The Message 2.0 Remix! Extreme Teen Bible! Adventure Bible! Bride's Bible! There are so many different "Bibles" out there, and I started thinking about what my beef is with all these different versions. I did a search of different Bibles on cbd.com, and received an astounding 3,208 results! Why so many? Because the Bible is a potential hot-seller...
Then I got to thinking, why do people constantly feel the need to create not only new versions of the Bible, but guise them according to teen culture, middle-aged women culture, and everything in between? I think it's because they recognize that by going under the name Bible, not that they are deviating from it's intended message per se, but that it will help sell their version/packaging. They figure that we all take the Bible as authoritative, so my version/packaging will make its mark on my intended audience.
I think we need less of these versions and packagings of the Bible to be honest. Many of these end up being only one thing to one people, and that's not the message of Scripture. What's the alternative then? write a commentary. No need to claim the authority of Scripture, you're either a bad commentator or a good one. No potentially changing or weakening the meaning of the actual text, just your interpretation; because that's what it usually comes down to: the author in question's interpretation. By all means, I'm not saying that we need more commentaries, I'm only questioning how people choose to get their one-peopled messages across. If you really feel that what you want to say will be beneficial for a certain people, first examine your motives, then examine the necessity, then go write a commentary.
Then I got to thinking, why do people constantly feel the need to create not only new versions of the Bible, but guise them according to teen culture, middle-aged women culture, and everything in between? I think it's because they recognize that by going under the name Bible, not that they are deviating from it's intended message per se, but that it will help sell their version/packaging. They figure that we all take the Bible as authoritative, so my version/packaging will make its mark on my intended audience.
I think we need less of these versions and packagings of the Bible to be honest. Many of these end up being only one thing to one people, and that's not the message of Scripture. What's the alternative then? write a commentary. No need to claim the authority of Scripture, you're either a bad commentator or a good one. No potentially changing or weakening the meaning of the actual text, just your interpretation; because that's what it usually comes down to: the author in question's interpretation. By all means, I'm not saying that we need more commentaries, I'm only questioning how people choose to get their one-peopled messages across. If you really feel that what you want to say will be beneficial for a certain people, first examine your motives, then examine the necessity, then go write a commentary.
