CSB He Reads Truth Bible (Review + Giveaway!)

By Tab Olsen

“The He Reads Truth Bible is thoughtfully and artfully designed to highlight the beauty, goodness, and truth of Scripture.”

Overview

Product Category: Bible
Translation: Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
Focus: Men
Release date: Spring 2019
Publisher: Lifeway Christian Resources

He Reads Truth

The first thing that came to my mind when reviewing the He Reads Truth Bible was, what’s the point in having his and hers Bibles? Isn’t the Bible the same for everyone?

Then I learned about the background of this Bible: “He Reads Truth is a worldwide community of men who read God’s Word together… Founded in 2015, He Reads Truth invites men to engage Scripture through daily reading plans and devotionals written by a vibrant community of contributors.”

They have a He Reads Truth app, which is a tool designed to encourage men to read God’s Word daily. They also have a He Reads Truth Legacy Book, which has a two- to eight-week Scripture reading plan printed right in the book along with space for notes and reflections. And now they have the He Reads Truth Bible.

The He Reads Truth Bible invites every man to count himself as part of the He Reads Truth community of “Men in the Word of God every day.”

The Bible

The book itself is well-made with smyth-sewn binding, two colored ribbon markers (one cream and one red), and cloth-over-board cover with a matching slipcase in a forest green color. Maybe it was my imagination, but I could almost smell the fresh scent of pine wood when I opened it for the first time. 😉 It’s a hefty volume at nearly 4 pounds and 3 inches thick, but it’s easy to hold with dimensions of 6.8″ wide x 9.1″ high. There are a total of 2226 pages that lay flat when the Bible is left open on a table or desk.

As for the text, the Christian Standard Bible® is reliable and highly readable. I was not familiar with the CSB until now, but I like this version; it’s actually refreshing to read. Developed by more than 100 scholars from 17 denominations, the CSB translates the ancient texts into the clearest modern English while staying as literal as possible to the Bible’s original meaning, making it easier to understand the life-transforming message and to share it with others.

Although not really advertised as a study Bible, the He Reads Truth Bible includes many extra features to draw the reader into Scripture, increase biblical literacy, encourage active engagement, and foster a growing affection for God’s Word.

Features

The He Reads Truth Bible comes with an introduction by Trevin Wax (Ph.D, M.Div), who was named by Christianity Today as one of 33 millennials leading the next generation of evangelicalism. (Except I can’t believe they misspelled his name as Trevon in this book, oops!) After that there is a two-page spread on “How to Read the Bible,” followed by a page on “What is the Gospel?”

The He Reads Truth Bible includes a one-year reading plan compiled by the late Rev. Robert Murray M’Cheyne. He was a minister in the Church of Scotland from 1835 to 1843. M’Cheyne’s plan takes readers through the New Testament and Psalms twice a year, and through the rest of the Bible once each year.

In addition to the overall reading plan, each individual book of the Bible has a detailed introduction and outline as well as its own reading plan, along with supplemental passages to show how the entirety of Scripture works together to tell the overarching story of God’s redeeming work.

Interspersed throughout the Bible are numerous full-color visuals including 17 timelines, 21 maps, 125 charts and infographics, and 4 illustrations. All of these would be even better if they were glossy inserts; the colors look rather subdued on the plain paper. I like how the chapter headings for the 66 books of the Bible are color coded according to genre (history, poetry, etc.). The page edges are not color-coded, though; and they aren’t gilded either, which gives this Bible a minimalist appearance.

I appreciate the list of key verses, one for each book of the Bible, perfect for memorization. I especially like the way they placed a short phrase from each of the 66 key verses, artfully hand-lettered to bring out the beauty of the words, on the page facing the beginning of the corresponding book. (These are in black-and-white; too bad they’re not colored. They should make these into social media images, wall hangings, or t-shirt designs!) While some Bibles print the words of Jesus in red, this one does not, though it does contain a handy two-page chart of all Jesus’ parables.

Conclusion

Overall, I love the elegant but simple Danish-designed “Bible serif” typeface which is large enough to read comfortably, the easy-on-the-eyes off-white pages, and the single-column layout with plenty of margin space. The publisher says that the “text has been carefully crafted to help you forget about the ink on the page and fall into the story of Scripture.” However, that hasn’t proven to be true for me. In reality, the paper is so thin that I can see right through to the other side and I find the bleed-through distracting. This is the main problem I have with the He Reads Truth Bible – well, that and the fact that the title is a bit misleading.

Even though He Reads Truth is promoted as a men’s Bible, I don’t see anything in particular that sets it apart as a men’s vs. women’s Bible. There are no devotionals geared to men, advice for the spiritual head of the household, or a highlighted section of verses for fathers as one might expect. A little something like that would have been easy enough to include. Still, it’s a fine Bible. By the way, I’m female, green is my favorite color, and I know I’ll benefit from reading this Bible.

Learn more about this Bible at the publisher’s website. You can purchase the He Reads Truth Bible on Amazon. (In addition to green, it also comes in brown genuine leather, black LeatherTouch, and charcoal cloth.)

Thanks to LEV3L Digital and Lifeway for giving me a complimentary review copy, and also for providing a free giveaway copy. 🙂

Giveaway Contest

Simply leave a comment on this article (yep, that’s it!) for a chance to win the following:

1 CSB He Reads Truth Bible, Evergreen Cloth ($49.99 retail value!)

• Giveaway ends on 6/17/19 at 11:59pm Pacific time.

Note: only US-based bloggers and giveaway winners are eligible due to publisher shipping limitations outside of the US, as well as a later global product release date. The Bible will be shipped direct from the publisher to the winner’s address.

CONTEST RULES: Only U.S. residents may enter. One entry per household and IP address. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Sorry, but “professional” giveaway players are automatically disqualified. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. Winner will have **24 hours** to respond to an email and provide your shipping address. (U.S street addresses only; no P.O. boxes.) If one winner is deemed ineligible or fails to respond within 24 hours, another winner will be chosen. No purchase necessary. By entering the giveaway, you agree to these rules.

Don’t forget to leave your comment below for a chance to win a free Bible!

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