Pimping Out the Bible
Making the rounds on Facebook the last day or two is a picture of two new niche Bibles: the Little Princess and Mighty Warrior Devotional Bibles. These may be the reduction ad absurdum (reduction to absurdity) of what I call “pimping out the Bible.” I say “may” because this is probably not the end of this kind of thing. Though I have no personal experience in the matter, I gather that pimps oufit their girls in the kinds of attire that will appeal to their kind of clientele, flatter them by affirming their taste and predilections, and promise to enhance them. They promote and protect their girls as long as they are profitable. This, I claim, is what the publishers of all the various niche Bibles that litter bookstores these days are doing. Various kinds of translations are legitimate enterprises (though even here I suspect we have reached the saturation point). However, to design a format and to give a title to a Bible to appeal to a consumer niche or demographic is ano...