Living a hedonistic lifestyle in big liberal city for many years has caused me to stray from the path of God. The events that have unfolded in these last few months brought me here. I want to get my life in order and get back on track to what really matters.
I'm planning to get a bible and start going to church so I'm looking for some newbie advice on where to start? Which version can be trusted? Which type of Church hasn't been compromised? Any green flags or red flags to look out for?
Hi pede!
You can read any version, but just realize that there might be some slight translation differences between the too.
NRSV - New Revised Standard version is the one used by scholars - it's a translation of Jewish and Christian scholars using oldest originals available. This one is nice if you want the "direct" translation, but do know that there is Jewish bias, so some of the prophecies might be adjusted. This is good to see if there is an alternate translation from jewish perspective.
NKJV - New King James Version is very popular but could be harder to read.
NASB - North American Standard Bible - I prefer this one. Easy to read and seems like a very good literal translation
NIV - Another popular one used by churches.
The Message - This book was translated for laymen terms. A lot of context can be lost, so only read this if another version is too difficult. Just realize you shouldn't be quoting from it.
TLDR: If you want to get closer to God, I would say NASB is good. But when you start getting deeper into definitions, it's always a good idea to cross reference with other Bibles. For the most part they will be translated the same, but you have to be careful about making theological choices based on specific translation of a specific line, you want to get context!