Out of the box the CSB Worldview Study Bible in leathertouch is comfortable in your hands. Although everyone has their own preferences, I prefer a soft cover that falls open in your lap. It comes in an appealing box, however the Bible itself has no design on the cover.
Something I noticed (that was included in the CSB Study Bible for Women as well), is that there are two ribbon markers. This may seem like such a small thing, but I (and a few of my friends) were excited about this. It certainly helps when you are flipping between multiple passages.
At first glance, the Bible appears to be your typical study Bible. It’s two-column, with references in the middle and study notes on the bottom. The added study materials are essays sprinkled throughout the entire text. Contrary to your average “devotional,” the essays generally take up more than a full page. Also unlike most study Bibles, there were no charts, maps, or other helpful tables throughout.
The introduction defines the term “worldview” in two ways. The first is philosophically, as “a conceptual scheme by which we consciously or unconsciously… interpret and judge reality.” The second way is sociologically which “recognizes that all conceptual systems are embedded in the culture.”
Although life would be easier if everyone held the same worldview, Christians themselves are divided amongst different topics. This leads me to my biggest complaint. I believe in a literal understanding of Genesis. What does that mean? I believe the world was created in 6 literal days, followed by a day of rest. I agree with Ken Ham (of Answers in Genesis), that this does not conflict with scientific evidence. There is plenty of evidence in support of a young earth, as well as evidence disputing an old earth. There is no need to separate “science” and “religion” as one of the first essays appears to claim. While there are essays for both young and old earth beliefs, it’s quite obvious that the old earth claims are given more credit. I am very passionate about proper interpretation of Genesis, so I confess this struck a nerve for me right from the start. Unfortunately I saw this type of mindset expressed in other essays as well, so I was not able to remove my critical mindset.
Another piece that is a bit difficult to explain (because I honestly don’t want to be too critical), is that it appears the authors were attempting to sound more “scholarly” and it led to giving too much credit to the secular worldviews. Instead of being more about strengthening and encouraging a biblical worldview, it was more about where the Bible may or may not fit in with “modern thought and science.” In my opinion the biblical views were not given enough authority, and the secular views were not corrected or discredited enough.
Some helpful essays that were included explained some of the worldviews contrary to Christianity such as Islam, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Hinduism, and several more. I believe it’s helpful to know what other religions believe so that you can better defend your own. There is a complete index of all the essays included in the beginning before getting into Genesis. This is helpful so you can individually look up each topic you are interested in reading about.
Unfortunately for me, the bad outweighed the good on this study Bible so it’s not one that I would actively recommend. I was very excited about receiving this copy, as I thought I would really enjoy it and be challenged, but I unfortunately found myself more frustrated and critical. I maintain that it’s vitally important to have a biblical worldview, but I believe the materials included fall short. I feel the essays would have been better suited published as a compilation rather than spread throughout God’s Word.
*I received a free copy in hopes of an honest review. I was not obligated to give a positive review. Thoughts and opinions expressed are mine alone.
Leave a Reply