Our Daily Bread

[D.L. Arter]

This thread is not a devotional, but rather, me asking about a mail-order devotional that a lot of people in my area are utilizing. I have very little knowledge of it and I haven't picked up a copy of it, but the few people that I've spoken to about it defends it as if it were Scripture--to the extent, that when I point out that no devotional should be elevated to the level of Scripture (even if it has you read from the Bible), they tend to get really defensive and a little exasperating.

The devotional in question is Our Daily Bread and I've done a little bit of research, but their website isn't very helpful. Their doctrinal statement is what I would consider to be generic evangelical and I don't recognize anyone on their board of directors. Does anyone have any knowledge of the organization, what the devotionals themselves are like, and whether they're worth their salt or not?

 

[Ryan&Amber2013]

I won't be much help to you, but I have known people who have read them and seem to like them. I have albums of instrumental hymns that they have made over the years, and they are absolutely amazing. Extremely good quality musicianship, along with reverent, classical sounding songs that are very well done. I would definitely recommend the music, but I don't know about the booklets.

 

[bookslover]

I used to see those devotional books around here and there years ago. Our Daily Bread has been around for many, many years, but I don't know anything about the history of it. Probably a typical product of Big Eva, I suppose.

 

[Tom Hart]

I had completely forgotten about Our Daily Bread. When I was a kid, my family used to read out of it after supper. That was maybe 15 years ago. I don’t know if it has improved.

The devotional has you read a very brief passage of Scripture. You end up jumping all over the place, rather than working through whole books. Then there is a little reading that supposedly has something to do with what you just read out of the Bible. Unless things have changed, it’s very silly, shallow stuff. The (apparently compulsory) anecdotes are awkward and tiresome.

I can’t comment on the theology behind this organization. From my memory, it was pop-evangelical fluff. Maybe things have changed - but I would be very surprised if they have. That would be very much against the general trend.

 

[Deleted member 11889]

I had completely forgotten about Our Daily Bread. When I was a kid, my family used to read out of it after supper. That was maybe 15 years ago. I don’t know if it has improved.

The devotional has you read a very brief passage of Scripture. You end up jumping all over the place, rather than working through whole books. Then there is a little reading that supposedly has something to do with what you just read out of the Bible. Unless things have changed, it’s very silly, shallow stuff. The (apparently compulsory) anecdotes are awkward and tiresome.

I can’t comment on the theology behind this organization. From my memory, it was pop-evangelical fluff. Maybe things have changed - but I would be very surprised if they have. That would be very much against the general trend.

I loved them because they were cheesy feel-good fluff. Very generic pop Christianese, probably written by the same people who produced "Touched by an Angel" (joking, but if you didn't know, you could totally believe it).

 

[Taylor]

Our Daily Bread is based in Grand Rapids, so it must be Reformed, right?

 

[therussellhome]

I used to go to an independent Baptist church and they always had a stack of Our Daily Bread put out. Each day's reading is about 1 (maybe 2) minutes of "content". As previously stated, very much spiritual milk. Looking back, I cannot help but wonder if it is a means promoted by "Uncle Screwtape" to keep us spiritual infants.

 

[therussellhome]

My wife reminds me that each day also has a list of chapters for a Bible reading plan (I think read the whole Bible in a year)

 

[Steve Curtis]

You end up jumping all over the place, rather than working through whole books

While perhaps apples and oranges vis-a-vis content, even Spurgeon's Morning and Evening "jumps all over the place..." so that critique alone is not necessarily disqualifying for a devotional, and there is (at least) that:

Bible reading plan

I am not a defender nor an apologist of RBC, but I know of at least one Roman Catholic, whom the Lord was pleased to convert through their publications.

I don't recognize anyone on their board of directors

Haddon Robinson was involved for a while. Though not Reformed, his is a name some may recognize.

 

[D.L. Arter]

Just wanted to say thanks to those that replied, many of you confirmed the impressions that I had of the publication. It seems as if many on this board would rather recommend something of greater value than Our Daily Bread and I'm in agreement with that statement.