In some local bookstores, teen boys can find a glossy publication filled with music reviews, top 10 lists and advice about dating. Its photos show pretty girls, skateboarders, guys with cornrows and teens cruising in convertibles.
But it's not a magazine. It's a Bible. Or actually, what its publisher has dubbed a "biblezine."
Titled Refuel, it was recently released by Thomas Nelson, one of the nation's largest Bible publishers. Refuel has the complete New Testament written in the company's colloquial New Century translation. But the Scriptures are printed in columns like a magazine story and are surrounded by, among other things, pop-up bubbles containing suggestions on how a fly teenager can also be a good Christian.
This ain't your grandfather's Bible. Smack in the middle of 1 Corinthians is a list of the coolest things God has made, including dogs, pterodactyls, facial hair and ocean waves -- with girls at the top of the list. Refuel also reports the results of a survey asking girls what they look for in a boyfriend: guys who show them respect, open doors for them, spend time with their parents and worship God freely.
Youth pastors say they welcome anything that will get teens to read the Bible. Publishers like Thomas Nelson say they are providing teens with Bibles that address issues specific to them, much like adult devotional Bibles, with short lessons on applying Scripture to modern life.
"We live in a biblically illiterate culture," said Laurie Whaley, Thomas Nelson's manager for the biblezines. "We wanted to show teens that reading the New Testament can be as easy as reading an issue of Cosmo."
Refuel is the second biblezine from the company. The first, aimed at teen girls, is called Revolve. Each costs $16.99, considerably cheaper than Bibles with both Testaments and leather or hard covers. Whaley said Revolve sold better than the company expected: 350,000 copies have been shipped since its release in July 2003. The company has sent 80,000 copies of Refuel to bookstores and churches since its release in March.
Revolve's success, and requests from youth pastors, parents and teens, prompted Thomas Nelson to create Refuel. The company, , headquartered in Nashville, plans to release an Old Testament version of Revolve this fall and a version for adult women called Becoming later this summer.
