Donna (2006), Creative Commons
Ben Irwin asks if the modern proliferation of Bibles might be part of the reason we’re reading Scripture less. The Bible is so available to us that we don’t hunger for it. And four kinds of Bibles lead us to devalue the Bible.
- The Commodity Bible (teen version, young couple’s version, single white female version, etc.)
- The Disposable Bible (planned for obsolescence)
- The Accessory Bible (colored to match your shoes)
- The “Have it Your Way” Bible (pick a translation—and change translations from verse to verse—so it says what you want it to say)
Irwin’s background in publishing Bibles commercially lends a certain gravity to his musings. And he suggests:
It’s not too late to chart another course. It’s not too late to remember that while the Bible was given for us, that doesn’t make it ours to tailor as we see fit. Scripture, as it turns out, is not that interested in catering to my personal “felt needs.”
It’s not too late to remember that the Bible is not just another commodity — that the whole point of owning and reading the Bible is not so I can fit bits and pieces of it into my life, but so I can fit my life into its story.
This thoughtful article is well worth considering. Check it out!
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