Accordance: powerful Bible study software, only for the Mac

I switched to a Mac about a year ago, because Logos for Mac was coming out. I was a long term user of Logos so I was delighted to see my digital library available in OSX.

However, after the past nine months of using Logos for Mac, I began to get impatient with the basic nature of Logos for Mac. Logos for Mac is fine for just accessing a bunch of my resources for reference and commentary purposes, but anything beyond this was messy.

So I began to consider other possibilities. After reading some of the reviews of Accordance, I decided to give it a go. I was surprised, no, I was stunned at how good this software is. It isn't just the best Mac software, but after using PC Study Bible, Logos, WordSearch, QuickVerse, Esword and a few others, nothing compares to the elegance and power of Accordance. It is simple and elegant to use, but yet very powerful and configurable.

The mapping program is stunning. The integration of photos is brilliant and it has the best time line that I have ever seen in a Bible programme. The interface has been designed works with you to create a smooth work flow, rather than you fighting the interface. The management of resources has been designed so that nothing gets buried, yet you don't get overwhelmed with tonnes of resources.

So what about Logos for Mac? Logos is a digital library platform and is brilliant if you need a lot of specialised materials which you will probably never get (nor want to get) on Accordance. I use Logos for Mac for commentary and reference materials for my course work, but unless you preach a lot or are engaged in formal studies, get Accordance. In fact, if you can, get both.

The reason for this is that Accordance is not so much a digital library platform, but rather a study Bible on steroids. I now do all of Bible studying, exegetical and original language studies is on Accordance. I could do some of this on Logos, but Accordance is so much easier to use.

My only regret is that I didn't find Accordance years ago. It is honestly so good, it is worth switching to the Mac platform just so that you can use this programme (though you can run it on a PC emulator). Watch the videos, like the ESV Study Bible podcast to give you a taste of what it can do: http://www.accordancebible.com/downloads/Podcasts

I've been an Accordance user for three years now (Library premier and Scholar's standard). I wanted to add a few points the reviewer didn't mention.

First, Accordance's customer and tech support is outstanding. If you're considering buying Accordance, don't agonize over which modules to buy... just call their sales department. They are very helpful (not pushy). This is important because they have so many library resources—and many of them don't come cheap. It can be hard to figure out what collection will be best for your purposes. Tech support is also great.

The second point is that Accordance is flexible and powerful. If you've seen the training videos or attended one of the training seminars, you'll know what I mean. The search capabilities blow away the competition. And for original language study, there really is no substitute, Mac or PC.

A third point is that Accordance is more committed to existing customers than any other software company I've seen. They keep Accordance running on old operating systems, they don't hit you with big update fees (the app 8 upgrade was $39, module updates are free, but library upgrades aren't if they include new modules... but you aren't forced to upgrade modules if you are content with the old version), and they're dedicated to making sure that you'll still be able to use Accordance for years to come, even as Apple itself drops support for older programs. Part of the reason for the higher initial price is that the programmers are intending that you will be using it for years and years to come. They're in it for the long haul.

It's not the only Bible software for Mac, but it IS the most mature and the most powerful. And no, I don't work for Accordance—I just use it.

I've used Accordance since its earliest days, and feel it is the strongest Bible study toolset you can use, whether on the net, computer- Mac or PC, or print. Of course I haven't used every one of these alternatives, but of the ones I have used (and I've tested or used many of them), Accordance has the most to offer, and is the easiest to use.

As the for the silly discussion about what is appropriate content on TUAW, it's actually quite easy: if you're not interested, skip the article. TUAW (and every other blog I know of) covers a ton of material, much of which is not of interest to me. So I skip those articles, and focus on the ones that are of interest.

It would be the height of arrogance for me to complain about TUAW writing articles or reviews of the things about which I don't care, or even those I actively dislike. So why do those who complain about this type of review think that TUAW exists only to write about the things they care about? Does this mean that TUAW should not about the things I care about? And who is to know what I, or you, or anyone really cares about?

I encourage TUAW, and the other blogs I read, to write about whatever they think is appropriate. I can either skip the articles in which I'm not interested, or if they end up writing too many that are outside my areas of interest, I can drop them from my reader.

If you want to discuss the particular pros and cons of faith, or politics, or any other topic, there are plenty of blogs and forums that cover those topics. Enjoy!

Meanwhile, I applaud the developers and staff who create and support Accordance. They make great Mac software!

Rick

Jay: I think you just accidentally argued that the most we can assume about God is that He is a very well-executed marketing ploy.

When we go into a store and purchase something, it always has a brand name on it from a designer. Often times, we've never seen this designer in person. We only heard of him/her, and have been marketed to in order that we believe they are the designer of this product via television, the internet, and so on. The funny thing about this is, we absolutely unequivically believe of this person based upon their creative evidence? Correct? We never say to ourselves, is such and such really the designer of these shoes I'm wearing? Is this person even real? Absolutely not. We buy their merchandise, flaunt it to impress those we don't even like (most of the time), and it could all be a lie. But! Look at creation in all of its glorious beauty, the solar system, our planet, the precision of all living creatures including scientists. You wanna know what, just look and yourself. Are you an accident from evolution? Did the disorder of rocks colliding create order? We see, feel, and hear very intelligent design everyday. So you don't question these things without anyone witnessing to you of GOD? Is there no DESIGNER of these things??? If not, then the only fair life to live is to believe nothing no matter what, now see how far that gets you... Don't believen in love, anger, happiness, sadness, joy or anyother feeling that "scients" can not explain. If we humans are the inventors of everything, then why haven't figured so many things pertaining only to to creation?

Wow, we managed to make it to what ? a whole five comments before someone was compelled to to bitch about "Oh noes! They supportin' teh religion! Do not want!" ?

Really folks, give it a rest and move on to a different blog entry...

Thank you so much for reviewing this!

It can be rather awkward to say these types of things in public, so it's important for people to be able to vent their self-importance within the safe, padded shelter of the Internet.

In fact, you may notice that I'm doing exactly that right now. Ahhh...satisfyin'!

I've used Accordance and two major PC competitors and can say that Accordance is far superior.

I began using Accordance when it first came out (1994?). I owned Accordance version 1.1 when I began work at a very large church that only made use of PC's. The church's IT guy went bonkers with my Mac laptop, saying that it would *never* integrate with the network, and despite my plugging it on the spot and showing him that it did, the church bought me a PC laptop and BibleWorks to make up for the loss of Accordance.

Over the years of PC use, I have gone through three versions of BibleWorks (5 through 7), and they have just released version 8. But I have not upgraded. I am finally on my own again, in a small church, so I bought a Mac early this year (ooh, how good it feels to once again have a machine that simply does what I need it to do) and have recently purchased the whole kit and kaboodle for Accordance 8 (I bought both the Scholar Premier and the Library Premier packages).

My impressions: BibleWorks is a good, solid program. It will serve you well. Logos, which I also purchased and used in my years of PC exile, is far inferior to both BibleWorks and Accordance. It isn't much more than a glorified e-reader. Its Bible language component is weak and their UI is atrocious.

Accordance 8, on the other hand, is the very best. (It sure has come a long way since I left it at version 1.1!) Compared to BibleWorks, it has a far broader library of commentaries and helps. On the Bible language and study side, it's not simply that it does more, but that it does things so much simpler, quicker and more effectively than either BibleWorks or Logos. I had to go through the training video and tutorials to learn its true power, but the integration between all your tools (Bible text, commentaries, notes, etc.) is seamless and far tighter than in Logos or BibleWorks.

The only negative is that it is somewhat more expensive than BibleWorks. You have to pay for modules that are included in BibleWorks, such as BDB, BDAG, HALOT, Liddell-Scott, and others. However, having paid the money, I believe you will not be disappointed, but will have considered this a wise purchase.

The future of humanity, right here, folks. This is what they have to offer. Good jorb, guys.