May 25, 2004
COOLER STILL:
New Testament as Easy to Read as ... Cosmo?: Glossy 'biblezines,' complete with top 10 lists, mix the secular with Scripture in an attempt to get teens to pick up the Good Book. (Joy Buchanan, May 15, 2004, LA Times)
In some local bookstores, teen boys can find a glossy publication filled with music reviews, top 10 lists and advice about dating. Its photos show pretty girls, skateboarders, guys with cornrows and teens cruising in convertibles.But it's not a magazine. It's a Bible. Or actually, what its publisher has dubbed a "biblezine."
Titled Refuel, it was recently released by Thomas Nelson, one of the nation's largest Bible publishers. Refuel has the complete New Testament written in the company's colloquial New Century translation. But the Scriptures are printed in columns like a magazine story and are surrounded by, among other things, pop-up bubbles containing suggestions on how a fly teenager can also be a good Christian.
This ain't your grandfather's Bible. Smack in the middle of 1 Corinthians is a list of the coolest things God has made, including dogs, pterodactyls, facial hair and ocean waves — with girls at the top of the list. Refuel also reports the results of a survey asking girls what they look for in a boyfriend: guys who show them respect, open doors for them, spend time with their parents and worship God freely.
Youth pastors say they welcome anything that will get teens to read the Bible. Publishers like Thomas Nelson say they are providing teens with Bibles that address issues specific to them, much like adult devotional Bibles, with short lessons on applying Scripture to modern life.
Facial hair? Everyone has facial hair. Let's talk back hair... Posted by Orrin Judd at May 25, 2004 9:02 AM
"Facial hair" is definitely a boy's "cool" thing, at least in the 21st century; Surveys show that females prefer clean-shaven males by something like 3 - 1.
Posted by: Michael Herdegen at May 25, 2004 10:14 AMSo basically this thing is Highlights with a l33t new attitude. Feh. Oh sure, all the girls swoon over guys who worship God freely. This has got to be the dopiest way to make religion cool since priests started playing the acoustic guitar. Religion isn't _supposed_ to be "cool" for cyring out loud. Religion isn't _supposed_ to the Next! Big! Thing! that all the rad kids go for. Jesus, given that most teens are complete nincompoops, should we really be trying to tailor religion to meet their special needs?
Posted by: Governor Breck at May 25, 2004 12:18 PMWho's tailoring religion ?
The information is being packaged in a way that can be easily understood, and hopefully welcomed.
The underlying principles stay the same.
I assume that you're also against young children's "Bible Stories", with short words and colorful illustrations.
Posted by: Michael Herdegen at May 26, 2004 4:01 AM