While browsing some blogs I found an entry written at The Reluctant Puritan that I find quite disturbing.
This is supposed to be the modern look of the Bible so that we can draw more teens to read it! What amazes me is that this is so obviously a spoof on how the world does its own marketing, and the creators of this "bible" can see no problem with it!
When we take something like the Bible with such great importance to our own lives, and trivialize it with the gimmicks as seen on the picture above, its message will eventually be trivialized in the minds of those who read it.
To resort to gimmicks to catch the unaware reader shows how little trust their exists in the providence and sovereignty of God. In these days it is believed that we need to con people in reading the Bible and to get saved. The Bible is clear on how this is supposed to be done... the preaching of the gospel!
When we trivialize the Bible with these types of worldly manuevers, it goes without saying that the gospel will end up being trivialized. As a result, who in their right minds would want to listen to a trivialized gospel anyhow? A gospel that cannot save, but needs gimmicks and trickery to save!
If there is going to be any revival in the world, it will have to start with a Biblical reformation in the church. Stay away from "bibles" that have bylines like "HOW TO IMPRESS THE GIRLS!"
With no Biblical reformation the western church will carry on like it is, into oblivion!
Continued at The Bible being trivialized - continued...
Continued at The Bible being trivialized - continued...
Updated:
Here are some more images and links to the source.
Here are some more images and links to the source.
2 comments:
You know, I've read several blogs of yours and they all seem to have thing in common: you think that you know everything there is to know about God. You state everything as if what you say comes directly from God--no one can completely know exactly what God wants, not even you. Jesus is the only one with a right to come to Earth stating words and claiming that they're God's. Maybe you've interepreted the bible wrong in a few places, maybe there was a problem in translation when translating the bible. In any case, you cannot be correct 100% of the time. You seem to have very black and white thinking "this is right and this is wrong and there is no in between!" but I guess black-and-white thinking makes sense in South Africa--after all, you all didn't even begin reforming apartheid until the 1980s and it wasn't entirely "fair" (for lack of a better word) until the 1990s. By the way, racism and bigotry are also against the bible :-)
Anyway, to comment on this particular blog, what's it to you? These bibles are a form of preaching the gospel. "Christians" have used "gimmicks and trickery" as you call it, to "save" since the religion began. What do you call the Crusades? Do you read the King James version of the bible--if not, dun, dun, dun, you're using an alternate version--ALTERED TO GET ANOTHER AUDIENCE TO READ IT!!! If these hip-looking bibles are what speak to teens, by golly, let 'em read it.
Anyhow, the best way to preach the gospel is to not say anything at all, but to let your actions speak louder than words. In the words of Saint Frances, "Preach the Gospel everyday, and if necessary use words".
Even if you're reading the King James version, you're still a little off--better go learn Hebrew!! That's the only way you'll be reading the "real" version of the bible, that isn't altered for a particular audience.
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