Zondervan has released yet another Bible targeted towards young teen girls - the "True Images" Bible. This one, however, should probably come with a "Parental Warning." From this article from WorldNetDaily, it appears the Bible contains the NIV text but also has over 1,000 sidebar articles on all kinds of subjects.
One such sidebar that is causing an uproar appears in Leviticus. Here's an excerpt from the news site:
The "In Focus" article on sex appears amidst scriptural regulations on offerings in the book of Leviticus. It profiles the fictional girl "Ashley" and is entitled "Casual or Not?"
While the message of the profile is to save sex for marriage, critics aren't convinced the frank-talk approach is appropriate for young teens.
Discussing her friend "Emma," Ashley says, "The story is that she had oral sex with a guy friend of ours last week. Just for fun. They're not dating, although they've always flirted with each other a lot. Emma took one look at my face this morning, and she knew I knew."
Emma goes on to claim that oral sex "is not even sex," but Ashley disagrees, saying, "God's definition of sexual purity covers much more than intercourse."
Following Ashley's narrative is a warning that "the physical and emotional effects of oral sex are similar to intercourse," along with tips for dealing with friends who are engaging in the practice.
1 comment:
It makes me wonder about the balance between applying such explicit passages in an area where application is needed and the need for Biblical morality to be normalized where it is not. Certainly the introduction of information about illicit sex in the context of Biblical authority and teaching condemning it is not bad in itself, but the methodology is dubious. The Bible itself is studied in an external context and if illicit sex and relativism is normalized then this sidebar becomes merely an option if not an outright temptation for the young reader. I would suggest that if the same information is presented in a discipleship context where Biblical authority, absolute truth and sexual purity are normalized and portrayed by a person in authority, then it would be dramaically more effective. Also, it's a more Biblical model of teaching Biblical truth.
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