Ragamuffin: Bestsellers

Bibles & books… oh my!

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very once in awhile I check on the CBA website for the current bestsellers. This is a Christian Booksellers Association site with information on the trends in Bible and book sales. Recently I read an interesting blog on the site with some interesting stuff on the convention and awards.

I must confess I like books, even more than reading material on my computer. Although I have an extensive library on my laptop if possible I prefer a written page. Maybe it is because of my age or my eyesight or my learning style. I like certain books – I can read a commentary and enjoy it. I have even read commentaries from cover to cover. I eat it up. I read several magazines as well but I do not digest it as well.

When it comes to Bibles I have so many versions that it boggles my mind that at times they don’t jive or sync with each other. Like at Genesis 6:3 and Mark 1:41. I use the TNIV which is slowly making some progress in the sales. The TNIV I use for preaching and teaching. For casual reading I enjoy the NLT or The Message. Generally I stick with those as my main Bible versions. I like the TNIV for it’s accuracy and the NLT for it’s readability and The Message for it’s freshness and the unique way it shares the thoughts of the writer.

The recent posting of the CBA show the sales of Bibles by units sold and another chart by dollars. Something like this:

Now, admittedly these are USA statistics but they are interesting. Generally in the USA, the Bibles people have traditionally used are:
1.    King James
2.    NIV
3.    NKJ
4.    And then the others after these three…

More recently it has look generally like this:
1.    NIV
2.    New King James
3.    And then others follow behind in various orders.

But look at the recent post, especially the unit sales. The New Living Translation is gaining. There are reasons for this but I have noticed more people carrying the NLT Bible to church. The TNIV has not gained ground yet for several reasons: a. Past controversy, b. gender “brothers and sisters” (although the NLT has this aspect also). I do not know if there will ever be a “common Bible” again like the KJV or the NIV or the NRSV.

Certain churches use certain versions of scripture. Many Baptists have used KJV, Calvary Chapels NKJV, Mainline denominations used NRSV and “evangelicals” used NIV. But this is all getting blurred with the variety of translations in the market place.

So what say you? What Bible version do you use, read and preach from? What do you recommend to others?

Ragamuffin appears every Monday on theRubicon. Find past Ragamuffin posts and a bio of Capt. Jay Davis here.

1 Comment to Ragamuffin: Bestsellers

1. Hmm, good question. For study and personal reading I use the NRSV. Of all the Bibles I’ve looked at I find it the easiest to concentrate on.

   Actually, that’s only just true. My favourite would be the New Jerusalem Bible, except for three reasons: my copy is falling apart, its Catholic heritage shows through in the oddest places, and it uses the slightly different Masoretic (I think)/Catholic chapter and verse numbering. It can be very frustrating trying to find out where I’m supposed to be rather than where I am!

   For preaching, though, I use the NIV. I don’t mind this translation, but I’ve never been a huge fan. preach from it because our Corps has a set of them, and they’re probably a little easier for the less educated folk in our Corps to read.

   When we study the Bible together I like everyone to bring their own, and preferably something different. We have one or two folk who refuse to use anything but the KJV. I doubt they’ll sway me!
Cameron Horsburgh on September 1st, 2008

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