CSB Worldview Study Bible

Introduction:

For Christmas, my wife, Peggy, gave me the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) for my daily study.  The CSB is a new translation by Holman Publishing, who also provided the HCSB.  (More information on the CSB can be found here: https://csbible.com/about-the-csb.) I’ve enjoyed the CSB’s careful balance of faithfulness to the original language with readability.  So I was thrilled with the opportunity to review the newest edition of the CSB family of Bibles, the Worldview Study Bible.

Look and Feel:

The Bible comes with a navy “leather touch” cover.  The size is like other Study Bibles, measuring 7” x 9.5” x 1.5”, which will fit in standard sized Bible cases.  There’s no noticeable trade-off in content or font size.  In fact, the font is very pleasant and readable.

Articles and Notes:

What makes this Bible unique are the articles and notes.  Edited by David S. Dockery and Trevin K. Wax, dozens of renowned Bible Scholars contributed articles.  The first article, by Trevin Wax, lays out the following reasons for viewing the world through the lens of Christianity:

1. Because it sets us apart from the world – We need to understand in which ways we disagree with the world so that we may better share the gospel and love the world.
2. Because it aids our spiritual transformation – Thinking is very much a part of our sanctification.  “The way you diagnose the world’s problem necessarily affects what you believe to be the solution.” (Pg. XXIII)
3. Because it helps us know how to live … “so that we can determine God’s will in particular situations where explicit instructions are not spelled out in Scripture.”  (Pg. XXIII)

With these three reasons as guiding pillars, the Worldview Study Bible intersperses 130 articles along with abundant footnotes.  For example, within the first five chapters of Genesis, we’re presented with articles on Scripture and Science, Old Earth and New Earth Perspectives, Birth Control, and Gender Choice.  Since the authors are a virtual “Who’s Who” within the circle of Christian Apologetics, you expect well-reasoned articles, which is exactly what we get.  Imagine reading Psalm 146, where God is extolled as, “the Maker of heaven and earth,” and wondering how to reconcile that with what you’ve been taught about the Big Bang Theory.  The next page offers an article by Dr. William Dembski (https://billdembski.com/dembski-on-intelligent-design/) on, “Evolution and Intelligent Design.”  Or maybe you’re reading Romans 8 and come across the particular verse (v14) that speaks of “the Spirit of adoption.”  Dr. Russell Moore expounds on that on the next page with an article on “A Biblical View of Adoption.”

The only small improvement I would request of the publisher is to better distinguish the articles from Scripture.  Though the articles use a different font and have a slightly darkened background, the differentiation is not enough to sufficiently elevate the words the Scripture as compared with the opinions and analysis of man.

Conclusion:

Overall, I heartily recommend both the CSB and this particular edition, the Worldview Study Bible, which will be released later this month, May of 2018.

Note: This book was provided to me by the publisher for my unbiased review.