Free/Bargain Christian Interest, April 2014

[Difflugia]

We point out free and bargain Christian titles to each other. Please don't post any self-published books, and please do a search before posting to avoid duplicates.

Be aware that many freebies are only free for a day, so grab them fast!

Since there's a new Kobo contest, I've been looking for couponable bargains.

The NKJV edition of the Jesus Calling Devotianal Bible is $4.99 before coupons, through tomorrow (according to the email I got from Thomas Nelson). Here's the Kobo link.

Also, since there's been a noticeable lack of freebies lately that match my interests (Bibles and apologetics), I haven't been looking as hard or posting as many. There are still lots of Christian romances and such being posted, though, if that's your thing. Here are some links that I use to find the freebies. Amazon and B&N have better searches than other stores (I'm looking at you, Kobo), so I use these even if I intend to get them somewhere else (Christianbook and Google Play often list the same books as free).

Publisher searches, ordered by price low to high (freebies will be at the top):

Baker Publishing: Barnes & Noble
At Amazon, the Baker Publishing Group is split into its individual publishers: Revell Bethany House Chosen Books Baker Books

Tyndale: Barnes & Noble Amazon

Destiny Image: B&N Amazon

B&H Publishing: B&N
I haven't been able to figure out a search for Amazon that gives me B&H books without a bunch of garbage (matching on everything with "B" and "H").

Kregel Publishing: B&N Amazon

Every Monday and Thursday, publisher David C. Cook announces one or two free ebooks on their website. They usually show up around midday (Eastern US)

Finally, I'll take a quick look through Amazon's best seller lists for religion and Bibles. If you aren't familiar with Amazon's best seller lists, there are separate lists for free and paid books.

[Glorfindel]

awesome! thanks, I'll have to watch for a nice John MacArthur Bible

[Difflugia]

Originally Posted by Glorfindel

awesome! thanks, I'll have to watch for a nice John MacArthur Bible

If you aren't in a hurry, Thomas Nelson has been putting MacArthur study Bibles on sale every few months. The NASB and NKJV editions were $6.99 in October and the NIV edition was $4.99 in December. The NASB and NKJV editions are coupon eligible, so are even now are $5 with a big enough contest coupon, but if you're willing to gamble and wait a few months, you could probably get one for still less.

If you want it now and aren't picky about the translation, the ESV edition is $12.31 at Kobo and coupon eligible (so with the contest, it could be just over $3) or a seemingly perpetual $5 at Amazon.

If you want just the study notes without an attached Bible, you can get just the commentary for the same price as one of the Bibles. As far as I can tell, the commentary is just the notes from the NKJV edition. The only reason I might suggest getting that is that navigation can be tricky with the Bibles depending on your reader hardware and software. In the past, the commentary has gone on sale at the same time as the Bibles.

[Glorfindel]

ok I'll check it out. where was TN having a sale every few months?

[Glorfindel]

oh and before I forget: ESV from Crossway Bibles is free on Amazon, cross-referenced version and non cross-referenced are both available

[Difflugia]

Originally Posted by Glorfindel

ok I'll check it out. where was TN having a sale every few months?

They aren't very good about announcing them (I sometimes get an email and I'm signed up for as many of their lists as I can find), but prices on their sale Bibles drop at pretty much every retailer at about the same time. I find them either by checking Amazon's best seller lists (religion, scripture) or doing a search at any of the retailers for NKJV and sort by price.

Here's the current list at Barnes & Noble. Currently, the Jesus Calling Devotional Bible is on sale and the rest are regular price. Actually, when I'm checking, I just search each different translation that I'm interested in and sort by price. I don't check as often as I used to, since between a few crazy Kobo coupons and good sales, I have most of the study Bibles that I want. Unfortunately, Kobo coupons don't work on Zondervan books anymore (at least in the US; if you look through the Kobo coupon thread there are instructions for changing your location to get better discounts), but every few months or so, Zondervan puts Bibles on sale, too (the NIV Study Bible has been as low as $4.99).

[Glorfindel]

ok TY

[KyBunnies]

The Scent of Lilacs (The Heart of Hollyhill Book #1) By Ann H. Gabhart

Free

Originally published by Revell in 2005

Jocie Brooke has never wanted for love, despite the fact that she hardly remembers her mother. Jocie's father, preacher David Brooke, has done his best to be both father and mother to his daughter. Even Jocie's spinster Great-aunt Love, who's slowly going senile, cares for Jocie in her own stern way. But in their small town of Hollyhill, Kentucky, painful secrets lie just beneath the surface, and inquisitive spirits discover surprising truths. There's a reason why Aunt Love hides behind black dresses and a stoic countenance. And David takes his morning walks not just for quiet solitude, but to wrestle with the past.

Full of stories of lost loves and the trials of small-town living, this heartwarming novel explores the journey of faith and family.

[Difflugia]

Zondervan has put a few NIV Bibles on sale. Prices have dropped at Kobo, Amazon and Christianbook.
Edit: B&N has updated prices.

The NIV Red Letter Edition is $3.99: Kobo Christianbook Amazon B&N

The NIV Bible Study Commentary is $3.99: Kobo Christianbook Amazon B&N

The NIV Bible Study Commentary is basically the NIV Study Bible study notes.

The NIV Stewardship Study Bible is $4.99: Kobo Christianbok Amazon B&N

The NIV Study Bible is $9.99: Kobo Christianbook Amazon B&N

The NIV Study Bible has had lower sale prices in the past, but this is the first sale since Zondervan raised the ebook price to $33.99 from $19.99.

[4znDvd]

Here's a few on Kindle:

How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon Fee & Douglas Stuart - $3.71
How to Read the Bible Book by Book by Gordon Fee & Douglas Stuart - $3.71
How to Read the Bible Through the Jesus Lens by Michael James Williams - $3.71

The New Matthew Henry Commentary - $4.64

[4znDvd]

IVP has John Stott's commentary on 2 Timothy free for a limited time on their website. Available in both ePub and Kindle formats.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by 4znDvd

IVP has John Stott's commentary on 2 Timothy free for a limited time on their website. Available in both ePub and Kindle formats.

It seems that this deal is not available to us in the United States, only to those in the U.K.: "Please note that IVP eBooks are currently not available from thinkivp in North America." Of course, I know that some of you know of ways to circumvent that . . . .

I checked the United States chapter of Inter-Varsity Press (https://www.ivpress.com/) and it appears that the deal is not available through them.

This is too bad, because I'm sure that this would be a good commentary to have.

[Froide]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

It seems that this deal is not available to us in the United States, only to those in the U.K.: "Please note that IVP eBooks are currently not available from thinkivp in North America." Of course, I know that some of you know of ways to circumvent that . . . .

I checked the United States chapter of Inter-Varsity Press (https://www.ivpress.com/) and it appears that the deal is not available through them.

This is too bad, because I'm sure that this would be a good commentary to have.

I had no problem downloading the book, even though I live in the USA and used my USA address to register at the site.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Froide

I had no problem downloading the book, even though I live in the USA and used my USA address to register at the site.

Thanks, Froide, I should have checked to make sure. As it was, I just assumed . . . . I am going to give it a try right now.

[GtrsRGr8]

One of the four Christianbook.com daily ebook specials today is The Works of Philo, for $2.39. Yes, it is ePub, but it is DRM Free. http://www.christianbook.com/the-wor...168/pd/40628EB.

While it would not be correct to say that Philo's works have been lost--scholars have always known and used Philo--they have essentially been misplaced as far as the average student of the Bible is concerned. Now the translation of the eminent classicist C. D. Yonge is available in an affordable, easy-to-read edition, with a new foreword and newly translated passages, and containing supposed fragments of Philo's writings from ancient authors such as John of Damascus. The title and arrangement of the writings have been standardized according to scholarly conventions.

A contemporary of Paul and Jesus, Philo Judaeus, of Alexandria, Egypt, is unquestionably among the most important writers for historians and students of Hellenistic Judaism and early Christianity. Although Philo does not explicitly mention Jesus, or Paul, or any of the followers of Jesus, Philo lived in their world. It is from Philo, for example, that we learn about how, like the Gospel of John, Jews (and Greeks) in the Greco-Roman world spoke of the creative force of God as God's Logos. Philo, too, employs interpretive strategies that parallel those of the author of Hebrews. Most scholars would agree that Philo and the author of Hebrews are drawing from the same, or at least similar, traditions of Hellenistic Judaism. With these kind of connections to the world of Judaism and early Christianity, Philo cannot be ignored.

Remember--this special is good only for today, Friday, April 11. Christianbook.com will change the specials for tomorrow.