Bill Skelton, who for almost 20 years worked closely with the legendary pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church, told Baptist Press the ministry is publishing a Bible that incorporates the major themes of sermons Rogers preached over the course of his remarkable 33-year pastorate at the Memphis-area church.
"Adrian Rogers could take deep spiritual truths and put them in shoe leather where people could understand them and get a bulldog grip on them," said Skelton, who joined the late pastor's staff in 1984 and became executive vice president of Love Worth Finding in 1991. "He had the ability to turn a phrase, select an illustration or alliterate a passage of Scripture in a way that not only gripped you but you were able to recite it from memory and use it practically in your everyday life."
The "Adrian Rogers Legacy Bible" was released Dec. 1 through the Love Worth Finding website at lwf.org. It weaves summaries of Rogers' teaching on 11 major themes throughout the text of the New King James Bible, as well as the well-known "Treasures from the Word" vignettes from his radio ministry and "Adrianisms," the witty phrases, stories, poems and other sayings that characterized his ministry, Skelton said.
The new Bible is not a study Bible, said Rogers' wife of 54 years.
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"People think of a study Bible as having a lot of notes that picked apart the meaning of the words," Joyce Rogers said. "This isn't just a study Bible; it's an understanding Bible. It captures his sermons in a few paragraphs and helps people apply the truth of God's Word to their everyday lives."
Several pastors who knew Rogers well are excited about the prospect of the Bible extending his ministry to new generations.
"By all measurements, Adrian Rogers was acknowledged as the prince of preachers in the past half-century," said Jim Henry, retired pastor of First Baptist Church in Orlando, Fla. "He preached the timeless truth with integrity, persuasiveness and power, couching it in terms that everyone -- from children to aged saints -- went away feeling they had feasted at the table of God's Word. The Adrian Rogers Legacy Bible captures the jewels of his insight and application that will enrich readers for generations to come."
Said Jimmy Draper, retired president of LifeWay Christian Resources, "Bringing the Scripture down to where we live was one of Adrian Rogers' incredible abilities. Few people in our lifetimes have possessed his skill and passion, and that passion is clearly seen in this new Bible."
Ken Whitten, pastor of Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz, Fla., said Rogers "rarely went to bed without meditating on a passage of Scripture."
"It was a discipline and devotion he practiced for years," Whitten said. "He always believed sin would keep you from this Book and this Book would keep you from sin. It's no wonder that after his homegoing there would be a Legacy Bible come out that would include many of the meditations and messages he labored over and loved. When I read his commentary, I'm sure I'll be able to hear that deep voice in my mind. It's part of his legacy. I'm making it part of mine."
Compiled by Baptist Press assistant editor Mark Kelly. For more information about the Adrian Rogers Legacy Bible, visit the Love Worth Finding website at lwf.org and click on the Adrian Rogers Legacy Bible banner.
Copyright (c) 2009 Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Press www.BPNews.net
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