The Patriot's Bible: Initial Impression

My full review is a while away but here are my initial thoughts…

Aesthetics

Initially I have to say that it’s an attractive Bible.  Nothing too flashy on the inside.  The colors used are what I’d describe as muted and they really look nice.  The paper is nice and thick so there’s no bleed-through.  There’s a bunch of nice color photos throughout.  I don’t like that they went with a dust jacket though.  It would have been nicer to just print directly on the hardcover which is just plain navy blue.

Front Matters

There’s a number of commemorative pages in the front:

• Presentation page
• Marriage Certification page
• Family Records page(s)
• Church Record page
• Family History page
• Ancestors of Interest page
• Map of the USA
• Fifty States page
• Military and Public Service page
• Deaths of Family Members page

Honestly, it’s a bit much.  I never saw the need for anything past the presentation page which is nice for when you’re giving a Bible as a gift.  Other than that I wouldn’t think to record all that other info in a Bible. 

There’s also a 4 page spread on “The Seven Principles of the Judeo-Christian Ethic.”  They’re listed as:

1. The Dignity of Human Life
2. The Traditional Monogamous Family
3. A National Work Ethic
4. The Right to a God-Centered Education
5. The Abrahamic Covenant
6. Common Decency
7. Our Personal Accountability to God

I’d think that a Muslim could affirm pretty much everything on that list save #2 (and they’d have a radically different understanding of #5).

Then there’s a page called “A Call to Action” where it talks about prayer, the processes for bringing about change, participating with those processes, and perseverance.  The most odd bit is in the section on perseverance since it says:

When fighting for the right, we must never cease until we prevail. The battle is not always won by the strongest, the smartest, or the most elite, but ultimately it comes to those who persist and persevere. When soon-to-be President George Washington led his troops into battle during the Revolutionary War, he lost most of those battles, but through perseverance he ultimately won the war. As a result, we won our independence from the British and became a free people. Our Lord taught us that when we put our hands to the plow of a righteous cause, we are never to look back, but to persevere and prevail. (F-16*)

But Jesus isn’t talking about perseverance here (is he?), he’s talking about loyalty to him.  When you flip over to Luke 9:57-62 in this Bible the section heading even reads “The Cost of Discipleship.”  This is a strange application of the verse and I pray that it doesn’t represent the overall use of Scripture throughout this Bible.  If so then I’m in for a lot of head scratching. 

B”H

*The front pages aren’t numbered so I’ve designated them F = front.