Christian Retailing

Standard touts 60th edition of Bible commentary Print Email
Written by Eric Tiansay   
Monday, 03 September 2012 12:00 AM America/New_York

Standard Publishing has released the 60th edition of its top-selling Standard Lesson Commentary, the publisher's annual Bible guide that comes in several editions.

The commentary—in King James Version (KJV) and New International Version (NIV)—is frequently on Christian market best-seller lists this time of year, having recently held several high-ranking spots on the General best-sellers from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association.

The Standard Lesson Commentary is used by thousands of churches to guide weekly discussions for a year of studying God's Word.

"The commentary does more than highlight trending topics of the day," said Senior Editor Jonathan Underwood. "Our readers and students have come to rely on its 52 weeks of lessons to paint a bigger picture of God's Word."

"We credit the success of the Standard Lesson Commentary to the reliably solid material, which includes verse-by-verse exposition of Scripture, discussion questions and adult-appropriate learning activities," said Vice President of Marketing Stephanie Woeste.

"This has kept the commentary solidly in the top sales spot for the last 20 years. We have also responded to the way today's readers consume information by developing electronic versions and, recently, e-book editions for both the KJV and NIV commentaries."

Each of the yearly editions released since the 1950s have followed the ISSL/Uniform Series, which creates a six-year study plan for the entire Bible.

"Students and leaders find they are better equipped to navigate issues of daily life and develop a closer relationship with God when they understand the entire truth of God as told throughout Scripture," Underwood said. "The method we've perfected over the last 60 years provides a foundation on which all other discussions and learning can take place."