Thank you for the review. I’ve been a life-long Methodist and I learned a lot from your comments. Your reviews go deeper in theology than what I’ve seen in other reviews. Thank you for this service to fellow believers.

@DiscipleDojo

13 күн бұрын

Thank you! That's my goal! So glad you find it helpful!

What a weirdly mixed-bag of a Bible! The "essays" sound great and notes like the one referencing Jeremiah are useful, but the stock notes with non-Wesleyan slants (or rather, the notes which offer multiple interpretations without pointing out which viewpoints are more or less consistent with Methodist theology) are odd. Perhaps the editors of this Bible also had to grapple with the same issue the editors of the Orthodox Study Bible faced, only being able to make a limited amount of changes to the base NIV Study Bible while creating their specialized study Bible. I'm sure despite its shortcomings, it's proven helpful to many: I gained a lot just listening to the bits and pieces you shared from the essays. I'd love to purchase and use an updated version with consistent notes. Actually, I'd even be thrilled with a study Bible with less notes overall, but ones focusing on Methodist theology and readings -- surely there must be a viable market for a good Wesleyan/Methodist/Holiness Movement study Bible? The lack is shocking.

Thanks, i also was suprised when i found this non- calvinistic SB. Would like to hear your take on provisionist view. Blessings !

I see used copies of this study bible that are a bit expensive for a copy that is only "acceptable" or "good". However, there's an inexpensive paperback with the same title and cover that might just contains the notes, or an expansion on the notes. I plan to purchase this book. Thanks for the review.

Such perfect timing! I already knew that most (or at least a lot) of Biblical scholarship was from a Reformed (specifically Calvinist) perspective. However, recently, it really hit me. I was Reading John 6 and, when it came to John 6:44, specifically, all my study Bibles either didn’t acknowledge it or went with a Calvinist understanding (which, I would argue, is a position derived from eisegesis.) Even the NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible leaned that way, which, I guess, makes sense since D.A Carson wrote the commentary for John. Anyway, to my point, I was recently looking for more Wesleyan or, at least, Arminian or non-reformed scholarship (like the Wesley Study Bible, which you have already reviewed previously, for instance.) Not that I rely on scholarship to interpret scripture, but 1.) it helps and 2.) it’s nice to see non Reformed Biblical scholarship. So, this review is perfectly on time, from my perspective 😊.

@emmaus5975

14 күн бұрын

You may want to check out Drawn by Jesus by Dr. Leighton Flowers. Dr. Flower's lays out a non-Calvinist exegesis of John 6:44 in that book.

@Theos_thinker

14 күн бұрын

@@emmaus5975 True. Thank you for that! I had almost forgotten about Leighton’s book. Edit: Yo, wait. I’m subscribed to you. We’ve probably met in different comment sections before.

@angelamc2923

14 күн бұрын

My feelings exactly. I was able to snag a genuine leather copy and I really like it. I didn't already have an NIV study Bible and I was pleasantly surprised in general, although I'd love to see them release an updated and full color version of this Reflecting God version.

@Theos_thinker

14 күн бұрын

@@angelamc2923 Doesn’t the latest edition of the NIV Study Bible, that is, the “NIV Study Bible: Fully Revised Edition,” have copious illustrations in full color?

@angelamc2923

14 күн бұрын

​@@Theos_thinkersure, but without this Wesleyan material. I want a fully updated version of THIS! 😊

So glad to get your thoughts kn it! And that it actually arrived, Ive been enjoying it a lot myself as ive been working through it.

Someone provided some info on this Study Bible in a FB comment thread a while back. IIRC he said that it was the Holiness folks who approached Zondervan. The NIV Study Bible was supposed to be sort of middle of the road on issues where evangelicals differ. And in many cases it does give multiple interpretations, which is no doubt one reason why it was so popular back then. My understanding is that the Holiness folks complained that it was still too slanted against Wesleyan views. (Strange as it may seem now, some Wesleyans and others considered the NIV translation itself to be somewhat of a "Calvinist translation" back in the day.) Zondervan allowed them to do a very limited adaptation. They were not allowed to change the pagination when it came to the study notes. So that may be one reason why some notes were left alone that might have been changed otherwise. I got one of these a while back but haven't spent much time with it. I think it would have been helpful if they would have included something in the index that indicated the changes to the notes. It was also published in bonded and genuine leather. If it went though more than one printing it probably wasn't much more. Some years previously, Lutherans had done an adaptation of the NIV Study Bible that entitled the Concordia Self-Study Bible. I'm not sure if they were allowed more latitude. Another conservative Wesleyan Study Bible is The Wesley Bible in the NKJV which was published in the early 80s. They are usually a lot more expensive on the used market than this one is.

Thank you, Brother 🌹⭐🌹☮️

Thank you

Could you give some recommendations on where to start with John Wesley's writings?

@DiscipleDojo

13 күн бұрын

Wesley's Works: Sermons, Essays, Addresses (available free online), Thomas Oden's volumes on the theology of John Wesley, Wesley and the People Called Methodist by Richard Heitzenrater

Why not go the the source? John Wesely's Notes on the Old and New Testament 😮

@PracticalChristianLessons

14 күн бұрын

Why not both?

@angelamc2923

14 күн бұрын

Probably most of us have those, and face it, there is tons of useful new scholarship done since Wesley's day, especially cultural background and archeology. I would hope that no one believes that Wesley is the last word on everything.

@matthewmencel5978

14 күн бұрын

That is great, however, the Wesleyan tradition has both evolved and splintered into subgroups since Wesley. The Methodists aren't the same as the Nazarenes, who aren't the same as the Pentecostal Holiness churches, who aren't entirely the same as the Finished Work Pentecostals.

7:19 JM, do “all Wesleyans, “generally,” actually hold to Total Depravity? It’s a genuine question because, in my understanding, Wesleyans wouldn’t hold to Total Depravity, they would hold to Diminished Depravity. Total Depravity is directly linked to the Calvinist T.U.L.I.P, while Diminished Depravity would be linked to the Arminian D.A.I.S.Y, correct? Edit: I know this may be asking a lot, but could you maybe give a simplified explanation of how Prevenient Grace would influence, not just any form of depravity, but, specifically, Total Depravity?

@DiscipleDojo

14 күн бұрын

Arminians (which Wesley was) accept the "T" in TULIP. To answer your question check out Roger Olson's book "Arminian Theology."

@Theos_thinker

14 күн бұрын

@@DiscipleDojo All right, thank you! And thank you for the suggested reading!

@PracticalChristianLessons

13 күн бұрын

@@Theos_thinker I second James statements, I have a video on it too on my own channel with quotes from John Wesley & Jacob Arminius. Olsen's Arminian theology book though is an amazing resource!

This was helpful because I like to have study Bibles that are not laced with Calvinism or complimentarianism. It’s hard finding those resources. Crossway is great, but it’s everywhere. Why isn’t Weslian traditions as popular? If it’s easy to find complimentarian and Calvinist sources it should also be easy to find Weslian and egalitarian ones as well. At least ideally…

@PracticalChristianLessons

14 күн бұрын

A lot of Wesleyans seem to be focused on practical ways of living out Christianity, evangelizing, history, and these types of ministry. Even the scholarship is often focused on these. I can't tell you a why for sure, but I suspect it's tied to the focus on holy living and spreading the gospel.

@Theos_thinker

14 күн бұрын

Typically, Reformed Christians are seen as more Intellectual than other Christians. Like others have pointed out, Wesleyans primarily focus on Holiness and Evangelism. So, while there may be many devotional and practical books within the Wesleyan tradition, Wesleyan’s are not (typically) focused on the exegetical aspects of the Christian faith. The Reformed Christians dominate that area of Biblical scholarship.

@angelamc2923

14 күн бұрын

The Wesleyan tradition far outnumbers the calvinists, but the reformed have a hold on conservative evangelical scholarship. So for more conservative believers it's hard. The First Century study Bible is good. Some study Bibles that are at least less calvinist than others are Life Apllication, CEB study Bible, Archaeological study bible, Jewish study Bible by Jewish people (not a Christian view), NKJV study Bible isn't too bad. I'm also really enjoying my purchase of the South Asian Commentary--most of the contributors are Methodists.

@angelamc2923

14 күн бұрын

​@@Theos_thinkerit's so unfortunate that many traditions are actually almost against education. However the Methodists proper seem to have retained a high view of education and scholarship and they just need to get cracking on publishing more full feature general purpose study Bibles!

@flowerlass

14 күн бұрын

Thanks. Your post helped me to understand Wesleyans vs. Reformed. Sometimes, Reformed churches can be overly intellectual. I have noticed that newcomers to my church, which is Reformed, sometimes struggle to understand what the sermons are about (if they are new to the Reformed tradition) because of all the terminology and references to Reformed theology. I know Reformed churches say they are big on evangelism, but my experience is that they are not compared to the local Baptist churches. I can't think of any evangelical outreach events our church has ever done.

Do you want to know more? Please read Codeword Barbelon and watch Tares Among the Wheat

@DiscipleDojo

7 күн бұрын

What does that have to do with this video?

@gregoryrice9998

7 күн бұрын

Sources make all the difference. Yet sensei has not the education to see what I referenced before inquiring.

As a Muslim, I follow the Jewish/Protestant canon of Bible to understand Bible. The problem with Protestant tradition is that there are too many study bibles, translations and commentaries, compared to Catholic/Orthodox traditions.

@DiscipleDojo

12 күн бұрын

We don't see that as a problem. We see it as a wealth of material that encourages neverending study of Inspired Scripture. I know my Muslim friends view their holy book differently, as something to be memorized in only one language and recited regularly. But Christians view Scripture as something to wrestle with, study, and seek to understand on numerous levels to help us better know the One who Inspired all of its authors and compilers. I think sometimes Christians and Muslims talk past one another because we have fundamentally different views on what the biblical texts are expected to be like.

@hassanmirza2392

12 күн бұрын

@@DiscipleDojo Protestant commentaries and translationd works on Bible are three times more in quality and quantity than Catholic/Orthodox ones, agreed 👍 The advantage is that it's all bible centric, but due to the lack of a unifying tradition compared to Catholics and Orthodox (which do not have much study material in Western languages), the Protestants are more fragmented.

@DiscipleDojo

11 күн бұрын

@@hassanmirza2392 yes, that is true

The complentarian/egalitarian perspective is actually not as straightforward in those who take on the Wesleyan perspective. For instance, I would consider myself more complementarian when it comes to household structure, but more egalitarian when it comes to the ordination of women and church structure. Others who would consider themselves Wesleyan hold to a strictly complementarian view across the board. I guess this is to say that I'm not surprised to see explanation without preference on the subject even in a Wesleyan oriented study Bible.

Let's call it what it is. This was an opportunistic money grab for zondervan. I know you always like to hold hands with everyone and sing kumbaya, But sometimes you have to call a spade a spade.

@DiscipleDojo

7 күн бұрын

I don't know if it was Zondervan's idea or if they were approached by the Holiness folks first, so I'm not yet willing to assign such motive. Though I wouldn't rule that out, given how the publishing industry often works.