First of all, if you didn’t check out NNPCW alumna Mary Rose Linker’s reply to Wednesday’s post, you should. I’m glad you replied, and I pray that your loved ones make it out of Iraq safely. Thanks for the response.

I’m a bit in the mood for a media circus today. Exhibit A that sexism is still rampant in our world—Sweden announced on Wednesday that it would develop the world’s first female crash test dummy. Apparently, all current crash test dummies only measure how men react to accidents. Now, it is pretty obvious that my body isn’t the same as a man’s body. Not surprising, then, that women have twice as high a risk for whiplash than men in fender-benders. Hmm….

My other interesting media bit comes from The Presbyterian Outlook, the independent weekly Presbyterian magazine. Apparently, the burgeoning Christian commodities market is looking to target niche consumers, so it has put out two versions of the New Testament that might be just what you’re looking for. If you’re a 20-something black male, for instance, Nelson Bibles just published Real: The Complete New Testament for you. This magazine format (sounds a lot like that Revolve version for teenage girls) includes hip-hop photos, rap versions of the Crucifixion, and a “Bible 411” about heaven and hell.

(Okay, I have to stop here and mention that when I was a child in Children’s Church, I was quite famous for my ability to rap “Jesus Loves Me.” My career moved into the secular arena in high school, when friends often crowded around me and begged me to rap “Hit ‘Em High” from the Space Jam soundtrack. I’m pretty much in retirement now, except for one recent karaoke episode with “Baby Got Back.” Um, yeah.)

Anyway, if you’re really into skiing, hiking, rock climbing, basically anything outdoors, then The Outdoor Bible would be perfect for you. You can take this New Testament anywhere, because it is printed on water- and tear-resistant plastic sheets that you can fold up like a road map. If you have a favorite Bible book, individual “maps” are available for only $9.95.

Do you ever feel like the old white guys are just trying too hard?? Marketing does make a difference, I guess, but this whole “it’s cool to like Jesus” thing has never struck a chord with me. Maybe I feel like someone is trying to manipulate me, just like when I see Coke ads and popcorn floating across the screen before the movie starts at the theater. My faith is one of the few things left in this world that no one can box up and try to sell me for $9.95. I kind of have this knee-jerk reaction with what I see as attempts to change that.

Yet we Presbyterians are “Reformed and always being reformed, according to the Word of God.” So maybe it is perfectly reasonable, and perfectly consistent with our theology, to have a Bible that gives you the 411 on Jesus. There is a point, too, at which cultural diversity should be considered. Quite a few of the products I’ve seen in Christian bookstores seem to be marketed toward suburban white males. At least somebody seems to be getting the point that this doesn’t speak to everyone, and is trying to do something about it. Part of Scripture’s staying power is its ability to speak to unique contexts in different historical eras. Maybe this proliferation of new versions of the Bible is part of that adaptability.

But there’s still something about the whole thing that makes me a bit uneasy, and I can’t put my finger on it. Maybe I’m worried that there’s something reductionist in this approach, that something deeper and more powerful will get lost as we try to fit every page of the Bible into our own specific circumstances. Perhaps there’s something sad about sitting on top of the mountain you just climbed, alone by the campfire, pulling out your Bible map as you look out over the lonely forest.

Food for thought. But I’d really like to see that rap song on the Crucifixion.

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” --Ecclesiastes 3:1

Kelsey

Dear Kelsey,
You wrote."Do you ever feel like the old white guys are just trying to hard". You know I am married to an "old white guy," and he is a great guy who hates most ads. But even if he didn't thats an unchristian slam against a whole group of people. Are you sure all advertisement people are old white men? Are you trying to be politally correct at the expense of kindness and truth?
Your old sister in Christ,(I will be 65 in March and I like birthdays too!)
Viola Larson

Me again,
I guess I should have said marketing men (I wonder are there marketing women too? There must be.)
Viola

Hi Viola,

Thanks for calling me on it, especially as I can't prove that it is just "old white men" in marketing (and yes, I'm pretty sure that there are women involved, too, as well as younger men). Whoever it is, their approach doesn't appeal to me. Maybe it would appeal to some others, though-- when I told David about the concepts, he thought the Outdoor Bible would be rather handy :).

Kelsey