For those that may be looking for a new Bible Software to help in sermon preparation this review is for you. A former contributor to SBC Today, Robin Foster, loves this bible software as much as he loves lollipops. :) Seriously, Robin has switched to the Logos Software and gives helpful advice to those that my be looking to use the application.
Logos 4.0: Taking Sermon Prep to the Next Level
Ever since I got the Biblesoft 2.0 edition back in 1997 I have used Bible computer software in my study. Over the years I remained with Biblesoft upgrading to the 5.0 version last year spring. I even wrote a review for them to use in their advertising. For the price, it is a great resource, but as I upgraded, I waited for Biblesoft to produce something that also dealt with syntactical and clausal analysis of the original Hebrew and Greek. In the DMin program at Southwestern, looking past the particular words to the clausal structure has been a major emphasis and a tremendous help in my preparation to preach God’s Word.
In February of 2009 I went to the Biblesoft table when I attended the Pastors Conference at FBC Jacksonville and asked if they were developing anything that might help in studying the text at the clausal level. The guy at the table said that they hadn’t and that I really didn’t need to do that because it was a waste of time. I wouldn’t get much out of it. My response, “Hmmmmmmmmm? I think it is time to move on to another program.”
While I still believe that Biblesoft is a good program (great for those who have limited knowledge of Greek and Hebrew) and well worth the investment (It is much cheaper than Logos), I wanted to go deeper electronically with my study. Then I took another look at Logos. I had kept up with them since my seminary days, but during that time I did not feel the price justified the investment. Now ……… WOW! I got the Logos 3.0 program after the Pastors Conference and it has been a tremendous help. They recently released the 4.0 program and I upgraded to the Platinum edition from the Gold I had. The resources are too numerous to mention. And yes, they have great syntactical and clausal analysis resources that help in those studies.
What is great with the 4.0 edition is the indexing feature that indexes every word used in the entire library so that if I want to find out more on “baptism” all I have to do is type it and every resource in the library that refers to baptism will come up. Hours of research are done in just a few seconds. If I am studying a particular passage in the New Testament, all I have to do is type in the passage and more than thirty commentaries and word studies pop up on the screen saving me hours of researching. I can also designate which resources are my favorite to get what I need more quickly. The information is a click away. The Old Testament resources are not as numerous as the New Testament resources, but in reality, that is true whether you are using Logos or not. Even so, a wealth of information is available for the Old Testament.
Another bonus is that I can integrate the Logos program with my iPhone. While Logos is still in the process of getting the entire library available on the iPhone, for the time being I can still do some incredible studies (Logos currently has over 3000 resources) and look up items when I am working with others one-on-one or in small groups. Just this morning I was discussing some particulars about Herod the Great with other pastors and was able to look up the information on the spot to settle an argument.
The major draw back is that they are still developing the software for the Mac. While I could use what they have available on my Mac, it would be updated approximately every two weeks and on each update the computer would go and re-index all the material in the program, which would take several hours. They plan on having the updated edition fully integrated for Mac by the summer. Until then I can still run the program on my parallel.
If you are serious about getting the most out of your study time in the best way possible and you have the means by which to do so, I would recommend Logos. If cost is a serious problem, they have discounts for seminary students and professors if your institution has an agreement with them. They will also allow you to pay the cost in installments. Check out the web site, www.logos.com to get all the details.
I have not been paid or given any discounts for this review.
I starting using Logos 3.0 about a year ago. I wasn’t sure about moving to a digital library, preferring the look and feel of a good book in my hand, but I thought I would give it a chance. I went with Logos on the recommendation of a friend and the fact that if it matters in the realm of theology, you can get it for Logos. I purchased the best collection I could at the time (Scholar’s Library). It took a little bit getting used to as it wasn’t 100% intuitive, but I could tell I had bought a pretty powerful engine (though I didn’t quite know how to use it to its fullest extent). After several months I would say that I was a “casual” Logos user. I had the bare necessities loaded into Logos – a good base package, and a couple of commentaries I had bought to handle the books I was currently preaching through. I say “casual” because the printed books were still my primary research tool, with Logos being what I took with me when I needed to study on-the-go, or away from my office/library.
That all changed just a few weeks ago. I was reading through my Twitter stream one night and noticed these cryptic tweets from Logos. Out of the blue (it seemed), they released an iPhone app and a completely new version of Logos (4.0). Being an iPhone user, I immediately downloaded the new logos app. As I read, I found that one of the new features with Logos 4 was the ability to read books from my library on my iPhone. While not the greatest screen for reading, it would definitely be great to have access “in a pinch.” Having the iPhone integration was enough of a feature to push me into at least trying out Logos 4. While it was more like installing a completely new program than an upgrade (you can run 3 and 4 side by side on the same machine), I found that it was completely worth it. Logos 4 *is* a completely new program. It has the look and feel of something programmed for a Mac rather than a dressed up database for Windows. It is much more intuitive, making it easier to go deeper into the program without knowing advanced programming or syntax. This new release has opened up Logos to the non-technical/computer enthusiast. Upon upgrading, I found that I started using the program more and more for my sermon prep. As a result I made a greater investment in the platform. Over the Christmas break I took advantage of some of the specials and added the IVP Reference Collection 3.0 as well as the Word Biblical Commentary. With the ability to seamlessly sync the same library on my two machines (laptop + my office desktop), I now have a huge theological library with me wherever I go. When I do my sermon prep I have a wide-breadth of resources right at my fingertips. There are still some features that I can’t wait to make it from 3.0 to 4.0 (namely the sermon add-on (where you can import and index your own sermons and bible studies into your library). Anyway, a few thoughts for those considering making the jump: 1) Logos has a 30-day money back guarantee – you can buy whatever base package you want and test drive if for 30 days, getting your money back if you don’t like it. 2) Logos has a payment plan – it costs quite a bit to get into a base package, but it might be easier to handle by breaking it into 8 payments (think Easy-Pay). 3) There are discounts available. You can almost always find a discount code worth 25% off the list price.
I noticed that you mentioned using parallels in your post. I have recently moved to a Mac, but need the ability to use some PC programs. Would you have some time for me to ask a couple of questions about your parallel use?
If so you can email me and I will give you a call, or respond to your email.
Thanks,
John Elam,
DOM Northwestern Baptist Assocation, Woodward, OK.
John
Just sent an email to you with contact info. Thanks.
Robin
Brother Wes,
Brother Robin is giving computer advice. Thank God the person he is giving it to resides in Ok.
:)
Blessings,
Tim
Robin,
Thanks for the post. I’m stuck in L3 mode and cannot make the switch as of yet. Because L4 *IS* an entirely new program, old cogs like me are reluctant to take the time it requires to crossover.
Even so, I upgraded to L4 the very day it was released. Why? The additional resources, of course. No way I could have purchased them outright. The upgrade added hundreds of volumes for pocket change! Well, pocket change relatively speaking…
Perhaps I’ll call and you can tutor me. But let’s not tell Tim. That way, he’ll remain dumb.
With that, I am…
Peter
Brother Peter,
and happy too! :)
Spend the money and get Bible Works 8.0. It comes with what you are looking for. It’s an advanced program but it seems that that is what you need.
Tim,
You know I’m messin’ round of course.
With that, I am…
Peter