At last the final shape of the South Asia Bible Commentary (SABC) is beginning to emerge.

In October 2013 the SABC editorial team met in Coimbatore, South India – five of the six theological editors of this ground-breaking project are Langham Scholars!

A reviewer of the finished text of the commentary on one book wrote: ‘What a pleasure it was to work through this commentary. The writer opened up the book simply but profoundly.’

However, the reviewer is wrong in one respect – it was not just the writer who did this. The input from the entire team has contributed to the final result. Yet the end product is coherent enough to be read as the voice of a single writer.

Most of the individual commentaries have now been reviewed by the stylistic and copy editors and shaped by input from the theological editors. At this time manuscripts are moving back and forth between editors and authors, who have to approve the final modifications and agree to the manuscript being published under their name.

One author wrote: ‘Thanks for waiting to get my final approval on the SABC commentary. I went through the revised manuscript and I must say that it is perfectly edited. I do not have anything to add to the present version except to appreciate the hard work put in by the editors at various levels for which I am grateful.’

Another author put it in more colloquial language: ‘You guys make us look good!’

It has been a long process since plans were first drawn up, contractors hired, foundations dug. At times, things looked chaotic. But thanks to God’s help and the enduring support of the Langham ‘family’, the walls are now rising!

• Please pray for the team as we negotiate with each individual author.
• Also pray for the completion of the project.
• And for the final result: a book that is both simple and profound as it brings together the word of God and the South Asian cultural context.

The SABC editorial team in Coimbatore, India in October 2013

By Isobel Stevenson, SABC Editorial Advisor and Editor, Langham Literature