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If you’ve ever gone searching for a new Bible, you know that the process can be overwhelming. Not only do you have dozens of English language translations to choose from, but there’s also dozens of study Bibles and themed Bibles and the list goes on. It’s hard to know what to choose. But amid the fray, Dr. Gene Getz’s CSB Life Essentials Interactive Study Bible stands out.
The Interview | Josh Olds and Gene Getz
This excerpt has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity. You can listen to the full interview by clicking the play button above or subscribing at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Josh Olds: The intersection of Christianity and multimedia has been a really strong part of your ministry from the beginning, hasn’t it? Your first book dealt with this.
Dr. Gene Getz: Yes! It was called Audio-Visual Media in the Church. I was teaching at Moody Bible Institute and taught a course in media and there was no textbook—so I wrote one and Moody Press published it. I had no idea that was the beginning of my written ministry and eventually, of course, turned into a lot of biblical materials. After I came to Dallas Theological and got in into church planting, but yeah, I taught media way back, believe it or not, in 1958, long before you were born. It became a part of my soul and part of my heart and just part of my, the way I think in terms of communication. So I think all that was just part of God’s grace and God’s leadership in my own life, and I’m just thankful that I was able to utilize that background and talent at this moment in my life.
Josh Olds: This isn’t a project that you can do without really reassessing and revisiting the entire Bible. As you filmed this series, as you worked through these principles, was there anything that new or different or that felt like, “Oh, I hadn’t actually grasped that before now.”
Dr. Gene Getz: Do you have all day? It was just a constant learning experience. I just finished working on a series of teachings in the Gospel of john. And, man, I saw new things, you know, that I hadn’t seen before. And it’s true of every book of the Bible. It was a constant learning experience for me to see those connections between the Old Testament and the New Testament. And it was just an experience of interacting with what God’s written to us, which is divine and something that will endure forever. So it shouldn’t surprise us that it’s a constant learning experience that we should take seriously in our life here on earth.
The Book | Life Essentials Interactive Study Bible
In the CSB Life Essentials Study Bible, renowned Bible teacher, Dr. Gene Getz guides readers through Scripture by expounding on 1,500 life principles found throughout the Bible. Distilling these truths into life principles, Dr. Getz helps readers remember and apply the Bible’s wisdom to everyday life.
The CSB Life Essentials Study Bible integrates a multimedia digital study system with more than 250 hours of in-depth video teachings from Dr. Gene Getz on these essential life principles (accessed through smartphone-accessible QR codes). Questions follow each principle to inspire personal reflection or group discussion. A topical index and cross references for all 1,500 life principles is included, and each book introduction provides a list of corresponding life principles found in that book.
The Editor | Gene Getz
Gene A. Getz (1932-): A college and seminary professor, writer, and pastor who successfully integrated the philosophy of renewal into a local church setting. He is perhaps best known for his 1974 text, Sharpening the Focus of the Church, which looks at the church through the lenses of Scripture, history, and culture. A popular and prolific author, many of his books focus on developing local church leaders and Christian character. Getz has significant influence across evangelical Christianity.