LOGOS software and the dumbing down of the Church

I was asked to do a review of the LOGOS software system after participating in a demo session for seminary students. As is the case with any product, there are a lot of strengths and a few weaknesses. Overall, I think it is a nifty system, albeit incredibly dated. Let's face it, publishers aren't going to release their latest and greatest titles on LOGOS. Plus, there is just something about the feel of paper between your fingers that just makes you feel scholarly. My bottom line on LOGOS as a system: great concept, but I think I can find all of the info either online in public domain or in books already in my office.

Despite my lukewarm review of LOGOS as a product, I do have a major beef with the marketing campaign behind the demo session I participated in. Apparently the makers of LOGOS think that simply having the tools to do extensive biblical scholarship is the same as being trained how to use those tools appropriately. Simply looking up the Greek etymology in Strong's Concordance is not really the same as understanding the significance of terms such as "imperative", "genative", "subjective" and so on and so forth. These terms are critically important in doing language studies (and the ability to do language studies quickly and efficiently is one of the big selling points of LOGOS), and it takes years of study to truly understand the nuances of a language. I know this because I have failed so spectacularly in the past. My beef, then, is LOGOS passing off their product as a replacement for a seminary education (a line they actually use in the promo I viewed). LOGOS may give you the tools, but it doesn't give you the knowledge to use them appropriately or with discernment.