I had the privilege to interview Philip Nation, the Vice President/Publisher of Thomas Nelson Bibles. The following is a transcript of our interview.
Interview Transcript
Hey YouTube friends! Today we're doing something a little bit different. I am going to conduct an interview with Phillip Nation, who is the Vice President Publisher of Thomas Nelson Bibles. He has served as a pastor, church planter, and education minister in local churches. He frequently travels to speak in churches and at conferences. Phillip earned a Doctor of Ministry from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and has authored and edited numerous books and Bible studies. He is also a university fellow for Arizona Christian University and has been a professor at Union University and Houston Christian University.
So, let's welcome Phillip onto the podcast today!
Phillip: Thanks, Chris. It's fun to be on the podcast with you. I'm looking forward to this conversation.
Chris: Yeah! Would you like to share a little bit about yourself?
Phillip: I’d be happy to. God has been so very gracious. Many of us can say that in terms of life and vocation. The most important things in my life currently: my wife Angie and I have been married for 31 years, and we have two grown sons who are both married. One of our sons and his wife have two little ones, so we’ve entered the grandparent stage of life—and that is the most fun ever.
Vocationally, I’ve served for many years as a pastor and preacher, planted a church, and been a professor at a few different universities in part-time capacities. In this season of life, as you mentioned, I work for Harper Collins Christian Publishing, and I lead Thomas Nelson Bibles. I’ve been doing that for about five and a half years. It’s fascinating and complex work to be the publisher of the Bible, but it’s been a joy.
All the things God has done in my life—from academic work, to books I’ve written, to pastoring—have rolled together into this role of shepherding forward the work of Thomas Nelson Bibles.
Chris: That’s awesome. Did you always want to be in this kind of ministry work?
Phillip: I wouldn't say I never wanted to be in this kind of work. It would have never been on my radar to think, “One day I’ll be a Bible publisher.”
My journey in ministry started as a teenager when I felt a call, though it was vague. I didn’t know what ministry would look like for me. I’ve always had this sense of calling that felt a little odd—atypical. I felt drawn to preach, to work with the Word, rather than stay solely in local church ministry. As a young man, I couldn’t really define it.
I went through seminary, came out, began pastoring. I served as a senior pastor and associate pastor. In my mid-30s, I started writing and editing—partly because I was church planting and needed to support my family. A curriculum publishing company eventually offered me a position as a chief editor for adult curriculum. That opportunity was clearly providential.
I continued to be a bi-vocational pastor, even doing full-time pastoral work again later. But about six years ago, one of the largest publishing companies in the world reached out and said, “We want to interview you to lead a Bible publishing entity.” It's one of those jobs where you just have to say yes and explore it.
Now, I feel honored to shepherd forward Bible translations our company owns, like the New King James Version—our largest and most used translation. We also oversee other editions that have been around for decades, and new study Bibles we’re dreaming up to help people engage more deeply with the Word. It wasn’t something I planned, but I’m so glad God brought me here.
Chris: That’s really interesting. As a pastor, I use study Bibles and scholarly resources, and sometimes I quote scholars when I preach. But honestly, I often find it challenging to bridge the gap between what scholars say and what everyday people in the pew can understand. Sometimes it seems like Bible editors and scholars are disconnected from ordinary folks. Is that true? And how can we bridge that gap?
Phillip: I love that question. I’ve always held the belief that all pastors are theologians. But I also believe that all theologians should strive to be pastoral.
Those scholars writing commentaries and systematic theologies, the Greek and Hebrew experts—they’re doing amazing work. But pastors like you are the ones translating those complex ideas into something your people can use. Your people are going to work on Monday—to factories, offices, the ballfield. While we pastors might find Hebrew word studies fascinating, folks in the pew are thinking, “Okay, but what do I do with this on Tuesday?”
So I love the idea of taking the intricacies of Scripture and making them applicable. That was God’s intent—He didn’t write the Bible just for ministers. He wrote it for all believers.
But I will say this too: pastors sometimes underestimate their congregations. My joke is, “If you can figure out how to order coffee at Starbucks, you can learn biblical and theological language.”
We have people in our churches—accountants, HVAC techs, factory workers, nurses, doctors—who master complex information every day. They’re absolutely capable of understanding theology. They just need someone to invite them into those deeper waters and show them how to swim there.
Chris: I agree. And you know, there’s been this big problem with younger people leaving the church. Talking with my own children, sometimes they say, “What we’re hearing in church just isn’t deep enough.” They want substance. They want to go deeper.
Sometimes in church, we act like we’re not supposed to go too deep. But I think we sell ourselves—and our people—short. They’re capable of so much more than we give them credit for.
Phillip: Absolutely. And they’re not satisfied with shallow theology. They might not yet understand all the theological language, but they can get there. They just need someone to explain it in a way that connects. Once they’re equipped, they grow, and they often become self-feeders of Scripture. And that’s one of the great joys in ministry.
Chris: Wonderful. I think those are some great ideas as well. I wish I had been more prepared when they asked me, but now I’ll have some things to take back and talk to them more about.
What about pastors? You know, I study the Bible every week—every day. I live in it, I walk in it. Are there any things that you could say to me or to other pastors that might help us along the way?
Phillip: I'm glad you asked. You're the first one who has asked me that in a long time. From my years of being a pastor, I remember those long stretches where you're in the Word day in and day out. One encouragement I would start with is this: do a little self-survey. Have you allowed sermon preparation to totally replace your own personal devotional life?
There’s no way to completely separate sermon prep from personal formation, but sometimes we let outline building or manuscript writing replace time alone with God. So, I’d say make sure that the study you're doing is being applied to your heart long before you try to apply it to your congregation.
Also, we pastors tend to have favorite parts of Scripture. Maybe you're always in Paul's epistles or the Pentateuch. But the full counsel of God includes the minor prophets, the poetic books, the general epistles—all of it. So visit the "clean white pages" of your Bible—the parts you don't usually turn to. Let the Holy Spirit work through the whole field of Scripture to sanctify you.
Chris: I like that. It really is a challenge to separate our personal walk from our ministry role. But we can't really be pastors unless we’re first children of God. That has to come first. And I’ve found that whenever I get personally excited about a Scripture, it often finds its way into my preaching naturally.
Phillip: Yes! In this season of life, something that’s been powerful for me is the book of Psalms. I always loved Ecclesiastes for its postmodern tone, and Proverbs had that daily, chapter-a-day rhythm. But Psalms—it's been a new well for me. I wish I had dug deeper into it in my 20s and 30s.
Psalms was the everyday singing and worship of Jesus and the early church. It shows the human condition and God's faithful interaction with it—His grace, mercy, sovereignty. It's been an emboldening and comforting part of my devotional life.
Chris: I love that. Psalms has definitely had seasons of significance for me too. It can be a tough book to preach from, but personally, it's powerful. For years, I avoided Proverbs because it felt like the sayings contradicted each other. But once I understood the genre better, I fell in love with it.
You're working on the Open Bible with Thomas Nelson. I’m really interested in that because I’ve never used it. I was telling friends about this interview and one pastor corrected me. I called it a study Bible, and he said, "No, it’s not a study Bible!" So—what is the Open Bible?
Every decade, a new iteration comes out. It includes rich front and back matter: articles, concordances, indexes. But the star feature is its robust cross-reference system. In the newest edition, the cross-references are placed at the end of each verse. That helps people trace themes and phrases across Scripture easily.
It also has a 300-page topical index. Want to understand the doctrine of the Holy Spirit or what the Bible says about forgiveness? Go to the index, find the big ideas and subcategories, and then follow all the Scripture references. It’s great for anyone—even those brand new to Bible study.
There are also study notes with practical life applications, visual charts, and one of my favorite features: a 15,000-word article on archaeological discoveries that support the people, places, and events in Scripture. It's essentially one-third of a book, included right in the Bible. The more we dig, the more we find evidence confirming the Bible’s accuracy.
Chris: That’s exciting. I’m looking forward to getting a copy and trying it out personally—and possibly using it to help others too. What formats is it available in?
Phillip: Right now, it's available in the New King James Version. Historically, it’s been published in multiple English translations. We're going to continue that. We’ll reintroduce a KJV edition, and we’re reviving the NIV version. We’re also considering other translations.
The font is readable and comfortable. And yes, I’ve heard interest in a NASB edition too. That’s a great suggestion. We work with the nonprofit that holds the NASB copyright. I’ll take that feedback to the team.
Phillip: Great question! The vast majority of English Bible translations are made directly from the original Hebrew and Greek texts. There are a few exceptions—revisions or paraphrases—but the NKJV, for instance, is translated from the original languages, in the translation tradition of the KJV.
If you open your Bible to the preface section at the front, most people have never read it—but you should. It explains why and how the translation was made, what manuscripts were used, and whether it's a formal or dynamic translation.
Chris: So, when you say “in the tradition of the King James Version,” you mean you’re using their philosophy but going back to the original languages?
Phillip: Exactly. The original KJV translators wanted to be formal—word for word as much as possible—while using common language. The 1611 edition is tough for us to read today, but in 1611, it was the language of the people. The edition most of us read now is actually from the 1769 revision, which updated the vocabulary.
The NKJV continues that tradition: formal translation from the original manuscripts, using modern, accessible language for today’s reader.
Chris: That makes sense. One friend made a funny comment about phrases like “butt dialed.” He said, “In 500 years, no one will know what that means.” How do translators deal with ancient idioms and tricky phrases like that?
Phillip: Another great question. It depends on the translation philosophy. More formal translations will keep the phrase literal—like “your neck is like a tower” or “your teeth are like sheep.” Dynamic translations interpret the meaning instead—saying her neck is graceful, her teeth are white, for instance.
Some translations land in the middle and use footnotes. Others explain in study notes at the bottom of the page. That’s the beauty of serious Bible study—it invites us to explore historical context, idioms, and layers of meaning.
Chris: That’s fascinating. I love how archaeology and textual studies bring clarity to those things. Even phrases like “apple of his eye” mean something deep, though the words alone don’t make modern sense.
Phillip: Exactly. That phrase wouldn’t translate clearly into Mandarin or French. But that’s part of what makes Bible study so rich—it’s a journey.
Chris: I’ve got one last question, from another viewer. How is the new version of the Open Bible different from the older ones?
Phillip: Great wrap-up question. This edition has a new typesetting—larger font, updated accent colors—and we returned to verse-by-verse formatting to include the inline cross-references. We also expanded articles that hadn’t been updated in decades. One example is the archaeology article, which is now current and enhanced.
We brought back valuable content from previous editions that had been trimmed for space. Overall, this edition represents the best of all previous Open Bible resources, updated and refreshed for today’s reader.
Chris: That’s wonderful. I’m excited for you—and to dig into the Open Bible myself. Thank you so much for taking the time to share today.
Phillip: Thank you, Chris. And for your listeners, check out what Thomas Nelson Bibles has to offer. We’re passionate about making beautiful Bibles that help people at every stage of life. We’re grateful to steward the Word of God.
Chris: Amen. And to everyone watching—thank you. If you’ve made it this far, maybe God is nudging you to dig into the Bible more deeply. Explore the resources out there. The Word of God can make a real, lasting difference in your life.
So thanks again, and as always: let’s grow and be fruitful.
