Logos Subscriptions Bad or Good for Your Bible Study?
Should you upgrade to the one of the new Logos subscriptions or stay put? We'll show what they offer and how to save money.
When Logos released the new Logos Subscriptions version of the Logos Bible Study Platform, it dropped the numbering nomenclature and added a subscription model. These moves upset some users and confused others, so we want to help alleviate the confusion. We can explain the name quickly, but the new Logos subscriptions model will take up more space here on KevinPurcell.org.
The most significant new features in the Logos Subscription options include AI tools, a redesigned user interface, Bible Study Builder, and a vastly improved Sermon Assistant with AI Outlines, Questions, and Sermon Illustrations.
What's the New Logos Called?
Just Logos! Previous versions all came with the number of that update - Logos 9 went to Logos 10. However, Logos 10 was something like Logos 10.11.34. Then they released Logos 10.12 or something like that. So, now they're getting rid of the first two digits that we expected to be Logos 11. Instead, they want to release more minor updates, which they call versions.
The company named the new subscription-based version of the program Logos Version 37. That's because the last version of Logos 10 came with version 36. Sometime soon, they will give us Logos 38 and so on. For a while, I'll call it the New Logos Version 37.
Get One Extra Month Free
Whether you're an owner of Logos 10 or trying it out for the first time, you can use this link add 30 days free. That means you'll get either 30 or 60 days for free..
Three Options for Logos Subscriptions
You can subscribe to one of three options for the new Logos Subscriptions (affiliate link). They focus on three groups of users as follows:
- Bible Study Leaders: Logos Premium starts at $9.99/month and will help people who lead Bible studies.
- Pastors: Logos Pro starts at $14.99/month and adds tools intended to help pastors dive deeper into the Bible and write sermons. You can start using Logos for slightly more advanced language study at this level.
- Academic Users: Logos Premium starts at $19.99/month and takes users to the level of a scholar studying the Bible in advanced ways for scholarly research, translation, and writing academic research projects for school.
Each of the above subscription levels comes in annual subscriptions, too. You can get Premium for $99.99/year. Pro costs $149.99/year, and Max costs $199.99/year. If you pay for two years, you'll get a 21% discount off the second year, so the three cost $189.900, $284.80, or $379.80.
If you already own Logos 10, you can save on a subscription. Check out the chart above to see your savings. Also, using my Logos Affiliate link will give you an extra 30 days in your free trial offer.
Subscribers get more tools per tier the more you pay. For example, the cheapest plan doesn't include the Counseling Guide or Lexham Counseling Ontology Dataset. Pro and Premium subscribers will also not get many of Max's language tools. And each tier bumps up the number of included books you get. Premium users won't get the High-Definition Commentaries that Lexham Press produced, nor will they enjoy the Holman Old and New Testament Commentaries.
Which of the Logos Subscriptions Should You Choose?
Most people should take a look at Logos Pro. That level gives you the best bang for your buck with Logos subscriptions. Otherwise, go with the tier Logos recommends for each level of the Logos subscriptions. Lay people who teach the Bible could go with Premium. Pastors could get Pro, and academics could subscribe to Max. However, some laypeople may want more books and language tools. They should jump up to Pro. Some pastors might now use language tools as much and don't need the Pro features and tools.
You could also approach your decision based on money. Buy the most you can afford. Try to save by going with an annual or a 2-year subscription.
2025 Logos Collections for Subscribers Only
First, remember that you have to subscribe to buy one of these new 2025 Logos Collections.
While the subscriptions include many new books, Logos also adds new 2025 Libraries. Their offerings look too complicated. I wish they'd simplify things, but people love the dizzying array of options. Let's try to understand the possibilities.
Think of the collection colors as levels. They offer Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. You can start lower with the Starter Library or higher with the Collector's Edition Library.
To see the new libraries and what they offer, look at the slideshow below.
They label the collections with the year and level for 2025. We assume that we'll also get 2026 and 2027 libraries.
Add to the year and color a user description. Logos offers a 2025 Starter Library, which costs the least and comes with less than any other collection. If you're a Leader (the target of the least expensive Logos Premium Subscription), then consider the Leader Starter Library, which has a different set of tools at the introductory price than that basic Starter Library.
Logos offers libraries not just for Starter and Leader categories but also for Preachers and Researchers. You can combine them for options like the 2025 Preacher Silver Library or the Leader Gold Library. If you have a lot of money, you could purchase the 2025 Researcher Portfolio Library for $3,324.99 or the 2025 Collector's Edition Library for a whopping $7,699.99.
Don't forget dynamic pricing for 2025 libraries. The above prices mainly target new buyers. However, if you already own Logos and a library of books, you can save money. Make sure to sign in to Logos.com and then check prices.
Logos Ownership Explained
If you choose to subscribe to Logos, then do you own Logos? The answer depends on when you first purchased or subscribed to Logos. First, if you owned Logos before the subscription update, then you will own what you owned before. However, you won't receive any new features that come with this Logos version 37 or higher.
Subscribers will earn the right to own the new features of their subscription after 24 months of subscribing. If you subscribed to Logos Pro today and then chose to stop subscribing in November 2026, you'd keep all the new features that came with the subscription. Logos calls this the "Legacy Fallback License." This only applies to features that don't rely on the cloud or any new Logos AI features. You have to have owned a Logos base package to receive this Logos Fallback License.
Should You Subscribe to the New Version of Logos?
That's a terribly complicated question without an easy answer. Here are some people I think will enjoy subscribing to Logos. Take a look at the screenshots in the gallery below.
- You love having the latest and greatest version of Logos and are willing to pay $7-$20 monthly or $70-$200 annually for the new features and books.
- You want the new features (see screenshots above) available only to subscribers, like...
- Dark mode without restarting Logos.
- Getting started wizard to new users.
- Smart search.
- Insights.
- Help Center improvements.
- Factbook improvements.
- Summarize tool.
- Bible Study Builder.
- Sermon Assistant with AI Outlines, questions, illustrations, and application.
- Sermon Builder/Manager on Android and iOS
- You want a 5% discount on everything you buy and enjoy free books and courses and a 5% rebate on everything you buy in a year.
Don't subscribe if you can't afford a monthly or annual fee and/or don't think the new features will benefit your Bible study. Some people hate subscriptions, so don't upgrade if that describes you.
I received a free upgrade but planned to pay for it before I knew Logos would give me a free subscription to write an article for them at ChurchTechToday.com.
The New Logos Subscription Model and How to Save Money
What's with all these new Logos subscription tiers and libraries. We'll explain what's going on and what you should get. We've also got a deal for 2 months free.
Logos released a new version of Logos Bible Study on October 21. It includes some interesting new features and a new user interface; however, they also introduced a new subscription model. So, what's new in the new Logos, and should you subscribe to one of the three new tiers of Logos version 37?
What Do You Call the New Logos?
For over 20 years, I've used Logos 3, 4, or some other version that ended in a small number. When Logos 10 came out, that became the last version that we'd described that way. What we called Logos 10 was called something like Logos 10.24.01. They just dropped the final numbers and called it Logos 10. We're dropping the 10 and getting Logos 37 as the first version of the new Logos (my Partner Link gets you 2 free months), which we thought they'd call Logos 11.
Logos Changed the Way You Buy the Logos Bible Study Platform
In the past, most people upgraded to Logos XX by paying for new features plus a library of new books. Now, you pay for a monthly, annual, or two-year subscription and add a library of books in a separate purchase.
Think of it like this. You decide to lease a home to own. YOu're paying monthly for the right to live there and over time you build up enough equity that you can buy it and own it outright. However, you decided you also want to make some improvements, so you add on a new bedroom and bathroom. You turn on of the rooms into a home theater and you build a nice gazebo out back.
Logos asks you to subscribe to get the new version and then asks you to add-on. You pay monthly for the new version of Logos like you pay monthly for the house. You add onto the house and make improvements like you buy a 2025 Library for the new Logos 37. If you quit paying for the home, the bank will kick you out. If you quit paying for the new Logos, then you lose the new features, unless you subscribe for a minium time. I'll explain that below when we discuss the "Legacy Fallback License".
To get new features, you will have to subscribe. Logos told me:
We will no longer sell a perpetual license to feature sets to consumers. For software, subscription will be the only way to get a premium Logos experience.
The subscription doesn't give you libraries of books. You will get the tools needed to use the new features. These will mostly come from Logos and not other publishers like Zondervan, Holman, or Baker, to name a few.
Three Tiers of Subscriptions
Logos reduced the number of different groups of features from nine to only three. They are as follows:
- Logos Premium - Focused on lay leaders who teach a small group in their church or community. The tools sit at the intermediate level of skill or knowledge and focus on English language study. Think of the old Bronze level of feature sets.
- Logos Pro - Focused on pastors and preachers who pastor a church or often preach and teach the Bible. They need advanced-level tools and will get access to intermediate-level language tools in Greek and Hebrew. People who study deuterocanonical books will need this level of subscription. Think of the old Preaching Suite or Silver packages.
- Logos Max - Bible students who need serious language study tools for advanced research will want to pay for this level. You get the whole feature set at this level to study Greek, Hebrew, Latin, Syriac, and more. Scholars or language nerds will want this subscription.
Most Logos users will want the Logos Pro level unless they need hardcore Bible study tools. However, lay people should get Premium, and then if they think they need more, they should jump up to Pro. Start lower and move up if you need it.
Logos Subscription Pricing and Benefits
How much does the new Logos subscription cost, and what do you enjoy besides the latest features? We'll share the full price. You can get discounts if you own Logos 10 or an older version.
- Logos Premium - $9.99/month, $99.99/year, or $189.80 for two years.
- Logos Pro - $ 14.99/month, $149.99/year, or $284.80 for two years.
- Logos Max - $19.99/month, $199.99/year, or $379.80 for two years.
If you own Logos 10 Bronze or higher, take $3, $5, or $7 off the monthly price of the three tiers. What if you own something lower than Logos 10 Bronze now? The discount gets smaller ($1, $2, $3).
Logos also offers discounts for Faculty and Students who subscribe annually. These users also get excellent deals on libraries—more on those below.
What else do you get besides the new features? Take 5% off every purchase from the store. Get another free book each month and up to eight Logos Mobile Ed courses each quarter. Pro and Max subscribers get access to the Logos Sermons service, which lets you host sermons online in a podcast or transcript format.
Pro and Max subscribers will earn an annual coupon worth 5% of all purchases the previous year. This coupon arrives in February each year and is only for current subscribers. So, if you plan to cancel your subscription, don't do it until after February, or you'll lose this perk.
Legacy Fallback License
What happens if you cancel your subscription? You will lose access to the features that you get by subscribing. However, there's something Logos calls a "Legacy Fallback License," which allows users to keep offline features when they end their subscription after 24 straight months of subscribing. You'll keep the features that don't need cloud or AI. If you have any questions about this, contact Logos to see what you'll lose before you cancel.
What Do You Get in the New Logos Subscription?
What's available in Logos after a user subscribes? We'll cover the new features in another fuller article, but here's a quick listing of new features taken from Logos PR documents:
- Dark mode without restart.
- Get Started Wizard - shows up on the new Logos Dashboard.
- Smart Search - use regular language to search your library.
- Insights - quick looks at your most essential library tools with one click.
- Dynamic toolbar - we covered this in a previous article.
- Help Center (see screenshot below).
- Factbook improvements - new sections and "lenses" to see what's in their passage.
- Smart Synopsis - AI-generated synopsis from search results with footnotes.
- Summarize tool - quick summaries of books, passages, or search results. More is coming.
- Bible Study Builder - the Wordsearch Lesson Maker, but reimagined for Logos and with better-resulting questions.
- Sermon Assistant - Only for Logos Pro and Max Subscribers...
- Outlines - AI-suggested sermon themes and outlines.
- Questions - AI-suggested questions for discussion based on your sermons built using Logos Sermon Builder
- Applications and illustrations - AI-generated sermon applications and illustrations from your sermons.
- Sermon Builder/Manager on Android - Android users can now use this tool, not just iOS users.
New 2025 Libraries to Add More Books to Logos
If the three subscription tiers didn't confuse you, the three tracks of libraries with eight different levels will. Each comes with books you own and can use if you subscribe to Logos. We'll offer a more in-depth recommendation in another article. But let's look at the three tracks and who they're meant for.
The tree tracks focus on who's using Logos. For example, the Standard Track Libraries help people who use Logos for personal use and to teach a Bible study or small group. If you buy a Logos Premium subscription, then you'll likely want to consider the Standard Track Libraries. Take a look at the price and what each includes, and you can buy what you can afford or need.
Next, we see the Leader Track, which focuses on church leaders. Again, if you teach a class or Bible study, you'll want to take a look at this track. You'll get more intermediate-level books.
The Preacher Track Libraries were designed for preachers and pastors. Logos Premium subscribers will likely want to look here.
Finally, the Research Track Libraries will help people who subscribe to Logos Premium or Max. These users write commentaries, translate for new Bibles or in missionary settings, or teach at a seminary or Bible college.
Look for more complexity with Denominational Libraries coming in January 2025.
Recommended Upgrade Path for Different Users
What should you do if you want to upgrade to Logos. First, consider using my Partner Link. Logos gives you one month free and using my link gets you a second month free if you upgrade to a subscription.
First, choose a subscription level. Most users will want Logos Pro, the mid-level tier. You get the most bank for your buck. Since the majority of my readers are pastors, teachers, and serious Bible students who need to do language study, but might not possess an advanced level of Hebrew and Greek skill, then get this tier for $14.99/month, unless you already own Logos 10 Bronze or above. Then it's just $9.99. You can save more with an annual subscription.
Second, you need to pick a library of books. You can get the subscription alone, but why not add some books to your library at a discount. Take a look at the Libraries for 2025 and choose what you an afford. Logos will let you split up payments into a couple of months up to a year to pay off your purchase.
As we said above, they offer several tiers of libraries too. For now, go with Standard and then add to it later. Or jump to the Preacher level if you're subscribing to Pro. They seem to fit together well.
Logos gave me the the Gold Library, but if they hadn't, that's what I would have bought. You add the Preacher's Outline and Semon Bible, the ESV Expository Commentary Collection, and Theologocial Wordbook of the Old Testament to name a few. It's only $600 and if I wanted, I could pay for it over several months to make it more affordable. Logos doesn't charge interest, but you do pay a small fee for processing.
New Logos Redesign - Where Is That Button in Logos 11
First, let's discuss one important element we'll all need to get used to—Logos will no longer be called Logos 11 or any other number. Instead, the new Logos redesign comes with a new designation. They will call it simply Logos and then use version numbers like version 37, the shipping version of the brand new Logos, which many will want to call Logos 11. Think of Logos 11.37, but they're dropping only the 11 part of it.
Second, the new Logos Redesign moved around many things thanks to a new Logos Resource Toolbar in Logos version 37. You might ask, "Where is that button I need?" We'll show you where that button went and the new user interface of Logos version 37 and beyond.
Get the New Logos Now
If you read this article and decide to invest in the new Logos subscription, visit their subscription page. You can also invest in a library to get extra non-subscription content. Let me recommend a few things.
First, the new Logos comes in 3 subscription levels targeted at 3 groups of users.
- Logos Premium—for the average user, it costs $9.99/month or $99.99/year unless you already own Logos 10 Bronze, in which case you'll only pay $6.99 or $69.99. Use my link above to get two months free.
- Logos Pro - for pastors or serious Bible students who don't need academic tools. It costs $14.99/month unless you own Logso 10 Silver and up, in which case it only costs $9.99/month. Yearly discounts cost $149.99 or $99.99, and using my link gets you two free months.
- Logos Max - the highest tier meant for academic users. It costs $19.99/month or $12.99/month for Logos 10 Full Set owners. Logos 10 owners pay $199.99/year or $129.99/year.
These subscription tiers come with discounts for people who subscribe for two years. You get five months free.
Watch the Logos announcement video below.
Subscriber Perks for the New Logos 11
Logos doesn't call it Logos 11 anymore, but they do still offer some great perks. They include the following:
- 5% off store-wide for all subscription levels.
- Extra free book each month for everyone who subscribes.
- 8 Logos Mobile Ed courses focused on the people Logos expects to subscribe to each tier.
- Logos Sermons adds some sermon prep tools for Pro and Max users.
- 5% Annual Reward for Pro and Max users gets you a discount of 5% of your annual spending in February each year for active subscribers as a reward for subscribing. So, if you spent $2,000 on Logos in the past year, you'll get a coupon for $100.
Libraries for the New Logos Subscription
Second, get one of the 2025 Logos Libraries, which are only available to subscribers. These libraries use the same names as previous versions. They range from Starter, which costs as little as $23.79 for Logos 10 owners or $33.99 for owners of older packages, to Collector's Library for $10,999.99. The best bang for the buck comes at the Silver or Gold levels, costing $250 or $850 for new users. Owners of previous versions will pay less.
The above are for Standard Track Libraries. They confusingly offer many other tracks for Leaders, Pastors, and Researchers, and they add to that their denominational Libraries. I suggest that you start with the Standard if you're an average user. Preachers and pastors should look at the Preacher Track Libraries, and academic types or language nerds should go with Researchers Libraries.
Since I'm a preacher, I'd go with the Preacher Track and look at the Silver or God Libraries. This would add to my library the ESV Expository Commentary Series or Biblical Greek Made Simple for Silver. In Gold, I'd get the Preaching the Word Commentary, The Concise Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, and The Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible. Each of those links is a partner link.
Logos Redesign Changes the Home Page to the Dashboard
We'll start with a minor change. Logos used to boast a cluttered Home Page, including things like book information, layouts, reading plans, and ads. You could add them by clicking a plus button in the upper right corner.
The new Logos Redesign changed the Home Page to the Dashboard. It's not that different, but it has a new name. If you use the default toolbar location, look for it in the upper left corner. People who position their toolbar on the top edge of the program window will find the button to the right of the Logos logo. Hover over it, and you'll see the popup tooltip that shows the Dashboard label.
You'll find a few important features on the new Dashboard.
- Welcome to Logos Video - click this video in the upper left corner labeled Welcome to Logos Pro or whatever subscription level you use. You can watch the short intro video that explains many of these new changes.
- What would you like to do today? - The lighter blue square next to the Welcome video square shows five options, including...
- Personal study
- Group Bible study
- Write a sermon
- Original language
- Pick up where I left off
- Need some help? - gives help for using Logos with options to:
- Ask about Logos - ask natural language questions about how to use Logos.
- Get Started - opens a page for those new to Logos.
- Videos and Webinars - take users to the great Logos tutorial videos and helpful webinars page.
- Features - opens a page with training videos covering several features in Logos.
- Technical Support - helps you find various technical support options.
- Community - opens the great Logos community forums page. They've promised a new forum interface coming soon.
- Help Manual - opens the Help Manual built into Logos.
New Logos Resource Toolbar
Logos now offers a helpful new toolbar called the Resource Toolbar. This toolbar reorganizes the buttons to make the program more efficient; however, changes take time to get used to. Let's look at this new Resource Toolbar.
The new Resource Toolbar now has a set of tabs across the top of the Bible window. You can toggle it on or off by clicking on the names of each tab on the toolbar.
- The Back Button takes you back to your browsing history, like you'd find in a web browser.
- In the Book Dropdown Box, click the down arrow button with your book cover. You will see a list of your Bible translations, commentaries, dictionaries, or other books similar to the one currently displayed.
- An Entry Box lets you type in a Bible passage or other entry, which will take you to the passage or article you entered.
- Home - shows the primary tools in a toolbar below the Resource Toolbar as follows:
- Contents
- Favorites
- History
- Chapter with Up and Down Arrows
- Link set - this used to be in a different location, so note that you now connect books to the Bible translation you want to drive the others. For example, set your commentary to follow your Bible when you move from passage to passage.
- Insights - a new feature that shows your top related books and passages connected to the passage open in a Bible translation.
- Search - opens a search box. Notice the three links at the right end. YOu can click these to narrow your search results or change where Logos will look for results.
- Notes - includes options to show or hide notes in text, add notes or highlights, and filter your notes. It also has arrows to jump to previous or next notes.
- Formatting - change the formatting of the text in the open book.
- Factbook Tags - shows what words in your text have Factbook entries. Click the drop-down to change what tags show or don't show.
- Markers - Logos includes icons that show it has more information on things like Addresses, Speakers, Timeline Events, and Media
- Emphasize - emphasizes corresponding words when you hover over them or click on them by highlighting a word used multiple times.
- Reformat - change the look of text in a book.
- Reading Plans - shows markers for the beginning and ending points of any reading plans active for a passage or book.
- Passage Lists - shows passages found in any passage lists you've created.
- Visual Filters - shows any visual filters you created.
- View - change the look of the book display.
- Add parallel text—you can add columns of text as seen above or rows of texts, depending on which button you select in the pop-up window.
- Interlinear - turn on the Interlinear using this button. You can customize which information shows up in the Interlinear.
- View Continued...
- Paged view - shows you either a paged view with columns like you might find in a printed bible with multiple columns of text or show a single column that scrolls. YOu can also change how many columns of text show up.
- Location bar - turn on and off the Location bar that shows where you are in the current book or Bible, like "Hebrews > Chapter 4" seen in the above screenshot.
- Tools - shows tabs for tools used to interact with the text.
- Compare - opens text comparison.
- Translate - opens the AI Translation tool.
- Summarize - opens the AI Summarize tool, which summarizes the current article in the open book.
- Read aloud - reads the current text using the computer-generated voice of the OS.
- Start reading plan - opens a new reading plan for the current book or Bible.
- Printer/Export - opens the Print/Export Dialogue box.
- Share - offers various methods of sharing what you're reading.
- Copy - select some text and click this button to copy it, or use CTRL+C on Windows or CMD+C on Mac
- Copy special - shows some of the options you would find in the Copy Bible Verse tool.
- Copy link - creates a link you can use in notes or online which will open Logso to the present location of the book or Bible displayed.
- Create slides - opens the Media generation tool which lets you create visual copies of text for us in Proclaim, PowerPoint, Keynote, or other apps.
- Send to - sends the current selection to a Clipping, a Passage List, a Canvas, or Proclaim.
- Print/Export - opens the Print/Export dialog box.
You'll see a blue New button, which opens a Logos Community post. This will likely go away eventually. Also, at the far right end, you'll see a button that looks like an up or down arrow in a circle. This toggles the Resource Toolbar on or off. Finally, there's the menu button (it looks like three dots stacked vertically). Here, you'll see controls that work with the current book window.
- Find in this panel - type something, and you'll see corresponding highlights showing the text in the open book.
- Send hyperlinks here - when you click a Bible reference link in another open book window, the links are sent to this window.
- Open in a floating window and Open all in a floating window - opens the current book in a separate window or floating window or all the books in that tab in floating windows.
- Duplicate this tab - open another copy of the current book in the first tab in a second tab, just like it.
- Reopen the closed tab - if you recently closed a tab, it opens again.
- Close this tab, other tabs, or all tabs - self-explanatory.
6 Reasons to Switch from Accordance to Logos Bible Software
A lot of people who use Bible software want to know if there's a good reason to switch from Accordance to Logos Bible Software. we've got 6 reasons to switch.
With the upcoming release of a new version of Logos Bible Software, many Bible software users might want to switch from Accordance to Logos. Why would someone go through the hassle of making the switch from Accordance to Logos Bible Software even though it means buying much of the same content you already own in the other program? Switching also involves learning a new user interface and finding new sources of learning or support for the new Logos.
Here are 6 reasons to switch from Accordance to Logos Bible Software.
Get Logos 10 With Biggest Discounts Ever Offered
In August, Logos will offer the most significant discounts on Logos 10. They called it their "Farewell Tour 2024 because Logos 11 will hit their store soon.
Click the image above, which will take you to my affiliate link to get...
- Full Feature Upgrades at up to 65% Off if you own Logos 10.
- Get a new Logos 10 base package and save up to 50% off for those upgrading from an earlier version.
- For first time buyers of Logos 10, get 5 free books.
Learn about the new era of Logos that will come with Logos 11.
Robust Sync Elements in Logos Bible Software Way Ahead of Accordance
This might seem like a strange place to begin, but it's one of the features promised when Accordance 14 came out a long time ago, and they still don't have it.
Syncing does more than keep your content, settings, and user-created content in more places. Change settings on your desktop, and it will sync to your laptop. Add notes on a verse with your phone while listening to your pastor, and they'll end up on your desktop. If you're studying on a friend's or family's computer, you can hit the Logos Web App, and your work will sync to other devices.
Syncing makes Logos great, but it also helps back up your work. If your computer dies, you can work on an iPad or a Samsung Android tablet. Then, once you get a new computer, install Logos, and your work will be ready to use after it finishes downloading and indexing your library.
Great Features that Make Logos Easier to Use for Bible Study
I could write a post on this topic alone. We may discuss it later, but here's a bullet list of why these features make Logos Bible Software a superior option.
- Advanced Search Features—Logos struggled with basic search, so many of us searched Google instead. That's changed with versions 10 and 11, which promised to improve it with built-in AI features. You won't get these in Accordance. See the link to learn more about how Advanced Search in Logos simplifies your research.
- Use of Louw-Nida Numbers—Louw-Nida Numbers offers access to the lexicon that many students love. The book description on Logos.com says, "This lexicon differs from other lexicons in that it does not arrange words alphabetically and does not give one listing of a word with all of that word's meanings after it. Instead, it breaks words down by their various shades of meaning." (See Above)
- Unicode Fonts - Biblical languages work better when they use Unicode fonts. You can type in Greek or Hebrew; they will look more readable.
- Print Library ISBN Scanner—Logos will let you scan your physical library books and show you search results from those books in your library if they offer them as Logos books. You can see where the search hit shows up in your book. You can take it off the shelf and read it or buy it from Logos. We learned about this new feature in our article on what's new in Logos Mobile 10. (See Below)
- Search books you don't even own - When you search your library, Logos also offers links to books you don't own. Some might not like this, calling it spam. But, if you need some information in a book you don't own, you can quickly buy it, download it, and incorporate it into your research.
Switch from Accordance to Logos Because of the Logos Mobile App's Full Set of Features
For years, I complained about Accordance's weaknesses on Android and iOS. Sadly, it never got better. Now, you can't even download the Android app from the Google Play Store. You must get it from the Amazon App Store for Android or Accordance's website. Even that link tells you it's on the Google Play Store, but if you click their link, you'll get an error saying the link isn't available.
Many Accordance users report issues with syncing content directly via their terrible sync feature or Dropbox. To sync with your computer installation of Accordance, you have to set both the app and the desktop program to sync over local Wi-Fi.
You can also connect both apps to your Dropbox, requiring you to rely on a third party. People complain that Dropbox sync often corrupts notes files.
Compare that to the iOS and Android versions of Logos. They include a large percentage of the desktop features. Syncing works quickly and automatically in the background soon after you open any version of Logos while connected to the Internet.
Accordance includes less than a third of the desktop program's features. That's a generous percentage.
iOS includes a little more than Android, but not much. Both are essentially book reader apps with unreliable note-taking and highlighting features. You can do some Bible study.
Logos includes many great language study tools, commentary searching, and much more.
Quick and Useful Updates
Logos updates their app often and usually with more stability than less. Accordance updates slowly, and the mobile seldom gets updates. Logos mobile on iOS went from version 30 to version to version 35 (all minor updates) in 8 months. That's a massive benefit if you use a feature that doesn't work. Logos will take your bug report and create a ticket, and their developers will work on it quickly. If they can fix it easily, it often gets fixed in a week or a month. Occasionally, it takes a little longer.
Accordance received only four updates on iOS in the last two years. All of them were minor bug fixes. As we said, you can't even get it on Google Play Store. The latest version (2.2.3) came out in Summer 2021. Not even one minor bug fix has come out since.
Significant updates on Logos for Desktop come out about once every two years. Accordance went from 13 to 14 two years ago. However, Logos aggressively updates their Desktop app with minor releases that add new features. They come out often monthly. Accordance for desktop doesn't update nearly as quickly.
The update to version 14 promised many great features. Two years later, we still do not see many of these, like an online version and syncing over the internet without needing Dropbox.
Best Online Bible App Bar None
We've looked at online Bible study apps in the past. We posted that here in 2020, and it needs an update. However, the best still comes from Logos.
The Logos Web App includes many features available in the Logos Bible Study App for your desktop or laptop. It's as good as or better than the mobile version.
The user-interface looks different on the web, but once you open your books and get to work it behaves much like the desktop. You have word study tools like the Exegetical Guide, reverse interlinear features, great searching features, and other guides (Bible Word Study, Sermon Starter, Passage Guide).
The Factbook offers a lot of the features from the Desktop as well.
Sadly, Accordance users don't have an online version. There's a promise that it will come soon, but I doubt it will. When it does, it won't likely offer more than basic book reading and searching tools. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think so.
New AI Features in Logos Bible Software
I'm working on an article for ChurchTechToday.com regarding their new AI tools, and I'll link to it here.
The new features include Insights. Open a book, and you'll see a button on the book's toolbar labeled Insights. This button gives you cards showing information from Related books, Related passages, and Cross References.
A nice addition to the Search tool lets users search with natural language. Open Search and set it to Smart using the drop-down list button at the top right. Then, enter a natural language search. I entered "Where did Jesus first talk about discipleship?" and it returned hits from several spots in multiple translations since I had it set to search my Top Bibles.
The Synopsis tool in the resulting search will give you an overview of your search results.
I then switched my search to Downloaded Books, which yielded results for many book types. Again, the Synopsis tools summarized the results. You will see a number referencing the sources of the synopsis summary.
Those are just a few of the new AI-empowered features in Logos. I don't think Accordance has AI tools on its radar since it's still working to release the promised features from version 14. The company has a tiny programming team, so I understand why it's taking a long time, but I fear it will get left behind.
How to Run the Logos Web App Like a Desktop Program
You can run the Logos Web App like a desktop program using a cool little known Safari feature or a simple Chrome Extenstion.
Would you like to open the Logos Web App for Logos Bible Software with a single action like you would with the desktop version of Logos? Instead of opening your browser and browsing the Logos Web App website for online Bible study, use a cool Safari feature you probably didn't know existed or an excellent Chrome Extension that works on both Mac and Windows. There's also a feature in the Windows Edge browser that installs a web page like an app. You can use them to install the Logos Web App to work like a Desktop Program instead of a bookmark or favorite.
Why Use the Logos Web App Instead of the Desktop Program?
Why do some people prefer the Logos Web App for great Bible study on a website instead of Logos Bible Software's desktop program?
- Logos Web App Runs Faster, Usually: If you use Logos while connected to a fast Internet connection, you can probably get things done faster on the web app than the desktop program.
- Logos Desktop App Can Consume a Lot of Space: If I install the desktop program, my Logos library consumes nearly 70 GB of space, while the Web App uses much less.
- Users Find the Web App's User Interface Simpler: Many people prefer the user interface on the website. It seems less complicated than the desktop program. It's also not as feature-filled.
- Run Logos on Linux or ChromeOS: Logos doesn't make native versions that run on Linux or ChromeOS. You can run the Android app on some ChromeOS computers, but you may want the Logos Web App version since it looks and works more like the desktop.
How to Create a Safari Web App That Behaves Like a Computer Program
This only works in Safari on a Mac, which I use 99% of the time. Below, we'll show you how to do it in Chrome so you can do this on your Windows computer.
Go to the Logos Web App page. You'll find it at app.logos.com. You can also try out the beta version by using the address beta.app.logos.com. Click on the File menu in Safari and choose Add to Dock towards the bottom of the menu. This adds the icon on the right below to your Dock.
You'll now see an icon in the Dock on your Mac that looks like the Logos logo with white trim around a slightly smaller logo instead of the larger logo with no white trim (see comparison image above).
Click on the Web App Icon to open the Logos Web App in Safari. It opens the page in a simplified Safari window. The Safari User Interface includes the Safari URL bar, bookmarks bar, and tabs. You won't see them in the Web App Mode created by adding the page to your dock. This makes the Web App look better than it does in Safari.
How to Add a Chrome Web App for Logos Using a Chrome Extension
After installing the Extension on Chrome, click the Extensions button on the toolbar. Click the Pin icon next to the extension to make it always visible on the toolbar unless you want to hide it and only access it when you need it.
Head over to the Logos Web App, either the stable release or beta version, and then click on the Install as App button you just placed on the toolbar. If you skipped that step because you don't want it visible on the toolbar, click the Extensions button to show the list of extensions installed in Chrome. Click Install as App to add the Logos Web App to your Chrome Web Apps folder. The app will also ask if you want to add it to your Windows Taskbar. I chose to add it.
Where to Find Chrome Web Apps on Windows or Mac
You'll find the Chrome Web Apps folder in Finder in your Home folder (the one with your login name for macOS). Open Finder and go to your Home folder. You'll see the Applications folder. Click on it, and you'll see a Chrome Apps folder. The Logos Web App icon sits in this folder. The link automatically placed in your Dock points to this folder. Here's the folder's location on Mac.
/Users/kevin/Applications/Chrome Apps
On Windows, the Chrome Web Apps folder will show up in your Windows User folder at the following location:
C:\Users[Username]\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Web Applications
Open the folder that has a long name with random characters. There, you'll find your Web Apps on Windows.
On Mac, you can drag these to the Dock or Desktop or, if you prefer, into your Applications folder. On Windows, you can drag the icon to the Desktop or Taskbar.
Install a Web App Using Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Edge will also install a web page as an app. To do so, head to the Logos Web App (stable or beta version) and click on the three dots icon at the right end of your Edge toolbar. Find the Apps item in the menu that pops up. Then, choose Install Logos Bible Study to install the Logos Web App using Edge.
Notice there's also an option to View apps on that Apps menu flyout. You can find all web pages that you installed as Web Apps. A window opens that lets you customize the Web Apps. Click Open next to the Web App, and it will open. With the Web App open in a simplified Edge window, click the three horizontal dots icon, and you'll find the customization there, too.
You can pin the app to your taskbar, the Start menu, or the Desktop. You can also restart the Web App when you log into Windows.
Proving Your Point with Argumentation in Sermon Development - Part 3
In our series on sermon development we come to proving your points using good argumentation. What does that mean and how do you do it. Plus we've got more Logos deals.
In your sermon development, you should include 4 essential elements: explanation, illustration, application, and a fourth one that too many preachers leave out. We call it either argumentation or proof.
Each kind of sermon development answers a question:
- Explanation: What does that mean?
- Application: Why does it matter to me?
- Argumentation or Proof: Is that true?
- Illustration: What does that look like?
Why Do We Need to Prove a Biblical Truth with Argumentation?
Have you heard this popular statement among Bible-believing Christians? "The Bible says, I believe it, and that settles it." I've also heard people shorten it to, "The Bible says it so that settles it."
The Bible says, I believe it, and that settles it.
Well-known evangelical quote.
Unfortunately, we preach to people who don't believe things just because the Bible says it. Some guests at your church don't believe the Bible is infallible. Even church members might choose only parts of the Bible to believe and apply. A recent Barna study defined a Biblical worldview and found that most Christians disagreed with that definition. So, we must consider these people as we prepare to preach our message.
Many Christians believe something until it forces them to change their assumptions or behavior; then, they willingly give up their Biblical convictions and choose to live like they want. We must prove to them that applying the Bible in their lives brings them into proper obedience and makes it in their best interest to obey.
My seminary preaching professor, Wayne McDill, wrote:
Sermons are designed to persuade. But if you are to be persuasive, you will have to make a case for your ideas. You will have to demonstrate that your point is reasonable and worthy of belief, that what you are saying makes sense. Argument is that part of your support material in which you give reasons for accepting the principles you are presenting.
McDill, Wayne. 12 Essential Skills for Great Preaching.
Click here to get it in Logos Bible Software.
Tying Your Sermon Argumentation to the Context
Advanced preachers use multiple sermon types or outline styles to carry the text's message, and we want to describe where we should place argumentation or proof in our sermon development.
You might call yourself an expository preacher because you work through books of the Bible and take a verse-by-verse approach. It's like a commentary that covers each verse separately. That's a form of preaching, but it's not Expository Preaching.
Truly Expository Preaching follows the Big Idea of the text, as well as the tone and form of the passage. For example, if you preach poetic language and imagery from a Psalm, you won't preach a didactic sermon with few mental images. Use the mental images the Psalmist offers and share them to make your points. Explain the imagery and how it relates to the theological concepts your message presents, following the author's approach in both content and tone. Your sermon development might contain a modern-day version of the psalmist image to explain your idea.
Once you've explained the idea and tied it to the text, you will argue the truth of the concept for your audience. Don't assume they will believe it because David wrote it. This is where we fit proof or argumentation in our sermon development.
An Example of Where Argumentation Fits from Psalm 1
Look at Psalm 1, which includes several metaphors to describe the godly man. We learn that he's like a person taking a walk. He won't walk by ungodly influences and get distracted by them. We get a mental image of someone stopping to look at what the ungodly are doing. Then he sits down with them. The progression of walking by, stopping, and taking a seat is the mental image of being drawn into the sins of the ungodly.
Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;Psalm 1:1, NKJV (italics mine)
You will first need to show the hearer what you mean by describing the scene or telling a story about a time when you were distracted by something while taking a walk or driving along the road. You've used an illustration or natural analogy to explain what you mean by the concept of distractions from a spiritual relationship with God.
As the Deer Panteth for My Attention
I once drove home at night along Yellow Banks Road near my home in the rural area of Wilkes County, NC. A home along that road has a huge field in front and to the left. There's a row of trees about an acre off the road. We recently moved here and, at dusk, saw some deer. It grabbed my attention, and my wife counted. The number grew while my speed decreased. Finally, I nearly came to a stop to see for myself. We counted more than a dozen deer in that field.
Those deer grabbed my attention to the point where I nearly stopped. Sometimes, as we walk along God's path, we get distracted and slow down to see something. We stop and might take a seat to examine it for a while.
After explaining the concept using an illustration, you must prove it to your modern hearers who don't assume the Bible's truth. This leads us to the next step in proving your point with Biblical argumentation.
Consider Arguments People Might Make Against the Big Idea and Answer Them
You've shown the audience what you mean and explained how it relates to the text. Next, brainstorm possible arguments against the Big Idea. How might someone object to the text and your statement of the idea?
You could write the idea at the top of a page or type it into your sermon notes. Then, use bullet points to list arguments against it.
You're not writing or typing what you believe are valid arguments against the idea; you're brainstorming what a listener might say in response to the Biblical truth. Imagine a teenager or a young mother who might struggle with the issue. Picture people who might sit in the congregation listening.
Using our example above, consider the following possible arguments against the truth. Sinful influences won't easily distract a godly man living for God.
Sinful influences won't easily distract a godly man living for God.
We'll clean up the above statement in a future part of our sermon design to make it pithy and memorable. At this point, it's a good idea to write it out in detail to give you a complete idea of your concept, which will help you brainstorm. List the possible objections. Consider these two.
- I won't get distracted because I've been a strong Christian for many years.
- Didn't Jesus tell us not to neglect lost people?
- I get easily distracted by sins. I can't stop ... (fill in the blank with any sins people might habitually commit).
Answering Arguments Against a Truth
You might think of other arguments against the truth. Let's consider an answer to one of the arguments listed above.
You're at a coffee shop with a friend. You discuss the concept found in verse one of Psalm 1. He looks at you thoughtfully, looks away, and then says, "I get distracted by sin all the time. I find it really hard to resist certain temptations."
We need to convince the person that they can walk with the Lord, and this helps us overcome temptations as we continue in the faith. Where would you find a convincing argument to help your friend trust that they can overcome sin if they do something new?
Is the Bible a Valuable Source for Argumentation?
We're tempted to rush to other passages that will prove our point. I immediately thought of a passage in 2 Peter 1 that says...
5- But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6- to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7- to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8- For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9-For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
2 Peter 1:5-9, NKJV
That passage might help someone who trusts God's word. When you first believe God can answer your problems, this kind of faith adds virtue. We progress from virtue to knowledge. You find great self-control when you learn about God's love, grace, and support through His Holy Spirit. That brings perseverance and less failure. The more perseverance you find, the more godliness you gain in your behavior, and you can better resist temptation. That leads to an abundance of fruit-bearing behavior.
However, this alone won't help the skeptic. Scripture is powerful, so use passages like this to support your argument. However, you will usually need more for an unbelieving person and even for Christians who don't yet submit willingly to the Word just because "God said it."
Other Sources for Argumentation in Sermon Development
You can find many sources for proof or argumentation in your sermon development. Statistics, examples, stories that show the truth applied effectively, and quotations from trusted people all help the preacher prove the truth.
For example, I used a Barna Research stat to prove that believers might not trust Scripture alone for proof in a sermon. I could strengthen my argument with an example of someone I knew who claimed to serve Christ but didn't believe some clear Biblical idea.
Returning to Psalm 1:1, we see that our friend at the coffee shop didn't agree that living for God can help them fight off the distractions of temptation. What if we used 1 Peter 1, an example or testimony from our own lives, and a quote from someone the person trusts? Together, with the conviction of the. Holy Spirit, might convince our friend.
Find Argumentation or Proof for Sermon Development in Bible Software
I use Logos Bible Software to study passages and topics found in those passages. You could open Logos Bible Software and run a Topic Guide from the Guides menu. Type the topic in the search box and wait while Logos returns content from your library. Look through the results to find some possible support material.
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Tools for Sermon Development in Logos Bible Software - Part 1 Explanation
Every good message includes 4 essential tools for Sermon Development. We look at Explanation and using Logos 10 to find out what a passage or topic means so we can explain it to our audience.
Every sermon should include four essential tools of Sermon Development. We looked at these in the last post here on this site as we study how to develop a sermon. Now, let’s look at how to use Logos Bible Software to explain a text. We’ll look at illustration, proof, and application in three other parts of this series on how to develop a sermon outline that we can transform into a great message.
If you read our previous post that defined each of the four essential aspects of Sermon Development, you know that one helps achieve the other three. An influential preacher uses many illustrations to explain his sermon's ideas. Illustrations show what we mean so the hearer can understand the passage.
Jesus Used Illustrations to Explain His Teaching
Read scripture, and you'll see Jesus used illustrations called Natural Analogies in his parables. He explained the concept of faith using the example of the Temple Mount and mustard seeds, two things his listeners would know about. You either have faith, or you don’t.
20- So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21- However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
Matthew 17:20-21, NKJV
Jesus explained the concept of faith using the Natural Analogy of a mustard seed. We might want to make this point in a sermon on this passage.
Today, we talk about degrees of faith, from weak to strong. However, Jesus taught that faith is binary. You either have it or you don't. You believe, or you don't. A mustard seed is the smallest seed that people commonly saw in Jesus' day. He might have even had one to show the audience.
A Modern Example of an Illustration Used to Explain Faith in Sermon Development
Since people today don't often plant mustard seeds, we might use a different Natural Analogy that we commonly experience, like a slight switch.
Photo by Mikhail Nilov
The average homeowner controls her overhead lights with a binary light switch with only off and on positions. It’s unlike a dimmer switch, which turns a light on in degrees of light. You can slide the switch up to ten percent for a romantic evening, halfway for average use, or 100 percent when you’re looking for a lost earring.
Jesus didn’t have two kinds of light switches. He didn’t have any light switches. Instead, he used a mustard seed. You either have faith, or you don't. You can't get less than that tiny seed's worth of faith. If you have it, then you can do something extreme, like commanding the Temple Mount to hurl itself into the nearby Dead Sea. That would seem insane to those listening to him and modern audiences if the temple still existed. But he said, if you have as much as a mustard seed of faith, you could command such a thing, and the Temple Mount would obey. This assumes you're acting in God's will; He'd need to want the temple mount thrown into the sea by an ordinary person's command.
The mustard seed illustration explained Jesus’ teaching about the binary nature of faith. He used a real-world or natural analogy to accomplish this.
Exegetical Guide in Logos Bible Software for Sermon Development
When I first discovered Logos in version 3 almost 20 years ago, the Guides sold me on the value of the software. Enter your passage, and Logos finds all the tools or books in your library that refer to a passage or topic. You can do this with the Exegetical Guide and discover many language study tools to help you understand the passage. Then, you’re ready to explain these Biblical ideas to your audience.
To open the Exegetical Guide, use either the right-click menu or the Guides button on the toolbar when selecting your passage. See the screenshot below.
You'll see a list of the different sections in the Exegetical Guide. These include tools for language study.
The WORD BY WORD Section of the Exegetical Outline
I focus on using the WORD BY WORD section. It shows your passage in both Greek or Hebrew on the left and English on the right (see below). Click a word to jump to that word's entry in the section. Each word's section shows the Greek or Hebrew lemma, an icon that, when clicked, will pronounce the word, a transliteration, and a simple translation.
The second line shows the parsing info. On the third line, you get the Sense info, a kind of translation that shows how the text uses the word in context. After the Sense, you get a list of your lexicons, which displays a short translation. Click on any of the blue links to get more information.
For example, in our passage on Matthew 17:20-21, we see the word for seed in the WORD BY WORD section. You can click the blue link to open NTGED if you own it and read more about the word translated seed in The New Testament Greek English Dictionary from Gilbrant, Thoralf. 1991. The New Testament Greek-English Dictionary comes as part of The Complete Biblical Library. There you find under "New Testament Usage" the following:
In all of its New Testament occurrences kokkos is used figuratively. Even with faith the size of a small mustard seed, one can live a miraculous life.
Gilbrant, Thoralf. 1991. “Κόκκος.” In The New Testament Greek-English Dictionary. The Complete Biblical Library. WORDsearch.
The above might help you as you study and try to explain the idea of a mustard seed representing such an infinitesimal amount of faith to explain that you either have faith or don't have faith. If you have it, you can move mountains, like the Temple Mount, which eventually happened in 70 AD after Jesus made the temple sacrifice moot.
If you don't own the NTGED or the Complete Biblical Library, head over to Logos to get it (Affiliate Link).
Passage Guide in Logos Bible Software for Sermon Development
Like the Exegetical Guide, the Passage Guide starts by asking you to enter your passage. The Guide will then show you different kinds of content when compared to the Exegetical Guide. It focuses less on language study and more on references like Commentaries and other tools like Biblical People, Places, and Things or Sermons and Illustrations. Let’s take a look.
Follow the same procedure as opening the Exegetical Guide. Select the passage, right-click it, and choose the Reference on the left list of the popup and the Passage Guide on the right list. The Guide will open and search all of your books in the Passage Guide categories for the selected Reference.
Alternatively, open the Passage Guide from the Guides button on the toolbar of Logos 10 using the same steps above when opening the Exegetical Guide.
Using Search Results to Explain an Idea in Logos 10
Let's use our Matthew 17:20 example from above. With the Passage Guide open as instructed in the previous section, begin opening tools by clicking on them in the Guide. I prioritized the New American Commentary so the Matthew volume sits atop the list of commentaries near the top of the Passage Guide.
When you read the section on verses 19-20 you'll see the author of the commentary writes:
“Nothing will be impossible for you” must thus be interpreted as nothing Jesus has given you the authority to do, such as this exorcism.22 Obviously, many other things are impossible for believers—based on the limitations of their humanity and of God’s will. As v. 22 immediately makes plain, even Jesus’ own miracle-working abilities did not permit him to escape the cross despite repeated temptation to do precisely that.
Blomberg, Craig. 1992. Matthew. Vol. 22. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
This helps us explain that faith is not like a blank check. We can use the ideas presented in the commentaries and then give an illustration of a blank check to help our listeners understand that godly, Biblical faith is not an unlimited promise to let us do anything we please outside God's plan.
You'll find other excellent lists of resources in the Passage Guide. Look at the Cross References section, which refers to Luke 17:6, the parable of the Mustard Seed, modified by Jesus to refer to the miraculous ability to transplant a mulberry tree. The Passage Guide also includes links to the Factbook. So you could head down to the Biblical Things section of our Passage Guide. There, you'll find links to images from the Factbook.
You will also find these sections in other Guides like the Sermon Starter Guide and Topic Guide.
Power Lookup to Learn What a Passage Means for Explanation in Sermon Development
Users often forget the Power Lookup tool, but it works like a kind of Guide to search for content on a selected text or word. Right-click on the Passage and either choose the Selection or Reference on the left side of the popup. Scroll down to the Lookup section on the right side of the popup. You'll find Power Lookup.
The Power Lookup window opens in a small section along the right side of the Logos screen. It includes links to and short previews of things like...
- Footnotes
- Bible passages
- Commentaries
- Language tools
The Power Lookup panel links to the Bible you have active and moves when you move to a new passage. This helps when studying longer passages.
Note that all links to Logos resources are Logos Affiliate Links. I will receive a small percentage of the price if you purchase them using my links.
New Logos Insights Sidebar with AI for Logos Pro Users
Logos released a new feature as part of the Logos Pro subscription service that uses AI to help you see information related to your passage. Here's how to use the new Logos Insights Toolbar in Logos Pro.
Everyone wants AI in their service, applications, mobile apps, and websites. Logos jumped on the bandwagon recently with new features, including the new Logos Insights Sidebar. Think of the Insights Sidebar as a simpler guide that shows you 3 things:
- Top books.
- AI translation of the text.
- AI-powered summary of the currently displayed content.
To get the new Logos Insights Sidebar, users must subscribe to Logos Pro, the new subscription service that gives users early access to new features. It costs $9.99/month and replaces Faithlife Connect, which did the same thing. Along with the Logos Insights Sidebar, you'll get the following:
- Smart Search with AI - You don't need complicated syntax search commands.
- AI Summaries of Content in Books - Tell Logos to summarize a Bible chapter, a book section, or other library content.
- Sermon Assistant - Find sermon illustrations or quotes using AI in Sermon Builder, a sermon editor in Logos 10.
In addition to the new Insights Sidebar and the three features listed above, you'll also get access to hundreds of books.
How to Use the New Logos Insights Sidebar on Desktop
Open a Bible or other book to use the new Logos Insights Sidebar. You'll see a button on the right end of the toolbar in that book's window (see screenshot below).
You'll see a new window that opens to the right of the book's window. It has three buttons on the toolbar.
- Translation - Translates the content in the book window from one language to another using AI Translation.
- Summarize - Gives the user a summary of the Bible chapter or the book article.
- Insights - This shows you three things: Related Books, a Commentary, and Related Passages.
The third button is new. Logos describes it as a simplified Passage Guide. You don't always need all of the features in the default Passage Guide. The Logos Insights Toolbar will give you just a few references to help you understand your passage. You can click on More>> to read the whole article.
Logos chooses what to show based on your prioritization. You'll get your highest prioritized study Bible or commentary. It also shows your top cross-reference tool.
The third section of the Insights Panel shows cross-references, such as the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. You'll get a quick cross-reference for the current verse. Click the book title at the bottom of the box to open it and show the full entry for that passage.
How to use the New Logos Insights Toolbar on the Web App
When you use the Logos Web app, there's no window to open. Instead, you'll see the three tabs on the main Bible toolbar. You still get the Translate, Summarize, and Insights buttons on the right side of the toolbar. After you click on the button, the Web app opens the new window.
The Logos Insights Toolbar button opens the same content in the new window, related books and related passages. It works the same as the Desktop version described above.
How to Choose Different References in the Logos Insights on Desktop and Web App
On your desktop, you can change the book in the related books section of Insights. Click on the down arrow next to the book title, and a list of books you can use instead will appear (see above). It looks different in the Web app (see below).
On the Web app, click on Change, and the drop-down menu shows books you can open to replace what's shown in the Insights window.
New Deals in Logos for April 2024
Logos users get steep discounts on upgrade packages with up to 25% off. For example, buy the Logos 10 Silver package and get 15% off. Get 20% off Gold or Platinum and 25% off Diamond or Portfolio. Use the affiliate link to get the deals, and make sure you see PARTNERDISCOUNT10 in the coupon code box.
If you'd like the Baptist upgrade packages, you can also save 15-20 percent.
Top 5 Logos March Matchups Deals Worth Buying Now
In basketball, March Madness will kick off soon, but in Logos Bible Software, the Logos March Matchups 2024 deals are live now—all of them! Logos users picked their favorites from dozens of options, and it came down to two options. The user crowned one of them the champ, and you get the winnings in big discounts.
I've got all the available deals, but I recommend these top 5 Logos March Matchups Deals for 2024. Check them out. Some of them are what Logos calls Hall of Fame titles. That means they were not part of the March Matchups, but you still get steep discounts because users picked them in previous years. Comment below to tell me which deal you buy and which you'd like to get. Now for the Top 5, in my opinion.
Take a look at the bottom of this post for other steep discounts on the Logos version of March Madness.
New International Commentary on the Old and New Testament
Logos currently charges $1,824.99 for NICOT and NICNT at their regular price. However, you can get them for $1,094.99. That's a great deal for the complete set covering the Old and New Testaments. Take a look at Best Commentaries, a site that ranks commentaries for users, and you'll see that this series boasts more volumes ranked first or second for each book of the Bible. I counted almost 30 volumes listed first or second. Many others rank third or fourth.
This commentary series offers scholarly discussion of each text and book in the Bible. It also adheres to Scripture as the infallible Word of God so you can trust it.
NIV Application Commentary Series
Get the NIVAC for $600 off the regular price of $1,199.99 during this sale. You'll love the way it's laid out. You get scholarly discussions of the text and some wonderful applications to modern life, hence the series title.
Like NICOT and NICNT, the NIV Application Commentary series put many books in the top two for each book of the Bible. Best Commentaries ranks 28 volumes in the top 5, mostly in the Old Testament.
New American Commentary Series
The New American Commentary, or NAC, strikes a wonderful balance between academic discussion of the text and accessible understanding for most people who teach or preach the Bible. I rank this commentary first in my list of Logos Bible Software commentaries and in other programs, too.
Lovers of this series feel frustrated that we still can't get Ephesians or the Psalm 1-72 volume. Ephesians supposedly ships on November 1, 2024, and the Psalm 1-72 volume hopefully comes out before Christ's return. Or should I say that I hope Christ returns before it comes out?
According to a person on the Logos Bible Forums, the author said he'd get it to the publisher by December 1, 2023, and it would come out in "late 2024."
Logos will sell you the NAC for only $439.99, a nice discount off their regular price of $1,117.57. That's a good deal!
Best Commentaries doesn't rank as many NAC titles in the top 5 in the New Testament, but most OT books come near the top of their list. Some of the NT books should rank higher because they're excellent.
Anchor Yale Bible Commentary
The Anchor Yale Bible Commentary costs a whopping $4,257.12 at regular price, but you can save a lot with this great discount and get it for $1,437.76. Because of the huge discount alone, I've included it.
It's always a good idea to have a commentary that challenges thinking in your library. If you're an evangelical conservative like me, then this set will do that. It's very good, so long as you know you must spot the non-conservative thinking. The publisher relied on Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish scholars to write this collection.
Christ Centered Exposition Commentary Series Collection
While Anchor might challenge you theologically and with its technical scholarly approach, the Christ Centered Exposition Commentary Series Collection reads like a collection of sermons on each book in the set. You could read it devotionally for your own benefit or use it to prepare sermons. Either way, it's worth the $195.59 price, which saves you over $200 off the regular price.
Other Great Deals on Logos March Matchups
Now that March Madness will heat up, Logos March Matchups just crowned its 2024 champion. Here's the rest of the top deals available this year.
- Baker Commentary on the OT - The Big Winner!
- Pillar New Testament Commentary - Runner-Up in the Final March Matchups Tournament!
- Evangelical Exegetical Commentary.
- Lexham Geographic Commentaries.
- Tyndale Commentaries Old and New Testament.
- Lexham Research Commentaries.
- The Story of God Bible Commentary
Find all the other deals by using my affiliate link. This will help me with the costs of keeping my site ad-free.
4 Exciting Tools in Logos Bible Software to Find Great Sermon Illustrations
We teach you how to use 4 exciting tools in Logos 10 to discover great sermon illustrations. They will help you paint pictures with words.
Logos Bible Software includes many valuable tools to help preachers find sermon illustrations as they write sermon outlines. Good sermon development always includes sermon illustrations, which the preacher can use to explain the text, prove its truthfulness, and then apply the text to the lives of their audience. So, we'll look at 4 useful tools in Logos to help you find good sermon illustrations.
For those who don't already own Logos 10, head over to my affiliate link and order one of the great packages, which include the tools you read about below. I recommend getting Logos Gold or higher to get the most bang for your buck.
4 Tools in Logos Bible Software to Help Find Great Sermon Illustrations
Let's look at the list of XX tools you can use in Logos Bible Software to find great sermon illustrations, and then we'll examine each one more fully.
Click the list item above to jump directly to the section that focuses on that tool, or just read about them in order below.
1. Factbook Collects Many Tools in One
Users can open many of the tools in the list above directly, but the Factbook will put them in one window with links to open them to your topic, passage, idea, person, place, or thing. That's the benefit of Factbook; it puts everything in one place. So, let's look at what tools you'll find.
In our previous posts on the 4 Essential Tools for Sermon Development, we looked at the passage about faith. Jesus uses the illustration of a mustard seed to show the binary nature of faith. You either have faith, or you don't. That's the point of the tiny seed used in Jesus' illustration. Modern science can measure the volume of a mustard seed, but most in 1st-century Israel would conceive of measuring a mustard seed's volume.
We open the Factbook from the Logos 10 toolbar (see above). Then, type an idea you want to illustrate in the search box. Hit enter, and the Factbook shows all it can find in the Factbook search tools. Some of the things you'll find in the Factbook include...
- Key Article - Each Factbook idea comes with a Key Article, often from a Bible Dictionary. Faith's Key Article is the entry for Faith from the Lexham Bible Dictionary.
- Further Reading - You'll see articles about your topic from other books or resources. For example, "Faith" shows the Lexham Theological Wordbook article.
- Media - the Factbook finds media related to your search, like videos or graphics.
- Key Passages - think of a cross-reference tool finding all the instances of your topic in the Bible with Key Passages and then a See Also section with other passages. They all appear as links you can hover over or click to open.
- Biblical Senses - if you search for a word with an original language like faith and the Greek word pistils (transliteration of the Greek term sometimes translated faith) that is translated as your word, then the Factbook lists Biblical Senses, which show the kind of word and the basic usage in Scripture.
- Dictionaries - articles from your dictionaries covering your topic or word.
- Journals - a search of your journals related to the topic or word.
- Sermons - sermons about your topic that may include great Sermon Illustrations.
- Preaching Resources - mostly sermon illustration databases.
- Biblical Events - you can discover places related to your passage or subject. This might not help us with faith.
- Biblical Books - maybe you're studying a book and want information about the book, the author, and the book's audience.
- Theological Topic - find information in your library about a topic like faith.
- Greek and Hebrew Words - some original language terms come with "word pictures," which help us understand a topic or an idea because the word etymology illustrates the concept concretely.
- Other Books from Your Library - a broad search for your word in your library.
- Factbook Tags - other books with Factbook tags related to your topic.
- Logos Store Links - links to buy books related to your search.
- Other Tools and Links - links to run one of the Guides on your topic or word.
The results listed in a Factbook search differ depending on what you search for.
How to Make Use of the Factbook Results
Some of the above will offer more fruitful results when looking for Sermon Illustrations. For example, Preaching Resources seems like a great way to find illustrations. However, Sermon Illustration Databases often include stale or boring illustrations that modern listeners can't relate to.
I took an illustration from these collections and researched online to learn more. For example, a search for faith shows an entry in the book 1000 Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching. We read about a man named Stewart Alsop who had leukemia. If you search for him and his book mentioned in the illustration database, you can find and read it. You can also read the Wikipedia page about him. Search Google or select the title and author name in the article, right-click, and choose Selection on the left part of the menu and Wikipedia on the right. As a result, this might give you better context about him and help you craft a more effective illustration of the concept of faith.
Other tools in the list above contain great information that you can use to explain your idea and illustrate it to appeal to the mind and the imagination. You'll even find media to display if you use a multimedia system in your worship or teaching environment. Key Passages will take you to cross references where you can let the Bible illustrate your concept. Share an example of faith from the life of someone like Abraham, who, in Genesis 12, was called to leave his home and wasn't told where he was going.
You'll find more images and videos with different searches. Faith is more of a concept than a person, place, or thing. If I'm preaching from the story of Moses in the book of Exodus, I can find media showing plagues, maps of Egypt, or the Israelites' exit. Make sure you also look for Factbook icons in the text of your Bible passage. The above screenshot shows three icons related to Pharaoh and two for the Egyptians.
2. Use Logos Guides to find Great Sermon Illustrations
The Factbook shows a lot of cool content. However, the Logos Guides give us similar results. Find content related to a passage, a topic, a specific word, counseling issues, or theological topics. Logos includes the following Guides...
- Exegetical Guide - for language study of a passage.
- Passage Guide - seeks a wide range of content based on a passage.
- Topical Guide - search your library for a Topic.
- Sermon Starter Guide - takes the Guide concept and finds content to help you prepare a sermon.
- Bible Word Study Guide - like the Exegetical Guide, but focuses on one Biblical word.
- Counseling Guide - focuses on counseling issues.
The Passage Guide, Topical Guide, and Sermon Starter Guide offer the best hope for finding great sermon illustrations. You can open these Guides from the Guides button on the toolbar. The most recently used items will appear at the top, but all of them will appear in the menu's Guides section. Also, each guide will let you search for one part of that guide. Scroll down to the Guide name in the menu and click it to show the sections of the Guides. Click on one, like the
To find some of the Guides, open to your passage and right-click on it. Click on Reference in the left part of the menu and then click on the Guide in the right. You'll see Passage Guide near the top, but if you scroll down on the right, you'll also see things like Sermon Illustrations and a few more Guides further down the list.
Using the right-click method, you can also search for a word or phrase in a passage. Instead of clicking Reference in the right-click menu, choose Selection. You'll find Guides on the right side of the menu. If you search a word you'll find the Bible Word Study Guide at the top and other Guides as you scroll down.
You'll find a wealth of potential Sermon Illustrations in the resulting search.
3. Sermon Builder and New AI Sermon Assistant
The Sermon Builder came with Sermon Illustration tools for a while. Logos added a new feature that uses artificial intelligence to overcome sermon writer's block. This new AI-powered tool requires a subscription to Logos Pro, which costs $9.95 and gives early access to new features like this new Sermon Assistant. See their official description of the Sermon Assistant in the Logos Community Forums.
Open a sermon you're already editing. Click on the Sermon Assistant button in the box's toolbar on the right of your sermon text. Next, choose Illustrations under Sermon and type an idea into the Idea box. You can also copy from the sermon and paste it here. Click Generate, and you'll see the resulting Sermon Illustration ideas. (see screenshot above).
If you like the illustration shown in the search results, hit the Insert or the Copy button. Insert places where your insertion point sits in the sermon text. Copy places it on the clipboard, letting you move the insertion point and paste it manually.
Next to the Sermon Assistant button, you'll see a Quotation icon. Click it to open the Popular Quotes tool, which works like the Sermon Assistant. It finds quotes from your library related to what you type into the box on that screen.
4. Don't Overlook Your Interactive Media and Your Library of Books
The above tools will help you find sermon illustrations, but some people overlook their books and features in Logos. For example, I'm going to do a demonstration of the Passover Seder for two churches in my Association of churches. I own the Rose Guide to the Feasts, Festivals and Fasts of the Bible. Under the Passover section, an excellent graphic shows the Seder Plate with descriptions of each item. This visual illustration will help me teach this feast.
To find these illustrations, search in one of the Guides as described above or open one of your dictionaries, a lexicon, or study Bibles, which often include charts, graphs, maps, or images.
Here's a list of books or features that include images useful to illustrate ideas or sermon points:
- Dictionary
- Encyclopedia
- Study Bibles
- Sermon Collections
- Media Collections
- Handbooks
- Atlas
- Illustration Books
- Bible Backgrounds (IVP, Zondervan, etc)
How Do You Find Great Sermon Illustrations?
How do you use Logos to find Sermon Illustrations? Please comment below to help out the community. I'll edit this article and cite you. If you know of a good YouTube video covering this how-to, share the link, and I'll take a look and update the article with the best videos, too.
3 Great Logos Bible Software Deals You Should Buy
Here are 3 great Logos Bible Software deals that you can get now and save a lot of money. Find out how to gets free books and deeply discounted books, commentaries, and collections for Logos.
You know that I use Logos Bible Software for most of my Bible study needs. As a result, I'm happy to recommend these 3 great Logos Bible Software deals on some excellent books, collections, and upgrades to Logos 10 or even Logos 9 if you haven't updated to the new Logos 10 version.
Logos Bible Software Deals on Logos 9 Legacy Libraries
The first of our Logos Bible Software deals lets you update your collection of resources with Logos 9 Legacy Libraries. A legacy library includes books like the CSB Study Bible, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, the Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary, and Theological Diction of the New Testament. Not only will the Logos 9 Legacy Libraries cost as little as $35, but also you can get a huge collection for thousands of dollars. Here's a recommendation:
- Get the Logos 9 Gold Legacy Library which includes excellent resources like...
- Pillar NT Commentary
- Baker Sermon Outlines Collection
- Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary
- Cornerstone Biblical Commentary
- John Piper's Sermon Archive
- Take a look at your denomination's library
- Baptist
- Lutheran
- Messianic
- Anglican
- Methodist/Wesleyan
- Pentecostal
- Orthodox
- Reformed
- Verbum (Catholic)
Free Book of the Month and Other Sharply Discounted Books
The free book for June comes from R. C. Sproul. Get The Consequences of Ideas: Understanding the Concepts that Shaped Our World for free. This book covers the "influential philosophies" from impactful minds in theology, education, arts, and more. Each of the 14 chapters covers a different philosopher or group of philosophers.
Sproul explained why we need to study Philosophy with the following quote:
Philosophy forces us to think foundationally. By foundational I mean first principles or basic truths. Most ideas that shape our lives are accepted (at least initially) somewhat uncritically. We do not create a world or environment from scratch and then live in it. Rather we step into a world and culture that already exists, and we learn to interact with it.
R. C. Sproul, The Consequences of Ideas: Understanding the Concepts that Shaped Our World
Likewise, the other books available for steep discounts include:
- Kingdom Race Theology: God's Answer to Our Racial Crisis by Tony Evans
- The Sabbath as Rest and Hope for the People of God (Short Studies in Biblical Theology) by Guy Prentiss Waters
- The Psalms: Language for All Seasons of the Soul by Andrew J. Schmutzer and David M. Howard Jr.
- Understanding and Applying the Bible by Robertson McQuilkin
- A Merciful and Faithful High Priest: Studies in the Book of Hebrews by Martin Lloyd-Jones
- The Heart in Pilgrimage: A Treasury of Classic Devotionals on the Christian Life by Leland Ryken et. al.
- Creative Bible Teaching by Lawrence Richards and Gary Bredfeldt
- A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the Old Testament: The Gospel Promised by Miles Van Pelt
- The New Moody Atlas of the Bible by Barry J. Beitzel
- Theistic Evolution: A Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Critique by J. P. Moreland, Stephen C. Meyer, Christopher Shaw, Ann Gauger, Wayne Grudem
- Covenant Theology: Biblical, Theological, and Historical Perspectives by Guy Waters, J. Nicholas Reid, John R. Muether
- Unlocking the Bible Story (4 vols.) by Colin Smith
- The Holy Spirit: The Helper (The Complete Works of John Owen, vol. 7) by John Owen, Andrew S. Ballitch (PREORDER)
Publisher Spotlight: Eerdmans Collections
You can get deals on Eerdmans books. Specifically, the publisher offers 40% off the New International Commentary of the Old and New Testament, a great series with many volumes listed in Best Commentaries. More than 20 of the OT volumes are ranked in the top 5 while all but 4 of the NT volumes show up in the top 5. Amazingly, this collection retails from Logos for nearly $1,800 but will cost you only $1,061.99 with this sale offering 40% off. If you own any single volumes dynamic pricing will reduce the price.
You can also get several collections in the Old Testament, Soren Kierkegaard, Theological Dictionary of the Old and New Testament, the Pauline Collection of commentaries, and dated collections from the last several years.
How Make Logos Work Like Wordsearch ZipScript
What is ZipScript and why do Wordsearch users love it so much that they're begging Logos and Faithlife to recreate it in Logos?
When Faithlife, the makers of Logos Bible Software, bought Wordsearch, they shut down the program making ZipScript, a favorite feature, unavailable to people who can no longer install Wordsearch. Since you can't install Wordsearch anymore, you'll lose access when you get a new computer or must erase and reinstall your Windows operating system. But we want to help you get similar functionality out of Logos.
What is ZipScript, and Why Do Wordsearch Users Love It?
The ZipScript utility ran separately from Wordsearch Bible Software. Wordsearch installed ZipScript, and let users open the utility and enter a Bible passage. The quick little system tray app would let you copy and paste the verse anywhere without opening Wordsearch.
Users could copy and paste Wordsearch Bibles to computer programs like Word documents, presentation apps, or notes. It didn't take up a lot of system resources and gave users access to a tool to copy and paste Bible passages almost anywhere.
Bible students loved ZipScript because it was small, efficient, and useful. Logos ships with a similar feature but is not as small and efficient as ZipScript. You can't run it separately from Logos as you could with ZipScript.
Why Won't Faithlife Likely Make a ZipScript for Logos?
When Faithlife first bought Wordsearch, I wrote an article about how to make Logos work like Wordsearch. I briefly mentioned ZipScript and Copy Bible Verses.
The Logos Community Forums contain multiple posts from Wordsearch users who came to Logos when Faithlife bought the company. That's probably the primary reason Faithlife bought Wordsearch, for the customer database and publisher content. But they didn't want the software technology like ZipScript.
Logos has a feature called Copy Bible Verses or CBV that duplicates some of the ZipScript features and adds a few that ZipScript didn't have. With fewer programmers, thanks to layoffs last fall, they don't have the human resources to do everything they might like to do or everything their customers want them to do.
Logos has CBV and won't likely add ZipScript to the toolbox. That means it is time for ZipScript lovers to either hold onto their computers with Wordsearch installed for the rest of their time as digital Bible students or learn to use Copy Bible Verses to gain similar functionality.
See My YouTube Demo of the Copy Bible Verses Tool
How to Open the Copy Bible Verses Tool in Logos
Open the Copy Bible Verses feature in Logos from the Tools button on the toolbar. Scroll down to the Passage section and click on the Copy Bible Verses item on the list.
You can also search by typing in the top box under the tools menu. The Copy Bible Verses item shows up. Click to open it.
If you like to open things from the Logos main toolbar's command box, type Copy Bible Verses and click on Show Copy Bible Verses, which will pop up in a list after you type "copy bible." You'll get a new window that, by default, fills the right side, taking up about a quarter of the window, as seen below.
How to Make CBV Follow Your Chosen Bible to Copy Bible Verses Quickly
You'll see the Copy Bible Verses window, usually on the right side of the Logos. You can type in the box to go directly to a Bible reference. I recommend linking the Copy Bible Verse and your Bible, so the CBV will follow whatever verse you see in the Bible.
Click on the menu button on the Bible (the three vertical dots on the right side of the Bible window's toolbar - see #1 above) and select a letter in the Link Set: section, like letter A. Do the same in the CBV window with the same letter you chose in the Bible window. Then when you move from one passage to another, the CBV window will follow the Bible window.
Linking the two windows will also let users select a passage in their Bible, and the CBV will set the passage as the content it will copy.
Copying Bible Verses for Pasting Into Various Apps or With Different Formatting
Copy Bible Verses does something ZipScript didn't do. You can copy text with special formatting. Logos ships with a set of formats already. You can create your own as well.
To change the formatting, select the drop-down link in the CBV window. You see this just below the text entry box where you would type your Bible reference. Click it, and the menu of formats shows up. If you don't want to use the included formats, you can create your own by clicking Create a new style, as seen at the bottom of the pop-up box. We'll cover more down below.
Choose from your installed Bible translations using the translation drop-down list (see the image above). You'll see your prioritized Bibles first and then others listed below. Select one to copy from that translation, regardless of the Bible you opened in Logos.
The Copy Bible Verses window will let you choose where to copy the verses on your computer. For example, you can have it copy a verse to Microsoft Word at the current spot in an open Word document. If the program's not open, it will open it and paste the passage into a blank file. You must first select the program from a drop-down list to do that. You also will choose Copy and Paste instead of Copy. If you click Copy, it will only place it on the system clipboard.
Copy and Paste puts the text in your program quickly. You don't have to switch to the other program and paste. The CBV does it all for you quickly. You may need to permit Logos to do this the first time you use it.
Format Options in Copy Bible Verses
When you open the formatting menu (the first link at the top of the CBV box), you'll see a grid of boxes that show what each formatting option will look like when you choose it. You'll see a little pencil icon next to the name if you create your own styles.
Look at the image above. You'll notice that the style next to number one shows no pencil icon. That style comes with Logos. However, the Bible Quote style has the pencil icons. I created that style because I didn't like the included styles and wanted a style to use in other programs to set it apart from regular text.
Above, you'll see the default format options. Create your own by clicking the Create a new style link at the bottom of this popup box. To show the above menu, click the link at the top of the CBV box. You'll see it above where it says "Copy Word Quote" where "Word Quote" is the custom format I use to copy to Word when writing my sermon or Bible study notes.
How to Create Custom Copy Formats in CBV
Many people use the built-in CBV Formats. I created my own because I wanted Bible quotes to show up with custom formatting in Microsoft Word. I don't use the Sermon Builder in Logos because Word fits a workflow I've used for over a decade while preaching from my iPad.
In Microsoft Word, I created a paragraph style that shows my Bible quotes in a larger font than regular text. Its a bold and bright maroon color makes it easier to read while preaching or teaching.
To create a custom format, choose to the Create a new style option in the formats dialog box. A new window pops up with some text that looks like code. Logos includes some info about what you'll see. Read it inside Logos by clicking here. You'll need Logos installed to open that link.
Create new formatting options by right-clicking on an existing style similar to what you want your format to look like. Then edit it using the codes listed in the help file linked above. Or you can see this help page on the Logos site.
What's New in Logos 10 Web App with Video
Now that Logos 10 is here, check out this demo of the Logos 10 Web App. We go over the major new features in the Logos online Bible study site.
When Faithlife released Logos 10, they also updated the Logos 10 Mobile app and the Logos 10 Web app. We've got the major new features of the Logos 10 Web App, with screenshots and a video showing how to use each feature.
If you want to upgrade to Logos 10, consider using my affiliate link to get a discount and help me pay for this site and the video I made about the update.
Why would you want to use a web app instead of software?
- Chromebook users can install the Android app, but it's not as good as the iOS app and not even close to the desktop app. The web app does a good job of presenting users with some good Bible study tools.
- People sometimes use a computer they don't own and can't install the software. Travel to a friend's house or borrow your spouse's system and log onto the Web App and you can access all your books and many of the advanced Bible study tools of the mobile and desktop apps.
- Small SSDs in systems like the Microsoft Surface Go or other older systems can run the Web App and still use your huge Logos library.
- A web browser and the Logos 10 Web App run faster than Logos 10 on the desktop. You might want to read some text or quickly run a simple search.
The new Logos 10 Web App offers a slightly changed user interface. You also get a few other features that we'll demonstrate in the video below and in each section after that below.
Video Demonstrating the Logos 10 Web App New Features
Logos 10 Web App Simpler Search
Logos 10 simplified search and ported that feature to the Logos 10 Web App. The new Simpler Search cuts down on some of the arcane syntax users needed in previous versions. The example they give is as follows:
For example, <Person Moses> WITHIN {Speaker <Person Jesus>} becomes person:Moses IN speaker:Jesus, to find all the times Jesus talks about Moses.
You no longer need brackets or curly braces to search in Logos. They say it’s more like a Google search. That’s a good thing because searching in Logos made things too complicated. Many of us just opened a browser and searched Google for simple searches trying to find a specific passage.
For the Logos 10 Web App, you can use their auto-complete to add search terms for special syntax. You can still use the old terms if you struggle to remember the changed syntax. Logos will translate it into a new way of searching.
To use the feature, click the Search button and then type in your search into the search box, as seen above.
Logos 10 Web App Sermon Import
The Logos Web App now lets users add their sermons thanks to the Sermon Importing feature. Add sermons you wrote in other software like Word or Google Docs. Then automatically create slides to export to Proclaim, PowerPoint, or Keynote. The Web App offers other options as well.
You can import existing sermons into Logos to take advantage of Preaching Mode, automatic slide creation, Sermon Manager planning, and wider integration into Logos.
Open the Sermon Manager from the tools menu. Then click on the three vertical dots in the upper right corner of the Sermon Manager and click on Import to add your sermon files. A dialog box opens up. Click on Choose files. Select one or more documents to import.
Logos 10 Web App processes the files adding tags for things like Bible passages. You can edit each file with the information you might find in the Sermon manager's Sermon Info sidebar on the right after selecting a file.
Popular Quotes in Logos 10 Web App
Using Sermon Builder, you can search for quotations to help illustrate ideas in your message. Open the Web App, go to the Tools menu (the 9 dots in 3 rows), and open Sermon Builder.
You'll see a single quotation mark in the upper right corner of the Sermon Builder. Click on it to open the Popular Quotes feature. You'll now see an entry box that you can use to search for passages, text, or topics. The tool searches the quotations dataset and finds applicable quotes.
Find your quote and drag it to the sermon editor. The Web App will create a slide to export to Proclaim, Keynote, PowerPoint, or other useful destinations. If I used it, I could export it to the worship presentation tool made by Faithlife called Proclaim.
Only customers who bought the Silver package or above of Logos 10 will see this feature in the Logos Web App.
Advanced Timeline in Logos 10 Web App
Logos updated the Timeline feature in the Logos 10 Web App and gave it a new name: Advanced Timeline. Open it from the Tools button on the toolbar (9 dots in three rows next to the search box on the main toolbar). You'll see Advanced Timeline in the drop-down box.
You'll need the Bronze package of Logos 10 or higher to access the new Advanced Timeline.
Church History Themes
The new Church History Themes feature brings a "combination of a new dataset and resource" to the Logos 10 Web App, which will help users better understand theology in the historical setting.
Logos added many pages to the Church History Themes section of the Factbook. These themes show the historical movements inside the history of the church. The entry in the Logos communities says...
Every Theme begins with a summary and lists Key Developments. It goes on to identify key People, Events, Places, Concepts, and Documents, which link out to other Factbook pages for further detail.
Here's how to use it. Open the Web App and then click on the Factbook icon, which looks like a book with a checkmark next to the search icon on the toolbar. In the Factbook, click on the drop-down list and choose Church History Themes.
You'll see a list of items in the left column of the Factbook. Choose one to study that item. The main window to the right shows content from the Factbook and your library regarding the item you selected.
How to Open Church History Themes from Advanced Timeline
Users can also open the Church History Themes feature from the Logos Web App Advanced Timeline. Click the Tools button on the toolbar. Then choose Advanced Timeline to open it.
Now click on the Facets button in the upper left of the Advanced Timeline Window. You may need to open the Subject Area section. Click on Church History to see the Church History Themes in the timeline.
How to Open Church History Themes from Library
You can also open the Church History Themes content from your Library of Resources. Click on the Library button on the main toolbar. Then search for either...
- Essential Lexham Dictionary of Church History
- Church History Themes
You can open one or both of these books to read and find content.
Auto Translation in Logos 10 Web App
Users can open a resource or book, and on the right side of the window, there's a new feature to translate the book or resource from the currently published language to another language.
See the screenshot above. Click the button second from the right in the resource's window. This opens the Auto Translation Tool. Choose the language you want to translate from the drop-down box that lists the languages. The Web App instantly translates the open book into the new language.
Logos New Year's Sale Saves Up to 55 Percent
Logos has a great deal on a bunch of resources as part of their Logos New Year's Sale. Find out what's included and how to save.
Logos began a Logos New Year's Sale this week, with 2023 starting Sunday. This sale can help you save up to 55%. Let's take a look and save some money using my affiliate link.
As people think about a new year, they often turn to Bible study as one "resolution" or goal they set for the new year. You can find some good strategies for successfully starting and continuing a personal Bible reading plan here on my site. So, let's take a look at the deals in this Logos New Year's Sale.
New Year's Sale on Logos Bible Study Tools
If you want to read your Bible daily in 2023, look at some of these deals. People who want to read their Bible every day and grow in their study skills can grab some Greek or Hebrew resources. The sale includes...
- Mobile Ed courses like the first one on their page cover the Wisdom of John in Mobile Ed: NT 221.
- Other courses on Discipleship, a commentary on Romans, and one on Christian Life from a Kingdom Perspective
- Audiobooks using the new audiobook feature in Logos 10 and Logos 10 Mobile.
- Biblical Studies tools on theology, the book of Matthew, and the History of Biblical Interpretation.
- Plenty of other tools for studying church history, theology, and more.
Some of the resources I'm looking at getting include...
- Bonhoeffer on the Christian Life: From the Cross, for the World
- How to Know God Exists: Solid Reasons to Believe in God, Discover Truth, and Find Meaning in Your Life
- Expositional Preaching: How We Speak God’s Word Today
If you head over to the site, you'll see a lot of audiobooks. I love the new audiobook reader in Logos 10. It's a great way to enjoy our library while on the go or as you do something else that doesn't require much mental attention, like cleaning, walking, driving, or other things.
Logos 10 Packages Plus 5 Free Books
Logos extended their Logos 10 Packages sale. Buy a new package either as a brand new customer or as someone upgrading your previous version of Logos, and you'll get the discount and five free books if you use my affiliate link.
New customers get $15 off on a package while existing upgrades will enjoy 30% off. Most companies do this the other way around to entice new customers. They offer their general color-coded packages (silver, bronze, gold, etc.) and their denomination packages for Baptists, Anglicans, Lutherans, and others. People in the Academic world or advanced Bible study enthusiasts can choose from the Academic packages. You can find a package if you're a preacher or counselor. Customers who want only the feature upgrades and no new books can also get those at a discount.
This Month's Free Book Plus Deals on Other Low-Cost Books
Every month Logos offers a free book. Choose After God's Own Heart: The Gospel According to David this January 2023. Get this and the other discounted books on their site using my affiliate link. The other books and their prices are as follows:
- God with Us: The Meaning of the Cross and Resurrection—Then and Now - 99 cents
- According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible - $1.99
- Genesis 1-4: A Linguistic, Literary, And Theological Commentary - $2.99
- A Still and Quiet Mind: Twelve Strategies for Changing Unwanted Thoughts - $3.99
- A Theology of James: Wisdom for God’s People (Explorations in Biblical Theology) - $4.99
- The Message of Salvation: By God’s Grace, for God’s Glory - $5.99
- The Holy Trinity: In Scripture, History, Theology, and Worship, Revised and Expanded - $6.99
- Exploring the Religion of Ancient Israel: Prophet, Priest, Sage and People - $7.99
- Matthew, 2 vols. (Reformed Expository Commentary | REC) - $8.99
- Exploring the New Testament (2 vols.) - $9.99
- The Whole Counsel of God, Volume 1: God’s Mighty Acts in the Old Testament - $10.99
- A History of Evangelicalism Series Collection (5 vols.) - $15.99
You can also pre-order the volume of The Book of Ezra and Nehemiah (New International Commentary on the Old Testament or NICOT) for $48.99.
12 Days of Logos Christmas Deals Available Now
The annual 12 Days of Logos Christmas sale is now live with some Logos deals on great packages. Here's what they're offering and how to get them now.
The annual 12 Days of Logos Christmas sale is live with some Logos 10 deals on great packages. Here's what they're offering and how to get them now. They aren't exclusive to Logos 10. Many of these 12 Days of Logos will work if you're still on older versions of Logos.
These deals are available from December 12 at 10:00 a.m. PST/1:00 p.m. EST until 12 days later, which brings us to Christmas Eve. You might be able to get them after Christmas, but don't count on it.
12 Days of Logos Christmas Deals
Head over to the Logos store website to find these deals. Full disclosure: the link is an affiliate link which gives me a small commission. I'd appreciate you helping me out by clicking the link. It helps me pay for this site and my YouTube channel.
- Logos 9 Master Library Expansion, XL - 73.2% off, $1,499.99 sale price
- Lexham Press 2022 Collection (54 vols.) - 40% off, $599.99 sale price
- B&H Academic Biblical and Theological Studies Collection (162 vols.) - 70% off, $756.89 sale price
- New Testament Technical Commentary Collection (53 vols.) - 65% off, $629.99 sale price
- Bible Speaks Today: Commentaries and Themes (76 vols.) - 60% off, $331.19 sale price
- Crossway Studies in Biblical, Doctrinal, and Systematic Theology (76 vols.) - 65% off, $482.99 sale price
- Reformed New Testament Expository and Homiletical Commentaries (71 vols.) - 60% off, $399.99 sale price
- Pillar New Testament Commentary | PNTC (15 vols.) - 52.7% off, $199.99 sale price
- Zondervan Academic Research Library (52 vols.) - 63.6% off, $349.99 sale price
- Paideia: Commentaries on the New Testament | PAI (18 vols.) - 50.1% off, $268.99 sale price
- The Oxford Handbooks Religion Collection (26 vols.) - 65.7% off, $599.99 sale price
- Lexham Press Church Fathers Bundle (11 vols.) - 40% off, $104.99 sale price
Days of Logos Deals Logos 9 Master Library Expansion XL
The first deal for the Logos 9 Master Library Expansion XL gives you a ton of books that normally cost around $5,600. You'll pay only $1,500. You'll get a little of everything like...
- Classic Commentaries series
- High Definition Commentaries, which have great information and visual explanations
- Lexham Geographic Commentary, which addresses geographic considerations in interpretations
- Lexham Research Commentary, which collects some scholarship on the book of the Bible to save you time finding it yourself
- Pocket Dictionary series
- Extensive collection of Old and New Testament studies books
- Bible Surveys and Intros of books of the Bible to help you with a book study or sermon series
Some of the other great resources you'll find in the Logos 9 Master Library Expansion XL sale include four great courses, which would cost you $2,200 alone. You'll get a course on each of the following:
- Mobile Ed: NT101 Introducing New Testament: Its Structure and Story (6-hour course)
- Mobile Ed: NT305 New Testament Theology (12-hour course)
- Mobile Ed: OT101 Introducing Old Testament: Its Structure and Story (6-hour course)
- Mobile Ed: OT300 Old Testament Theology (16-hour course)
As a pastor, I appreciate the preaching tools in this Expansion pack. You'll get some preaching and sermon resources, like Stott's The Preacher's Notebook, my friend Alan Carr's The Sermon Notebook, and sermon collections from Spurgeon.
This gives us only a few of the huge collection of resources. They'd cost you over $26,000 if you bought them from Logos individually.
Lexham Press 2022 Collection with 54 Volumes
You could pay $1,000 for the Lexham Press 2022 Collection, or you could buy it in the 12 Days of Logos sale and pay only $600, saving 40%. If you do, you'll get...
- Commentaries on the NT from the Talmud and Midrash vol 1&2
- Reading the Book of the Twelve Minor Prophets
- Faith in the New Testament: A Study in Biblical Theology
- The Word from the Beginning: The Person and Work of Jesus in the Gospel of John
- Endure: Building Faith for the Long Run
- Faith in the Wilderness: Words of Exhortation from the Chinese Church
- Finding Hope in a Dark Place: Facing Loneliness, Depression, and Anxiety with the Power of Grace
- Finding Hope in a Dark Place: Facing Loneliness, Depression, and Anxiety with the Power of Grace
- Fount of Heaven: Prayers of the Early Church
- Unexpected Jesus: How the Resurrected Christ Finds Us, Meets Us, Heals Us
- What Grace Is: Meditations on the Mercy of Our God
- Christ and Calamity: Grace and Gratitude in the Darkest Valley (audio)
- Faith in the Wilderness: Words of Exhortation from the Chinese Church (audio)
- Jesus and Gender: Living as Sisters and Brothers in Christ (audio)
- Illustrating Well: Preaching Sermons that Connect
- All Thy Lights Combine: Figural Reading in the Anglican Tradition
- Ruth: A Guide to Reading Biblical Hebrew
- A Bond between Souls: Friendship in the Letters of Augustine
- Christ, the Way: Augustine’s Theology of Wisdom
- How the Church Fathers Read the Bible: A Short Introduction
- Reformed Dogmatics in Dialogue: The Theology of Karl Barth and Jonathan Edwards
- Suffering, Not Power: Atonement in the Middle Ages
- The Quest to Save the Old Testament: Mathematics, Hieroglyphics, and Providence in Enlightenment England
- The Theological Correspondence of John Frame: Volume 2
- Formation for Mission: Discipleship and Identity for Emerging Adults
- Great Is Thy Faithfulness: The Trinity Story *
- On Earth as in Heaven: Theopolis Fundamentals
- Pastoral Ethics: Moral Formation as Life in the Trinity
- Uncommon Unity: Wisdom for the Church in an Age of Division
- 50 Ethical Questions: Biblical Wisdom for Confusing Times
- The Gates of Hell: An Untold Story of Faith and Perseverance in the Early Soviet Union
- After the Revolution: Sex and the Single Evangelical
- Amidst Us Our Belovèd Stands: Recovering Sacrament in the Baptist Tradition
- Jesus and Gender: Living as Sisters and Brothers in Christ
- Justification by the Word: Restoring Sola Fide
- Theology of Mission: A Concise Biblical Theology
- Virtuous Persuasion: A Theology of Christian Mission
- Abraham Kuyper Collected Works in Public Theology
- Stewards of the Earth: Christianity and Creation Care
- The Klaas Schilder Reader: The Essential Theological Writing
- Tolkien Dogmatics: Theology through Mythology in Middle-Earth
This collection gives you a lot of resources for less than the Expansion pack above. Check out the books included, and you may find them worth the price.
Other Awesome Tools
You see the list at the beginning of this post. The books or collections I'm most interested in picking up or have and use are the B&H Academic Biblical and Theological Studies Collection, Crossway Studies in Biblical, Doctrinal, and Systematic Theology, and the Zondervan Academic Research Library. With these, you'd save 70%, 65%, and 63%, respectively.
Take a look and be sure to comment below...
- Tell us which one you want most and why.
- Share your experience if you already own any of the above resources.
See More In-Depth Over on Theotek Facebook Page
If you want to see a more in-depth overview of what's in the sale, head over to my Theotek Facebook Page. There I did a live video showing what's in the sale.
Logos 10 Mobile App: What's New?
Here are the top new features of the Logos 10 Mobile app with a demo video and instructions on how to use them.
Faithlife, the makers of Logos Bible Software, updated their suite of Bible study apps and desktop/laptop programs, releasing Logos 10 Mobile for iPad, iPhone, and Android. Most new features work best on the iPad, but many also work on iPhone and Android. We've got a demo of all the most significant upgrades with instructions on how to use these new features.
Logos 10 Mobile App Adds New Selection Menu
When you want to select a verse or some text to highlight it, add a note, or look up information, the Logos 10 Mobile App improves the selection menu.
If you tap on a verse, a popup menu shows up with a few things in it. Depending on your selection, you'll see highlighters, buttons to interact with the verse, some information from your user notes, the Factbook, or other content. This works in non Bibles too.
The highlights come from the most recent first and then the top highlights in your highlighters tool.
The buttons that you can use to interact with a Bible verse include the following:
- Copy the verse
- Share the passage
- Add a Note
- Search
- Compare in multiple translations
- Perform a Passage Guide on the passage
- Perform an Exegetical Guide on the passage
- Mark the passage as a Favorite
- Translate the text using the new Logos 10 Translation tool
- Clip the selected content
- Create a Visual Copy, which makes the selection into an image to share on social media, save, or use in your presentation.
Below the buttons, you will see cards for items found in the selected text. These take you to the Factbook or Bible dictionaries. It might show an entry from a Lexicon. What it shows depends on what it finds in the selected text.
Slide left or right on the cards to see more of them. Use the menu button in the upper right corner of each card (it looks like three vertical dots) to do more with the content in the cards.
Press and hold on a single word and bring up a different kind of menu that shows info about that one word. You'll see Word Info that comes from tags on the word. For example, it will show an entry from your top Greek or Hebrew lexicon. You can open it by tapping on the More button.
You'll also see an entry from an English dictionary or Bible dictionary.
Print Library Tool
Now in Logos 10 you can search your Print Library. However, you'll have to first add books to the Print Library using the Logos 10 Mobile App.
Tap on the More button, which looks like three horizontal lines in the lower right corner of the screen. If it's not showing up, tap on the book's title that's open on the screen. In the top Library section of the menu, tap on the Print Library ISBN Scanner entry. This opens the camera. You might have to give the app permission first.
You can only add books to the Print Library if Logos also has the book in its digital library store. That's because they have to have the text of the book in their library to search for text in the book. Any book that you have with an ISBN bar code or QR code will work.
Now, when you search for words or phrases, they will return entries in the Print Library. You can't read the whole book in Logos, but the Logos 10 Mobile App will tell you where you can find it in your print copy of the book.
Read Aloud in Logos 10 Mobile App
If you like audiobooks, then you'll love the improvements to the Read Aloud feature in the Logos 10 Mobile app. It's easy to find in the open book's top toolbar. It looks like a sound icon. Tap it, and it brings up the reading feature at the bottom of the screen.
In the Read Aloud feature, listeners can pause and play the audio. They can also skip back a verse or a whole book of the Bible. Skip forward a verse or a book too. There's a speed option to read the book or Bible faster. I like to listen at 1.5 times to many books.
If the book comes with an audiobook version, a download button appears next to the X in the Read Aloud feature box.
Most phones let users add different voices to read books that don't come with an audiobook version. Open your phone's Settings app. In iOS, go to Accessibility and then tap on Spoken Content. That opens the screen where you can choose Voices to select your voice.
iOS lists voices by language first and then name. I tapped on English at the top and chose Samantha. The phone gives the user two options. One is regular Samantha and the other reads "enhanced". I picked the enhanced version and downloaded her voice.
Go back to Logos, choose a book that doesn't already have an audiobook associated with it, and follow the instructions at the beginning of this section to listen to the book using the iOS voice we chose in settings.
The Android version of the Logos 10 Mobile App plays audio almost identically, except for changing the voices.
Sermon Manager Update
The update to the Sermon Manager in the Logos 10 Mobile App allows users to edit and read sermons created, either in the app or on the desktop. Open the Sermon Manager from the More button, which looks like three horizontal lines stacked on top of each other in the lower right corner of the toolbar.
You'll find the Sermon Manager in the Tools section of the menu. Tap on it to open it.
You will see all the important features of the Sermon Manager on your iPad. This only works on iPad.
You can also open the Sermon Manager from the tabs button. Hit a plus button to open from the Tools section of the new tab feature.
Canvas Tool on iPad
A canvas shows information in a visual way. The iPad and desktop app tools include many drawing tools, diagramming tools, and text formatting. Add images, icons, and shapes. Do this all to show information in a visual way for presentations or documents. You could create them for your own benefit.
To open or create a Canvas, go to the More button (three horizontal lines in the lower right) and tap on it. Head to the Documents section. Tap on the Canvas item, and you'll see a list of any Canvases already in your library. Tap one to open it. Work with the canvas, and then you can work with the Canvas.
You can also create a new one from the Tabs screen. Tap the plus icon and go to the Documents tab (right button on the Tabs toolbar). Now tap on the plus icon at the top of the box, which shows a list of the kinds of documents you can add. Tap on Canvas to make a new one.
The Canvas feature is available only on iPad, and only in Bronze packages, and above.
Draw On Screen Feature on iPad
Teaching using Logos as a visual aid got easier with the update to Logos 10 Mobile thanks to my favorite new feature, the Draw On Screen feature on the iPad only. You can now draw on your screen and save that as a screenshot in notes or share it elsewhere.
Open the More button (three horizontal lines in the lower right) and choose Draw On Screen from the Tools section. This brings up the Apple annotation feature, which lets you draw using your Apple Pencil, a third-party stylus, or your fingers.
Drawings can use a pen, highlighter, pencil, eraser, selection tool, and ruler to make straight lines.
When you're finished drawing on the screen, share the drawing or exit without saving it. You can share the image in a few ways.
- Copy Image - copy it for pasting in a document or note.
- Save to Photos - save it in the iOS Photos app.
- Save as Note - saves the drawing as an unattached note, which you can then manually attach to a verse or paragraph.
- Share - use the iOS Share Sheet feature to send it to a Facebook post, a file on the iPad, Instagram, or other services you use.
Enhanced Panel Linking
You've been able to link books before so that your commentary would move along with your Bible as you swiped to advance to the next passage. Now, you can tweak these settings a little so that the Bible drives the link relationship.
Open a book and then slip the screen into at least two books. When you do, a new book will fill the second half. Then, if you like, then add other books. You'll see a box with the word None in it and a pair of linked chain links. Tap it to bring up the Enhanced Panel Linking feature. Tap the A to link to the other book. Then tap on Follow Only so that this book won't make the other book move, but the other book will move this one.
For example, I have the NASB and Faithlife Study Bible open above. If I choose Follow Only, then as I swipe up and down on the NASB or left and right in widescreen mode, the FSB will follow it so that the verse in the Bible matches the verse in the study Bible. However, if I choose Set all panels to match, then any book will force the others to follow it. Moving to a new chapter in the FSB will move to that channel in all linked Bibles.
You can also set this from the main book menu in the upper right corner of each book panel, which looks like three vertically stacked dots.
New Logos 10 Mobile App User Interface with More Tiles
The user interface on Logos 10 Mobile gets a much-needed feature update. You can now open as many as six books on your iPad. However, this doesn't work on the phone since it would be impractical to open that many on a small screen.
To open a layout with more tiles, tap on the Layouts icon in the bottom toolbar on the right. You'll see a little popup with options for...
- 1 book
- 2 books side-by-side
- 2 books, top and bottom
- 3 books with one on the left and two splitting the right side column
- 3 books with one on the right and two splitting the left side column
- 3 books arranged in verbal columns
- 4 books splitting the screen into four equal quadrants
- 4 books with 2 each in the vertical columns on the left and middle and two splitting the third column
To add two more books, open the layout in the top right of the popup. Then, from the toolbar at the top, tap on the 3 dots which opens the options menu. Choose Split this tile.
Deal on New Logos Books
If you want to get the new Logos 10 upgrade, then head over to my affiliate page to get a nice discount on Logos and some free books. This way you can use the Logos 10 Mobile app
Logos Black Friday Deals on Books on Software
You can save a nice stack of cash by taking advantage Logos Black Friday Deals this month. We've got what's on offer and how much they cost.
I hate Black Friday, but these days few have to wait in line a store to get deals. In fact you don't even have to wait till Black Friday anymore if you shop on line at places like Logos Bible Software. They've already got Logos Black Friday deals going. Here's what you can get and save money on this month on books and the upgrade to Logos 10, which I shared with you in my overview of the new version.
Logos Black Friday Deals on Zondervan Courses and Mobile Education
These deals go from November 8th to 15th. You can save up to 85% on these courses. For example, save on courses to learn Biblical Greek or Hebrew. You can go for something as simple as a quick course on how to learn the alphabet for either $15.52 (Greek) or $21.36 (Hebrew). Then study the languages for $189.99 for Greek and Hebrew. Find them on my Affiliate page.
You can find other courses on Theology, Church History, Counseling, and Preaching. One thing I like to do is preach through books of the Bible. So, I get a course on a book of the Bible and study it as I prepare to preach through the book.
Other Deals Coming the Rest of the Month
Other deals are coming in the Logos Black Friday Deals include things like Commentary Mini-Bundles and Publisher Spotlight deals.
In addition, you can still get a nice discount on Logos 10. If you're new to Logos, you'll get 15% off. Prior customers get 30% off. And everyone will get 5 free books when they buy Logos 10 and a package deal, like the denomination collections, collections for preacher or counselors, or the basic color-themed collections, like Gold, Silver, etc.
You can use my affiliate link to get the 5 free books in this deal.
Every month Logos also offers free books and heavily discounted books. You can find the list of November's free and discounted titles here. Here's whats on offer this month...
- Luke (The Preacher's Commentary Series, Volume 26 | TPC) - Free
- Jon Courson's Application Commentary: New Testament - Free
- Thru the Bible Vol. 56: The Epistles (1 John) - 99 cents
- Did You Know? More Than 6,000 Bible Questions and Answers - 99 cents
- MacArthur's Quick Reference Guide to the Bible - $1.99
- Visual Survey of the Bible - $1.99
- God in the Manger - $2.99
- All the Parables of the Bible - $2.99
- KJV Bible Commentary - $3.99
- Proverbs (The Preacher's Commentary, Volume 15 | TPC) - $3.99
- 1 Peter (NIV Application Commentary | NIVAC) - $4.99
- Sermon on the Mount (Story of God Bible Commentary | SGBC) - $4.99
- 1 and 2 Thessalonians (Story of God Bible Commentary | SGBC)
- New International Bible Dictionary
- Ecclesiastes (Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 23a | WBC)
- Illustrated Manners and Customs of the Bible
- Joel: A Discourse Analysis of the Hebrew Bible (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament)
- Believer’s Bible Commentary
- Mark (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament | ZECNT)
- Acts (NIV Application Commentary | NIVAC)
- John, 2nd ed. (Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 36 | WBC)
- Thinking through Paul: An Introduction to His Life, Letters, and Theology
In addition, Logos offers a pre-order for $34.99, It's the Leviticus: A Discourse Analysis of the Hebrew Bible from Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament (AKA: ZECOT)
Logos Bible Software Through the Years Video
Logos user James Chaisson made a great video that shows off Logos Bible Software through the years. I share it here for your enjoyment.
I didn't make this video of the evolution of Logos Bible Software through the years, but I wish I had. James Chaisson made it and he did a greet job. It's fun to see the way a complex and powerful program like Logos evolved from the first version all the way up to Logos 10, which just launched last month.
My History with Logos Bible Software Through the Years
As you'll see in this video the software advanced beyond the primitive origins. It was the third version that I first bought at a Sam's Club in Wilmington, NC a long time ago. The ability to enter a passage and find all the books in the library amazed me. I quickly started added books with an academic discount for seminary students while I worked on my Doctorate at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary in the early 2000s. This add a huge library for $500. I felt like I was mortgaging my future, but I've since added a tone of other great content.
Make sure to go to James' YouTube channel and subscribe. He has some great Logos content.
Jumping on the Logos 10 Bandwagon
Also, if you want to join the Logos family, consider using my affiliate link to buy a package for Logos 10. You can also get 5 free books and the same 15 or 30 percent discount on packages depending on whether you're a current or new customers.
What makes Logos worth your time? First, it's the powerful feature set including som anew features that we outline in our last post along with a video which you can see below.
Another reason to go with Logos is the huge library of content available. They make sure to present books in a high quality format and their book formatters respond to your error reports.
Logos 10: What's New and How to Get a Discount?
What's new in Logos 10 Bible software? Read about each new feature and watch my video demo.
That's right; Logos 10 shipped on 10-10-2022. Despite the marketing department at Logos taking advantage of the date and version number, this was a big upgrade. It marks the 30th anniversary of Logos first hitting the Bible software world. They weren't the first, but they indeed have outlasted most.
Users get some interesting new features with the latest version of Logos 10. I want to highlight what's new in Logos 10 on the desktop or laptop version, the mobile version, and the web app.
Many of the features listed below only come in advanced packages, like the Gold or Bronze. You can buy a package using my affiliate link. This gets you either 15% or 30% off the price plus five free books. I'll get a cut of the sale as well.
Logos 10 User Interface Changes
Users of Logos 10 will notice the new user interface immediately. The software displays the toolbar on the left instead of the top of the window. Users can change this, but it might conserve screen space if you use the program on a wide 16:9 screen aspect ratio.
I won't keep the toolbar on the left because I like to display the button label text to remind me of what each one does. You can show the labels on the left, but that takes up too much screen space. Without labels, people who can remember what each button does can collapse the toolbar. Here's how to change the position and collapse or expand the toolbar.
How to Move the New Logos 10 Toolbar Between Top or Left
Open your Program Settings. You can do that from the menu. On a Mac, click on Logos in the upper left corner and then choose Program Settings. The Logos menu in the upper left doesn't appear on Windows, only on Mac. The second item in the settings list will change position. Click the drop-down arrow to choose Top or Left.
Optionally, in the lower left, there's a menu button with three vertical dots. Click it, choose Program Settings, and then choose the drop-down arrow to select Top of Left.
Millions of New Factbook Tags
A new visual filter in Logos 10 shows users millions of new tags from the Factbook. The Logos 10 Factbook, like the one in previous versions, serves as an information treasure trove to help Bible students understand what their reading and studying in God's word.
With Logos 10, these tags appear as an underlined word with information about that term in the Factbook. You might find things like...
- Greek and Hebrew Lemmas - open them to study the original languages for that word in English or another language.
- Information about People, Places, and Things.
- Terms with theological significance like Propitiation or the word Conform from Romans 12.
Logos described these underlined terms like the Kindle X-Ray feature that shows definitions of words in your Kindle digital books.
How to Turn On or Off Factbook Tags in Logos 10
See my post about How to Get the Most Out of the Factbook in Logos
Factbook tags are like Visual Filters, but you don't turn them on or off from the Visual Filters menu. Instead, the Factbook gets its own button in a Bible or book window. It looks like a book with a checkmark and a drop-down arrow next to it. Click the arrow to open the menu and select which tags you want to turn off or on.
Not everyone will get these new Factbook tags. First, if you upgrade and buy a Started collection, you'll get the People tags. The bronze level will add Theological terms and Greek words. You'll need to buy Silver to add Hebrew and Aramaic.
Everyone must have their computer connected to the Internet to use the new Factbook tags. If you're not connected, then they won't work. Logos 10 still works, but the tag underlines don't show up.
Church History Themes
Another Factbook improvement comes from a dataset and resource that shows Church History Themes.
To find them open the Factbook from the toolbar. You'll see the three horizontal lines often called the Hamburger menu button. Click on the Dropdown box and find Church History Theme from the list.
You can also find it in the Advanced Timeline (see more below about the Advanced Timeline). Open the Timeline and click on the Hamburger menu (three horizontal lines). Find the Event Type section and then click on Church History Theme.
The information comes from two resources - the Essential Lexham Dictionary of Church History and the Church History Themes dataset. Open them from the Library and read or search for them from there.
Simpler Search Terms
To search in older versions of Logos, users had to know some complex boolean search terms to get advanced searches. With Logos 10, you get simpler search terms.
Logos gave the following example of one more straightforward search you can now perform in Logos 10 but could not in version 9 or earlier. If you wanted to find out where in the Bible Jesus mentioned Moses, you'd type in a search box the following:
<Person Moses> WITHING (Speaker <Person Jesus>) and hit enter.
Now, just type:
person:Moses IN speaker:Jesus
That's much easier to remember and to type.
Logos will auto-complete suggested search terms to help you. You may not even need to remember the search terms to search your Bible.
Another simpler search lets you do a Search All, and Logos 10 will find results in all your datasets without you even knowing the dataset exists.
Bring Your Print Library Into Logos 10
You can add your print books to Logos 10 without buying digital copies. This also works with Kindle books too. When you add such books to Logos using the camera on your iPhone and the ISBN code on a print book, the book shows up in the Logos 10 Library. When you search for something and find it in the books added, it shows them in your list of returned search results. You can find it by page number, open that book from your bookshelf, and turn to that page.
To import a print book into your Logos 10 Library, open the app and then tap on the menu button in the lower right corner. Next, tap on Print Library ISBN Scanner. Finally, scan the ISBN code on the back of the book.
2. Tap on Print Library ISBN Scanner.
3. Scan the ISBN code on the back of the book.
The feature comes with a few caveats.
- This only works with books in the Logos catalog of books. If they don't already have the digital text of a book, it won't work.
- You must spend time and effort adding your books one at a time.
- The search results only show a snippet of the content from the book. You'll have to read the book in the print edition.
- Only people who buy the Gold package will get access to the feature.
Searching the Print Library
The new books in your print library will appear in general searches, but you can't open those books. Instead, Logos tells you where to find the content in your print book by page number. You'll open the physical copy of the book and find the content.
However, if you want to search your print library books, you can use the Library window. Open a Library window and look for the Print Library item on the left-hand side of the Library window. Find the book you want to search, right-click, and choose Search this resource.
If you want to search the entire library, follow the above steps, but instead of right-clicking first, select all the books in the Print Library. Do this using the keyboard shortcut CTR+A on Windows or CMD+A on Mac.
After selecting all the books, you can right-click one of the selected books and choose Search these resources. This opens the Search panel. Type in your search phrase or word to find items in the book.
You will see results in the Search window. Find the Print Books section as seen above. Look at the results and find the entry in the book. Grab your book and open it to the page listed or the section listed. Not all books will show page numbers.
Import Multiple Sermons into the Sermon Manager in Logos 10
Logos 10 now supports importing a collection of sermons into the sermon manager. After you add them, you will get tags added for Scripture references in the text of the Word document.
The Sermon Manager import only supports Microsoft Word's DOCX format. Only buyers of the Gold package or higher in Logos 10 will get access to the tool. If you want to upgrade, use this link to get 5 free books and a discount.
Access the import tool by opening the Tools button from the toolbar (9 dots on it) and either click on Sermon Manager or type it in the search box to find it quickly. The Sermon Manager will open. Click on the menu button (three vertical dots) in the upper right corner of the Sermon Manager. Choose Import and then click on the Choose Files button in the lower part of the Import dialog box. Navigate to the folder that holds the sermons you want to import. You can select multiple files with the CTRL+A or CMD+A.
How to Find Imported Sermons
To find your sermons open the Sermon Manager in a separate full-screen window and choose the Date you preached the sermon. This makes working with the Sermon Manager easier, especially if you're using a small screen.
I had to open the Grid view and select All from the top of the window. I opened one of my sermons, and it the formatting I used didn't work with the Import very well. If you use the built-in Microsoft Word Headings, then it will work better for you.
Now you will want to clean up your imported sermons. Edit them to use things like Headings, the information pane that opens on the right side, and the slides. If you make slides from your sermon, then you can export them to programs like PowerPoint, Keynote, Faithlife Proclaim, or PDF documents.
Popular Quotes in Sermon Builder
The Sermon Builder gets an added feature called Popular Quotes. Preachers search for quotes to add to their sermons inside the Sermon Builder.
Open a new Sermon using the Sermon Builder from the Tools button (grid with 9 dots on the toolbar). Create a sermon and then choose the Popular Quotes button on the right when you want to add a quote. The button looks like a quotation mark.
A list of quotes will appear. Drag and drop any quote you want to add to your sermon from the right-hand column to the Sermon Builder. The Sermon Builder will add the default slide. Change it by clicking on the slide thumbnail. You'll see a menu appear. The list of options includes...
- Edit - change the look of the slide.
- Apply this style to quote slides - change all quotation slides to match this.
- Apply this style to all slides - change all slides in general to match this slide.
- Delete - delete this slide.
Advanced Timeline
The new Advanced Timeline shows historical events in the context of the era in which that event occurred. The timeline offers this in a visual way. Users can filter events to focus on what they're most interested in seeing.
To open the Advanced Timeline, click on the Tools button on the toolbar. It looks like a grid of 9 dots. Either type Advanced Timeline or scroll down to the Reference section on the Tools menu and click Advanced Timeline.
This feature only works on Bronze packages or above. You can buy the Bronze package at this link and get a discount plus 5 free books.
Interact with the Advanced Timeline using the sidebar or the toolbar. The toolbar at the top has the following...
- Button to open the sidebar, which lets you select the kinds of content you want to hide or show.
- A time range box where you enter years like 20-100 AD.
- Search box where you type what you're looking for.
- Zoom in, fit, and zoom out buttons.
- View the dropdown menu to limit by things like Bible & Church Eras or Western History Eras
- Info button
- Menu (three vertical dots)
Speed Improvements
Logos 10 boasts faster performance, especially for users of Silicon Macs that use M1 or M2 branding. These are modern processors that run more efficiently than Intel chips. They claim a 35% speed boost, especially while indexing your library. I can attest to this improvement. It used to take hours to index my library with 8,000+ resources. It now does it in around an hour.
The computer still chugs along while the program indexes the library. However, Logos 10 takes far less time to index on my M1 MacBook Pro, M1 Mac mini, and M2 MacBook Air.
For Windows users, you'll see a small speed boost. It comes thanks to something called .NET 6.
Auto Translation
In almost any book, open a side panel on the right that shows a translation of the book's text. To use it, open a book. Click on the Sidebar button in the upper right corner. A new window opens with the default language. You can use the language dropdown list to pick from dozens of languages. The above image shows a French translation of the open book.
If you want to copy the contents in the Sidebar, choose the copy button to the right of the language dropdown list.
Your computer needs an Internet connection to use the Auto Translation feature. You also have to own the Gold Package, which you can buy here and get a discount plus 5 free books.
Questions and Answers
Think of Dear Abbey only for Bible study. The Questions and Answers feature answers common questions you might have about the Bible. It also includes some obscure answers too. This all comes from a new dataset.
Use the feature by typing a question in the search box (magnifying glass icon on the toolbar). The program notices you worded it as a question and tries to find your answer in the dataset. The results come from your library. It also includes other kinds of results, so scroll down to the Questions & Answers card.
7 Best Apps for Writing Sermons Digitally
What are the best apps for writing sermons? We have a bunch of options in 7 categories for sermon writing tools.
What tools do you use to write your sermons digitally? We've got the best apps for writing sermons digitally and we'll explain why each works great and recommend the best single option.
Most of us no longer write out sermons by hand or type them on an old-fashioned typewriter. We write in Bible study software, a word processor, a notepad app, a note program, or some other software.
Microsoft Word or Another Word Processor are Some of the Best Apps for Writing Sermons Digitally
The granddaddy of word processors comes from Microsoft. Most people who use a word processor write with Microsoft Word. Other options include a form of the open-source OpenOffice, like Libre Office Writer. OpenOffice is the foundation for Libre Office. It's a great tool if you use Linus or want a powerful tool that you can get for free.
and then open the notes on an iPad or Android tablet to preach from them.
If you write your sermons with one of these powerful word processors, you will likely come up with your sermon outline, copy and paste text from a Bible program or the Internet, and formate it for preaching.
When I write in Microsoft Word, I format the document with large text for each major sermon division (read points). Each sermon has large green text so I can see it in the pulpit easily as I preach with my sermon notes open. Bible quotes use large bright red text and standard quotes from people or commentaries use large purple text.
The sermon syncs to my iPad using OneDrive and I open it in Word. The iPad sits on my podium so I can look down and check my notes as I preach through the sermon.
This works with an Android tablet or a Windows computer like a Microsoft Surface tablet.
If you're all in using Apple Hardware and software, go with Apple Pages and iCloud sync. It works well even if Pages doesn't come with all the powerful features of Word or one of these open-source word processors.
Android and Chromebook users can take advantage of Google Docs and Drive.
Remember that Microsoft Word costs at least $6.99/month for the basic Microsoft 365 subscription. You can often find deals online on eBay or Amazon, but be careful that you're buying from a reputable buyer.
Bible Study Software Sermon Writing Tools
Open the Sermon Builder to create one sermon.
Logos 9 includes a useful Sermon Manager to create your sermon preaching calendar for weeks to years out in advance. Then, you open a single document with a tool called the Sermon Builder. This was a huge part of the Logos 9 upgrade. They worked to overall the sermon writing and organizing features to make it more usable.
Logos 9 users will love the way the built-in Sermon Builder syncs with their Proclaim worship presentation software. If you use it in your church, then you can create sermons in Logos 9 and it will sync to Presentation for the date the preacher is scheduled to preach that sermon.
Using Logos and Proclaim together lets the preacher publish his sermon online in text mode. Plus the church can record both audio and video to publish podcasts or worship service videos.
Accordance Bible Software also lets users write inside the software. The Papers option works best. The video below shows how to create and edit Papers in Accordance 12 and later.
You could also use things like Notes files and most Bible study apps. But the above two options work best for creating sermons that you can store inside the program and search later to reuse part or all of the sermon.
The cost of Bible software varies wildly depending on which vendor you buy from, what package of tools you purchase, and whether it's on sale.
To get Logos 9 10% off, I'd appreciate you using my affiliate link at www.logos.com/KevinPurcell where you can buy a package and get a few free books too. I get a commission which helps me do my work here on this site and on my YouTube channel.
Tools like Olive Tree and Laridian PocketBible are free to cheap to get the basic app.
Note Apps Built Into Your Operating System are Useful Apps for Writing Sermons Digitally
As I said above, you could just write plant text or simply formatted text in a Note attached to a passage inside your Bible study program. If you use something Like Olive Tree or PocketBible, this might offer the best option.
Writing in a note gives you a simpler option when compared to complex word processors or advanced Bible software with a Sermon Builder or Paper feature like Logos or Accordance mentioned above.
Notability or Other iOS Apps for Writing Sermons by Hand
For users on iOS and Mac, try out the great note-taking apps like Notability on iPad and macOS. You can write using your handwriting, or typing. When you're finished you can export the results as a PDF or image file.
There's a segment of users who enjoy mind mapping their sermons. I'm not one but I've read about them. People like this will organize their sermon notes by putting the major subject in the center of the screen in a circle or box. Then they will draw lines away from the center to another shape for each major sermon division or point. Under each or around each they show their explanation, proof, and application for each main sub idea in the sermon. Add an introduction and conclusion and you've got a visual method of displaying the sermon.
Above you'll see a visual form of those from my friend Antoine Wright who visited my church and did what he called a "Sketch Note" of my sermon that day. You could do something like this for your sermon notes. If you're not artistically inclined like Antoine, then you can use text or print instead of images.
You could use other note-taking apps like Apple Notes, Good Notes, and more.
Samsung Notes or Other Apps for Writing Sermons by Hand on Galaxy Android Devices
Another option for Android and Samsung users is Samsung Notes. It's built into Samsung's version of Android. I like using it because it's simple and easy to learn. However, it has fewer features than Notability. If you could use. Notability on an Android device I would.
Use Samsung Notes to create notes with handwriting or type using a keyboard. The strategy is the same as it is for iOS handwriting apps.
Sermonary for Online Sermon Writing the Best of Online Apps for Writing Sermons Digitally
A final option includes a website that lets you write online called Sermonary. Here's how it works. Create a new sermon and then add your sermon elements. Add sermon divisions or points. Then create subpoints for the explanation, proof, and application.
Sermonary includes Templates for different styles of sermons. You can use...
- 3 Point Sermons
- Andy Stanley's ME-WE-GOD-YOU-ME format
- Running commentary format
- Defender's Outline for an apologetics sermon
- Children's Leader
- Youth Pastor
The service adds resources to help you preach the word including some visuals, sermon series ideas, and more.
Sermonary costs nothing for the basic editor. Add more features and you'll pay $19/month or $69/month for a bundle with Sermonary and Ministry Pass. That adds sermon series ideas, visuals for presentations, holiday sermons, plus sermon illustrations.
In addition to Sermonary, instead, you could use any online writing tools like...
- Google Docs
- Word Online
- Grammarly
Text-based Writing Tools with Markup to Write Sermons in Plain Text
Some people prefer simple text editors. Almost every computer or mobile device includes a text-based writing app like Notepad on Windows, Apple Text Edit on macOS, and Apple Notes on iOS, iPadOS, or macOS.
If you're an Android user, you might find a good text editor, but sometimes you need to download one from the Google Play Store. Consider Writer Plus a great Android text editor available on both iOS and Android. Use it as a basic text editor or add markdown to format your text. The app is free with the option to donate via in-app purchase.
Recommendation for Writing Sermons
If you have access to Microsoft Word, then go with it. It's cross-platform meaning you can move from iOS to Android to Windows to Mac and back. Second, it's not tied to one Bible study program. The death of Bibleworks and Wordsearch recently proves we should move carefully deeper into one platform's ecosystem. I like to keep as much as possible separate from my Bible software.