I have to say, I was excited when I was recently given the chance to review a copy of The CEB Student Bible. My husband and I had been discussing getting a new Bible for our daughter. She is twelve now and in 7th grade. Her current Bible was given to her when she first was learning to read in kindergarten and she was really ready for a Bible with more study helps geared toward her age. Because we had liked the CEB Deep Blue Bible that we got for our son we felt that this one was definitely worth exploring.
This student Bible is written in the Common English translation, which is great for younger readers as it makes the text easier to understand. It's target audience is ages 13 and up. It includes prayers and notes written by students, for students. Various ministers and Bible scholars have also contributed more than 400 articles, discussion questions, and activities designed to engage students with the Scriptures. All good concepts.
However, after reading through some of the notes and commentary throughout this Bible I don't believe it's the version for our family. We are a conservative Christian family. And while we are not a "King James Version Only" kind of family--there are some other great translations out there with easier-to-understand and even sometimes better-translated English--we do not believe it is right to add to the Scriptures in any way, or to take away from them and I feel that this translation does take some liberties in that area that I am not comfortable with.
Many of the notes throughout this Bible are very good and encourage good lines of thought for students. However, some do not. They promote a more liberal theology that is currently very popular in our culture--one that my husband and feel do not feel is Biblical nor correct. So this is not a Bible we will continue to use in our home.
Of course, I am not telling you if you should or should not purchase this version, but I would caution you to explore it carefully before making such an important purchase--as you should do with any version of the Bible you choose to buy.
Disclosure: I was given a copy of The CEB Student Bible by Sidedoor Communications for the purpose of reviewing it. I did not receive any other compensation and the thoughts and opinions expressed here are completely my own.
Comments