A Venture into Sarcasm - or into Tragedy?

Ok, I admit it, I can be sarcastic. If you know me you know that's true - but hey - I'm better than I used to be, really I am. Now if you think this is an intro into sarcasm you're right, my justification? Well, Paul could be fairly sarcastic at times so if it's good enough for the great Apostle it's good enough for me.

The focus of my sarcasm? What else but the latest CBD (Christian Book Distributors) catalog?

On page 25 we have the NKJV American Patriot's Bible. Included in this "Bible" (?) are Memorable Images from American History. Oh good gracious, you can't be serious can you? Putting a nation, any nation, on a par with the Bible, wrapped in the Bible? This is dangerous ground, very dangerous ground.

Not to be outdone, on page 18 the NIV folks have the...DRUM ROLL...NIV Liberty Bible!!!! There is even a picture of the Statue of Liberty on the box cover. Did I hear the word "idol"? Did anyone say "idol"?

The big guns at Zondervan, however, not only have the Liberty Bible, they also have the NIV People's Bible; if I didn't know better (at least I think I know better), I'd wonder if the People's Bible isn't Marxist - can't blame one for thinking that now can you? But wait, we're safe, it's not Marxist. What is it? Zondervan tells us, "Discover the Scriptures that others turn to most often with this unique Bible!" Problem is, I don't want a "unique Bible", I want a Bible faithful to the transmitted text for the past few thousand years. Great job Zondervan, let's allow the lowest common denominator to interpret the Bible for us. 

On page A18 we have the NLT Live Bible for Students. Does this mean that all the other Bibles are dead? This one is from Tyndale - oh if the historical Tyndale could only see this! The promo says, Not just a youth version of an adult edition, this Bible really rocks!" Let's see,  help me out here, I didn't realize the Holy Spirit inspired an adult Bible and then a youth Bible. What does it mean that "this Bible really rocks"? When you open it is there a sound chip (like those on greeting cards) that plays Elvis? 

I know, I know, I should wrap this up...but I can't help myself.

On page 55 we have the Joyce Meyer Amplified Edition and we're told, "It's just like having Joyce Meyer sitting right beside you, instructing you in God's Word..." Now to be fair to Mrs. Meyer, there are plenty of high-profile preachers from across the spectrum who now have their own Bibles out (John MacArthur's Bible is on page 22, Charles Stanley's is also on page 22, John Maxwell has one on page 25) - but whatever happened to the Holy Spirit? Wouldn't it be nice if He was sitting right beside us? Nope, no room for Him anymore.

Here's a real travesty, The NRSV C.S. Lewis Bible. Are you serious? I can't imagine that Lewis would approve of this nonsense were he alive - someone must surely need money.

My last comment is reserved for something called EasyWorship 2009 on CD-ROM. (Page 42).The promo says, "Enhance your worship service with a presentation that takes only minutes to create!" This is what the North American church has come to - easy worship, easy living, easy obedience, easy, easy, easy. Do I want to participate in something that came in a box - that didn't cost someone something? That didn't cost prayer and obedience and meditation and listening to the Holy Spirit and digging in the Word? Why don't we just put this as a slogan over the American church - EASY WORSHIP. That probably says it all.

Do we not see the insanity? We worry about the "Beast" and can't see that the antichrist, as John says in his first letter, has been around for a long time - and that he will use money and what is easy to get the professing Church to compromise and sell itself just as ancient Israel sold itself to the surrounding idols.

I think my venture into sarcasm has turned into a venture into tragedy. A tragedy of Christian trash. The prostitution of the Bible. How can any thoughtful person take the Gospel seriously when this is how we treat the Scriptures within the church?