tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5026869257529481970.post1235750471130479420..comments2023-12-02T05:56:57.304-05:00Comments on Biblical Studies and Technological Tools: What's the point of Bible software?MGVHoffmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13984044532444865131noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5026869257529481970.post-9904598866556645352008-10-02T19:00:00.000-04:002008-10-02T19:00:00.000-04:00Thanks, all, for the comments. You are preaching t...Thanks, all, for the comments. You are preaching to the choir here! Steve, just a reminder that people can actually get a starter package for Logos/Libronix for free. I'm pretty sure it would handle the notes. Go to: http://www.nelsonministryservices.com/nms/dept.asp?dept_id=5076&ref=11523MGVHoffmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13984044532444865131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5026869257529481970.post-23738957486975936692008-10-02T18:51:00.000-04:002008-10-02T18:51:00.000-04:00As a pastor I use Logos. I have used it for nearly...As a pastor I use Logos. I have used it for nearly 6 years and they add new books all the time.<BR/><BR/>I recently attended Camp Logos and though I am very computer literate I learned a lot about the possibilities Logos creates for the pastor and congregation.<BR/><BR/>One thing I am learning to use is the notes feature. I can create notes files for all of my biblical study. Then I can make those notes files available on our church website and those who own the Libronix software (which you can purchase for as little as $20) can download my notes and have their pastor's notes in their computer Bible!<BR/><BR/>I just wish my seminary professors would have made digital notes of their courses. Then I'd have them all in my Bible study software. But instead I have a filing cabinet full of notes that I never use.<BR/><BR/>Bible computer software is an exciting new tool for discipleship in the local church.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13395025219841706565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5026869257529481970.post-35044980836913549442008-09-20T10:21:00.000-04:002008-09-20T10:21:00.000-04:00Both as a seminarian and as one who preaches each ...Both as a seminarian and as one who preaches each Sunday, Bible software (I use BibleWorks) is indispensable and hence highly practical both because it deepens my understanding of the text and because it is such a time saver. If the student in question was objecting to the perceived "BibleWorks chrome" as unnecessarily adding to the cost of the product, he or she should consider BibleWorks as a lifetime investment in his or her profession. Assuming that the person in question has a 35 year career, then he or she invested just $10 annually for one of the most important tools.SEShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04494383515121399879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5026869257529481970.post-24253425442725386632008-09-12T20:16:00.000-04:002008-09-12T20:16:00.000-04:00I'd just like to say that I'm not in the ministry ...I'd just like to say that I'm not in the ministry at all. I'm just a Christian who loves God's word and would like to know it better, and I'm glad that I bought Logos two years ago! It's really opened my eyes to so many things that I wouldn't have had the time, nor the moxie to research on my own with just a paper study bible, and a Halley's bible handbook!<BR/><BR/><BR/>bobGo Share Your Faithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10494251154976285819noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5026869257529481970.post-55830120214111052562008-09-12T15:28:00.000-04:002008-09-12T15:28:00.000-04:00In regards to the student's immediate wonderings, ...In regards to the student's immediate wonderings, yes, the software is near-necessary and extremely helpful in amassing a large database and repository for information to understand a wide variety of subjects in the works contained in BibleWorks (beyond just scriptures) that are EXTREMELY helpful in seminary.<BR/><BR/>A colleague of mine recently related the advent of programs such as BibleWorks as shortcuts to our knowledge. "We do not have to have memorized a theological treatise or be able to quote Josephus at length." Instead of having to struggle to find a commentary or some grammatical information to give us a thickening agent for the scripture reading for a particular Sunday's sermon, we are able to focus more on what congregations seem to desire more of now. The people want to hear how this applies to their lives, how the scriptures can reach through time and have meaning today, here and now! Without needing to bog ourselves down hunting for support, BibleWorks makes short work of a lot of searching and research which allows us to focus less on research and more on relevance to the relationship between God and God's people.<BR/><BR/>In closing, I am preaching this Sunday, and I used BibleWorks at least three times for help in references, lexicons, and translational variation. Congregational pastors and their interns can and do use this software often!Jonathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12724603082337153723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5026869257529481970.post-69003240734363795622008-09-11T18:40:00.000-04:002008-09-11T18:40:00.000-04:00In addition to translation work for the sermon, I ...In addition to translation work for the sermon, I use BibleWorks to help me write my pastoral prayers. I look for imperatives spoken to God, look for words in different semantic domain, look for words that pop up across the whole Scriptural canon so I can make connections between how God acted in the past and how God promises to act in the future . . . surprising things happen when I play with BibleWorks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5026869257529481970.post-80565619806384880082008-09-11T18:02:00.000-04:002008-09-11T18:02:00.000-04:00Acts 6:2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples...<I>Acts 6:2</I> So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables." <BR/><BR/>And thus "the deacon" was born, to prevent the Pastor (a teaching elder) from neglecting the ministry of the word of God.<BR/><BR/><I>Acts 6:3-4</I> Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5026869257529481970.post-20228606348150525402008-09-11T13:30:00.000-04:002008-09-11T13:30:00.000-04:00Also, remind your students not to underestimate th...Also, remind your students not to underestimate the sophisticated questions some of their parishioners will bring to the study of the bible. And why not help some of those parishioners learn how to use the software themselves? You'd be surprised by how interested a teen ager can be in digging into the intricacies of a particular passage, if its something they really care about. If your congregants don't care about studying the bible, you may eventually stop studying it yourself. So find ways to energize them to do so, and it will keep you on your toes, too. (and yes, this is an adult religious educator speaking, obviously)Mary Hesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07954022665480649924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5026869257529481970.post-70079696099006623732008-09-11T10:20:00.000-04:002008-09-11T10:20:00.000-04:00Thanks for the comments. Keep 'em coming!Antoine: ...Thanks for the comments. Keep 'em coming!<BR/>Antoine: I especially wanted to respond to your observation. The student who wrote is indeed planning to become a pastor, but I intentionally in my response did not limit my response to pastors. Church "professional" maybe sounds a bit too formal, but here at the seminary where I teach, we have plenty of students who are not planning on pastoral ministry but on a serving in a variety of other church capacities: youth ministry, diaconal ministry, chaplaincy, etc. Would that all Christians take the study of the Word so seriously, but I think it should be an expectation for anyone in a role of church leadership.MGVHoffmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13984044532444865131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5026869257529481970.post-1566174005534255952008-09-11T10:05:00.000-04:002008-09-11T10:05:00.000-04:00In other words, Bible software as its designed rig...In other words, Bible software as its designed right now is more relevant to seminary students and pastor-teachers than the more casual reader.<BR/><BR/>Interesting...<BR/><BR/>Wonder what would happen if we could redesign some apsects of Bible software to be more relevant to that larger audience. Wonder what it would look like then?Antoinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00371682086103475065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5026869257529481970.post-62373562546734272482008-09-11T09:40:00.000-04:002008-09-11T09:40:00.000-04:00I agree wholeheartedly with your reply, and would ...I agree wholeheartedly with your reply, and would only add that although a congregation may not be "interested in all the additional data," it's still may be helpful and needful for a pastor to be aware of it. It's rather like writing a novel - a novelist knows much more about his or her characters and the events in their lives than ever makes it into the novel, because much of that information is not relevant to the story, and not necessary for the audience to know. It's helpful for the author to know, though, because it gives him or her a fuller picture of what's going on, and better enables him or her to tell the story. Likewise, a congregation may never need to know - or particularly care - about the nitty-gritty grammatical or lexical peculiarities of a given Biblical text, but it could well be helpful for the pastor to be aware of such things, because it will better enable him or her to explain the text - to tell the story, as it were.Shaylinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10284885669467260512noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5026869257529481970.post-42127894963658536662008-09-11T07:57:00.000-04:002008-09-11T07:57:00.000-04:00I think you're right on. The concept that pastors ...I think you're right on. The concept that pastors have too many other things to do to spend a lot of time studying is outrageous.<BR/><BR/>Pastors are to equip God's people to do God's work (Eph 4:11-13), and it is through the Scriptures that we are "equipped for every good work" (2 Tim 3:16-17).<BR/><BR/>If more pastors would spend more time studying and ministering to/with a smaller team, who then trained and did ministry with others, and so on, we would see Paul's vision of perpetual ministry in action (2 Tim 2:2).Daniel Goepfrichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07991001930187063021noreply@blogger.com