Most Christians believe God cares for the poor and for the earth. But how much? And what should we do about it? Discussions on these topics often focus on politics, not theology. Now, two new Bibles are designed to help believers explore what Scripture says.
The Poverty and Justice Bible was developed in England using the Contemporary English Version and is being sponsored in America by the Christian relief organization World Vision. Some 2,000-plus verses on issues such as the poor and social justice are highlighted in orange. Some Bible readers may be amazed at the sheer number of times Scripture addresses these timeless topics.
You can take or leave the 32 pages of essays and commentary stuck in the middle of this Bible, but don’t ignore the highlighted verses, as some believers have done in the past.
The 1,000-plus highlighted passages in The Green Bible, which uses the New Revised Standard Version, are printed in green, soy-based inks on recycled paper. These guys practice what they preach!
Essays by evangelical environmentalist Cal DeWitt, emergent guru Brian McLaren and Anglican scholar N.T. Wright explore everything from the goodness of creation to the impact of sin. As with the poverty Bible, this extra-biblical material may trouble some red-state readers, but blue-staters will be so happy they may want to hug a tree.
For those in between, this is a great resource that helps us wrestle with what it means to be stewards of God’s creation.
Bible Society (UK)/American Bible Society, 2008, 342 pp., $17.99
HarperOne/HarperCollins, 2008, 1,408 pp., $29.95
