A few months ago Collins sent me the CEV Youth Bible for me to review and plug. So, only a few months late here's some Youthblogesque type observations!
Another Bible! Again on the "Youth Bible" label but unlike the NIV version the text is quite accessible and I'm a bit of a fan of the CEV, Contemporary English version. It is however dangerous to be calling something "contemporary" e.g this translation uses the word "wicked" but in the negative sense .... I await some Bible study confusion where young peope see God hating the wicked as being a justification for Christian nerdness! But I digress! Layout and extras are good. It goes for the two column layout and lacks pictures (The Good News Bible is still very radical on this front) but has a nice font and is not frighteningly busy. The translation is accurate, straight forward and readable! I'm also impressed that the biggest word on the front is "Bible!"
In summary: A useful addition to possible Bibles for young people/youth groups, Kind of cool but not quite wicked! Have a look for yourself though and let me know what you think.
Ah, the question of Christian coolness. I have had conversations about this many a time. Does the very theology of Christianity infer that nerdiness is inherent in following the faith? I firmly believe that geeks are actually people who are unashamedly passionate about their interest, rather than people who lack basic social skills and personal hygiene awareness. It is courageous to confess a true love of something, because it immediately makes you open to ridicule.
Trouble is, many Christian 'things', like youth Bibles, can be prime examples of times when people have tried *really* hard to be cool in the perhaps more conventional sense of the word (which is... I dunno... being trendy, "down with the kids", "knowing where it's at", that kinda thing) and ended up forgetting who they're there for. I'm certain that the aim of Christian youth publications comes from a passion for God and for young people, but sometimes it just ends up being totally cringeworthy.
Of course, my point about making oneself open to being made fun of is now being illustrated perfectly by my (albeit gentle) mick-take of embarrassing youth publications. However, can't it be possible to make oneself just as open to ridicule and YET have such a strong sense of its own point and intrinsic worth in the culture that it does not succumb to such ridicule precisely *because of* its passionate stance and revolutionary message? Am I being too harsh and overly critical? In fact, am I making any sense in the first place?
Any Bible that doesn't have 'sex' on the front cover can hardly be described as 'Contemporary'
Hi, nice review. It's an interesting observation, that the meanings of words change and can actually give a text a new meaning. I've talked to some of the people that did the last bible translation to Swedish and it's a huge effort. All the decisions they had to make when interpreting the texts and choosing words.