Logos 10: Introduction and Review
As many of you know, I have been a big fan of Logos Bible Software for many years. It is one of the best investments that I have made. I use it not only for study and research but also for devotional reading. For me, it is an indispensable tool in sermon and lesson preparation. In the interest of full disclosure, when you make purchases using the links that I provide in my emails and on the website, a small percentage help support this ministry.
Faithlife released a new version with several significant enhancements on Monday of this week. If you are a pastor or teacher or want to go deeper into studying God’s word, this software will make you more productive. Put another way, it can make you a better steward of your time.
New Features
Before I highlight some of the new features in version 10, you ne
ed to understand that to get the most out of Logos Bible Software; it is necessary to invest the time to learn the features. I have been using the software for 30 years and am still learning. It is not necessarily true that I spend less time studying and researching, but I am certainly more productive.
Occasionally, new releases of the software are radically different from the. There was some grumbling back in 2009 when version 4 was released. It was like a whole new software platform. The differences between version 9 and the latest version 10 are incremental. Nevertheless, they have added some powerful new features.
To begin with, they claim that the new version is 10% to 40% faster. Because I am somewhat of a computer geek, my computers are already fast. But to paraphrase someone else, you can never have too much speed.
The first change that was immediately noticeable was the default location of the toolbar. Until now, it had always been at the top of the screen, but the new default location is on the left side. I am unsure if I like the new toolbar position, but I’m willing to try it. Changing it back to be located on the top of the screen is quite simple.
Bible Button and More
A Bible Button has been added to the toolbar to open your preferred Bible immediately. I am not sure why this feature wasn’t available long ago. One thing that makes Logos a great tool is that books are linked with tags. For instance, if you’re reading a book with a Scripture reference, hovering over it brings up a dialog box with the text of the verse or verses. In a previous version, Factbook was introduced. In version 10, 42 million new references have been added—all the information you need at your fingertips.
I won’t take time to list all of the new features. You can see for yourself at www.logos.com, but they have added additional power to the program’s search capabilities, new tools to help understand church history better, and the ability to find and insert quotations into your sermons and lessons.
However, the two features that I am most excited about are the ability to import my library of sermons into the software, allowing me to search for them. There is also a new capability of adding books that are in your print library to Logos. If there is a book in your library that is also available in Logos, you can search, and it will tell you which page to go to in the book. This is an excellent addition for those of us with a library of books we did not want to purchase in Logos because we already on them.
If you want to explore it further, please use this link, and you will get a nice discount along with five free books (from a selected list). I cannot say that using Logos has made me a better follower of Christ, but without a doubt, it has enhanced my study of the word in preparation for preaching and writing. I do not think you will be disappointed.
Steve Ekeroth
