Teen Life Application Study Bible Review
Tyndale recently sent us a copy of the NLT Teen Life Application Study Bible. Based on their very popular Life Application Study Bible this Bible has numerous features designed to meet the challenges and needs of today’s high school students.
ISBN: 9781496434319 Printed in China
Tyndale provided this Bible in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review, only an honest one. All opinions are my own.
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This Bible is available at (includes some affiliate links)
and many local Bible bookstores
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Construction and Materials
The copy we received is the teal leatherlike cover with Ephesians 3:19 debossed and accented in gold on the cover. Teal and other shades of blue-green are not the easiest colors to get accurate pictures of. The combination of lighting and background in the above photo came the closest of the many photos I took.
It has a sewn binding and thick gold paper end pages. The paper is about 36 gsm and is easy to turn. It has gold gilt page edges and one light gold ribbon marker attached. this Bible measures and weighs.
This Bible is available in many other covers. There are brown, black, steel, and pink leatherlike covers available besides the teal shown here. The steel and pink are also available thumb-indexed and each color has a different decorative touch added. You can also purchase this Bible in hardcover, softcover, or eBook format.
Typography
This bible is an all black-letter edition. Section headings are bold as well as in all caps. And chapter numbers are bold and 2 lines high. The ink is a consistent darkness throughout.
Showthrough of the regular text exists but is low enough that I never found it distracting. The borders and other styling that set different features apart show through a bit more and might be a little harder to ignore in some cases.
This Bible is laid out in a two-column paragraph format. Poetry is set in stanzas. Quotes are offset to make them easier to identify.
The header contains the book name and chapter number in the outside corner and the page number on the inside corner. Page numbers are always given in 4 digit format (page 0009 not just 9).
It has an 8.5 point font and 6 lines of text as well as 6 lines of spacing fit in the height of a penny. The font is a nice easy to read sans serif style and the spacing between lines is generous enough to be easy to read.
The footnotes, which are mostly translation notes, can be found at the bottom of the inner column of each page.
In-Text Study Helps
The heart of the NLT Teen Life Application Study Bible is all the notes and added features. A wide variety of these can be found on the pages with the Biblical text.
There is a handy guide to the types of in-text notes at the front of the Bible.
Book Introductions
Each book has its own book introduction that includes a brief summary and key points. There is a list of stats that includes things like purpose, author, original audience and more down the right side of the page. The mostly dark, black and white photo that is used as a background is different for each book. I like that each book begins on the right page. It makes them easier to find sometimes, as well as giving you several full and partial pages throughout the Bible to add personal notes to.
A few of the books have a second page to their introduction that includes a map and brief descriptions of that book’s key places.
Life Application Notes
These notes can be found at the bottom of the outside column of many pages of the Bible. They are divided from the Biblical text with a dotted line. There are 1,000 of these notes included designed to help teens better understand the text and apply it to their lives.
Personality Profiles
Over 50 personality profiles are included. These have a quick list of the ups and downs of each person’s life as well as basic facts about them and a key scripture. The rest of the profile focuses on why their life matters and what we can learn from them.
Choices
These 60 articles detail possible real-world situations. Instead of giving teens all the answers they point them to a nearby relevant passage and ask them to reason it out using scripture as their guide.
I like this feature because it encourages teens to figure out answers for themselves. Everyone benefits from taking the time to find the Scriptural whys behind what they believe, but this skill is especially needed as a teenager. They need the whys behind the rules and beliefs to maintain their faith as they transition from child to adult. And a good understanding of why will help them not only resist peer pressure but possibly win others to the truth.
Maps
Sometimes you need a map to help you understand the what’s and where’s. So they have included some maps in-text and not just at the back of the Bible or in select book introductions.
Charts
Charts can be an easy and systematic way to understand key points or comparisons. Nearly 70 of them have been included to help teens fit things together.
Key Verses
88 key verses highlighting the hope and strength God provides have been chosen and highlighted throughout the Bible.
This looks a little bit like what several of us who Bible journal frequently do.
My Story
These are stories of real teens (with their names changed) and the struggles they have been through. Each one illustrates how God’s word is applicable today. They give examples of the Bible giving direction, encouragement, and/or strength to deal with a difficult situation.
Ultimate Issues
Approximately 40 articles dealing with hard questions about God, the Bible, and life. They discuss issues such as the origin of humanity, depression, why does God allow evil, and much more.
I Wonder
Dealing with questions teens frequently ask these articles attempt to answer what it really means to follow after God. They are designed to help teens understand what the Bible says and how to make it stick in their lives.
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They did a good job of making all these extra features easy to tell apart from the scriptures by the use of borders, graphic elements, pictures, and variations in fonts.
You might not agree with everything said in these notes (I don’t). They are excellent starting places to help a teen (or anyone) figure out what they do believe and why.
Other Features
There are many other helpful features included in either the front or the back of the Bible. A couple of the most unique or my favorites include:
Reading Plan
The NLT Teen Life Application Study Bible has a unique reading plan titled “A Look at the Book”. Rather than having you read the entire Bible it focuses on some of the best-known stories and important lessons. It includes a question for you to think about for each reading. It’s a great way to start training teens to apply the Bible to their own life.
14 Encounters with God
This feature gives you 14 ways to “spend time with God and find out more about who he is and who he wants you to be”. I like this feature because it offers practical advice about things to pray about, study, and think about. This is a useful starting point for those who are new to their faith or trying to make their faith a more integrated part of their life.
Life Choices Index
The Bible is very large and can be overwhelming when you are looking for answers for yourself or someone around you. I like that this index has a wide variety of well-chosen topics. My favorite feature is that it points you to several biblical passages first and extra articles second.
Where to Find It Index
This index helps teens (or anyone) find those stories that most people are familiar with or want to reference. It is particularly useful for those who are growing in their faith who know these stories but can’t always find them when they want to read them.
Other Features
This Bible also includes:
- Finding Faith and Help for New Believers – articles about obtaining salvation and sharing that salvation with others – these two articles would be the most doctrinal slanted portion of the entire Bible
- Introduction to the New Living Translation – I think all Bibles should include a note from the translators or an explanation of the mindset and process of the translation.
- Contributors List (including photography credits)
- Features Index – so you can find every entry of a favorite feature type (I did find a couple of small errors in this index)
- Full-Color Maps – 6 typical end of Bible maps in color on thick glossy paper are included.
Final Thoughts on the Teen Life Application Study Bible
The NLT Teen Life Application Study Bible is a nice study Bible. It encourages teenagers to read God’s Word more, turning to the Bible for answers about faith and life. The wide variety of feature styles means almost every learning style will have something that appeals to them. The varied cover styles will also appeal to a wide variety of teens. As with any study Bible the notes, which may contain biases or doctrinal slants, should always be secondary to the Word of God. This Bible does a nice job of making it possible to tell the two apart.
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This Bible is available at (includes some affiliate links)
and many local Bible bookstores
_________________________________________________________
Photography by Lucinda Brown
Tyndale provided this Bible in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review, only an honest one. All opinions are my own.
