[I received copies of the iShine Bible in both the girls' and the boys' editions, as part of Tyndale's Blog Network program.  For more information on the program, go to the Tyndale Media Center website.]

One of the latest additions to the already overcrowded "niche Bible" market is the iShine Bible from Tyndale House Publishers.  These Bibles are marketed specifically to "tweens."  They consist of the entire text of the New Living Translation (NLT), a 46-page introductory section called the iShine Index, and three full-color sections of 8 pages each, which inform tweens that they are VIP's (a mnemonic device that presents the concepts of Value, Identity and Purpose).  At the end of the Bible there are a few more sections: Great Chapters, Great Stories and Great Verses to memorize.  All of the material is geared towards readers in the "tween" age group.

Let me start with the positives: first, the NLT is a good translation for the target age group, easy to understand but accurate; second, at a retail price of $19.99 for the entire Bible, both Old and New Testaments, the iShine Bible is certainly a better value than Thomas Nelson's famous (or infamous?) "Biblezines," which are New Testament only; finally, the compact size and sturdy binding make these Bibles a pretty good value as well.  Although they might not be as good a value as a simple gift and award Bible, you could spend a lot more for a lot less substance.  Now, on to the negatives...

I understand, to a certain extent, the marketing mission of Bible publishers, who are attempting to tailor different Bibles to individual age, gender, and lifestyle demographics.  The problem is, as I see it, that publishers have made the Bible just another one of the many style choices that kids (and adults) have to choose from.  Therefore, as kids are being bombarded with choices of what music to listen to, what clothes to wear, what TV programs to watch, etc., they now have stylish choices for which Bible to read.  And these style options always seem to buy into stereotypes to an extent that can be alarming.  Thus, with the iShine Bible, we have a boys' edition that features a stylized sillhouette of a boy wielding an electric guitar, as seen below:

The colors are "boyish" colors of blue and yellow.  The above-mentioned supplementary material, which is exactly the same content in both versions, features extremely hip, cool boy models in the boys' edition, and equally hip and stylish girl models in the girls' version.  Of course, it is assumed that all girls will want a pink, glittery Bible (presumably to match their girlish wardrobe choices), as seen in the photo below:

The first full color section in both Bibles lists some of the priorities a tween may have in his/her life: clothes, video games, school, family, God, music, friends.  Although God is presented in a larger font than the other items on the list, God is still listed as merely one of the many choices tweens will make in their lives.  Certainly, there is some truth to this concept in the real world, but I have serious doubts as to whether the version of God provided in this material is compatible with the God revealed in Scripture.  I guess the question boils down to: does the medium overshadow the message?  In other words, amidst all of the slick, glamorous production, will tweens really discover the Living God of the Christian faith, or will they make another lifestyle choice, in the same way they would choose a hairstyle or shoes?

I have struggled with this whole issue of "niche" Bibles and study Bibles many times in my life.  On the one hand, I believe it's a good thing for publishers to get the Bible into the hands (and hearts and minds) of as many people as they can.  On the other hand, the sea of marketing could very well overwhelm the reader's senses.  There is no simple solution to the problem of Bible marketing, especially where kids are concerned.  The iShine Bible is not the worst niche Bibel out there, but I believe parents need to be active in drawing their childrens' attention to the text of the Bible, and to help them get beyond the marketing on the outside to the message within.