"It's got everything you want in a book: sex, violence, mystery, intrigue...." I was watching CBS Sunday Morning (a weekly ritual most Sundays for me) yesterday. One of the features was a piece about the Bible. Several items caught my attention, including the opening line here. I actually heard someone say almost that exact same thing a number of years ago in an airport waiting room. They looked to be a college student and they were talking on their cell phone (yes, I was eaves dropping) about "this great book I'm reading." They proceeded to describe all the amazing short stories it was filled with: tales of intrigue, murder, mayhem, sex, and assorted deviant behavior. I was at first amused, then a little appalled. But you know, strictly speaking, that's true. I wonder, though, if all those stories had any kind of impact on this young man. Never having tried it, I don't know how you can read the Bible through and not get the real point of all the stories.More tidbits: The 1966 Good News for Modern Man was the first major update of the KJV (I have one of these in my office).
Nowadays, publishers are looking for new markets, non-traditional customers... They are marketing the Bible for all kinds of readers. There's the Biblezine (scripture in a magazine format for teenage girls), the Bride's Bible, the Waterproof Bible (what, so you can read it under water?!), The Bible Experience (an audio Bible recorded by actors and musicians), and many others.
Denzel Washington, one of the actors reading passages for The Bible Experience said this: "The Bible is the best-seller year after year. Inside of each of us we have something tugging at us...the God within us...we all search...this is the answer people are looking for, they just don't know it. Listen to it...give it a shot."
My own collection of Bibles includes a paperback Reach Out Bible, Philips' New Testament, KJV red letter edition, Harper's Study Bible, zippered KJV, small zippered KJV with hymnal (grandmother's that I take on trips), the Life Study Bible (NKJV), The Clear Word, The Message Bible, blue French Bible, red Spanish Bible (grandfather's), The Narrated Bible (in Chronological order), small KJV (SLA seniors) and a leather bound Living Bible that my dog once tried to eat.My father has an even bigger collection of Bibles, all of which he uses at various times. It's interesting to compare versions to get the best possible understanding of what you're studying.
2 comments:
well, we seem to have many of the same bibles, including the well worn Reach Out, mine is from the GBA days, complete with colorful tabs, home made, scotch taped on, that are color co-ordinated according to a specific study subject.
Have you tried listening to the Bible Experience on tape? If so, what did you think about it?
Post a Comment