"The Learning Bible" helps young readers

A new version of the Bible, aimed at younger people and those new to the Scriptures, is making the guide for life even easier to understand.

"The Learning Bible (Contemporary English Version) is one of the latest publications of the American Bible Society. It offers a comprehensive and extensively annotated Bible, in both print and CD-ROM form, to help people make sense of the issues raised by the renewed interest in religious and spiritual questions.

The richly illustrated resource offers users a number of reliable tools, for both individual and group learning situations, and an interest to learn more about the Bible and apply these lessons to daily life.

Religious educators, Bible teachers and pastors may find the book and CD-ROM to be good sources for lessons and sermon planning, as well as their day-to-day teachings and activities.

The language is easy to read and understand and the pages include color-coded icons, each with a short paragraph that explains names, places, historical data, cultural information and bible verses.

There are more than 100 brief articles and 15 background articles placed in or alongside various books, chapters and verses of the Bible.

An appendix, including a timeline, historical chart and mini-atlas of 16 full-page and full-color maps of bible lands, forms the final section of the book.

The CD-ROM places words, verses and passages at the user's fingertips in a quick and easy way, along with hundreds of notes on the geography, history, culture, ideas and people of biblical times.

The CD also contains inspirational readings of selected verses, and comes with a 32-page user's guide.

An accompanying music CD features selected Scripture verses set to contemporary music such as salsa, hip hop, soft rock and R&B. The approach makes it more appealing to younger users because of it uses pop culture to educate.

"The Learning Bible" is available in Christian bookstores for $34.95 in flex-cover format, or $39.95 in hardcover. The CD-ROM version is $60.

Interested people can also order the book or CD-ROM online at the American Bible Society's Web page, www.americanbible.org, or by calling the American Bible Society direct at 1-800-322-4253.

The American Bible Society has, since 1816, worked to make the "Word of God" easily available to people everywhere at the lowest possible cost and in the languages they understand best.

The American Bible Society offers a number of publicatioins geared toward achieving that goal.

This review was provided by the North American Precis Syndicate.