The F.O.G is the World’s First Open-Source Bible Trilogy where Your Voice Counts

The F.O.G Bible Process

Creating a brand new Bible(s) is a gargantuan task requiring immense wisdom and Divine intervention quite honestly to complete. However us humans have a knack for inventing clever ways of doing things, which is only fitting as we are images of God, and today I want to talk about one such invention that comes from the software coding world.

What is Open-Source?

You see open-source is a term that comes from the coding world and it’s built on the concept that basically says the more we open up the source code to other talented people the better the original code gets. A great example of this is WordPress which powers about a third of all websites online and keeps getting better because of its open-source code.

Now believe it or not this ‘make it better’ process applies to translating the Word of God, which is why we get updates to our favorite Bible versions every generation or so. Because here’s the hard-truth: the truly best Bible requires you to read the multiple codexes and papyri artefacts written in Greek and Hebrew-Aramaic with a little bit of Akkadian and Sumerian influences to boot. This is simply not feasible for the everyday follower of Jesus! So we have a number of English translations which for the most part do an excellent job.

But if you’ve ever read the footnotes of your Bible you will notice there are scholarly debates about some of the nuances of what the author actually meant. A classic example is Paul’s head-covering issue and the whole matter of women in Church leadership.

This is why we have a range of opinions from people who love God, but aren’t always sure of the best interpretation. No matter how confident your pastor or favorite Bible teacher sounds, none of them know it all. And I thank God that when we meet Jesus in Heaven, He doesn’t say to us, “Well done my child, you had perfect theology!” 🙂

So in an effort to bridge this interpretation gap let’s talk about this new Bible project.

What is the Open-Source Bible Trilogy?

I have begun the work of creating three new F.O.G Bibles to suit different audiences whilst highlighting ancient context. These multiple Bibles allow me to show different translations of words whilst being able to target different audiences like seminary students, readers and kids.

But what I’ve begun I am now opening to both Biblical scholars and interested believers to comment. For the non-scholars I will be showing my process of using Logos Bible software which is very simple, and will amaze you when you start seeing how the original Bible sounded. My vision is that even a person who has no interest in learning Greek or Hebrew will at least give their favorite verse a go by comparing other Bible translations and putting it in their own words.

Here’s a fun example: Do you know that +90% of the ‘you’s’ in the Bible are actually you all (plural). So the more accurate translation, to the delight of all my Texan friends is ‘y’all’ or all y’all 🙂

This is just one example, but there are so many where different words for your favorite verses can be chosen and still be equally accurate if not more accurate than the Bible you currently use.

I will give you another example and it has to do with the sky. A lot of the time you see the word heaven in your Bible it would be more accurate to translate it sky. Take for example Matthew 16:1-2 and notice where the Pharisees ask for the sign to come from, and what the reply of Jesus is.

One day the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus, demanding that He show them a sign from Heaven to prove His authority. Jesus replied, “You know the saying, ‘Red sky at night means fair weather tomorrow, red sky in the morning means bad weather all day.’ You know how to interpret the weather by signs in the sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the signs of the times.”

It’s clear from how Jesus responds that the religious leaders were demanding a sign from the sky; like Elijah calling down fire. Yet in the verse we have the same Greek word translated as sky and heaven. Another example is the amount of times our English Bibles say heaven (sky) when it’s actually heavens (skies).

For example it’s not the Kingdom of Heaven, but the Kingdom of the heavens. This is important as it makes you think about the multiple jurisdictions (heavens and earth) we will have with King Jesus; when we judge the angels from up there.

Another example is this: Our Father who art in the heavens (skies). Right click ‘heaven’ in Logos and you will see its a Greek plural. What I love about this is how Jesus is telling us that not even the heavens can contain our God. He exists outside of our space-time continuum, yet somehow is still able to interact personally with us as our beloved Father.

Can you see what I mean?

Simple little changes to the English translation make a world of difference for how you read the Bible. So if you haven’t already sign-up to become a member to continue learning and to save your own versions. And now I will show you how to create versions of your favorite Bible verse for private or peer review.

Note: If you’re a Bible scholar you can skip section. However whilst you are here, I am looking to add more scholars to my Biblical experts panel. I encourage you to join as a member and then look up your primary verses your dissertation was based on. Then comment on it with your motivations for a possible edit to the translation. In other words let me know your translation pet peeves.

Create your own Bible verses