Thomas Nelson Releases New Magazine-Style Bible for Teen Boys
by Allie Martin
April 14, 2004
(AgapePress) - A new Bible for youth designed to look like a magazine for teenage boys is now on the shelves.Last year, U.S. retailers reported that their biggest-selling Bible was Revolve: The Complete New Testament, which contained the scriptures in a fashion magazine format designed to appeal to young girls. Now Thomas Nelson Publishers is releasing Refuel: The Complete New Testament, in a similar magazine style format -- this time geared for teen boys.
Refuel features the New Century Version of the New Testament, along with relevant articles for teenagers, on issues like sex, drugs, self-image, and hazing.
Laurie Whaley, a spokesperson for Thomas Nelson Publishers, says the format fills a real need in the Christian marketplace, and she describes Refuel as "a complete Bible," with added sidebars that help teens understand how God's Word is relevant and applicable to their daily life.
Whaley feels the format helps resolve two very different and difficult challenges. "You have the teen, for whom you want to make sure what you're writing is relevant, and you have the scripture, which you want to make sure is understandable," she says.
Still, the publisher's spokesperson expects some criticism of the new format, the likes of which the publisher has heard before, such as when Revolve debuted. "The most frequent criticism that we receive is that perhaps we are trivializing scripture, putting the Word of God next to pages of teen images," she says.
But Whaley insists that the youth-oriented formatting found in this new Bible for teens is in keeping with the spirit of Christ's approach to people. "The entire message of the New Testament is about a Savior who became a part of humanity," she says, adding that Jesus "was all about meeting people where they were and living with them in their culture."
Based on the success of Revolve and the overwhelmingly positive customer feedback that it received, Thomas Nelson is confident that Refuel will be an equal success as a Christian resource for teens.
