Walk into any Christian bookstore today and you will see evidence of a phenomenon that is sweeping the Christian publishing industry. Study Bibles that are tailored for specific readers are now designed to appeal to every demographic imaginable. The Busy Woman’s Bible. The Girl’s Life Application Bible. The Couple’s Devotional Bible. The Dad’s Bible. Even The Outdoor Bible. It is printed on folded plastic sheets that can be “rained on, snowed on or fully submerged—with no damage,” according to the publishers who also offer a version in a camouflage bag for soldiers.

What has spurred this trend?

“People still have tremendous interest in this book, and they want to make it their own,” says Wayne Hastings, a spokesman from Nashville’s (Tenn.) Thomas Nelson Publishing, the largest Christian publishing house and second-largest seller of Bibles nationwide.

“People are searching,” says Chris Faatz, a bookstore manager in Portland, Ore. “Customers want something that speaks exactly to their life.”

A literal translation is great, says Rev. Cliff Olson, pastor at Golden Hills Community Church in Brentwood, Calif., “but if no one understands it, it defeats the purpose.”

No longer do we merely find shelves full of leather-bound, plain-colored, golden-edged translations such as the King James Version, the New International Version (NIV) and the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Now, covers are splashed with misty pictures of roses and coffee cups for women, a torn-denim look for teens and bright pink polka dots for girls.

While these themed Bibles feature traditional translations as their basic text, they are augmented with side comments, journaling prompts and reflections that are tailored for their category of readers. And herein lies the issue: This additional material includes interpretations coming from the publishers themselves. Some church leaders warn that this can be dangerous.

“People purchasing these popular study Bibles need to think pretty carefully about what they are buying,” says Jewel Gingerich Longenecker, associate dean for leadership education at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Ind. “On the one hand, I want more people to read and grapple with the biblical story, and so getting the Bible into more hands seems like a good thing. On the other hand, these Bibles typically contain not only the biblical text and textual notes, but also a great deal of interpretation. This interpretation can come from any number of thought streams and may or may not be faithful to the biblical text.”
Let’s take a look at a few samples.

In The Boy’s Bible: The Ultimate Manual, we find a hardcover book that announces, “Finally, a Bible just for boys!”

The introduction lists in bullet form what the book contains:

-Discover gross and gory stuff
-Find out interesting and humorous Bible facts
-Apply the Bible to your own life through fun doodles, sketches and quick responses.
-Learn how to become more like Jesus mentally, physically, spiritually and socially.

Published by Zonderkidz, a continual theme runs through its pages: be a “252 Man, the image found in Luke 2:52 that speaks of Jesus’ own boyhood: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and years, and in divine and human favor.”

Graphics, sidebars and spaces for journaling are found on nearly every page, speaking to the topics in the biblical passages. For instance, integrated in the midst of an Old Testament passage, where it speaks of different nations waging war, the topic of violence is addressed: “There’s nothing wrong with healthy competition and physical sports … but God hates violence … yet tons of movies today star so-called ‘cool rebels’ who take the law into their own hands and kill people left and right. And what about video games that let you gun down goons and blow them away? Being violent, filling your mind with violent trash and having violent thoughts is not cool. If you want to be cool, value the things that God values. Respect life and avoid violence.”

However, a red flag for some would be the translations that are infused with the particular thoughts of popular writers today.

“Big-name authors that customers know and trust also help sell Bibles … Nelson’s Inspirational Study Bible with text by Max Lucado and The Renovare Spiritual Formation Bible with text from Richard Foster are cited by publishers and booksellers and managers.”

One such example of this type is The Power of a Praying Woman Bible with reflections by writer and contemporary Christian singer Stormie Omartian. In one sidebar accompanying the passage in Ephesians 5 that declares men are to be the “head of the wife,” Omartian adds a sidebar entitled, “The Importance of Spiritual Authority.”

“More and more believing women,” Omartian says, “are being given an open door to become all they were created to be … they are realizing they are not just an afterthought in the order of God’s creation … they are enabled to fulfill their destiny because more men are rising up to their place of spiritual authority and leadership … If a woman will trust God’s power to flow through the authorities he has placed over her, she can bloom and grow and change her world by the power of God’s Spirit.”

Some Christians would be troubled by the concept of inherent male leadership—but also in the underlying message that a woman’s role is to be reactive to that of a man’s, not proactive.
And what about the series of Bibles geared toward branches of the military, such as The Soldier’s Bible and The Airman’s Bible?

Implicit (or explicit) in these translations is the notion that the Christian who serves in the armed forces is fulfilling God’s call by protecting the United States. The language in the introduction likens modern warfare to spiritual warfare, using war language in its approach to Scripture. For instance, The Marine’s Bible states that many of the Roman military men mentioned in the New Testament were “men of character,” pointing specifically to the soldier who stopped Jesus on the road and proved his faith by asking that Jesus perform a miracle to make his servant well.

“Just say the word and he shall be healed,” the centurion is quoted as saying in Matthew 8:5.

This Bible features readings in the back that include the Pledge of Allegiance, the Star-Spangled Banner, the Oath of Allegiance for Enlisted Personnel, President George W. Bush’s Inaugural Address and General George S. Patton’s Prayer leading into battle.

Stewart Heller, executive director of the Christian Institute for the Study of Media, says, “Religious leaders must understand that the traditional black-clad Bible is a thing of the past.

To the degree that [publishers] can create an alternative to pop culture, they’re smart. This is a battle for minds in the media. If you’re going to compete, you better get up to date, or your show will get canceled, so to speak.”

A product that seeks to compete with popular culture in a more radical way is the “Biblezine.”

It is a magazine format featuring passages from the New Testament along with articles that address modern-day topics related to the readings. Most often geared toward young people—primarily girls —they promise “tips on beauty, boys and battles with Mom.”

“Unlike the baby boomer generation,” says Rev. Olson, “today’s teens bring little religious literacy with them. The Biblezine’s accessible images and text help bridge the gap.”

However, Rebecca Rosen Lum, in her article, “In the Beginning was the Word, and it was so Cool,” writes that “Feminists [have] chastised Thomas Nelson [publishers] for claiming to promote a healthy body image while filling the Biblezine with photos of slim, pretty girls in midriff tops.” She adds that “Liberal Christians [have] balked at the conservative political slant of the advice.”

“What you hope is that [these are] like a preschool Bible,” says Bill Leonard, dean of the Wake Forest (N.C.) University School of Divinity, “and that teens will grow out of them.”
How has this trend affected the Mennonite church?

“I don’t see many ‘trendy’ study Bibles carried by my parishioners,” says Louise Wideman, associate pastor at First Mennonite Church in Bluffton, Ohio. “But we do occasionally use Eugene Peterson’s The Message in our services to give a fresh hearing of a familiar story.”

Phil Waite, pastor at First Mennonite Church in Moundridge, Kan., can relate.

“I have a number of people in my church for whom the Bible has come to life because of The Message,” Waite said. “Peterson calls his work an ‘imaginative translation,’ meant to especially help lay people in biblical study.”

“What is needed to motivate Bible reading,” says Gingerich Longenecker, “more than these popular Bible packages is for groups of friends to get together to study the Bible regularly, pooling not only their own ideas but utilizing the tools of in-depth biblical scholarship that are widely available. The Harper-Collins Study Bible or the Oxford Study Bible is a great place to start.

“As for the other study Bibles,” says Waite, “the content and quality vary widely with a wide range of theological biases. I just want people to read and study the Bible, and I guess I get less concerned about the theological content. In an age of growing biblical illiteracy in the church, I am thrilled when people take reading the Bible seriously, even if the accompanying interpretations are at odds with my own.”

Says Wideman, “Someone in my church did say recently that they’d rather have their child reading a trendy version of the Bible than no version at all.”

Ann Minter Fetters lives in Wichita, Kan., where she teaches English at Butler Community College and is a member of Lorraine Avenue Mennonite Church.