Posted on Sep 15, 2003 | by David Roach

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--Thomas Nelson Publishers' "Revolve" New Testament -- a New Testament packaged to resemble a fashion magazine -- "tends to trivialize the message of the Gospel," Russell Moore said on MSNBC Sept. 13.

Moore, assistant professor of Christian theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., appeared on the cable network to discuss the new Bible with a spokesperson for Thomas Nelson Publishers, Laurie Whaley.

Designed specifically to appeal to teenage girls, the fast-selling product features New Testament books interspersed with items normally reserved for fashion magazines. Released in mid-July, the new Bible includes features such as dating tips, makeup secrets and interviews with teenage boys.

"The research that we did with teens across the country indicated that they find the Bible to be very intimidating ... and some of them even called it 'freaky,'" Whaley said. "... And so we asked them, 'Well, what do your read?' And the response that came back was, 'We read magazines.' And so that was where the initial idea came to take the message of the Bible and to put it in a format in which teen girls were accustomed."

The Gospel, however, is a counter-cultural message that calls Christians to live a radically different life from the world around them, Moore said. Revolve, while printed with good intentions, may actually compromise the Gospel message.

"The 'freakiness' of the Bible, as the publisher has just said, is precisely what gives it the power to save," Moore said. "It's a message that's not glamorous at all. It's a message of a crucified and resurrected Christ who calls all people everywhere to reconciliation with God through Him. It's that otherness of the Bible that gives it its power."

While fashion and dating articles in Revolve may help the New Testament to appear more relevant to teens, Moore warned that they may inadvertently compromise "the seriousness and the authority" of the Scripture.

"I think having the message of the crucifixion and the resurrection on the same page as beauty tips about Jesus as the foundation of one's makeup just tends to trivialize and make frivolous the message that comes with it," he said.

One feature in Revolve titled, "Spiritual facials," tells teen readers, "Spiritual cleansing is like a facial cleansing. The fire of God's love burns out the sin the same way the hot steam routs the dirt out of your pores."

Whaley said such features, rather than trivializing Scripture, help teens to see the relevance of the Bible to their lives.

"I don't think it trivializes," she said. "I understand the concern of trivializing. I think what it does is it pulls out points of relevance for teen girls today, and it shows them indeed that the Bible and that the message of the Bible and that the teaching of the Bible, that the truth that Dr. Moore was just referring to is prevalent throughout the entire New Testament."

Revolve has been so successful that Thomas Nelson plans to release a similar Bible geared toward teenage boys, Whaley said. The male version will feature articles on sex, girls, dating, cars, outdoors, sports, music and money.

Moore, reiterating his concern that juxtaposing Scripture with the values of pop culture confuses the message of the Gospel, said, "I'm reading the text of this Revolve Bible, and I'm reading the text of the Bible, but I'm also hearing all of the values of Cosmopolitan magazine and Glamour magazine. ... This is a message that comes through saying that supermodels shall inherit the earth. That's not the message of the Gospel."

Moore said he supports "any effort to reach teenage girls with the Gospel. But I think we need to do it with the Gospel and with the authority of the Word of God. And when you have right along with the text of what God is saying [to] us quotes from teenage guys about what they find attractive in girls, I think that confuses the message and tends to bring teenage girls to a point of confusion about the authority of the Bible, which is exactly what saves."
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(BP) photo posted in the BP Photo Library at http://www.bpnews.net. Photo title: MOORE TO THE POINT.