41 replies to this topic

[David Hunt]

I was wondering, has Oaktree every had any talks with Abingdon about
getting the New Interpreter's Bible as an Accordance module?
Abingdon already has a CD-ROM version, but the reviews I've read
about their version have been poor and I not sure that it runs under
Mac OS X.

Might they be interested in linking that series to a powerful program
for Mac users and also gain functionality under Mac OS X?

[Lorinda H. M. Hoover]

David,

I have the NIB on CD-ROM, and the reviews are right. I love the content, but navigation is awkward. Don't get me started about printing....half the time it won't print, the other half of the time it will only print in color, even if it is set for black or grayscale. Every few minutes the text gets garbled and I have to scroll up or down to clear the window.

The Mac "version" only works (if one can call it that) in Classic. They have no plans on providing an OSX version.

Folio Views (the viewing software) has changed hands, and nothing on its website indicates there will be a Mac version any more.

Abingdon has never really been interested in the Mac market; it's occaisional forays into the Mac market have been half-hearted and completely ignorant of Mac culture. This frustrates me greatly, because I am a long-time Mac User and a life-long United Methodist. (Abingdon is a United Methodist publishing house).

I would suggest that you contact Abingdon and encourage them to work with Accordance for a Mac version of their "e-text" titles. I have done so, and was told that they weren't interested in selling the publication rights to their material. But given what David Lang said a while back in his blog about Accordance's relationship with Zondervan, they wouldn't have to sell their publishing "rights" for the material.

I would love to see Accordance acquire the NIB, the New Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible that is coming out, and other Abingdon products. I don't know how interested Accordance is, but even if they would like to go this route, it will take pressure from us, Mac Users and potential Abingdon customers, to convince Abingdon to play ball.

[Joe Weaks]

I was wondering, has Oaktree every had any talks with Abingdon about
getting the New Interpreter's Bible as an Accordance module?

Drool

[AlejandroBotta]

Drool

I just sent an e-mail to Tammy Gaines, Vice President of Abingdon Press <tgaines@abingdonpress.com> complaining about the lack of Mac support and suggesting a parternship with Accordance. I think that if she receives more requests she might consider it.

[rustyg]

Are there any further developments on aquiring The New Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible as a module for Accordance?

[DWFrancis]

One things people can do, who like me want the NIB on our macs and iOS devices is go to Logos and pre order it. I have been frustrated by it's lack of movement towards production status. I have no idea how many more orders it will take to get it into production levels and I would be equally happy to see it in Olivetree, as I think they did a fantastic job with the Dictionary and Study Bible, but the NIB is my primary resource and it's frustrating knowing it is close to production on one maker and of unknown status over at OliveTree. I will not place a link here but I will say to those unfamiliar with Logos prePUB orders, no credit card is charged before it ships, and you do receive an email a couple weeks before it is released to give you a chance to cancel if something has changed.

-Dan

PS:I do not plan to ever make a habit of posting about competitors but I do remember reading Helen had said Accordance might do the Old IB and IDB but had no plans to do the NIB or Dictionary because it would be priced too expensive to produce. So telling people about where they may one day find it seems only fair and of no harm to the fine product that Accordance is.

[Rick Bennett]

Actually we've been working with Abingdon for quite some time on acquiring the New Interpreter's series (NIDB, NIB), and are hopeful we will get it; though I don't have any specifics as of now. We had previously discussed releasing the 'old' but sidelined that with the hopes of going straight for the 'new'. So, if you're willing to hold out, I'd recommend not pre-ordering it elsewhere if you'd ultimately prefer it in Accordance.

[Fr. Rich]

I would love to have the NIB in Accordance (not so much NIBD; the Anchor Bible Dictionary meets my needs there). Of course I am at an age where I'm starting to give away much of my library. Some of the younger folks might also like the NIBD.

[DWFrancis]

Actually we've been working with Abingdon for quite some time on acquiring the New Interpreter's series (NIDB, NIB), and are hopeful we will get it; though I don't have any specifics as of now. We had previously discussed releasing the 'old' but sidelined that with the hopes of going straight for the 'new'. So, if you're willing to hold out, I'd recommend not pre-ordering it elsewhere if you'd ultimately prefer it in Accordance.

Happy to hear that…. I would rather pay you a comparable price to Logos, I just hope you get the IOS app to the area we can copy and highlight in resources...

-Dan
PS: I am not going to cancel my Logos order at this time but if I hear it is coming out in Accordance I likely will..
PPS: Would be cool if Logos got it and los a lot of their orders due to it;s availability in Accordance. May sound mean, but I think Logos does some crappy things at time… like offering a 6 volume commentary one volume at a time 45% off costing more than double it's regular price.

Edited by DWFrancis, 03 April 2012 - 08:11 PM.

[Rick Bennett]

I just hope you get the IOS app to the area we can copy and highlight in resources...

This is planned for v. 1.5.

[DWFrancis]

This is planned for v. 1.5.

Hooray only 7 updates or less till we get the feature

-Dan
PS: I realize things can take a long time to get contracts in place and actually produce things, but is there any idea when more might be known about the NIB???

[Rick Bennett]

Actually, 1.5 will likely be the next update.

Sorry, I don't have any further details on NIB/NIDB.

[DWFrancis]

Actually, 1.5 will likely be the next update.

Sorry, I don't have any further details on NIB/NIDB.

I know it has only been a few weeks but i was wondering if there is any news yet on the NIB/NIDB, and or what is typical time frame for a work like this, i mean i know it;s in electronic format but I know you will need to get it formatted in Accordance, is this the sort of thing that typically takes weeks to do or many months??? I apologize for asking all these questions I am just excited about the possibility of getting the NIB in Accordance.

-Dan

[Guntis]

I'm also keeping my eyes on NIB…

[DWFrancis]

I think there must be lots of us keeping a look out for it otherwise they wouldn't be working on getting it. It's exciting knowing we have a good chance of getting it in the premiere Bible program. Logos may be flashier and have many more resources but it is also unstable and works slowly compared to Accordance. It's huge number of resources are it's only real saving grace.

-Dan

[DWFrancis]

I realize there is likely nothing to officially say, otherwise there would be an official announcement but Accordance personnel is there any indication when we might hear more… I do apologize for being a pest about it… I do fully undertnd until contracts are signed nothing can be officially stated just curious if it;s sooner or later…

-Dan

[Rick Bennett]

Sorry, nothing new to report since my last comment. We are still pursuing these titles.

[DWFrancis]

In interest of promoting the NIB here are my 12 Gems from the 12 Volumes of the New Interpreter's Bible. I realize one person's gems may well be another persons, stones to be scattered but I hope you enjoy.

-Dan

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In Leviticus, the people of God are called to be holy, not because holiness is an arbitrary religion game that God wants played, but because God is holy. Because God is holy, God’s people are to be holy by being like God in the world. We can, therefore, do away with all the cartoon pictures of the sanctimonious holy person wearing a halo and a prudish glare. To be holy is not to be narrow-minded and primly pious; it is, rather, to imitate God. To be holy is to roll up one’s sleeves and to join in with whatever God is doing in the world. --Leviticus: Walter C. Kaiser Jr. Volume 1
The songs of mothers remind us that our story as the church is a part of what God has been doing since creation itself (1 Sam 2:8b), since the first giving of God’s promise to raise up a people (Luke 1:55). The history of God’s salvation does not originate with Jesus or with the church. The church is a part of the larger activity of God from creation onward. To be the community of Jesus as the Messiah is to be related to a God whose story is always larger than the church’s story. It is to be related to a God whose transforming power on behalf of the powerless does not originate in Jesus Christ but was already known to Hannah and simply finds new expression in the song Mary sings for the church. --The First and Second Books of Samuel: Bruce C. Birch, Volume 2
Along with other stories pertaining to Elijah, the miracles in this chapter have been commemorated in music and in art. In these re-creations of the story, attention is invariably drawn to the supramundane origin of Elijah's experiences. That is, indeed, the main point of the passage: It is the Lord, the God of Israel, who brings about these wonders. So, too, we dare to believe that things that seem impossible to human beings can be brought about by the Lord: Birds of prey may provide nourishment; the poor may have their victuals wondrously replenished; and even the dead may be resurrected. It is the Lord and no other god who performs such miracles. So we are called to believe as well. --The First and Second Books of Kings: Choon-Leong Seow, Volume 3
The Misfit represents what Psalm 1 and the rest of the psalter call wickedness—the conviction that we are doing all right by ourselves, that we need no help. It is not surprising that the Misfit’s words conclude the story: “ ‘It’s no real pleasure in life.’ ” He is telling the truth. Failing to trust God and to make connection with God as the source of life, persons cannot be “happy.” It is not surprising that contemporary societies of isolated selves consistently fail to produce people who are “happy,” even though these societies are among the wealthiest, healthiest, and most educated in human history. In biblical terms, to be autonomous, to be alienated from God and other people, is to “perish.” --Psalms: J. Clinton McAnn Jr., Volume 4
The appearance of wisdom and achievement of the aged is not to be confused with virtue. As with the earlier cases of the tragic death of a virtuous person and the apparent fruitlessness of a barren person, the author calls for an examination of the true nature of human strength and wisdom. What appears to be a tragic loss of life in the case of the wise youth indeed is not. Presumably the author could have chosen other figures to signify human strength, such as people of wealth or those with educational and political might. Instead he uses three extreme examples of human misfortune to highlight with clarity the significant values of virtue and justice for determining the dignity of human beings. The true failures, tragedies, and disasters in life are not what the wicked think they are. Moral vacuity expressed through a life of evasive pleasure, exploiting the weak, and perpetrating violence brings on a death and destruction that is far more devastating than the experience of mortality, which all human beings encounter. --Book of Wisdom: Michael Kolarcik, Volume 5
Pastoring is not, however, the sole responsibility of ordained ministers. To the contrary, authentic leadership requires “pastoral” care. Everyone who, in one way or another, in one arena or another, exercises authority and influence would do well to consider how the shepherd metaphor might impact his or her mindset and actions. Pastoring begins with the psalmist’s full awareness that “the earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,/ the world, and those who live in it” (Ps 24:1). As leaders and caretakers, we are not to use persons, things, and situations to personal advantage. Neither exploitation nor neglect is acceptable. Rather, we are to act as God’s stewards, protecting and providing for those who are entrusted to our care, but belong to God. Ezekiel 34 has much to say to leaders of every ilk, be they politicians, health care providers, supervisors, teachers, pastors, or parents.--Book of Ezekiel: Katheryn Pfisterer Darr, Volume 6
Amos was inspired to recognize that the daily life of Israel had completely given up the ethical standards of the Yahwistic religion. Whether he thought in terms of “covenant theology” or not, he clearly saw the treatment of the poor in Israel as a fundamental rejection of the relationship that Yahweh had established with Israel, which required obedience not only in worship but also in the maintenance of a just society. We might describe his evaluation in this way: It was an unhealthy society, so sick it could not survive much longer. But Amos spoke in terms of God’s activity in history. The death of Israel would not be from “natural causes”; it would be God’s work. We must not then conclude that God prefers to work via killing and burning.52 God allows human beings to chart their own courses, then finds ways to work through, or in spite of, what they do. --Amos: Donald E. Gowan, Volume 7
The move to the future tense indicates that the life of the kingdom must wait for ultimate validation until God finishes the new creation. The future tense of the beatitudes resists all notions that Christianity is a “philosophy of life” designed to make people successful and calm today, in the present moment. Christianity is not a scheme to reduce stress, lose weight, advance in one’s career, or preserve one from illness. Christian faith, instead, is a way of living based on the firm and sure hope that meekness is the way of God, that righteousness and peace will finally prevail, and that God’s future will be a time of mercy and not cruelty. So, blessed are those who live this life now, even when such a life seems foolish, for they will, in the end, be vindicated by God. --Matthew: Eugene Boring, Volume 8
The Word becoming flesh is the decisive event in human history—indeed, in the history of creation—because the incarnation changes God’s relationship to humanity and humanity’s relationship to God. The incarnation means that human beings can see, hear, and know God in ways never before possible. The Father-Son relationship of God and Jesus is the key to this changed relationship. God’s Son, because he is the incarnate Word, derives his identity from God (1:1, 18). The relationship between divine and human is transformed, because in the incarnation human beings are given intimate, palpable, corporeal access to the cosmic reality of God. --John: Gail R. O’Day, Volume 9
Shared worship, indeed, is central to Paul’s vision. He does not say that one should wait to share in worship until all aspects of belief and practice have been hammered out. On the contrary. He sees the mutual welcome, allowing people from very different backgrounds literally to worship together with one voice, as of the essence of the quest for a deeper unity. When we read this alongside Gal 2:11-21, we discover that this is not just a bit of good advice; it grows directly from the doctrine of justification by faith itself. The point of that doctrine is that all who confess Jesus as Lord and believe that God raised him from the dead belong in the same worshiping family, and at the same table. Shared eucharistic fellowship should not be the reward awaiting us at the end of ecumenical negotiations and agreements. It should be a central means by which we travel together along that road. --The Letter to the Romans: N. T. Wright, Volume 10
Whatever the reason for the special reference to those who held office in the Philippian church, the letter is addressed to the whole community. All are “in Christ Jesus” and so belong to the fellowship of God's people. Once again, the terms have become so familiar that we no longer appreciate their real significance. We think of “saints” as very special people and forget that we are all called to be saints—to be members of God's people and, therefore holy, like God. This new status belongs to those who are “in Christ,” who claim their new relationship with God because of their relationship with Christ. It is because Christ is God's holy one that those who belong to him are “saints” (the Greek word a{gioi [hagioi] means “holy ones”). Our proper emphasis on individual responsibility has tended to make us think of sanctity as something personal and private, but Christianity is primarily a calling to belong to a community. The church is not simply a group of individuals who happen to have responded to the gospel; it is the community of God's people, whose corporate life is an essential expression of their divine calling. Paul would certainly have endorsed John Wesley's maxim that “Christianity is essentially a social religion; and that to turn it into a solitary religion, is indeed to destroy it.” Paul's emphatic “all” (1:4, 7-8) will remind us how important this idea is. --The Letter to the Philippians: Morna D. Hooker, Volume 11
In contemporary America, the “appearances” of race and gender are instantly recognizable, for they have, through titanic struggles, finally been brought to general consciousness. On these fronts, the church's record has been mixed; despite some strong efforts toward genuine inclusiveness, racial and gender discrimination is still a reality within most denominations. The sort of discrimination of the poor person that James describes is less easy to see, partially because denominations tend to sort themselves out along socioeconomic lines. But to imagine a dirty and bewildered street person wandering into a Sunday morning fellowship seeking warmth and coffee is in most cases also to imagine a deeply uncomfortable fellowship. Such instances—and it is easy to multiply the ways in which people can, because of appearance, size, gender, sexual orientation, and status, seem to be “poor by the world's standards”—challenge the church's recollection that it is supposed to be a “kingdom” made up of just such inconvenient and unacceptable persons. When the poor cannot find a place in a Christian church, that church no longer has any connection to Jesus. --The Letter of James: Luke Timothy Johnson, Volume 12

[DWFrancis]

I do promise to try asking only once a month but seeing as it is July, any news on when we might hear about timing for NIB????

-Dan

[Fr. Rich]

I would love to have the NIB in Accordance.