I have read this bible and my New King James version concurrently to determine if the Holman translation compares in accuracy and "purity" to it. This translation uses the modern english terminolgy to make it easier to read. However, if one prefers the "flavor" and phraseology of the older KJ and NKJ versions, one may find this bible not as satisfying to read & study. That said the bible is suited for those who would not find the modern translation a negative. I compared identical verses in the Holman bible to the NKJ for accuracy. I found that their translation retains the essence & meaning of the NKJ.

The study notes at the bottom are informative without being overly wordy. I found the articles on apologetics to be very verbose and somewhat hard to decifer exactly what point the author was trying to make. Maybe that's because I never had any philosophy or theology classes, and I was trained to write in a succint style with brevity and clarity.

The format and style of this bible left something to be desired for me. That may be just a personal preference on my part. I will enumerate just in case anyone shares my preferences as these points may be the deciding factors on whether or not to buy this bible. The pages are an off white or grayish on a medium density black print. The type size is 8 or 9 point (not sure). If you have difficulty reading normal print type size, and require reading glasses, as I do, you may find this bible a little hard to read. You may opt for a large print bible.
The bible verses run continuosly, namely, each new verse does not start at the left margin of the column, but as the next sentence with the bible verse number preceding the verse. I prefer to have the verse start on a new line. This makes searching easier. This is not a "red letter" edition. The words of Christ are not in red. Again this is a personal preference, as I have found it easier to search for a particular verse of Christ when in red.

The cross reference notes are a very small type size, (6 point ?). Much smaller than the verse text. I have to use a magnifying glass. Again I state this for those of you who have difficulty reading small type. I have found over my 20 years of bible study that if you can't read comfortably you won't for long.

To summarize, the translation captures the meaning of the scriptures, and that would not be a major impediment to buying this bible unless you are used to the KJ or NKJ. For those who find these bibles difficult to read, you will like this translation. For those who can't easily read normal & small size type, you could find this uncomfortable to read for any extended period.

J. Di Pardo

The CSB translation of the Apologetics Study Bible is more accurate than the NIV but less than the ESV. On that note, I don't recommend this Bible for many reasons. First, the 130 Apologetic articles presented throughout this Bible are not even well written or convicting. Secondly, there is no cross reference, the footnotes only elaborate on a deeper understanding of the scriptures mentioned and they contain little historical or `apologetic' information. Thirdly, beyond the reasons aforementioned and many others, I don't recommend this Bible because it falls very short of what it promises, lack of scientific information, lack of truly proving that Christ's claims are unique... For a good study Bible, I recommend checking out the ESV literary study Bible or the ESV Reformation Study Bible, but NOT the Apologetics S. B...

I have always wanted to know how to approach my friends and others who have had questions about the Bible and the Christian faith. This Bible allows me to search and understand the topics that arise throughout the Old and New Testaments in an insightful and fun read.

There are some well-written articles here by heavyweight thinkers like William Lane Craig and Gary Habermas. In fact, about 100 apologists contributed to this, so naturally you would expect some good articles and annotations. However, too many of the commentaries are aimed at the interests of fundamentalists. For example, the article on young earth theory vs old earth theory. If an apologetic study Bible is your cup of tea, try Zondervan's Archaeological Study Bible. It is actually quite a bit more in-depth, and provides good apologetics for the historicity of Bible stories.

I am probably not the typical buyer of apologetics. I am a moderately left-leaning Christian. So this review is for other buyers of the same ilk as myself. The rest of you can disregard my review.

There are some well-written articles here by heavyweight thinkers like William Lane Craig and Gary Habermas. In fact, about 100 apologists contributed to this, so naturally you would expect some good articles and annotations. However, too many of the commentaries are aimed at the interests of fundamentalists. For example, the article on young earth theory vs old earth theory. If an apologetic study Bible is your cup of tea, try Zondervan's Archaeological Study Bible. It is actually quite a bit more in-depth, and provides good apologetics for the historicity of Bible stories.

This is a great study bible. It was more than what I thought in the fact that it is very good in explaining questions that are up in the air. It would be a good addition to a Sunday School teacher and Bible Study group. It would also be good for just having as an individual.

I really love this Bible. The translation is easy to understand, the words are good sized and the tabs are black for Old Testament and red for the New testament. There are a lot of topics addressed. I just really like this Bible.

For Christians of all denominations and affiliations, the Holy Bible is the bedrock document of their faith. Being universally acknowledged in its importance, the necessity to be as informed as possible about what the Bible teaches and what it is necessary to understand in this secular age, "The Apologetics Study Bible" was created with contributions form Chuck Colson, Ravi Zacharias, Norman Geisler, J. P. Moreland, and many other scholars to help non-specialist general readers address such major questions and issues as the existence of God, the concept of evolution, the evidence underlaying the believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, personal destiny, and the paradox of evil in a world under the influence of a benevolent deity. "The Apologetics Study Bible" features introductions and notes for each of the 66 books comprising the Bible, more than 130 informative articles, biographical sketches of renowned Christian apologists, a timeline of Christian apologists and their works, thematically relevant archaeological charts, five full color maps, and an extensive annotated bibliography. Of special note are the 'Twisted Scripture Notes' addressing common ways that Scripture has been distorted by some heretical groups contrary to historic and traditional Christian teachings. A truly impressive work of biblical scholarship, "The Apologetics Study Bible" is confidently recommended for personal, seminary, academic, and community library reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

The only reason I give this one four stars is because when I bought this Bible I also bought Ray Comfort's Evidence Bible. They both contain most of the same things, but the Evidence Bible offers more in my opinion. This one has just been sitting mostly to the side because I have found everything I need in the Evidence Bible. This is a good Bible & what I really do like about it, which is something that the Evidence Bible doesn't have is the Twisted Scripture Notes.

I have bought 2 copies of black genuine leather indexed Apologetics Study Bibles for friends. There's nothing like it. That's why I gave it 5 stars.

However, I have one observation regarding ordering the book.

On Amazon - and all other retailers - the book descriptions are extremely confusing. Every time I want to order this I have to go to the actual Apologetics Study Bible website and copy and paste the ISBN of the exact one I'm looking for. A tad impractical.

Can't they get someone to please update the records clearly delineating Hardback, Bonded Leather, Genuine Leather, Indexed, Non-Indexed, Colours, etc. from one another? Bible purchasing is difficult enough already without all these little hurdles!

PS. also check out the Archaeological Study Bible, although their website doesn't make life any easier, either.

Being a professional Bible collector, I have used many study Bibles. This is by far the best. I particularly love the "Twisted Scripture" sections that show how passages have been twisted out of context by others in the past. The quality of scholarship is profound. Chad Brand is one of my favorite writer/editor/theologians out there and Ted Cabal is no slouch either. Clendenen, Copan and Moreland sweeten the pot even more. If you are looking for strong scholarship with useful insight in an easily readable modern text, you want this Bible. Like most newer Bibles, the pages are on the thin side, however, the text is quite easy to read and it doesn't get much better than this. Go for the leather bound if you can!

I was hoping for more down to earth, relative topics covered but otherwise an excellent addition to my collection of study Bibles.

I bought this bible to get an apologetics perspective on some issues. It has well written articles by noted apologists and the biblical text is easy to read. Good explanations about each of the biblical books as well. I would recommend this bible.

The Bible arrived promptly with free shipping by USPS. The leather binding is elegant looking, the binding is strong, the print is large enough, and the margins allow for writing. The best apologetic articles are by Grothuis on postmodernism, Geisler on philosophy, J.P. Moreland on the Kalaam Cosmological argument, and William Lane Craig on several topics. This is an excellent price for this leather study Bible, and the Holman Chistian Standard Bible tranlsation is an excellent word-for-word translation.

I was very happy with the service I received from this vendor. Despite delays, they kept me informed of the product status.

I have many fine study Bibles; but I will keep this one especially close by because it dares to address some of the hard questions I will sometimes have as I work through a text. (Other study Bibles mention interesting side notes, or tackle the "easier" questions, but leave the tougher issues untouched.) It also reminds me of some of the sub-orthodox fringe movements I know little about, and is a good reference for dealing with all sorts of aberrant religious groups--both current and historical.
This is also my only HCSB translation; it's probably good to have a paper copy of this rendering, for comparison with the many other fine English language Bibles available today.

I was hesitent to get this study Bible. I'm not particularly fond of the "notes" type study Bibles (Life Application Bible, MacArthur Study Bible, etc.) as I find the notes intrusive and distract from just reading the text. I prefer to just read and study the text and use something like the Thompson Chain reference Bible for a study Bible. It's cross-referencing system for applicable verses is unbeatable. I generally just rely on a good commentary for the "notes" part.

I was pleasently surprised, however, by this study Bible. First I enjoyed the Holman Christian translation very much. It's similar to the NIV but reads better, in my not so humble opinion. Also, the layout is VERY reader friendly. The font size and type, the layout, the paper and everything makes for a Bible that's an enjoyable reading experience. Finally, the apologetic notes, articles and inserts are plentiful and done very well. In addition to being good in defense of the faith, the notes are as informative regarding the text, or more so, than any other of this type of study Bible I've seen. I wholeheartedly recommend this study Bible for anyone looking for a good notes Bible and/or anyone interested in Biblical apologetics in general.

I was looking for a Bible of scholarly quality and was recommended this Bible to read. Upon first glance the book seemed to be of decent quality and I liked the idea of the Twisted Scripture text. Upon reading the Bible more, I quickly discovered that the Bible is the product of very biased people. The twisted scripture text wasnt a fair judgement of a questionable text, it was a condemnation of any faith that interprets it in any other way that the traditional Protestant context. The articles are equally opinionated and even deny that Greek Philosophy had any impact on the New Testament and other legitimate theological opinions. Personal opinions are fine, but in a Bible such assertive judgements should not be made without any support.

There's a lot to this bible and I'm glad I bought it. I've studied my faith seriously for years: by myself, at bible college, and in the academy. I find much of this volume very glib. Some of the articles are weak, some are passable, some are just, well Baptist.

There's one page against JWs and frankly that would be practically useless for arguing with someone from that sect. JWs are deluded but they have a reasonable case, they are not fools that can be dismissed with a couple of verses. What's the best this one page can achieve? Convince a Christian with scant knowledge of other positions to feel smug?

To be honest, I do like the universal cover-all look to this bible. It looks good but it is way too shallow. Nothing in my reading so far has really jumped out at me as sharp scholarship or 'strenghtened my faith.' I will be spending a lot more time on this book so these are just first impressions. I could have gained any of this information by just buying a decent book on Apologetics without needing it tacking onto a bible.

If you haven't got a HCSB bible you might as well go with this 'Apologetics' edition: the print size is great, the design is impressive, the price is good. The Holman CSB is a fantastic translation, it may well be the best Bible outside the Tyndale-King James tradition.

Very helpful with excellent commentary. A valuable asset to any Bible study. Would make a terrific present! I'm enjoying this Bible and plan on purchasing more as gifts.

Contains dozens of well written articles covering a wide array of questions and challenges concerning the faith. Great both for quick reference and thoughtful study. I hold that the New American Standard Bible is the best translation, but the Holman Christian Standard runs a close second. All-in-all, a wonderful addition to my reference library!

It is big, but so much good commentary from solid Bible teachers! Good Bible.

AWESOME! Highly recomend to all who truely desire to know Christianity more in depth :)

I must say that I was absolutely blown away in my reading of this text. I picked up this book thinking that this slew of apologists would help to affirm my faith. Instead, with the exception of a few, I found elementary logic and reasoning that refused to entertain alternative viewpoints on scripture. I took particular exception to the articles about Open Theism, Annihilationism, Whether those who never heard of Christ will be saved and a few of the twisted scripture passages that seemed to, well, twist scripture. The articles were very condemning of the ideas that perhaps free will and exhaustive forknowledge are incompatible, or that perhaps the concept of an eternal punishment doesn't fit the character of Jesus shown to us, or that maybe those who never had the opportunity to know of Christ will still be saved. The authors of these articles do a disservice to theology by insisting on literal interpretations of english translations of the bible. Instead of spending their time affirming the faith of Christian's, many of these authors simply bash alternative Christian viewpoints and other religions. If I were the publisher I would rename the book: "A literalist interpretation of the Bible: Why studying scripture beyond the face-value text is un-Christian." Personally, I am embarassed to have this on my bookshelf.

To be fair, I do think the commentary on scripture was a little more reasonable and I did enjoy the articles by Lee Stroble.

I bought the hardcover in a Christian Bookstore. Ive been so impressed with this Bible that I just ordered a Geniune Leather edition from Amazon.

The Translation is the Holman Christian Standard Bible. This is my first encounter with the HCSB and I must say Im impressed. They tried to be as literal as the NASB, and as readable as the NIV. Time will tell if this version gets accepted by Christianity as a whole, but so far so good.

The meat and potatoes of this Study Bible is the articles and notes from an apologetic view point. Which is good, and needed in the world today. Christianity is constantly under attack in the movies, and on television. This Bible will help equip the believer in giving an account of why we believe and should help us witness to the lost.

Here is some of the questions this Bible tackles.

Can I know that God exists?

Am I the product of evolution or was I created by God?

How strong is the evidence for Jesus' resurrection?

Is the Bible reliable and true?

Do I have a destiny?

Can evil be reconciled with belief in God who is all powerful and all loving?

Plus many more questions. There are also little blurbs every so often on twisted scriptures and how cults use certain passages to justify strange beliefs. This is a quality study Bible and I think most Christians will like it.

Apologetics are fantastic. Wonderful essays and sidebar notes. But the pages are razor thin. It will be challenging to make notes or even highlight without major bleed to next page. This is a great second bible to do research and bible study...not a good bible to take notes in.

This Bible is absolutely wonderful. It shouldn't be surprising since it was devolved by some of the best Christian thinkers of our day. If you're looking for reasonable, logical, answers to defending the Christian faith look no further. 10/10

While all within the Body of Christ are blessed with spiritual gifts (i.e. discernment is high for me, but evangalism is low :-), this is a great tool for those whose spiritual discernment might be a bit low and are confronted by the confused (and confusing) messages of the cults and pseudo-Christian religions that seem to be everywhere these days. An excellent study bible in its own right, I find it helpful in seeing the errors of these cults & religions as their messages sometimes have just enough of the Truth to seem believable. I use this in conjunction with The MacArthur Study Bible: Revised & Updated Edition. All contributors from both study bibles are Spirit-led and can be trusted to be true to the Gospel.

This study Bible is outstanding in the information that it provides in accordance with the written Word of God. I am able to study up on my information, which provides me with a better understanding so that I have more confidence when I debate modern issues with people. Contents such as Twisted Scriptures--which show how certain passages have been "twisted" through the years into something that no longer has the same meaning--are great add-ons and the articles on topics ranging from evolution to geneologies are excellent and informative. I would strongly encourage anyone who enjoys the field of apologetics or even struggles over what to say to fellow co-workers, classmates, friends, etc. to buy this Bible.

This Bible, with its explanations and articles, helps make sense of what appear to be conflicts in scripture and makes sense out of them or at the very least offers alternative views of contentious subjects.

I purchased this product because the HCSB is a great translation and because the unique commentary sheds light on common theological errors. However, while I found the commentary fascinating, it was a little distracting. So that was one strike but I still liked the overall package as an evangelical tool. But then I read the study note on Romans 9:14-21 and that prompted me to remove it from my listmania "recommended" list. Not only is the theory that those verses apply to "nations" and not "individuals" a subject of debate within christian churches (and their interpretation is wrong in my opinion), but their opinion is stated as fact but has no scriptural references to back it up. Either opinions should be stated as "one possible interpretation is..." (and then mention other theories as most good study bibles do) or it should be "it means this - see verses referenced to back that up." Their interpretation is equivalent to saying "when God talked to Mary about the birth of Jesus, he wasn't addressing her as an individual but was addressing all women".

In Romans 9, the point was God chooses whomever He choses, not based on human merit, and Jacob and Esau were given as an example. Pharoah was also an example in that passage. All the stuff about human freedom and how it applies to nations and not individuals was not relevant and not supported.

OK, enough of my rant, needless to say this one is not staying in my library.

This study Bible is wonderful. I do not know (yet) if there is any other study Bible in its class, so there is no point of comparison with any.

I'm loving it so far. Of course, no study Bible is perfect. Moreover, you do not have to agree with whatever is written in the notes or articles on them, if you have good reasons to disagree. That goes with any study Bible. No study Bible can please everybody.

This is also the first time I'm using the Holman CSB translation. I'm used to NASB. So, I'm still adjusting to this Bible version.

The text size is great. Though the contents are more important than the layout and design, I find the cover boring. I hope they used a sans serif font for the book introductions, articles, twisted scriptures, and footnotes/commentary, so as not to confuse them with the text of the Bible, most especially that they used a gray-scale shade (rather than borders or colored font) in the background of text of these features in order to distinguish them from the Biblical text. I really find that cumbersome. They are not good to the eyes.

I just hope they added a center-column cross reference. I don't mind if it would make the study Bible thicker.

Generally speaking, I approve it and recommend it.

This Bible is another example, now in Study Bible form, of the wedding of mainstream Evangelical and Early Church theologies. This Bible could also go by the title "Defending the Faith Study Bible: Identifying Heresies and Sects." The only problem I have with this approach is the static historical position founded on post-Biblical writers and then creeds as defining correct theology. What about all the believers who were martyred for not believing these things? What about the persecuted ones? Their precious writings were destroyed we are told. Matthew 7 tells us Jesus said we will know true and false belief systems by the fruit it produces. If that be the case, what about the fruit these belief systems (Early Church/creeds) have produced? And what about the fruits the groups have produced that are condemned in this Study Bible as being outside the pale of orthodoxy? Seventh Day Adventists, Oneness Pentecostals, Branhamites, and others are excluded. I cannot believe these people have nothing to tell us. Perhaps reading the first 300 pages of Hans Kung's monumental work Judaism: Between Yesterday and Tomorrow will illustrate what I am trying to say: Christians for the first 300 years did not believe exclusively what we are being told today is necessary for orthodox belief. They were simply followers of Jesus and the New Testament. Hair splitting theologies to define who is a believer and is not were not as important as spreading the Good News around the world. That is where orthodoxy begins and ends.

This new bible is an excellent resource for those who want to understand and faithfully articulate a Christian Worldview. The articles throughout this bible deal with issues Christians must address articulately. The articles provide an Apologetics 101 course and further study in the Scriptures and associated study notes will take one to the 201/202 level of apologetics. For those establishing the foundation of their Christian worldview, this is a very good resource.

This is an excellent study Bible with an emphasis on Christian Apologetics, that is helping Christians to logically defend and advance their faith. It has a good amount of passage and verse notes and nice introductions for each book of the Bible. It also includes articles covering various subjects of interest placed throughout the Bible. The only thing I did not care for, was that the articles were embedded in the flow of the text and I though should have stood out more. Also, they had a slightly grey background which made them a little harder to read (for my old eyes anyway). But those are very minor problems. OVerall this is an excellent Bible that I would highly recommend.

The Apologetics Study Bible is a heavyweight study Bible incorporating both the normal study notes at the bottom of each page with more than a hundred longer articles of an apologetic nature.

Even with the vast array of study Bibles already on the market, it is no surprise that a publisher could locate yet another niche market. The concept behind this one is solid, and all the articles I looked into are concise and theologically sound. Many of the author contributions were in a subject area that they have already written an entire book on, and so this provides an opportunity to get a one-page mini-version of their scholarship in these areas.

Perhaps the best way to explain this product is to imagine the Reeces Peanut Butter Cups commercial where the chocolate bar and jar of peanut butter come together. On one hand, we have the CSB Bible with a plethora of basic study notes at the bottom of each page. On the other hand, we have an "Intro to Apologetics and Christian Ethics" book consisting of 100 chapters of one page each. The publisher decided that as good as each were on their own, bringing them together could create a useful 3-pound product for our consumption.

The publisher's description claims that it "Tears down the obstacles to unbelief", which of course we know is not entirely true given that there is still the necessity of a Holy Spirit brought change of the inner man. Furthermore, I wonder if putting a claim like this on an apologetics study Bible makes the other "regular" Bibles seem less able to "tear down the obstacles..." because after all, they are just Bibles.

The scholars who write the study notes and apologetics articles would fill a "Who's Who" of conservative Evangelical scholarship, and their writing is evidence of their training. Al Mohler, Norm Geisler, Josh McDowell, Ravi Zacharias, J.P. Moreland, and Chuck Colson are just a few of the contributors, with the vast majority of them coming from Southern Baptist circles.

The binding is excellent, and the margins seem to have an extra bit of white space, which is useful for notes. There are some very helpful charts in the back, along with brief biographies from church history. There are some great sidebar clips called "Twisted Scripture" that show how Bible passages at hand have been misused by cults.

Young folks inclined towards apologetics, philosophy, and debate would derive a lot of profit from this study Bible. Although I would rather keep the chocolate and peanut butter separate, I can certainly see how others would appreciate the convenience of bringing the two together.

Yes, if you are very well versed in the Scriptures this will be a 4 star
BUT if you are like most, you will cosider it an awesome help and resource.
I bought for my daughter, b ut then i grabbed 1 for myself as it is good even for those who do know the Word extremely well. If it is still not available at a good price from Amazon, go to eBay..I got mine for 19.95

The Apologetics Study Bible is a well intentioned project. The list of contributors is fairly impressive with well known apologists Norman Geisler, Ravi Zacharias, Hank Hanegraaf and Josh McDowell to philosophers J.P. Moreland, William Lane Craig and Ron Nash. The list is fairly impressive, yet, it does not represent some of the best work in apologetics from people like Alvin Plantiga, Richard Swinburn, or Peter Kreeft to name just a few. So, paradoxically, the breath and scope in this Bible is huge and in the same breath it is not wide enough. A study Bible should not be so "denominationally divided" for lack of a better word, and some Catholic apologists or Orthodox may have been helpful.

Almost all the articles are helpful as a primer in apologetics. It presents a nice, a one stop shopping resource that is inexpensive when one considers how much they are getting for the price. Like all primers, however, the arguments are really are just introductions and responses to the common objections. The strongest articles are on the resurrection of Christ.

The running commentary is fine as apologetic material, but often, misses the deeper theological aspects of a letter or book. This is an inherent problem that requires the reviewer (and hence, the reader) to take the Bible on its own terms and understanding its purpose.

The design is horrible. Only the front cover is nice, because it is not flamboyant or overly colorful. The interior design of the Bible is, well, ugly. One is not looking for a pretty Bible, but the integration of its design is trying to look intelligent and comes out looking dull. The articles readability suffers also because of the font and background colors. It may be just me, but it is unimpressive.

I am an associate pastor for a church that is seeker targeted. This is the perfect resource for answering questions that seekers often have about Christianity. I want to recommend this Bible without hesitation to anyone involved in ministry.

This is a thorough and studiously complied volume that combines superb scholarship with thoughtful theology and scriptural soundness! Deals with everything from the basic questions of life to the ultimate issues of reality. Not just for the Christian apologist, this must-have volume should be in the library of every serious student of the Bible. An outstanding volume at an outstanding price! Highly recommended!!!

Obviously it will take time for any careful reader to take in the wealth of information found in "The Apologetics Study Bible", so naturally any review of this Bible is incomplete. Nonetheless, I've absorbed many of the articles and footnotes highlighting the Apologetics Study Bible, and the quality of the content astonishes. A lot of strong contributors, from the likes of J.P. Moreland and Norm Geisler to popularizers such as Lee Strobel, litter the Scripture with wonderful articles on particular subjects pertaining to biblical difficulties. Read it in conjunction with your other Study Bible to enrich your experience. Highly recommended!

Apologetics is a narrow field, therefore there are places where the editors do not go into much detail. I use other study Bibles, but this copy provides explainations on scriptures that are taken out of context. In addition, the articles throughout the book are resourceful. I would recommend this study bible for anyone interested in the field of apologetics.

The Study Guide was much more than I expected. It is loaded with reliable references.

SUGGESTION: Make the Index and Key Word available to purchasers on a Searchable CD. Free or small extra charge. We are all now - electronic-searchable-programmed. It would be a great time saver and allow users to cover much more of the content.

I highly recommend this study bible for those who want to be armed with knowledge to properly defend the faith against, gnostics, scientific communities, atheists, skeptics, historians, critics and others from other religions outside of Christianity, this is for you. The articles are intelligently written and the notes are a very helpful tool that get the reader started on a journey to further exploration. I am enjoying this!

I do not believe it is necessary to continually repeat what has already been said. Stephen Donahue and J. Bradford's comments below mine do more than enough justice to this Bible. HOWEVER, they left one thing out that I believe is an incredible attribute to this study Bible:

THROUGHOUT the Bible, there are gray-inserted boxes in the text that are titled "Twisted Scriptures". The verse is named and then the authors will tell how other religions (Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc.) have distorted these certain passages due to a misunderstanding of the text. They do the same thing for certain Christian movements and some denominations. I believe this is a truly fabulous addition because one can see where so many people have gone wrong with the exact text in front of them and a possible solution/rebuttal towards those who use it as such. This becomes a great help in regards to trying to remain orthodox, without being thrown off by some passages that have (due to lack of education, ignorance, harmful bias, etc.,) made others stray from correct teachings. And regardless if some may disagree with the author's comment, it still delivers an edifying note and makes one aware of a "problem" that they never would have known before.

An essential study Bible for laymen and even Pastor's and students. I don't usually get excited or impressed by new "study" Bibles, but this one does deliver a package that no other Bible has yet to do!

I have to admit that I love Christian Apologetics. I could sit and listen to Ravi Zacharias all day! The new Apologetics Study Bible has many great features but in a few areas I notice that Christian apologists have to take Scriptures out of context in order to prove their point.

In the Apologetics Study Bible on page 1481 we see a section titled "Twisted Scripture". This particular section deals with some groups claiming that believers should observe Israel's kosher food laws.

Acts 10: 13, 15 are mentioned here as being proof texts to show that Christians "should" be able to eat whatever they desire. I have heard this text mentioned many times in my life. Unfortunately the Christian interpretation involves "Twisted Scripture" of its own! Christians site that God told Peter to "Kill and eat" and "What God has made clean you must not call common."

Please carefully read this story within its context. You will discover that this has nothing to do with "food" at all. First notice that Peter protests in Acts 10:14 by saying, "No Lord for I have never eaten anything common and unclean." The fact that even after the death and resurrection of Jesus Peter still eats a kosher diet. This must mean that after walking the earth with Jesus he was never told to change his diet by Jesus or he would not have protested in this book of Acts. Apparently Jesus and the disciples always ate kosher meals. This is beside the point though when it comes to Twisted Scripture.

Acts 10:13, 15 cannot be used to prove that we can eat whatever we want-----look at Acts 10:28 (which is still part of the main context) Peter says, "YOU KNOW ITS FORBIDDEN FOR A JEWISH MAN TO ASSOCIATE WITH OR VISIT A FOREIGNER. BUT GOD HAS SHOWN ME THAT I MUST NOT CALL ANY PERSON COMMON OR UNCLEAN" There it is! Read in its proper context God revealed to Peter that he should go to the Gentiles. This section of Scripture has absolutely nothing to do with "food". It has to do with "people" that Peter considered unclean and common.

We cannot take the Scriptures, pull them out of context, and use them for proof texts to fit our agenda. That is not apologetics. That is making us equally as guilty as the people we try to claim are twisting Scriptures.

You cannot combat against Scripture twisting by twisting Scriptures yourself. I was really unhappy when I discovered this lame excuse for eating whatever we want in the Apologetics Study Bible.

I still believe the Bible has many good points but Christians need to stop and read the Scriptures in context and consider the audience it was intended for before making a false assumption or using it to justify what tradition has taught us is true when it just might be false.

Also in Mark 7:16 when Jesus said it is not what goes into the body but what comes out that defiles a person He was not discussing food either. He was discussing ritual cleansing. The Jewish audience he spoke to knew exactly what he was talking about.

Unfortunately our anti-semitic history and heritage in the church has led us away from many proper interpretations because of our hatred and bias. We need to get back to our Jewish roots if we are to discover proper biblical interpretation.

It's difficult for me to hear Jesus say that "Heaven and earth will pass away before the law will pass away" and that "He came to fulfill the Law not to abolish it" (Fulfill could not mean to "do away with" the Law because He just said "I have not come to abolish it") coupled with our Pauline teachings concerning the Law. Are we really right?

We claim Jesus is God yet seem to only concentrate on his birth and resurrection. Everything else that He said and did is largely ignored and the words of Paul are given higher priority. Maybe we should rethink some things. (I'm sure many will not agree but neither did I when I was presented with this type of information) When you think about it with an open mind you might find that what we teach as fact is merely opinion based on false traditions of men.

Should you buy the Apologetics Study Bible???? SURE! Many areas of the text are strong but be aware that everything out of the apologists mouth or from his/her pen is not always fact. This is true for any study Bible.

From the list of contributors, I was expecting a five star product across the board. But that was not to be.

There are many good articles and excellent notes making this Bible worth owning for reference purposes but it should most definitely not be a single source for apologetic material. In some controversial topics where there are differences of opinion even among conservative evangelicals, they tend to give coverage to only one of the opinions--and even then do not cover it as well as it could have been covered given the space limitations. If they do mention an alternative opinion held by other conservative Christians, it is usually a passing comment. In one instance they mock holding an opinion other than the one they present.

This work has many great contributors and enough quality material to recommend itself. But, in some instances, it does not present a well-rounded Christian apologetic. Supplementing the notes in this Bible with works from Zondervan's Counterpoint series would go a long way in correcting the problem.

I must admit my biases up front. I lean towards a presuppositional apologetic. Seemingly, I would take issue with many of the articles, but I really don't. The editors sought those who are recognized in the evangelical world for the skill in both philosophical theology and applying the bible to tough questions. They did not let us down.

Pros of the Study Bible:
1. Some of the articles are simply outstanding. I can't say more. The ones by Frame, Russell Moore, Copan, and Walt Kaiser are quite good.

2. The study notes are decent, if one understands the context. It is not aiming to give an exposition of each passage, but to focus on the apologetical application of passages. Still, it gives interesting historical, archeological, and contra-cultist insights. Interestingly as a side-note, the Study Bible takes a premillennial approach to Revelation 20.

3. Wide margins. I applaud the formatters on this one. This bible has wider-margins than most. This was a huge plus in my opinion. One can legibly write thorough notes in the margin.

Cons:
1. Some of the study notes take an almost facile approach to some really hard questions. But this doesn't happen too often.

Neutral:
The translation is the Holman Christian Standard Bible. This should be evaluated independently of the Study Bible. I sort of like the translation.

The notes of the study bible take a mildly Calvinistic slant. It is not as Calvinistic as R.C. Sproul but is more Calvinistic than Geisler, Moreland, and Lane Craig (even though the last three are contributors).

I have the hardback quality. The binding is very good and quite durable. I thoroughly recommend this study bible.