Logos 10 Gold
Hello all,
I am new to the forum and didn't really know where to put this. I am going to be starting seminary soon and was wondering what package you all recommend? I was thinking starting with the gold. Also, this may sound weird, but someone I know said the world is getting worse and soon they would be able to take away things like logos from us as they are electronic. How do you guys feel about this? I certainly know it's possible, but bordering on conspiracy theory for me. It may happen in my lifetime, but not soon. Anyone, this person said I should not spend the money on logos as this could be taken away from me. Any thoughts? I was really excited to get it as I like the free version, but it lacks features and resources that I would use.
Thanks!
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Welcome!
Derek Ballard said:I am going to be starting seminary soon and was wondering what package you all recommend?
You're a couple hours early... the new packages will be released shortly.
“The trouble is that everyone talks about reforming others and no one thinks about reforming himself.” St. Peter of Alcántara
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Derek Ballard said:
soon they would be able to take away things like logos from us as they are electronic. How do you guys feel about this? I certainly know it's possible, but bordering on conspiracy theory for me. It may happen in my lifetime, but not soon. Anyone, this person said I should not spend the money on logos as this could be taken away from me. Any thoughts?
Well, currently in the US or any other western country I would believe this to be in the realm of conspiracy theory. We may live to see different. Another thought: you possibly can install Logos on a virtual machine running inside a crypted container - so no one even with admin access to your machine would be seeing this (sometimes I think "stealth" missionaries in closed countries might use such techniques - try to hide a library with hundreds or even thousands of books from the authorities!)
If you don't expect physical searches of your PC: Faithlife as a company probably couldn't take it away, even if they wanted. Logos is running offline (for the most part) and even if they were forced to disable all licenses in a dystopian scenario some time, you could still run an offline backup copy, not syncing with the FL servers. There are users still running Libronix (Logos 3, which went out of service ten years ago).
Have joy in the Lord!
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Derek Ballard said:
Also, this may sound weird, but someone I know said the world is getting worse and soon they would be able to take away things like logos from us as they are electronic.
I'm not worried about someone removing Logos from my computer, but it's possible that Logos would lose access to the internet, or that DNS servers would refuse to point to Logos or other companies. I don't know whether Logos maintains its own servers, or contracts with someone like Amazon to provide access. Sermon Audio is in the process of creating its own server farm for this very reason.
Keep in mind that while Logos specializes in Bible software, they are not committed to any particular "flavor" of Christian doctrine or denominational thinking. There are many Roman Catholics who use Logos as well as Protestants, as well as others from a wide spectrum of orthodoxy from conservative to liberal (yes, I understand that those terms are subject to interpretation; that's the point). Shutting down Logos would not simply be an anti-Bible move, but an anti-religion move. That makes it less likely to happen, in my view.
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Hi Derek,
unlike NB.Mick I really think that we could soon experience a dramatic increase of censorship and dystopian 1984 style of tyrannical control over digital things and especially offers on the internet, that oppose the narrative of the current regime. Or at least it is highly likely. There are a lot of efforts in this direction. Just look at the current attempt of PayPal to charge $2500 for each single statement of 'misinformation'. They reversed it because of the protest of users but they still want to do this.
Just look to Chi-na and you see what is possible. Not only has every PC a tracking-chip in it. The whole internet traffic is monitored, censored, if you voice the wrong opinion you will soon get a visit from a group of mean guys who take you to an undisclosed location. In the European Union they try to get rid of cash and force a digital e-Euro. Other countries that do not have the abilities of Chi-na, like Iran, they shut down the Internet completely.
Apart from the will of man and of satan there is Jesus reigning over all the universe and this world, so no matter what, he is in control.And so what about Logos? As NB.Mick mentioned, on the Desktop PC/Mac all your resources can be downloaded (also on your phone/tablet but there is usually less storage available). So if Faithlife isn't able to deliver the resources anymore, you still can access all your books on your personal computer. And as he rightly mentioned, it is an good idea to backup your logos data folder. If this unlikely event happens you should only use logos in offline mode (not connected to the internet). Not all but most of the features of logos are still available. So you would be censorship proof. Of course as NB.Mick also mentioned correctly, you can advance your protection with a hidden volume or external harddrive or a live system but that would be for advanced users. In principal if they shut down internet offers of biblical and theological resources it is the best thing you have them available on your local system. A physical library needs a lot of space and you can't hide it very good. If you read the story of the waldensians in Europe, the catholic troops searched their homes whether they have a bible there and if so they took the family father to prison. Happened in the past, happens in the present (North Korea), can easily happen again...
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for me, when I served in a western non-us nation, working with a sensitive people group, it was more complicated than that. I imagine it’s More complicated still for missionaries serving in sensitive countries with sensitive people groups. however you’ve got the jist of it. Layers of encryption and failsafes. For some Of those guys their contact list could become a government arrest & execution list. Those guys have the most protection.NB.Mick said:Well, currently in the US or any other western country I would believe this to be in the realm of conspiracy theory. We may live to see different. Another thought: you possibly can install Logos on a virtual machine running inside a crypted container - so no one even with admin access to your machine would be seeing this (sometimes I think "stealth" missionaries in closed countries might use such techniques - try to hide a library with hundreds or even thousands of books from the authorities!)
L2 lvl4 (...) WORDsearch, all the way through L10,
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For what it’s worth I had Logos with me on my laptop In plain sight. The people group I worked with thought nothing of grabbing your laptop while you’re in the bathroom and snooping. It led to some interesting gospel conversations.
if you’re worried about the apocalypse and persecution, keep a virtual machine encrypted on your pc with logos already installed. Store a copy of the VM on a backup solid state hard drive, in a safe or safety deposit box. 🤷♂️ that’s about the best you can do. If you’re really concerned about the us government doing these things then don’t talk about them on the internet. 🤷♂️
im not too worried about that at this point. Maybe my kids or their kids. But not yet, not here.
L2 lvl4 (...) WORDsearch, all the way through L10,
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Get the package you think will be most useful, edifying and affordable to you.
Let the Lord deal with the world going to pot. [Y]
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Derek, I would look at Standard Platinum or Academic Professional as a starting point. The commentary offerings in Platinum are much better than those in Gold. In Platinum you do get some original language helps, but they are unfortunately a bit weak. Academic Professional has much stronger original language offerings, but the commentaries offered are significantly fewer and, IMO. weaker.
You might check with the seminary you plan to attend. They may be enrolled in the Logos Academic program and if so, they can save you a lot of money buying Logos products. They may also be able to give you suggestions on the best packages for your time at seminary.
Much success in your studies!
Pastor, North Park Baptist Church
Bridgeport, CT USA
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Derek Ballard said:
someone I know said the world is getting worse and soon they would be able to take away things like logos from us
In my fourscore & five years on this planet, I have heard multiple conspiracy theories, but the US still has a constitution which protects religious freedom.
As to your original question, Mark Smith has given you some superb advice.
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@Manuel W is right on this: "If you read the story of the waldensians in Europe, the catholic troops searched their homes whether they have a bible there and if so they took the family father to prison. Happened in the past, happens in the present (North Korea), can easily happen again."
For those of us who grew up in the era of copy machines, and reading stories of how the Soviet Union had guards monitoring their copy machines in offices to make sure "unapproved" items didn't get copied, and hearing how people even in the 1980s were hand-copying Bibles and Christian literature because it was almost impossible to get books into the "closed countries" of Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, and China, I don't think we fully understand how much the current generation takes for granted widespread access to information.That was even more true in the Reformation era, when books were very expensive, and prior to the invention of the printing press things were even worse. The Waldensian practice was for each "barbe" (pastor, or tentmaking traveling evangelist, usually operating under the cover of being a traveling merchant or medical doctor) to hand-copy a Bible for himself, but because it was too dangerous to have it with him on his travels, he would memorize large parts of the gospels and the Pauline Epistles and other books of the Bible, reciting it from memory to underground Waldensian churches elsewhere in Europe so they would be able to copy it down from his recitation and have a hand-copied text of some of the Bible books, though not usually the whole Bible.
Some of the key Waldensian documents exist in only a few — meaning half a dozen or less — copies. When Oliver Cromwell sent his ambassador to the court of the Duke of Savoy to gather accurate information on the rumored mass murder of Waldensians (later known, correctly, as a genocide), one of his local envoys got stopped and while he was not killed, all of the documents he was carrying were confiscated and destroyed to hide evidence. That envoy ended up going to a different area where the destruction had been less severe and was able to obtain copies of the Waldensian Confession of Faith to prove that the accusations that the Waldensians were heretics were not based on facts but rather slanders. That document was, of course, handwritten rather than printed, and when it was returned to England, was translated into English and printed as proof of the orthodoxy of the Waldensians. While the original was deposited in the University of Oxford library, it was misfiled and the original lost for generations, leading to serious questions about the accuracy of its content until the original finally turned up and a search of archives in Italy found a few other copies.
We shouldn't take resources like Logos for granted. It's now possible for people in remote parts of the United States to have access to a theological library that even a generation ago required a trip to a major city with a seminary or university with a theological section of its library. Same for people in countries where it would be financially impossible for a poor rural pastor to ever have more than a few theological books in his church or parsonage.0
