildcard expansion list will gives lists of any of the wildcard expansions made during the search.

These features are useful and welcomed, but personally they would not have made me want to upgrade.

Search Statistics:

The bar chart search statistics is now displayed in their own tab on the right of the screen. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with the BW7 way of displaying these results, but again the BW8 makes them even more accessible.

Cross references tab:

The puritans would live this, and I do too. You now have a whole fat tab available for cross references. These can be easily changed (via a pull down menu) to a number of different systems including Thompson Chain, TSK, Torrey’s, the Biographical Bible (to see all the references to Bible names). When these cross references are clicked on, they open in the browse window. If you right click on them, they can be opened in their own window. You can then open up any of those cross references in a new window. This means you can go on a wonderful journey of looking at related verses.

Conclusion:

Bibleworks 8 is very useful software for using Scripture to interpret Scripture – hence I have called it, ‘The Puritan’s Package’