The Bible goes hip for teen readers

By Kari Haskell
The New York Times

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A new generation of Bibles by religious publishers Thomas Nelson and Zondervan are marketing the Scripture in much the same way as Seventeen sells itself to the average adolescent.

In fact, at first glance, the New Testament Bibles — Revolve for girls and Refuel for boys — might be mistaken for a trendy magazine.

"We asked teens, and they told us what they wanted," said Laurie Whaley, a spokeswoman at Thomas Nelson, which has been publishing Bibles for 200 years. They wanted something easier to read and more relevant to their lives, she said.

Revolve's cover features three fresh-faced girls surrounded by catchy phrases — "Are You Dating a Godly Guy?" and "Beauty Secrets You've Never Heard Before." Woven inside the untouched text of New Century Version of the New Testament are advice columns such as "Blab," which answers questions from teenagers, and quizzes. ("What kind of friend are you?")

Refuel has articles about emotions, sexuality and sports — and a snowboarder on the cover.

Zondervan's teen Bibles wear more conservative cloaks. They look like traditional Bibles, except that True Images for girls is covered in lavender, soft-as-suede paper, and Revolution for boys is covered in black rubber. Inside, both have articles on teen issues, such as dating and self-esteem.

"Marketing the Bible to youth culture isn't new," said Martin Marty, a professor emeritus at the University of Chicago Divinity School. The strategy can be a good way to introduce teenagers to Christianity, he said, but there is a danger.

"The sacred Scripture loses its sense of greatness," he said. "Religion is born of awe — not one that terrifies you, but puts you into perspective. For the Bible to be taken in full seriousness, it needs some of that."

Daniel Brown, a pastor for junior-high students at the Community Bible Church in San Diego, said True Images and Revolution help keep hyper-media-fed teenagers reading the Scripture.

"The Bible has not changed," Brown said. "It has been made applicable to their life, immediately — in a biblical way."

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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