Review: “Eternity Now: The New Testament Series” (NET)
I am a member of the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid (BG2). As a #BibleGatewayPartner, I have received a copy of “NET Eternity Now: The New Testament Series” published by Thomas Nelson Publishers at no cost to me in exchange for an honest review here on the Adonai Shalom USA blog. #BG2
“Eternity Now: The New Testament Series” (New English Translation
The “Eternity Now: New Testament Series” comes as a boxed set of five books. Each cover is appealing and each title captures the essence of the New Testament books contained within them. The titles are creative but remain theologically appropriate. I was particularly struck by the “Now but not Yet” title for John’s writings because it reminded me of one of my seminary professors who always reminded us of this aspect of John’s record. To me, this suggests accuracy and faithfulness to the original texts while tastefully displaying the creativity of those who compiled this series.
The New English Translation (NET)
Of note, the Bible version used here is the NET, the New English Translation. This is a fairly recent translation, completed in 2019. The translators’ aim according to the series’ note to the reader was to “creat[e] an English Bible translation that could overcome old challenges and boldly open the door for new possibilities.”
I’m assuming the “challenges” may refer to moving beyond the archaic language of the King James Version, but I am unsure as to of what exactly consistent the “new possibilities” hoped for by the translators. It seems to me that the New English Translation seeks a more vernacular tone making it easier for modern readers to understand without losing accuracy.
In each book, a letter to the reader explains more about the NET translation. One thing that I found particularly interesting was this claim: “Throughout the NET’s translation process, every working draft was made publicly available on the Internet. Bible scholars, ministers, and laypersons from around the world logged millions of review sessions. No other translation is so openly accountable to the worldwide church or has been so thoroughly vetted” (Eternity Now, viii). Additionally, the NET allows ministries to use the translation freely due to “ministry-first copyright innovations” (Eternity Now, x).
That really is very unique and an awesome use of modern technology for the sake of the Gospel!
Book Review and Description
The “Eternity Now“ series is a compilation of all of the books of the New Testament/B’rit Chadashah arranged in a manner making it read more like a novel. This book set would be a wonderful gift idea for a young person in your life who might not otherwise read the Bible.
Each book contains the writings of the New Testament, still divided into chapters, but verse number superscripts are left out. Again, this makes the text read more like a novel than a traditional Bible, but the Biblical text remains the same and has not been altered. This series would perhaps not be appropriate for traditional “study” due to the lack of verse number indicators, but would work well for any type of personal devotional.
The paperback format makes these books easy to carry. Someone sitting beside another on the metro will not immediately recognize that the person with one of these books is reading Scripture. It is reader-friendly, eye-catching, and somewhat unconventional.
My recommendation:
★★★★★
Rating: 5 out of 5.
I value anything that gets Scripture out to people, especially to people who might not otherwise read the Bible for themselves. This is a useful evangelical tool that I could see placed on coffee tables at clinics and coffeeshops with the hope that someone might pick it up to read and be surprised by the wonderful Good News it contains.
I recommend the “Eternity Now: New Testament Series” and hope that you find it to be a blessing either for yourself personally or for someone who you are praying will come to the saving knowledge of and relationship with our LORD.
Pastora Jennifer Mieliulis Fuentes, M.Div., Duke University
Book details
Title: “NET Eternity Now: The New Testament Series”
Author: Compilation
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: July 2022
Genre: Bibles/Other English Translations/Reading
ISBN-13: 978-0-7852-9127-5
PURCHASE LINKS: Amazon | FaithGateway Store
If you are looking for another wonderful Scripture resource, check out my review of “Spurgeon and the Psalms: The Book of Psalms with Devotions from Charles Spurgeon” also published by Thomas Nelson.
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