When a Bible is Bad
Written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. ”
The Washington Post, on April 16, 2021, picked up a story from Religion News Service that I had to read two or three times to determine whether it was a farcical story or not. I still can’t tell. The article is entitled, “A $300 designer Bible aims to make the holy book more hip.” This baby is “…the aesthetic to God’s Holy Word with artisan qualities.” If that isn’t enough, the marketing group outdid themselves when they wrote, “Rooted in humility with an ambitious mission, we set out to build a fresh, relevant brand….”
If there is a way to take a sacred object of goodness, leave it to self-righteous humans to turn it into excrement. The idea that you can become a better Christian by buying a designer Bible is like trying to please God by making a golden calf to carry God’s Ten Commandments after being dipped in gold leaf. It is just a Bible dipped in idolatry.
Idolatry is so insidious because it can be so manipulative. Idolatry often takes something good and warps it into something damaging. The designer Bible is just one example of how the faithful must remain diligent in a sinful world that can turn even the sacred Word of God into a bad joke.
Today, pray for the Christian faith community. The hip Bible was a sadly obvious example of hedonistic, idolatrous pandering. Other forms of idolatry and misuse of Christianity are more subtle but just as detrimental. Ask God to give us the wisdom not just to claim humility, but to act humbly in all we say and do. God deserves a faith with integrity that cannot be purchased. Give God your humble, loving self today. A fifteen-dollar Bible has the same words, so take the other $285 and give it to the less fortunate. God will celebrate.
