The Consumerist Bible

I mentioned recently how consumerism has become ingrained in our lives and our churches and shows itself in the way we view the primary job of our pastors. This consumerist mentality certainly shows itself in the ever-expanding numbers and types of Bibles , offering something to suit everyone including the heretics.

Recently joining the list is The Green Bible. It wonderfully has the passages that seem related to the environment printed in green. Isn't that just precious. So, I did a quick google search on specialty bibles and found quite an abundance. There is a bible for just about all sportsmen (the fisherman's bible, the hunter's bible, the golfer's bible, etc); there are study bibles from any number of tv preachers; there are occupational bibles (the soldier's bible, the fireman's bible, the policeman's bible, the nurse's bible, etc); men's bibles, women's bibles, children's bibles, teen's bibles. On and on it goes. Some of the more ludicrous include the Princess Bible, so your little princess can feel special; one called Da Jesus Book; Hawaiian Pidgin New Testament looks intriguing but somehow I can't take it seriously; we mustn't overlook The Black Bible Chronicles which instead of opening with 'In the beginning....' opens with 'Now when the Almighty was first down with His program...the earth was a fashion misfit, being so uncool and dark...'. So this is what The Living Bible has led to? The old folks warned me about that; after all, if the King James was good enough for the apostle Paul it should be good enough for me.

So I started to wonder if the heretics had gotten into the act and I typed 'gay and lesbian bible' into the google search box, and sure enough there is one. Why am I not surprised? If there is a market for it, someone will sell it. Thomas Jefferson set the example 200 years ago with his own bible, deleting all of Christ's teaching about atonement and salvation, leaving just the moral teaching. If the real Christ doesn't suit you, just find one you can like.

Many of the specialty bibles seem harmless enough, like putting a camoflage cover on the bible for hunters, adding some notes from a bible teacher in the margins and such as that. Others are total heresy, like the gay/lesbian bible. Many are driven by our never ending consumerism, like the Princess Bible. I have to wonder how all of this builds the church. While I agree with our church in its mission statement that we accepting changing methodology but an unchanging message, there is too much of the consumerism message in much of this 'changing method' for my, taste even in most of the seemingly harmless ones. As for the heretics, well, 'these you have with you always' if I may borrow a phrase.