God’s Not Dead Movie Review ---

God’s Not Dead Movie Review

God’s Not Dead Movie Review God’s Not Dead is a movie based on the Newsboys song, “God’s Not Dead”.  At the time of writing (April 5, 2014) the movie scored 20% by critics and 80% by the audience on Rotten Tomatoes.  Of course, that’s because the target audience is Christians, but the non-Christian critics are forced to watch a movie they have not connection with.  As a Christian, I score the movie a 50%, but if I had to choose out of 5 stars, I’d give it 2 of 5 (I’ll explain as I write). The movie attempts to prove either that God exists, or that there isn’t proof that He doesn’t exist.  Since it is a Christian movie, there are connections to Christ.  But what the movie doesn’t do is try to prove that Christ is that God (or Son of God).  Just by default it assumes that if there is a God, then it must be Jehovah, I AM, the Father of Jesus Christ.  HOWEVER, this is complicated by a few...

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Noah 2014 Movie Review ---

Noah 2014 Movie Review

Noah 2014 Movie Review Here’s my Noah 2014 movie review.  To sum it up in a few words it was well made, interesting, and not so biblically accurate.  At the opening weekend, Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie a 77% and the audience gave it a 70%.  I pretty much agree with that score.  I’d probably give it about a 6 of 10.  It’s not a bad movie, just not accurate.  What I like about it is that it will get people looking to the bible. Walking into the movie, there was a big poster article of Noah outside the door.  The poster said that the movie was banned by Muslims and some Christian groups.  Its emphasis was to say that this movie is an artistic piece of entertainment, and making it accurate would have been...

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Son of God Movie (2014) Review ---

Son of God Movie (2014) Review

Son of God Movie (2014) Review The Son of God movie was pretty good.  When it comes to gospel based movies, you’ll never get one that is JUST like the bible.  Everyone wants to add things for clarity.  On the other hand, if you compare this movie to other movies in the theater, then it might not measure up well.  This is a movie that will make sense to Christians due to familiarity with the bible, but not so much to non-Christians.  It’s because of the bible that I liked it, and because of the bible that I find things I didn’t like.  It’s better than what comes on TBN though, that’s for sure.  Presently on Rotten Tomatoes, the critics gave the movie a 25% and the audience gave it an 80%.  I myself would probably give the movie a 70-75%.  Obviously the audience on Rotten Tomatoes were more so Christian and the critics, maybe not so much.  This is my review from a Christian...

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Skeptic’s Annotated Study Bible Review ---

Skeptic’s Annotated Study Bible Review

 Biblebro Rating  Skeptic’s Annotated Bible  Quality 33%  Doctrine: (2/10)  Atheism  Notes: (5/10)  15,000 Notes?  References: (3/10)  KJV   The Skeptic’s Annotated Bible Author: Steve Wells, an x-Christian.  Nothing more is written about him personally in his book except “When I was a Christian, I never read the bible.  Not all the way through, anyway.  The problem was that I believed the Bible to be the inspired and inerrant word of God, yet the more I read it, the less credible the belief became.  I finally decided that to protect my faith in the Bible, I’d better quit trying to read it.”    Study Note’s Information Year published: 2012.  Website: www.skepticsannotatedbible.com and www.dwindlinginunbelief.blogspot.com Versions: KJV (because he thinks old English sounds funny and makes the bible seem more...

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OliveTree Bible Study VS YouVersion – Which Is Better? ---

OliveTree Bible Study VS YouVersion – Which Is Better?

OliveTree Bible Study VS YouVersion With so many bible apps out there, there are 2 that stand out above the rest.  The Olivetree Bible Study app is the most functional, but the YouVersion app has a lot of free stuff.  Here’s what they both offer:   OliveTree Bible Study Features + Bibles, Study Bibles, maps, atlases, devotionals, and other Christian related material + Computer software that syncs what’s been downloaded on the app Functions + Split screen for parallel bible or study notes + Flip page left/right or up/down, show strong’s numbers (with purchase) If you’re looking for deep bible study, OliveTree Bible Study (previously known as OliveTree Bible Reader) is the way to go.  The synced split screen makes study comparison very convenient.  Study Bibles, which must be purchased, are convenient to use since the study notes are synced to the split screen and the references open at the touch of a finger.  There’s a large library full of free books and books that can be purchased.  Anything that is downloaded to the tablet app can be synced with the computer app.  OliveTree Bible study is the most versatile of the bible study apps, since most Christian material can be accessed through...

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Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible Review ---

Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible Review

 Biblebro Rating  Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible  Quality 77%  Doctrine: (7/10)  Pentacostal  Notes: (8/10)  35,000 Notes  References: (8/10)  KJV & NKJV   Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible Author: Finis Jennings Dake, however there have been updates, and I can’t find the names of those who have added or edited the study notes.  Information on Dake’s personal life can be found at Wikipedia and Dake.com.   Study Note’s Information (8/10) Year published: 1963. Website: www.dake.com Versions: KJV, NKJV Price: $20-$100 (depending on the size of the book ordered) There are over 35,000 study notes that took 7 years to complete.  It is said that Dake spent over 100,000 hours in study for preparation for this book.  How did he calculate that, by a stop watch?  Most verses have study notes, and the study notes are longer than the bible itself.  That is good, because the explanations are usually lengthy and detailed.  On the bad side, Dake has a lot of redundant notes that only repeat what the bible has already said, like the notes for Ezra 9:5 which just restate everything the verse said and gives no more insight.  Notes for Exodus 1:7 points 2 and 3 are identical, which is something Dake overlooked.  Am I the first person to read all the study notes and find these typos?  It’s also got quite a few typos, but nothing too bad.  Overall, the notes are great...

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How I Rate Study Bibles ---

How I Rate Study Bibles

How I Rate Study Bibles It’s not the bible that I rate, it’s the actual notes that a person has made and attached to that bible that are rated here.  The bible is perfect, but the person who made the study notes for the bible may not have been guided as the writers of the bible were.  As a reviewer, I think it would be fair to first use these study bibles enough to give them an accurate rating.  Here is the information that all study bible reviews on this site will have:   Author’s Information Who wrote the book?  What did that person or team of people believe?  What was their denomination?  What was their experience, character, etc?  All of these things affect the study notes and their...

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Why Use a Study Bible? ---

Why Use a Study Bible?

Why Use a Study Bible? If you get the right study bible, you’ll learn more than you ever could have by listening to a preacher.  Reading the notes portion of a study bible is like reading the bible with a friend who helps answer your questions verse by verse, and it’s important to pick the right friend(s). I’ve compared study bibles, and it’s interesting to see that the notes of 2 different study bibles can be complete opposite in opinion.  That’s why it’s important to not just rely on one study bible for all your answers, but to compare different study notes.   How to Use a Study Bible Study notes are designed to be read from the beginning of a book/chapter, to the end of that book/chapter, with every note being read.  The author of the study notes certainly made the notes by going straight through a chapter or a book instead of hopping around, sporadically putting notes on certain verses.  This became clear to me when I was reading a study bible and saw that notes format of one book was one way, while the format changed in another book.  The author of the notes didn’t hop around from verse to verse, so we probably shouldn’t...

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Review Content ---

Review Content

Reviews This category has been added to provide helpful information on Christian related material.  The purpose of reviewing study bibles, hymns, and other Christian study tools is to act as a guide so that you can make good choices on where to spend your time to grow in Christ.   Reviewing Study Bibles How can a person judge/rate a study bible?  Well, the word of God itself is perfect, but the study notes of a study bible are not necessarily perfect.  They’ve been written by 1 person, or sometimes a team of people, who actually may or may not have been led by God to publish the study notes.  The person who wrote the study notes, their character, and beliefs definitely affect their notes.  Therefore, I’ve decided to rate these study bibles in 3 areas: Doctrine, Notes, and...

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