It's been a number of years since I graduated from seminary. As I look back, I would have given almost anything for any one of the programs in this year's Software Review. This year's batch of software is a little different. We have a couple of returns but mostly we have new programs to share. (If you would like to review last year's survey to learn about some of the programs not covered here, visit the Preaching web site: www.preaching.com/preaching/features)

Some of the programs reviewed this year are directly related to Bible study and some directly related to preaching. Of course some work for both. So, let's look at this year's software.

Unless noted, these programs run in Windows 95 or Windows 98.

BIBLE STUDY SOFTWARE

Bible Study Software is an individual thing. No two of the programs take the same approach or use the same or similar interface. They all contain much of the same information, in various forms, so the secret to being happy with your Bible Software is finding one that feels comfortable and intuitive to you. Next to the Word itself, the interface may be the single most important aspect of Bible software. Most of the major Bible software vendors will let you purchase a sampler CD (I know Logos and WORDsearch do.) If not, then talk with your friends or ask your store about return policies. Find one you like, then build upon it.

Bible Works 4

Wow! I would have given my eye teeth for this program both in college and seminary. I have never seen a more powerful exegetical software tool. I would have aced New Testament Greek with the help of this program. And now I can go back and refresh my studies as I do all that ground work for the weekly task of preaching.

There are absolutely too many Original Language texts and Bible Translations to list. There are 14 Greek and Hebrew texts. There are 15 English translations plus German, French, Haitian Creole, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Albanian, Vietnamese (Romanized) and Indonesian.

There are 13 Lexicons including Liddell-Scott Greek, abridged; UBS Greek-English Concise Dictionary of the New Testament and Thayers abridged Greek-English, Greek-French and Greek-Russian.

Like most serious Bible Study packages today, Bible Works also includes Naves and A Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge plus other Reference Works.

The interface is intuitive and easy to use. There is extensive hypertext online help. The CD includes some Lotus ScreenCam instructional videos that are very helpful.

I probably can't say enough good about this program. The only thing it doesn't do is write your sermon and plan potluck suppers. But it can help you determine the origin, meaning and instances of both events in more than one language.

The people at Hermeneutika have really built a top notch program. Unlike most of the Bible programs which have opened their libraries to every kind of work (sermons, illustrations, daily devotionals etc.) Bible-Works has a single focus, the study of the Word. Don't get me wrong, including all of the other types of material is great and we've all benefited from the growing library of books available to us. But Bible Works has stayed focused on one thing. And that's good news for those who want to dive into serious study of Scripture. If that's your aim, then this is the software for you and well worth every penny.