Reformed Perspectives Magazine, Volume 10, Number 19, May 4 to May 10 2008 |
By Joseph Nally
Theological Editor
Third Millennium Ministries (Thirdmill)
In my current position, I have discovered the immense value of Bible software. In addition to my responsibility of publishing a theological magazine 1 on a weekly basis, I answer numerous questions from an international audience. 2 These questions range from family and marriage to systematic theology to general Bible questions and apologetics. Although I have a biblical library of over 5,000 volumes to assist me in this endeavor, and the library of Reformed Theological Seminary is only a few miles away, it takes times to search through books, journals, and dictionaries for the information I need. In addition, frequently when searching for specific references, I do not remember "who said what" and more importantly, "how they said it." Thus, I often turn to Bible software to assist me in studying and to help me further understand God's word.
What Bible software program do I turn to most often when I have a question to answer, a paper to write, or a sermon to preach? Libronix Bible Software. 3 Libronix 4 makes electronic books 5 searchable, 6 is versatile, and is very user friendly. 7 Persons from all walks of life—from layman to scholar, from student to pastor, from a Sunday School teacher to theological editor—will find Libronix Bible software indispensable. As the Gutenberg press 8 was to the printed word and the Reformation's dependence on printed Bibles and theological writings, so Libronix software is to the dissemination of a virtual cornucopia of Bible translations, theological books, and Bible study tools today.
What could possibly be better than Libronix Bible software that allows me instantly to search for materials using numerous parameters, instantly footnote my selections, and make the most of my study time—the works themselves!
When P&R Publishing and Bits & Bytes, Inc.announced the joint publication of The Collected Works of John M. Frame, Volume 1: Theology, the first of three volumes of the collected works of Dr. John M. Frame 9 on CD-ROM and DVD in the Logos/Libronix format, I was very excited. Dr. Frame is a dear friend, and I was privileged to study under him while attending Reformed Theological Seminary. I have read all his books, and now I have the privilege of using them in a searchable, readable, electronic format. This is theological studies par excellence!
The announcement of the John Frame collection includes this description:
The Collected Works of John M. Frame, Volume 1: Theology contains all six of Dr. Frame's books on theology—including the winner of the 2003 ECPA Gold Medallion Award for Theology and Doctrine, The Doctrine of God. That's over 2,150 pages of cutting-edge, Reformed theology. Additionally, this collection includes 1,500 pages of Dr. Frame's shorter theological writings such as journal articles, pamphlets, lecture outlines, study guides, syllabi, and written sermons—virtually everything Dr. Frame has written in the area of theology over the past forty years! Volume 1: Theology also includes, in MP3 format, approximately 70 hours of audio lectures that cover a host of theological topics. 10Moreover, The Collected Works of John M. Frame, Volume 1: Theology includes the following books: (1) The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God, (2) The Doctrine of God, (3) Salvation Belongs to the Lord, (4) No Other God, (5) The Amsterdam Philosophy, and (6) Perspectives on the Word of God.
What does one receive when he combines the very best in Bible software and such excellence in theological studies? The need to ask when more works of this caliber will be released in such a usable and friendly format! Have no fear; P&R Publishing and Bits & Bytes, Inc. currently are working on volumes 2 (Apologetics) and 3 (Christian Life) of The Collected Works of John M. Frame. In addition, P&R Publishing and Bits & Bytes, Inc. are working on other excellent resources for the furtherance of the faith once delivered unto the saints (Jude 3).
Whether one is a busy pastor who needs to make the most of his study time or a scholar who desires the very best in electronic systematics and apologetics Bits & Bytes, Inc. offers the correct software for the task at hand. Blogging has changed since Luther nailed "The Ninety-Five Theses" to the door of a Wittenberg church. Today's Internet blogger will find great value and rich information for blogging in The Collected Works of John M. Frame, Volume 1: Theology.
I believe The Collected Works of John M. Frame, Volume 1: Theology is an investment and a gift that will keep giving the end user years of blessings.
The recommended retail price for The Collected Works of John M. Frame, Volume 1: Theology is $249.94. As of the date of this article, you can purchase the product for $174.95—a 30% savings ($74.99)—by using one of these links:
To order a DVD copy, click here.
To order a CD-ROM copy, click here.
The DVD and CD-ROM versions of The Collected Works of John M. Frame, Volume 1: Theology are identical in content. The DVD version is a 1-disk product; the CD-ROM version comes on three CDs.
Illustration I:
General screen shot of Doctrine of the Knowledge of God and the ASV translation of the Bible, side-by-side. Note the extensive but easy-to-use tool bar at the top. Also note that the font on the right is larger than the font on the left. The user may adjust many features of the program (image reduced to appear in this document).
Illustration II:
General search for the phrase "open theism" in The Collected Works of John M. Frame, Volume 1: Theology, stating it found 189 occurrences. Selecting an occurrence positions the document to the selected citation (image reduced to appear in this document).
Installation Note. Logos Bible Software does not copy resources—books and MP3 files—from the distribution disk/s to your hard drive. If you install the software and then remove the CD-ROM or DVD, you will not be able to access the books and MP3s you installed.
This note explains how to copy resources—books and MP3 files—from the Logos distribution disk/s to your hard drive so you can use them without having to insert the DVD or CD-ROM each time. How to Copy Books from Logos Disks to Your Hard Drive
1. Reformed Perspectives Magazine, https://thirdmill.org/magazine/default.asp/site/ iiim. Last accessed 16 April 2008.
2. IIIM Q&A. https://thirdmill.org/answers/topics.asp/category/topics/page/questions . Last accessed 16 April 2008.
3. Logos Bible Software (PC based, but they are also developing a version for the Mac operating system), a privately held corporation located in Bellingham, Washington, is the leading publisher of high-end, award-winning, multilingual Bible software. The company serves the church, academic, and lay markets, striving to bring the best in software innovation to Christians worldwide.
4. See Illustrations I and II for a sample of the software.
5. Greek, Hebrew (including lexical and morphological searches), commentaries, history, theology, dictionaries, etc.
6. See Illustration II.
7. See Illustration I.
8. "With the invention of movable-type printing in 1455 by Johannes Gutenberg, the Bible began to become accessible to the educated classes." Paul J. Achtemeier, Publishers Harper & Row and Society of Biblical Literature, Harper's Bible Dictionary, Includes index., 1st ed., 122 (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1985).
9. John M. Frame (M. Div., Westminster Theological Seminary, M. Phil., Yale University, D.D., Belhaven College) is Professor of Systematic Theology and Philosophy at Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, FL. He is an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church in America. Previously, he taught at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia (1968—80) and Westminster Seminary California (1980—2000). John and his wife, Mary, have five children—three married and living in California and Oregon, and two single and attending college. Libronix Bible Software. http://www.logos.com/products/ prepub/details/3586. Last accessed 16 April 2008.
10. Ibid.
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