Logos has long held primacy in the Bible software universe. It offers untold tools to aid the ministers and students in their labors. I applaud the work of Logos and especially its longevity. The market is getting more saturated. BibleWorks couldn’t stay in the fray (I still use BW 10), and Logos continues to take the preeminence with its capacity to provide curated research and facilitate the task of accurate sermon research into languages and background information. This is all good.
However, the singling out of their amplification of African-American, Asian, and Latin resources does not indicate its attempt to add orthodox voices from different cultures but accentuates the idea that textual analysis is shaped by contextual and geographical presuppositions. This is how you gain brownie points in the evangelical community. Diversity of thought is king.
True study, they argue, must fit your cultural ethos, and the more interconnected these worlds are, the more understandable the text will be and the more we will appreciate contributions from all voices ranging from the early church to the local lesbian mother at the Unitarian Church. They will argue that we should expect that an Asian perspective on Luke will yield new details that an Anglo scholar cannot provide and vice-versa. Sermon research must be open to all multicultural perspectives.
The purpose behind this sociological buffet is that all these modern and ancient voices will eventually carry the same gravitas in the interpretation arena. You can read through Genesis 2 and discover a feminist reading of the text next to Augustine’s sermons on Genesis, or search for books on sexuality and find an equal share of LGBTQ-friendly data next to Calvin’s studies on creational norms.
While these kinds of things are expected in significant institutions seeking a monopoly over a product, and while Logos has proven to be useful in many, many ways, we should not overlook the reality that this is an intentional move to make ideas a part of the egalitarian pursuits within evangelical institutions, which will undoubtedly impact hundreds of seminary students and laity seeking greater biblical understanding.
Uri,
I came across your post because I was wondering why certain things where popping up in logos. What about Accordance Bible Software? I am getting a degree and they are providing it for us as part of the degree cost. Are they at least more neutral in this regard (I would love if they were anti-woke, but I doubt it.)
They seem to be more neutral.