The Logos Bible Software Blog
| Tue, March 29, 2016 | Products
When we read the Bible, we bring a whole host of ideas and assumptions to the text that have been filtered down to us through two-thousand years of biblical interpretation. Of course, it doesn’t feel that way— we’re just reading, interpreting, and applying biblical passages to our lives. We probably aren’t thinking about how Luther might have interpreted this passage or how Origen would have read this verse.
| Tue, December 1, 2015 | Products
We’ve recorded more than 200 courses for Mobile Ed on topics ranging from biblical studies and theology to preaching and discipleship. A number of these courses are on Pre-Pub, where you can pre-order them at a significant discount (often around 40% off). Here are five new courses we’ve recently put on Pre-Pub that you’ll want to check out.
The Gospels are central to the Bible. Their description of the birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus provide the very foundation of Christianity, and this importance is underlined by the fact that there are four separate Gospel accounts. However, having multiple accounts presents challenges for interpretation. How do we deal with four distinct narratives of the life of Christ? Should we attempt to harmonize them, or seek to understand each Gospel on its own? How do we interpret several accounts of the same story—especially when they are presented with seemingly contradicting details? How should we understand Jesus’ miracles and teaching?
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| Tue, April 14, 2015 | Products
The life of Jesus—his ministry, death, and resurrection—lies at the very heart of Christianity. The fact that we have four different accounts of Jesus’ time on earth emphasizes its prominence. Clearly, for effective preaching and teaching, you need to understand the Gospels.
Mobile Ed’s Studies in the Gospels Bundle provides nine courses on Jesus’ life as narrated in the Gospels. Pre-order now and get instant access to courses as we finish them.
In NT323 Book Study: The Gospel of John, Joel Willitts shows how the Gospel of John invites readers to encounter Jesus. Here’s a sample clip of Dr. Willitts talking about the purpose of John’s Gospel:
If you order the bundle now, you’ll get Joel Willits’ study of John, plus the five other courses we’ve already released:
We’re still wrapping up other great courses in this series, and if you order now you’ll get them as soon as they ship!
| Tue, April 7, 2015 | Products
New Testament theology is a vast subject. It can be daunting to even know where to begin. The New Testament includes writings in several different genres by several different authors. Each book was written for a specific situation and has its own unique emphases and even vocabulary. How do you begin to organize these different writings into an overarching structure for doing New Testament theology?
New Testament expert, professor, and author Douglas Moo deals with this dilemma in his Mobile Ed course NT305 New Testament Theology. In this sample clip, Dr. Moo talks about what he uses as a basic organizing principle for doing New Testament theology:
Dr. Moo goes on to show how this contrast between two realms shows up in the teachings of Jesus, Paul, and John. He looks first at the old realm, surveying the effects of sin, the nature of humanity, and the purpose of the Old Testament law. He then shows how the person of Jesus Christ is the center of the new realm, how his work ushered it in, and how God’s grace enables us to enter it. Dr. Moo then examines what the New Testament has to say about how we are to live as people in the new realm.
NT305 New Testament Theology will give you a greater understanding of the overall message of the New Testament. You’ll better appreciate how the various books come together to reveal God’s plan in a fuller way. Order it before April 16 and get 40% off the full price!
| Tue, March 31, 2015 | Products
Easter Sunday is coming up this week, and churches all over the world will be celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The Resurrection is the central event of the New Testament—an event that is still transforming the world and calling for a response today. It’s the culmination of Jesus’ earthly ministry, and it forms the foundation for the church.
In this video, several of our Mobile Ed speakers discuss the importance of the Resurrection:
With Logos Mobile Education, you can learn more about the relevance of the Resurrection, as well as the early church and the life and teachings of Jesus.
In NT211 Introducing the Gospels and Acts: Their Background, Nature, and Purpose, Dr. Darrell Bock surveys the messages of these important books. This course includes an entire unit on the Resurrection, through which you’ll see how the Resurrection is portrayed differently in each of the four Gospels, learn what various groups in the first century believed about resurrection, and understand how the Resurrection vindicated the claims of Jesus and provided a pathway for eternal life.
This course is on sale until April 4, so order it now and save 15%!
The Studies in the Gospels Bundle includes nine courses taught by leading scholars like Craig Evans and Mark Strauss. You’ll get book studies that look in depth at each of the four Gospels and show how each Gospel writer portrays the resurrection of Jesus; courses that highlight specific aspects of Jesus’ ministry, like the Sermon on the Mount and the parables and miracles of Jesus; and courses that examine the genre of the Gospels and the world of the New Testament.
This bundle is currently on Pre-Pub: order it now and get 41% off! You’ll get five of the courses now and the rest as they are released.
It’s crucial for believers to understand just how significant the resurrection of Jesus Christ is. Discover that and more with these Mobile Ed courses!
| Wed, March 18, 2015 | Products
Paul’s letters are among the most beloved books of the Bible. Their balance of both deep theological insights and practical advice makes them invaluable resources for the church today.
In the Mobile Ed: Paul’s Letters Bundle, leading experts like Dr. Douglas Moo and Dr. Lynn Cohick walk you through these important letters. They describe the historical background and Paul’s purpose in writing each letter, explore the key themes Paul addresses, and explain how to best apply these important letters to our lives today.
These seven courses cover eight of Paul’s letters:
In NT225 Survey of the Pastoral Epistles, Dr. Kenneth Waters surveys 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. He reviews seven major themes from these letters and looks at the question of who Timothy and Titus were. Dr. Waters places the letters in the context of Paul’s travels outlined in the book of Acts and discusses Paul’s purpose in writing them.
In NT341 Book Study: Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, Dr. Douglas Moo talks about who the Galatians were. He walks through the text, highlighting major themes and showing how you can apply this letter in your life. Dr. Lynn Cohick provides a passage-by-passage analysis of Ephesians in NT343 Book Study: Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. In addition to providing in-depth analysis of well-known passages like Paul’s exhortation to “put on the whole armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11), she takes a close look at the special topics of household codes and marriage in the first century.
The bundle includes two courses by Dr. Robert Sloan, both on Paul’s letter to the Philippians. In NT344 Paul’s Theology and the Letter to the Philippians, Dr. Sloan provides a brief overview of major themes in Paul’s theology as a whole and shows where those themes are present in Philippians. In NT345 Book Study: Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, he walks through the letter in detail, exploring its key themes and historical background.
In NT347 Book Study: Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, Dr. Joshua Jipp looks at the situation in Colossae and explains how Paul’s letter addresses the challenges faced by that believing community. He also discusses how to read the genre of ancient letters. In NT348 Book Study: Paul’s Letters to the Colossians and Philemon, Dr. Constantine Campbell looks at Colossians, as well as Paul’s letter to Philemon. In addition to examining the content of these two letters, Dr. Campbell includes sections on preaching from them.
The Paul’s Letters Bundle contains a wealth of information on these important books. You’ll come away with a better understanding of their historical background and themes and be better equipped to apply Paul’s teaching in your own life.
| Tue, March 3, 2015 | Products
Apologetics can be narrowly defined as “a defense of the faith.”
More broadly, however, apologetics involves communicating the truth of Scripture to those around you. This will, at times, involve defending the claims of the Bible, but it may also involve showing people how the gospel addresses their needs or the needs of a culture at large.
Mobile Ed’s four-course Apologetics Bundle gives you an in-depth look at several different approaches to apologetics. It will help you to more effectively articulate the truth of the gospel in the specific context in which you live.
In AP120 Introducing Covenantal Apologetics I: Foundations and AP121 Introducing Covenantal Apologetics II: Applications, Dr. K. Scott Oliphint begins by showing how God defends his own glory throughout the Bible. Dr. Oliphint lays the biblical and theological foundation for covenantal apologetics by looking at important doctrines like the doctrine of God, the doctrine of man, the doctrine of Scripture, and the doctrine of salvation. After establishing this foundation, he discusses the topics of common grace, worldview, and the problem of evil, with an emphasis on how they relate to the defense of the Christian faith.
Dr. Jim Belcher looks at the importance of contextualization in apologetics in his course AP211 Show and Tell: Apologetics in the Postmodern Context. He examines the nature of our postmodern society, including some reasons for the rise of postmodernism and the ways that the moral relativism of postmodernism has influenced our culture. In discussing contextualization, Dr. Belcher warns of both undercontextualizing the gospel, which can lessen its relevance, and overcontextualizing the gospel, which can lead to a watering down of the faith.
In AP221 Apologetics in an Urban Context, Dr. Carl Ellis uses sociology, anthropology, and history as springboards for looking at apologetics, specifically applying them to the African American experience. He begins by exploring different worldviews and models of apologetics. Dr. Ellis then moves into a detailed discussion of the sociology, history, and theology of African Americans and looks at how the gospel can address the core concerns of African Americans. He concludes by noting that in order to fulfill the Great Commission, “it is imperative that we begin to apply the word of God to all areas of life and in all cultural contexts.”
These four courses will provide you with a variety of approaches to apologetics. You’ll gain a better understanding of the purpose of apologetics and learn how to better practice apologetics.
| Tue, February 17, 2015 | Products
What would someone be talking about if they said, “The Cowboys are going up to the frozen tundra to melt the Cheeseheads”? Any football fan will easily understand that sentence: the Dallas Cowboys are going to play a road game in Green Bay against the Green Bay Packers. However, if you don’t understand the cultural background of that statement, you will be confused. You might recognize the words, but the meaning will be lost: Are a bunch of hat-wearing, horse-riding gentlemen going to the Arctic to eat cheese?
Dr. Darrell Bock, author and senior research professor of New Testament at Dallas Theological Seminary, uses this illustration in his Mobile Ed course NT211: Introducing the Gospels and Acts: Their Background, Nature, and Purpose to show the importance of understanding the background of the New Testament:
In this course, Dr. Bock walks you through the background and “cultural scripts” of the New Testament. He highlights important events and figures from the Second Temple period and explains how they influenced the world in which Jesus was born. You’ll see how Jewish groups like the Pharisees and Sadducees developed as a reaction to the growing Greek influence known as Hellenism.
Dr. Bock also looks at the nature and purpose of the Gospels with an emphasis on Christ’s resurrection—the central event of the New Testament. You’ll come to understand the importance of having four Gospels with four unique perspectives. You’ll also learn what extracanonical Gospels like the Gospel of Thomas can teach us about the world of the early church. Dr. Bock discusses key events in the life of early church from the book of Acts, showing how persecution facilitated the spread of the gospel message.
NT211: Introducing the Gospels and Acts: Their Background, Nature, and Purpose will give you a better understanding of the historical and cultural background of the Gospels and Acts, as well as an appreciation of the unique themes of these books.
Study Hebrews and Exodus with Top Scholars
Miles Custis | Tue, October 6, 2015 | Misc., Products
Something that constantly excites me about Mobile Ed is that we are able to get some of today’s top Christian scholars and professors to teach on the topics they are most passionate about. This gives you the opportunity to learn directly from people who have dedicated their lives to studying and teaching the Bible. We’re thrilled to release two new courses on books of the Bible—one on Hebrews and one on Exodus—taught by two distinguished biblical scholars. They are shipping soon, so this is your last chance to order them at the Pre-Pub price.
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