Living & Active - An Episcopal Faith Sharing Bible

One day I went into Cokesbury looking for a couple of good study bibles. While there, I noticed a stack of "Faith Sharing Bibles" offered by the United Methodist Church. These little red volumes were affordable give-away versions of the New Testament and Psalms (NRSV), which included catechetical material for seekers, as well as daily devotions and other material. They are sponsored by the denominational headquarters for evangelism purposes.

I thought, "Why don't we Episcopalians do something like this?" We could include the Outline of the Faith from the Prayer Book, the Baptismal Covenant, and a daily prayer liturgy.

So, I created it.

From the Book of Common Prayer (1979) I have taken the catechism, baptismal covenant, and morning prayer (II), reshaped them for personal/devotional usage, and bound them together with the full New Testament and Psalms. Also, I have added an introductory chapter on what I call 'Third Way Bible Study' - charting the middle way between fundamentalism and rationalism. I employ good teaching helps from the Prayer Book, the Diocese of New York's 'Let the Reader Understand,' and other inputs.

I wanted to use the N.R.S.V. but the process associated with getting permission was daunting, and appears to be expensive, though I may end up pursuing it. So, this being 2009, I wondered if an 'open source' or 'public domain' version of Scripture had been done by somebody that was dependable and readable. I found the World English Bible - a public domain modern update of the classic American Standard Version (1901). The W.E.B. incorporates many of the scholarly discoveries made available since 1901, and also has lots of useful footnotes explaining certain terms. The W.E.B. follows the literal equivalence approach to translation, similar to the R.S.V. and N.R.S.V. The only downside is that it does not use inclusive language in regards to 'humanity' or 'people' - rather sticking to the more archaic tradition of referring to 'humanity' as 'men'. Importantly, in a number of places the W.E.B. footnotes the use of 'men' and indicates that 'men and women' would also be a totally appropriate alternate translation.

For more information on this translation, please see the World English Bible Frequently Asked Questions.

I put it all together, laid it out as a 5.5 x 8.5 digest paperback, with high quality paper, and very readable font, and uploaded it to Lulu. If you buy ten copies - they are just under 9 bucks a piece. If you buy only one, it's a buck more. Shipping is more, of course. Nobody but Lulu and the shipping companies are making money on this project.

It is offered by me, St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Raleigh, and the Diocese of North Carolina, as an educational resource.

Great for Lent! Great for seekers! Great for small group devotions and African Bible Study or Gospel Based Discipleship. Click on the image above to be directed to Lulu.