BibleZines Are Bunk.

BibleZines are bunk. Period. I can’t believe that Christianity has been suckered into such trendiness. I guess the Bible is the next thing that needs an “extreme makeover” to be “relevant” to “Generation Y”. Why are trying to turn eternal truths into novelty and girl talk? Why are we taking “the word of God which abides forever” and turning it into a fad? We have kissed the tail of our culture and capitulated for the sake of marketing our message while at the same time losing it.

Yep. These babies are hot sellers these days. A little research will show you that they are Thomas Nelson’s fastest selling “bibles” with over 8 million sold just between 2004-2005. Reason? They want to target the kids who are reading “Seventeen” and other such magazines that seem to appeal to kids these days. Have they ever thought about what these kids do with the magazines after they have read the sex column and horoscopes? Throw them in the trash. Maybe that’s what will happen here. I mean, the fad can only last so long, right? How will we need to repackage God’s Word to reach the next generation. I can’t wait for that one.

Fool’s Gold, the recently edited book by John MacArthur, addresses this idea of turning the Bible into a magazine. Rick Holland wrote the chapter which is called “When the Truth Becomes Tabloid: A Closer Look at The Revolve New Testament.” He outlines his critique by explaining how the Revolve adds to the Bible, edits the Bible, trivializes the Bible, pollutes the Bible, temporalizes the Bible, redirects the Bible, and neutralizes the Bible. Another blogger has written a good response to this trend, entitling his post “Bible in the Bathtub”.

I could entertain this rant for a healthy scroll but honestly, it’s not worth it. For such a disappointment as this, I would rather not spend too much time or I would be driven to despair. We Christians simply must value God’s Word more than this. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to open a “bible” that next to “take up your cross and follow Me” there is an article that says something like, “Dress for success: 10 Make-up tips for true beauty” or some crap like that. Teenagers don’t need a “bible” that they won’t be embarrassed carrying; the Bible needs Christians who are worthy of carrying it period.

Oh, and one more thing – when these kids pick up one of the zines, do you think they will get disappointed when the articles in the Bible are not as well written and juicy as the one in Seventeen? Ah yes, second-rate attempts of being like our big brother Culture. That’s what we need, right? According to these people, the Bible needs a lot of help. And here’s their answer. The Bible simply isn’t enough. What God says isn’t trendy enough to get teenagers reading it. We need Robert Schuller and other pop-psychologists and self-help experts to appeal to the “felt needs” of kids. And if they do get what they are looking for, most likely it won’t be found in red-letters because it has been neutered by all the junk that surrounds it. I’m done.