The Common English Bible "Change Your Heart and Life" Blog Tour
An international network of bloggers will soon contribute to a 90-day blog tour for the new bestselling Common English Bible (http://CommonEnglishBible.com) translation. The "Common English Bible Change Your Heart and Life" tour extends from February through May, honoring the Christian observances of Ash Wednesday, Lent, Holy Week, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter, the Ascension of Jesus, and Pentecost. Complete schedule and joining information is available at http://CommonEnglishBible.com/CEB/blogtour
In addition to the blog tour (Twitter #CEBtour –
https://twitter.com/#!/search/realtime/%23CEBtour), “This tour is designed to help bloggers coordinate for their readers the thoughtful consideration of the biblical expressions of gratitude, waiting for the coming of Christ, and personal renewal,” says Paul Franklyn, PhD, associate publisher for the Common English Bible. “What better time to consider these themes than during Lent, Easter and Passover? And in what better manner than with a scholarly Bible translation that’s easily comprehendible to the majority of English readers?”
Also, a Common English Bible National Public Reading Marathon is being synchronized for Holy Week (April 1-7) and Easter Sunday (April 8), conducted by churches, seminaries and colleges, and other organizations and streamed online. Readings will be scripture verses for the season selected from the Revised Common Lectionary (Year B). Information about groups hosting the reading marathon is available at
http://CommonEnglishBible.com/CEB/Lent.
The Twitter hashtag is #CEBtour. Please include this whenever you tweet a message relating to the CEB.
The CEB Twitter stream is @CommonEngBible. We will retweet your tweets about the CEB!
We invite you all to use the Common English Bible as you comment on the meaning of particular Bible verses; include as you write about your favorite seasonal verses or stories; interview the translators or associate publisher behind the translation; or use other ideas you may have.
Participating bloggers in the tour will receive a copy of the leather-like Thinline Bible DecoTone Tan/Brick Red edition. And you’ll also be able to offer to your readers a free copy of the softcover edition. (We cannot however, send copies outside of the US, due to customs issues and mailing costs.)
Important Information:
· The correct name of the translation is Common English Bible.
· The correct abbreviation of the translation is CEB (NOT CEV).
· Please write blogposts about the Common English Bible or use verses from it as often as you like throughout the duration of the tour (and thereafter as well). There is no schedule to fit into.
· Each time you write a contributing post, please send its link to jpetersen@somersaultgroup.com for it to be posted on this page and promoted through our Twitter stream and Facebook page.
· The blogger with the most posts relating to the CEB during the tour will receive a free Nook Tablet. In the event of a tie between bloggers, one will be selected at random by CEB personnel.
· Each week that you give away a copy of the Common English Bible softcover edition, send the postal mailing address of the selected reader to jpetersen@somersaultgroup.com. We will mail the edition to that person (so you don’t have to).
· Please copy a badge (image) on this page and place it on your blog with a link back to this page (http://CommonEnglishBible.com/CEB/blogtour) so all contributing bloggers will be connected and readers can find you all.
· Please reference the CEB in all your social network communications (blog, email, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.).
· To learn background information about the CEB that may be helpful to you as your blog, visit http://CommonEnglishBible.com/CEB/newsroom
· Please inform your readers of the various ways they may connect with the CEB:
Website: http://CommonEnglishBible.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/CommonEngBible
Facebook Group Page: http://facebook.com/groups/CommonEnglishBible
Facebook Bible Like Page: http://facebook.com/LiveTheBible
Video: http://vimeo.com/CommonEnglishBible
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Common English Bible Translation Background
Known for being “built on common ground,” the Common English Bible is a collaboration of 120 academic scholars and editors, 77 reading group leaders, and more than 500 average readers from around the world who joined together to clearly translate the Bible’s original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek languages into 21st century English. More than half-a-million copies of the Bible are currently in print. It’s also available online and in 20 digital formats.
“When we say ‘built on common ground,’ we mean that the Common English Bible is the result of collaboration between opposites: scholars working with average readers; conservatives working with liberals; teens working with retirees; men working with women; many denominations and many ethnicities coming together around the common goal of creating a vibrant and clear translation for 21st century readers, with the ultimate objective of mutually accomplishing God’s overall work in the world; in essence, helping Bible readers live on common ground,” says Paul Franklyn, PhD, associate publisher for the Common English Bible.
The Common English Bible is written in contemporary idiom at the same reading level as the newspaper USA TODAY—using language that’s comfortable and accessible for today’s English readers. It’s available—with and without the Apocrypha—in multiple editions and bindings. Information about the Common English Bible is available on its website, Twitter stream, Facebook page, and video Combining scholarly accuracy with vivid language, the Common English Bible is the work of 120 biblical scholars from 24 denominations in American, African, Asian, European, and Latino communities, representing such academic institutions as Asbury Theological Seminary, Azusa Pacific University, Bethel Seminary, Denver Seminary, Princeton Theological Seminary, Seattle Pacific University, Wheaton College, Yale University, and many others.
Additionally, more than 500 readers in 77 groups field-tested the translation. Every verse was read aloud in the reading groups, where potentially confusing passages were identified. The translators considered the groups' responses and, where necessary, reworked those passages to clarify in modern English their meaning from the original languages. In total, more than 700 people worked jointly to bring the Common English Bible to fruition; and because of the Internet and today’s technology it was completed in less than four years.