crossway Bible Archives - Notes From the Parsonage

ESV Student Study Bible Review

notesfromtheparsonage — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 18:46:05 +0000

Is a Student Study Bible the right choice for you? If you’re a preteen, teen, or young adult looking for content that helps you understand the Bible as you read, then maybe!

Let’s look at this Student Study Bible!

Crossway sent me this awesome Student Study Bible to review. It comes in 14 different cover designs! I chose the Joshua Noom Artist cover because that is what appealed to my fifteen-year-old son. The hardcover versions are super pretty, but keep in mind they aren’t as durable as a leather cover (which isn’t available for this Bible) or even the TruTone covers. You’ll want to be a little more careful with it if you want it to last because they are not as sturdy in my experience as the real leather covers. If you usually replace yo u r Bible every couple years, this won’t be a problem at all. Though they do have a lifetime guarantee if something were to happen to your Bible.

This student study Bible came in this slip box case, which makes it nice for gifting. (Different cover options have different packaging. So if the packaging matters to you, make sure you double check on the Crossway website what cover has what packaging.)

Sadly, it has one ribbon marker. I prefer a lot of markers in my Bible, but the manufacturers aren’t in on that game just yet. The paper is thin, like typical Bible paper. I do find that it “sticks” together quite a bit, making one handed page turning a bit troublesome, especially at first. Once you use it a little bit, the sticking does stop as the pages get unstuck and then don’t restock. You can also see some ghosting through the page, but I don’t think it makes it unreadable.

Each book in this study Bible has an introduction to the chapter with an outline and information about the book.

Some of the introductions include a small printed map.

There are 15 full-color maps in the back, as well. These are on thicker, slightly glossy, cardstock weight paper.

A Closer Look at the “Extras”

There are notes and cross-references throughout, making personal Bible study for young people much easier. There is nothing really in here that screams “teenager” to me. It all seems to be a pretty straightforward study Bible. Nothing seems to be written “down” to teens or focuses on teen angst, teen problems, etc. The notes are simply written in a way any lay person would better understand the Bible.

There are several articles in the back to help understand the Bible, theology, and doctrine. All of these would be helpful to any student or new believer. I think there are books that delve into the topics deeper, but for an introductory note about how to study the Bible or the reliability of Scripture– this provides a great starting point.

There is also a rather large concordance and glossary in the back of this Bible. (And a page of weights and measures.)

Would I recommend the ESV Student Study Bible?

Yes, absolutely! I would feel comfortable putting this Student Study Bible in the hands of any middle school, high school, or college student. My fifteen-year-old has really been enjoying it. The translation is a good one for Bible study. The notes are helpful for self-study. This is a great Bible option for anyone, though since it says “students”, I’d likely just stick to teens and young adults. The Personal Study Bible would be a great option for non-students looking for something similar.

Where should I buy the ESV Student Study Bible?

I highly recommend purchasing Bibles from Christian Book. Their prices are so much cheaper than everywhere else. Their shipping does take longer, though. So if you are in a hurry, Amazon may be a better option. You can also purchase directly from Crossway. If you purchase directly from Crossway, make sure you register for a free Crossway+ Membership to get 30% off.

ESV Bible with Creeds and Confessions Review

notesfromtheparsonage — Wed, 29 Jul 2020 14:09:25 +0000

Is the Bible with Creeds and Confessions the right Bible for you? Let’s look at the pictures and features and see!

Crossway sent me this Bible with Creeds and Confessions to review. It is a standard ESV Bible with Creeds at the end of the Bible. I received the imitation leather version, which looks really nice. I was honestly surprised at how nice the cover is, because I’m usually not a fan of imitation leather. It also comes in a hardback imitation leather cover and a goatskin leather version.

I don’t think the pictures do it justice. It feels really nice in the hand. It also has 2 ribbon markers. You know me, the more ribbon markers– the better! And 2 ribbons is halfway to my ideal of 4 ribbon markers. I should also mention it comes with Crossway’s lifetime warranty!

The actual Scripture is very easy to read. Double columns with 10 point font and references throughout. It is very readable.

Bible with Creeds and Confessions Extra Features

Is this the Bible for you?

The selling point of this Bible is the Creeds and Confessions. However, it just falls a bit short– especially if you aren’t Reformed. A Reformed homeschool mom would probably LOVE this Bible. I am not Reformed. So I don’t. I like the Scripture part. The feel of the Bible is extraordinary. I love the readability. However, the Creeds and Confessions portion is just… lack luster.

I really thought there would be more statements and parts of the Creeds woven into the Scripture in the form of notes. But it is just a collection placed in the back of the Bible.

Who knows, this Bible might be EXACTLY what you’re looking for. If you’re Wesley Armenian… it probably is not.

The quality is outstanding. I really can’t say that enough. The readability and references in the Bible portion of this Bible are amazing! I’m just not Reformed, so I don’t care to have so much focus on Reformed confessions and catechism.

This Bible was sent to me free for review. I am not obligated to review it favorably or say anything specific about it, other than my own thoughts. Links in this post may be affiliate links, which do help me out.

ESV Illuminated Scripture Journal Review

notesfromtheparsonage — Tue, 31 Dec 2019 14:25:38 +0000

The Scripture Journal is a great new Bible study tool that I think you’ll love! Each book of the Bible is broken down into its own little notebook with plenty of room for notes and doodles. Your inductive Bible study experience will never be the same!

At the end of last year, I was able to review Crossway’s Illuminated Scripture Journal New Testament set. It is such a beautiful set and I have enjoyed it this year. Crossway released the Illuminated Scripture Journal Old Testament set earlier this year, and I knew it’d be just as lovely as the New Testament set. What I was not expecting was the sheer size of the thing.

I mean, clearly, I was aware that the Old Testament is larger than the New Testament. But seeing it like this made it very vividly clear just how much bigger the Old Testament really is.

Looking at them side-by-side is a bit mind blowing.

Clearly, some of the books are massively thick and others are pretty thin. The thinner books have some extra blank pages in the back of them.

The minor prophets are combined, so there isn’t a book for each one. Additionally, books with a first and second (Kings, Chronicles) are combined.

A Look Inside the Scripture Journal

Just like the New Testament set, you have the words of Scripture on the left hand page and a faint dot grid on the right hand page.

Illustrations appear throughout. Some take up an entire page and are on the left side. If they are small, they are on the right hand dot grid page.

Scripture Journals and Bible Journaling

If you’re curious how different media work with the paper, here are some examples from my Romans book. Our church had a small group on Romans, so I used my Illuminated Scripture Journal for that small group. The left page (above) has been watercolored on the back side of the page. There is some wrinkling, but no bleed through. The right illustration is watercolor colored pencil and micron pen, neither of which showed through or warped the paper much.

This page has Stabilo marker and Micron pens and it didn’t bleed through or warp the paper at all. The paper is much thicker than a standard Bible paper. It feels more like a Moleskin Cahier paper.

Do I Recommend the Illuminated Scripture Journals?

Yes! The entire set is just beautiful and well-worth the buy, in my opinion. I really enjoyed using these for Bible study. It was super convenient to be able to throw my Bible study book and the book of the Bible we were studying in my purse to read whenever I had the chance. I also really enjoyed taking notes and illustrating throughout the book. These are very much like my favorite journaling Bible, the Crossway Interleaved Journaling Bible. The paper is much thicker, and it isn’t quite interleaved, but the effect is very similar.

This set is perfect for inductive Bible study. You’ll have just the one book of Scripture and can highlight and take notes without feeling like you’re ruining your Bible.

These are also excellent when your pastor is preaching through a sermon series on a specific book of the Bible. Or when your small group is doing an Isaiah study– or whatever book they’ve chosen. It is just so convenient to have just the one small notebook sized book.

You can also purchase just a single Scripture Journal and not the whole set. So if you’re just wanting to deep dive into the Psalms– you can purchase just the Psalms Scripture Journal.

It is very large and takes up quite a bit of shelf space. I happen to think it is beautiful and looks lovely set out, so I don’t mind the size so much. I like both sets so much and am very glad to have both.

You can also put the Scripture Journals into a traveler’s notebook while you’re using them. They’re the perfect size and that gives it a little more of a “cover” to protect it.

Crossway Heirloom Study Bible Review

notesfromtheparsonage — Thu, 07 Mar 2019 10:52:05 +0000

The pictures of this Bible aren’t going to do it justice. You really have to hold this Bible in your hands to appreciate it fully. I’m pretty much going to let the photos do most of the talking. This is the ESV Heirloom Bible by Crossway. The cover is goatskin. It has four (!) ribbon markers. There are so many extras in this Bible. It is pretty big. This is not a compact Bible by any means. This is the big, fat Bible of your grandparents. And this one will last that long, too.

This is a study Bible. It has so many maps, charts, articles, and features. It is amazingly packed full of anything they could think of that would help you better understand the Word of God. The articles and insights are thoroughly Biblical. If you’re more liberal leaning, this will likely not make you very happy.

When I said packed with extras, I really meant it. It is PACKED with extras. The Pastor has been using this Bible as a preaching Bible for a few months now. (His preaching Bible fell apart at the end of last year. He preached the cover right off!) While this Bible is a bit large and weighty for a preaching Bible, I highly recommend anyone in the ministry to get a high-quality Bible like this one that won’t fall apart on you with excessive use.

** I was sent this Bible for no cost. I do use affiliate links to help support this blog.**

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