This is the latest in one publisher's line of "Biblezines"—the complete New Testament in magazine formats tailored to specific market segments. Judging from the cover photo, the primary target audience here are rage-filled African Americans age thirty and under:
Price: Fiddy Cent.
Pardon me while I go down to the studio. It's completely soundproof. I'll probably be in there for the next hour or so.
27 comments:
Whoa, I'm straight trippin'. Seriously, though, that is quite sad to say the least. Thanks for pointing it out, Phil.
When I first saw this I was sure it had to be a parody. But a quick check of the publisher's site and I saw it there for sale on their front page. All they need now is a special edition for hermaphroditic dwarfs. Where will it end?
So, Phil are you saying that there cannot be any consideration of culture in product development? Is there anything in the actual content of the mag/Biblezine that is truly offensive, or is that it is marketed to a specific segment of our society? All it is the New Testament surrouded by some articles, right?
I'm just a teeny bit fearful (and correct me if I'm wrong) that you are revealing a type of WASPY view of Christianity. Maybe it was the "fitty cent" crack. I'm amazed at how humbled I am when I visit churches of different nationalities and cultures...I'm often trying to figure out how I can be more like them, rather than trying to get them to be more like me.
Just another example of the extreme emphasis on "my uniqueness" of contemporary Christianity. Thanks for the blog, Phil.
For the record, Sled Dog, I was equally outraged last year when the same publisher came out with their original Biblezines, starting with a glamor-mag format for rich white girls. So it's not just my WASPishness being piqued, here.
And for those who aren't sure:
What's wrong with this picture, class?
I'll start us out: This sort of thing deliberately trivializes the Word of God. I haven't read the hip-hop 'zine yet, of course, but in the white-girl Cosmo knock-off version the pages were salted with beauty tips, hints about how to handle boyfriends, and other such nonsense.
Here's a more thorough review.
But I gotta say, if you have actually read what I have been posting the past two weeks and still have to ask why I think this sort of merchandising is bad, you might want to start reading through the posts on Fad-Driven® religion one more time.
It's getting hard to distinguish Bibles from Chicken Soup books.
This magazine is just the latest and greatest in this marketing trend.
I worked at a Christian Store, it used to be called a 'Bookstore', but now (with all the 'Christian' paraphernalia) just 'Store', and we sold Bibles for Men, Women,and Children, and then the list goes off into specialty Bibles for 'race', class, and any other kind of divisive distinction that you can imagine. After this there are Bibles for golfers, sports fanatics, etc.
This kind of marketing while good for sales, in my opinion divides the Church into factions. I just finished reading Galatians 3:26-29. There is no need for all this since we are all united in Christ.
Thanks Phil for the response. Trust me, many things in the Christian bookstore annoy me, but the Revolve, Revolution, etc haven't gotten under my skin like they have yours. I was a youth pastor for too many years, and understand, to some degree, that their must be some "cultural translation" taking place. Every once in a while I'd get some one who held steven h.'s view on my youth staff, and they rarely were effective with communicating the Gospel. Mission work is bridge building. There thinking was
Why do I have to adjust to these kids?" It's the same reason I have a translator when I preach in foreign countries...I want to communicate.
As a kid I remember reading Chick tracts that were left around the church. I know now that there is a lot to be desired about chick tracts, but God, the powerful God was able to work in spite of human limitations.
I read Rick Holland's review, and he made some good points, but other aspects of his review sounded whiny. Thanks for the link.
To support my Waspy brother :-)... I too was offended at the original B'Zine. NOT because of packaging... but content. If the content was solid then, within reason, the cover art and layout could be an effective approach. But it wasn't... Unfortunately, "style over substance" ran consistent throughout.
Now I don't know about this version, "dawg." But the last time around the sidebar comments; the inline illustrations were not "diggin my chili." I can honestly say, for I read it cover to cover, that past issues adulterated the Word of God by a frivolous treatment of biblical themes, and in some cases, a sensual superficial approach to the articles The gospel doesn't need dressing up, it just needs to be proclaimed.
What a crazy time we live in--who knows what other wackiness tomorrow will bring? Next thing you're going to be telling me is that Christians are using politics to solve the moral ills of our nation, partnering with nonbelievers, and letting Romanists, who deny sola fide, share time behind the "sacred desk" in Bible believing Baptist churches on the Lord's Day because they're against the demise of family values too? :-).
Phil is "spot on" here y'all.
So in keeping with this current B'Zine issue: give Dr. " J" some love... and let him know "he's still dope with his homeboys.)
Stay phat baby...
Campi
Auurrggh!!!!! Okay, my only complaint with Blogger is that I can't go back and edit my posts. Please forgive grammatical errors in my previous and suffer the little bloggers...
I find the Biblezines to be an affront to Sola Scriptura and in some instances outright blasphemous.
The Bible is self-relevant.
what up? aight? i be chilin with my Ebonic Bible. learned to read it in my Ebonics class in high school English.
Thank you for a thoughtful blog! You (and your commenters) are some of the first evangelicals I have run across who actually think about what they see, hear, believe, read, etc. As an "evangelical liberal" minister I have often despaired of much of the evangelical movement for its fad-following and seemingly uncritical thinking. Many thanks for redeeming those who are interested in sharing the Word so "every knee may bow."
peace!
A WASPy view of Christianity? Frankly, black people should be more offended by this than any white person. "Got Questions? HE got answers." What is the message there? Minorities are ignorant and illiterate, but they sure do go for the shiny stuff, er... bling-bling. They'll never get our message if we don't dumb it down and flash it up. Fitty cent, indeed.
David Kjos
Man that is already old hat. I work at a LifeWay and it's been on the shelf for a couple of months.
The next trendy zine is probably already about to hit our Christian retailers any time now.
Ryan: Thanks. I should have consulted an expert like you before posting. I've fixed it now.
Steve: Good thoughts. Well said. Start a blog, and I'll link to you.
Jeff: Have they showed you next season's stuff yet? What's on the horizon? A version for the body-modification zealots? Beer drinkers? Motorcycle gangs? At the very least, they need to have one for home-schoolers.
i'm still waiting for the "one-legged canary owner's bible" to make its debut...
Phil, what will you do in the soundproof studio? Laugh out loud? Or cry out loud?
Phil - sorry, no previews given. At least not to us rank-and-file register punchers anyway.
You can see the whole lineup here though:
http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/dept.asp?dept_id=190900&TopLevel_id=190000
I do find it interesting that they are now looking to publish studies in that format.
Do we call them zine studies, Bible studies, drivel? I'm torn.
This whole idea of tayloring the message to the culture is all backward. What ever happened to "Be ye not conformed to this world be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind"?
Phil, is faddism akin to pragmatism? (Well, it seems to be working (for now)).
Reading your last entry on fads reminded me of the book by Ian Murray, "Revivals and Revivalism". Did the tide turn with Finney?
Please don't change the layout. The graphics of the burned out churches connected with this particular topic have said it all. They add to the heartbreak, which should be every true Christian's reaction, whether he be Sovereign Grace or Semi-Pelagian.
Yo dog: do'n be dipping yo' fingah in my KoolAid 'til you know what flavah it is.
Who be needin' da O.G. (original Gospel) mo' dan ho's and ganstas?
EDITORIAL NOTE:
The previous comment was a joke.
Why you face all up in my grill?
Phil, I happen to love your humor. And I'm glad you have it, because it seasons some of the more strident aspects of your opinions.
But hey, I'm not afraid of getting my toes stepped on, either. After all, I grew up in an IFB pastor's home!
Oops, I'm an idiot. That comment was supposed to go on your blogspotting post, where someone was complaining about your humor.
I'm looking forward to when they release one for the red-neck/hillbilly crowd so as to reach the lost in West Virginia. Maybe there will be a special side column at Mark 16:18 on proper snake handlin' tips.
Fred
Hip and Thigh
I wholeheartedly agree that people need to be fed the word, and fed well. That's why I preach expositionally. As I stated before, a trip to the Christian (can we really call it that anymore)can be depressing. And the whole "biblezine" issue is not a hill I come close to wanting to die on.
But, more of my concern is that there is a tone in many of these responses that seems, as anoniva wrote, patronizing to differing cultures. The reality is our world is extremely diverse, and becoming more so each day. Am I wrong in assuming that most of those who have felt free to make jokes about hip-hop jargon, hillbillys, etc. live comfortable suburban lifestyles, and that you rarely interact with individuals outside of that demographic? Be honest...
steve h.
For the record, I thought your post on the matter was clear and lucid, completely lacking in any joking. And I agree that the Gospel doesn't have to be adapted to cultures...hey, the Gospel is unadaptable...once you change it, it is no longer Gospel.
But no missionary worth his or her salt doesn't realize that they will have to, in some degree, contextualize the Gospel for their intended audience.
Paul wrote of this in 1 Corinthians 9:19-24: For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. (ESV)
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