'Bible Illuminated': Not So Illuminating

By Chuck Colson
5/29/2009

At first glance, it looks like just another glossy, high-end magazine. The front cover features a heavily-mascarad eye. Inside are provocative images—a woman giving birth, a child pointing a gun—and celebrity photos: Bono, Angelina Jolie, the Dali Lama, Al Gore, and Che Guevara.

But this “magazine” is actually a New Testament. It’s called the Bible Illuminated, and it’s the brainchild of a Swedish advertising executive. The Bible Illuminated is hugely popular in secular Sweden, where young people love the magazine concept and the edgy pictures. The question is: Do the pictures help readers understand the Gospel message—or do they distract from it?

The question is irrelevant to the publishers; they openly acknowledge that they don’t “support a specific faith.” But take a good look at this Bible—you’ll see just how much somebody’s beliefs come into play. For example, the verses the editors chose to highlight, and set off with images, overwhelmingly deal with the “social gospel” messages—helping the poor, feeding the hungry, promoting justice. This is why we find so many images of celebrities known for doing good (or at least, celebrities the editors think are doing good). the rest image