Bible: the story of the King James Version by Gordon Campbell

2011 marks the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Version of the Bible.  Although many readers may be familiar with the translation, they do not know its legendary history.  It was not the first translation into English, as versions such as the Geneva Bible (1557 - 1560) preceded it.  Nor was it a new translation, but rather a revision of the Bishops Bible of 1568.  The translation was undertaken by six Companies based in Westminster, Oxford and Cambridge and completed between 1604 - 1611.  The first few editions, including the "He", "She" and "Wicked" Bibles, were printed by the King's Printer.  Years later Oxford and Cambridge publishes their own editions.  The book details the numerous revisions to the text that have led to familiar translations such as the Revised Standard Version of the 20th Century.  The enormous cultural influence of the KJV is also detailed, as many common English idioms originated in the KJV, and many American churches still hold the KJV to be the only true and ihnspired version of the Bible.

http://catalog.bartlett.lib.il.us/polaris/

Dawn

What Good Is God? by Philip Yancey

Evangelical writer Yancey explores the topic of the church's relevance in modern society.  The book is divided into ten parts, each focusing on conditions in a place Yancey visited, followed by the text of a speech he gave.  Whether it's the compassionate response to the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting, its need to move out of its bubble and transform the world around it, its ministry to recovering alcoholics and prostitutes, its extension of forgiveness to Afrikaners or its work in communist China, the church is actively working to spread the love of God to everyone in need.  Readers will finish the book encouraged about the condition of Christianity today.

What Good Is God? by Philip Yancey

Dawn