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Question: why are there so many Bible translations?

Answer: Copyright law. If you're a publisher, it's probably cheaper to hire some scholars to do a "new" translation that you can copyright rather than licensing it from some other copyright holder.

The net effect is that we have a lot of really, really similar Bible translations. There are only a couple of major decisions that translators have to make, such as using a little more inclusive language ("the person" instead of "the man", stuff like that) and being slightly more or less literal ("gird up the loins" becomes "prepare for action").

The new (2011) NIV is actually pretty similar to the NRSV. One result of the last 50 years of new Bible translations is that they've all settled on basically the same formula. But the NRSV is what you'll hear on Sunday mornings, it's more academic and less American Evangelical, and it's a little closer to the Tyndale/KJV traditional readings. I prefer it (when I'm not reading the KJV and the Coverdale Psalter).

Quick comparision: Matthew 6:5-6

>NRSV: And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

>NIV (2011): And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Pretty close, right!

I'm a big fan of Cambridge Bibles. They are top quality, printed and bound in Europe. They have the NRSV in a couple of editions; I own the Popular Text Anglicised (with some British spelling and rephrasing, it's not that noticeable), and the Reference Edition.

I strongly believe that you should have a Reference Bible rather than a "Study Bible". The problem with a Study Bible is that usually 50% or more of the words on the page are not the Bible text! So when I read a Study Bible, I usually end up getting caught up with the commentary and spend a lot less time reading and meditating on the text itself. A Reference Bible has the translator's notes and a standard set of references to related verses, which I find much more helpful. If I want the commentary, I'll go to a Bible Dictionary.

So that's what I recommend. Check out the Cambridge NRSV Reference edition. If your budget allows, spend $100-200 to get a leather bound edition that will last a lifetime. Or get the hardcover edition for $35. This is the one I own. My "lifetime" Bible is the Cambridge Concord KJV bound in goatskin; for other Bibles and prayer books I go with a quality hardcover.

OK. There's some decent intro books to the TEC, like "Welcome to the Episcopal Church" and "Your Faith Your Life", which is the book we used in my TEC reception (confirmation) class. There's also a section in the Book of Common Prayer which goes into some of the general theology.

Here's some short entries on differences between RCC and TEC:

• https://www.reddit.com/r/Anglicanism/comments/6s3dlw/whats_the_difference_from_catholic_va_episcopal/
  
  
• http://www.stpaulsepiscopalbakersfield.org/for-our-roman-catholic-friends.html
  
  
• https://bustedhalo.com/ministry-resources/what-is-the-difference-in-belief-between-roman-catholics-and-espicopalians-i-was-once-told-all-the-ceremony-and-half-the-guilt-but-there-must-be-more-to-it-than-that
  
  
• https://www.episcopalchurch.org/library/article/what-difference-between-episcopal-church-and-roman-catholic-church
  
  One thing you may find a little different or frustrating (depending) is that TEC has much more of a "big tent" approach to dogma and catechism, so you have a lot more theological diversity in TEC, and as a result sometimes have high-profile church leaders like Bp. Spong saying things that are pretty out-there from a theological perspective and not being censored b/c there's no equivalent to the RCC's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in TEC, at least AFAIK. That's also why you sometimes find folks wandering in here asking "What's the Episcopal Church's position on (issue X)?" and walking away frustrated because there isn't one simple "every believer affirms it is Y" answer to some of those questions, at least in my experience. I think most of TEC theology begins from the Creed and works from there.
  
  Hope that helps! And welcome!

I'd highly recommend: Good Christian Sex: Why Chastity Isn't the Only Option-And Other Things the Bible Says About Sex https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062428594/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_6CVJDbNTNZH2S

The author is a priest herself and came to my Episcopal campus ministry and we had a really good discussion about these issues. It's a really good book that thinks about sex in a more productive way that isn't based around shame. She also has some things in there about LGBTQ folks.

Best of luck with your journey wherever it takes you.

Another worthwhile book to check out is Welcome to the Episcopal Church . It's a short, to the point, and plain-English explanation of Episcopalianism. I found it very helpful when I was first doing some reading.

A book that helps me wrestle with this is Womanist Midrash: A Reintroduction to the Women of the Torah and the Throne by the Rev. Dr. Wilda Gafney, an Episcopal priest and biblical scholar. She both digs into some of the context of the stories as well as grapples with it from a modern perspective. And the book was super accessible as well as informative.

I once heard the rabbi of the reform temple in our city tell us something like, "You know, being Jewish is about not being Christian."

In many ways it is the same with us. Our church is not really about what we are not, except we do sometimes define ourselves in contrast to the RCC, in contrast to Calvinism or in contrast to Puritanism.

I've recently recommended The Ultimate Quest: A Geek’s Guide to (The Episcopal) Church by the Rev. Jordan Haynie Ware. Her chapter in which she gives a 3 page history of the Book of Common Prayer and walks the reader through the BCP as a way of understanding our faith tradition is quite enlightening.

Our church is so diverse but the one thing we have in common is our commitment to common prayer through our prayer book. She argues that our tradition is more interested in common prayer than in common belief. We aren't even that interested in uniformity of ceremony.

OK. I'm writing a book on it, so I've given this lots and lots of thought.

I do rite 2, because my parish is rite 2 and the monastic community with which I have an affiliation is rite 2.

Morning Prayer:
I don't do the Confession generally. I say one of the opening sentences. I use the Venite with an antiphon outside of Eastertide, or the Pascha Nostrum for all of Eastertide. I use the 30 day psalm schedule unless I'm feeling impatient or I'm praying at the parish. I flip the 19th day morning and evening schedule so Psalm 95 winds up at night (which gets around having the Venite and Psalm 95 both at the same office). I say Gloria Patri after each psalm or portion of psalm 119, and I keep a time of silence. Two readings (OT + Epistle) in the morning. I follow the suggested canticles (p. 145) for the first canticle, and Benedictus for the second. I use suffrages A, unless the Te Deum was the first canticle in which case I use suffrages B. I do three collects: of the day (last Sunday, or a lesser feast), then I cycle through the seven listed in the office, then one of the prayers for mission. I pray General Thanksgiving on major feast days. I don't do St. Crysostom.


Evening Prayer:
I don't do the Confession generally. I say one of the opening sentences. I use the Phos Hilaron on Sundays and major feasts. I do one scriptural reading (Gospel), and the Magnificat, and then a non-scriptural reading from this book or this book or this book. I always use suffrages B in the evening. I do the collects the same way as I do at Morning Prayer. I conclude with the Marian antiphon appropriate to the season, since I don't typically do Compline.

Further, I would recommend to anyone who thinks that Prayer, and Scripture are not a part of our faith to Rowan Williams' book Being Christian. In the text, Williams highlights both prayer and the study of scripture to be integral to the Christian life as well as Baptism and reception of The Eucharist.

https://www.amazon.com/Being-Christian-Baptism-Eucharist-Prayer/dp/0802871976

Yes!

• BCP in red
  
• BCP in black
  
• BCP + Bible in red
  
• BCP + Bible in black

This book is a good entry way into the Episcopal Church (TEC): https://www.amazon.com/People-Called-Episcopalians-Introduction-Revised-ebook/dp/B00MXERC8Y/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=introduction+to+the+episcopal+church&qid=1569422186&s=gateway&sr=8-7

I also use this book for those in my church who are discerning confirmation, and allows in particular those from different Christian traditions to compare theirs to the Episcopal inflection: https://www.amazon.com/Your-Faith-Life-Invitation-Episcopal/dp/0819233714/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=your+faith+your+life&qid=1569422267&s=gateway&sr=8-1

https://skills-store.amazon.com/deeplink/dp/B07VF5TTRW?deviceType=app&share&refSuffix=ss_copy


https://skills-store.amazon.com/deeplink/dp/B07VG6FJH3?deviceType=app&share&refSuffix=ss_copy

https://skills-store.amazon.com/deeplink/dp/B07VKPFBVF?deviceType=app&share&refSuffix=ss_copy

https://skills-store.amazon.com/deeplink/dp/B07VKPBX1N?deviceType=app&share&refSuffix=ss_copy


Hope these work. I'm not very tech savy

Christianity: The First 3000 years by Diarmaid MacCulloch. It's an extensive tome (1200 pages!) that covers pretty much everything.

You can also look at the BCP online to get a feel for the service if you’re nervous about heading to a new church (I get nervous and like to scope out the BCP and also their website).

If you want to read more about the Episcopal Church, I would recommend Walk in Love

Yeah; there's some on Amazon. One is https://www.amazon.com/Common-Prayer-Revised-Standard-Version/dp/0898695791 but it's still not cheap.

That is an issue with the Anglican Breviary; the cost is a little high, but it's cheaper than the other options to say the Office. That said, what's the issue with the KJV?

Here is a theological primer:

https://www.amazon.com/Christ-Conqueror-Hell-Orthodox-Perspective/dp/0881410616