BIBLE NEWS: Biblical Art Museum Closing

The Bible has been inspiring artists of all kinds since the beginning of its history, and it continues to serve as a muse today.  But that doesn't mean that Biblical art can find donors to keep museums open.  The Museum of Biblical Art in Manhattan is closing due to lack of funds to support the necessary space to showcase masterpieces.

If you think religious imagery has no place in modern art, consider Barnett Newman’s paintings Adam and Eve. Newman translates the Bible’s first man and woman into red vertical columns in fields of purple-brown: the nude portrayals of these inhabitants of Eden by earlier artists such as Albrecht Dürer become lines of stark abstraction. This is not the only echo of Genesis in Newman’s art. His entire aesthetic of sublime power suggests God giving the 10 commandments to Moses or dividing the waters from the earth. Newman’s Broken Obelisk might be an image of the destruction of the temple or the fall of Babylon. In his cycle of shockingly austere paintings The Stations of the Cross, he turns to the New Testament story of the Passion.

BIBLE NEWS: The Words of Women

While the Bible itself has always spoken to the lives of women, Biblical scholarship hasn't always followed suit.  But a Minnesota woman is working to catalogue every word spoken by every woman in the Bible to highlight their stories and how they reflect on our world today.

Three years ago, the group started their work building on several known Bible facts: 93 women speak in the Bible. 49 have names. About 1.1 million words are quoted throughout the book.
They later discovered that about 14,000 of those words were spoken by women in the Bible — at least in the English translation of the New Revised Standard Version.

BIBLE NEWS: Putting Abraham on Trial

There are many ways to catch the attention of an audience for the Bible, but I am hard pressed to think of one more shocking than "We're putting the patriarch Abraham on trial".  But Temple Emanu-El in New York City is doing just that to get their people interested in the story of Abraham and Isaac.

Presiding over the Old Testament-inspired case will be U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan. Representing Abraham will be high-profile defense attorney Alan Dershowitz. Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer will lead the prosecution.
“Let’s be honest here—if I put an ad asking people to come study Bible on a Sunday morning, not many people will come,” said Gady Levy, the new executive director of the synagogue’s Skirball Center, which is hosting the event.
With this program, he said, “people are going to come and study Torah. But they’re going to do it in a creative way—and in a way that makes religion relevant to their lives.”

BIBLE NEWS: Translating in the Face of Deadly Illness

Many Bible translators work under difficult conditions as they try to bring the gospel to remote and often hostile tribes. But some face difficulty in the comfort of their own homes.  Helen Sylliboy is working to finish translating the Bible into Mi'kmaq (a language of the Native Americans of Canada) in the face of extreme health problems which threaten to end her life before her work is done.

Diabetes left the 64-year-old blind in one eye and forces her to undergo kidney dialysis three times a week.
She also has arthritis that keeps her confined to a wheelchair.
Despite all that, she still spends 10 hours a day at her computer, translating...
Sylliboy also fears a heart attack could kill her.
"I want to be able to meet my creator and tell him I did my share of promoting my language and my prayers and my spirituality with others," said Sylliboy. 

BIBLE NEWS: North Korea frees Bible-carrying man

It is easy to think of persecution being something that requires an overt act like preaching on the street corner, but in many parts of the world Christianity is offensive in even it's smallest, most personal forms.  One man was arrested in North Korea for simply leaving his own Bible in his hotel room.  Thankfully, the diplomats have gotten him freed.

Jeffrey Fowle, one of three Americans being held captive in North Korea, is on his way home. Fowle was detained in May after leaving a bilingual bible in his hotel room (or in a nightclub, or in a restaurant bathroom, depending on the source, because this is North Korea). The 59-year-old was charged with "anti-state crimes."

BIBLE NEWS: Travelodge removes Bibles from UK hotels

Allegedly to spare religious feelings, Travelodge has decided to remove Bibles from hotel rooms throughout the UK.  While Bibles can still be requested at the Front Desk, they will no longer be placed in rooms.

The Church of England condemned the move as “tragic and bizarre,” saying that Bibles in hotel rooms are important to provide hope, comfort and inspiration to travelers.Several recent cases indicate that Christianity is not practiced as freely as was previously the case. In 2006, a British Airways employee was banned from wearing a cross at work.

There is no indication that this move is coming to the USA, yet.  But don't be surprised if the company tries to turn away the Gideons the next time they come knocking.

BIBLE NEWS: Museum of the Bible

A new "Museum of the Bible" is being built in Washington, D.C. by the founder of Hobby Lobby.  It will feature exhibits on the impact and history of the Bible thru the centuries.

Unlike Answers in Genesis, the ministry that launched the Creation Museum in Kentucky and an Ark Encounter park under construction, employees need not pass a Christians-only litmus test. Green said believers, skeptics and the “intellectually curious” alike can visit and learn, just as they might at a science museum.
“The Bible can speak for itself, explain itself.”

BIBLE NEWS: Jewish Artists Inspired by the Bible

The Bible has inspired great art for thousands of years, and a new book traces the impact of the Bible on Jewish artists in particular.  Both faithful followers of Judaism and secular decedents of Abraham use the scriptures as a lens thru which to express themselves and interpret life.

Baskind notes that even artists noted for irony and satire, such as Jack Levine and Larry Rivers (born Yitzroch Loiza Grossberg), produced ardent visual interpretations of the Tanakh. The former artist set out to paint a tribute to his late father in “Planning Solomon’s Temple,” depicting his father as Shlomo and himself as Hiram, both labeled with Hebrew inscriptions above their figures. Unlike Levine’s usual oozingly curvaceous figure drawing, a style suited to his oft-decadent subject matter, the two figures are depicted on a single plane, in an archaic visual statement echoing Christian-inspired works by the fauvist painter Georges Rouault. Whereas Levine’s Hiram is generally seen as the royal architect and king of Tyre, who sent building materials and laborers to construct the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, Baskind plausibly argues that Levine may have painted himself as a different biblical Hiram, an artist who was the son of a Tyrian who cast bronze and made decorations for Solomon’s Temple.

BIBLE NEWS: Rare Bible Sells for over $157,000

The Bible is not only the Word of God, but also an important part of world history.  Rare and antique Bibles can be extremely valuable.  Recently, a rare 1669 King James Bible sold for over $157,000!

People travelled from all over Sydney to make a bid on the intricately illustrated Bible, which was printed in London by royal printers John Bill and Christopher Barker.
The auction was so packed, the crowd spilled out the door, Ms Stannard said.
“There were four bidders in the auction, but the man who won is a North Shore local who goes to church in the area and will have a special protective case built for it before he gives it to the recipient as a gift in December,” she said.

BIBLE NEWS: Is an electronic Bible any less Holy?

There is a long and storied tradition in our country of swearing in public officials on a Bible.  A recent trend of swearing in people on Bible apps on tablets is causing some consternation amongst traditionalists (and praise from modernists).

“There is an inherent respect given to the print version of the Bible that doesn’t attach itself to a Kindle or the iPad," Donald Whitney, a professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, told Fox News Latino. "Because the Bible is nothing else. It is a holy book to Christians and it is the Word of God. If you have a digital device it may contain the Bible but it also contains other things.”“I don’t think it’s sacrilegious," said Walter Kim, associate minister at the Park Street Church in Boston. "In fact, during our own worship service it’s a regular experience that people are pulling out their iPads and iPhones, looking up the passages that are being read or preached from the pulpit. We recognize that the most important thing is that people are engaged with the Bible. In whatever form it comes, whether it’s electronic or print.” 

BIBLE NEWS: A New Bible Translation

We Bible Quizzers are no strangers to different Bible translations, especially in light of our recent switch from the New International Version (NIV1984) to the English Standard Version (ESV).  So, it is interesting to see a new translation due to come out shortly based on the King James Version of the Bible, called the "Modern English Version" or MEV.

The KJV series works off of a different philosophy of translation than the NIV or ESV.  Instead of focussing entirely on the original Greek, the MEV and other related translations look at the traditions which have grown up around the Bible, as well, especially in the English language.  This can sometimes obscure the original meaning to a point, but also provides more poetic and smoother reading than literal translations.

And no, we have no plans to adopt this new version in Bible Quizzing or the EFCA in general.

BIBLE NEWS: School System Backs Down on Bible Ban

You may have heard last week that a school district in Broward County, FL had forbidden a student from reading his Bible during a free reading time.  Well, after much back and forth, the school district has backed down and reaffirmed a policy that students may read their Bible during reading times.

...on Tuesday, Liberty Institute received a letter from the School Board saying, in part, that the state does not ban the Bible in public schools and that teachers and staff across Broward would be notified of this.

BIBLE NEWS: The Bible in the Opo language

Jesus said to take the gospel to all nations, and one way that this is being done is by translating the Bible into every language in the world.  Recently, the Anglican church passed a milestone by translating the gospel of Mark into "Opo", a people group from Gambella in South Sudan

The Opo desperately want the Bible in their own language. There is a team of three working on this project: the Rev. David Onuk is the only priest of the Opo, and recently attended a one month course on Bible translation in Addis Ababa. Rev. Isaac Pur Wal is a Nuer priest who helped with understanding the base text as they were translating from Nuer and inputting the translation into the computer. James Bol is an Opo who works for the Gambella government doing translation of documents into Opo.

BIBLE NEWS: Archeologist finds David's Water Tunnel

Since the start of modern archeology, scientists and historians have debated whether it made sense to use the Bible as a guide to finding ancient sites.  Some skeptics dismiss the historicity of the Bible entirely due to its use as a religious document.  Others believe that the Bible recounts history.  

An Israeli archeologist may have bolstered the "Bible as history" argument by discovering the water tunnel that David used to conquer Jerusalem.

In the second Book of Samuel, David orders the capture of the walled city by entering it through the water shaft. Shukron's excavation uncovered a narrow shaft where spring water flowed into a carved pool, thought to be where city inhabitants would gather to draw water. Excess water would have flowed out of the walled city through another section of the shaft Shukron said he discovered — where he believes the city was penetrated.

BIBLE NEWS: The Bible in Movies

The recent release of a movie loosely based on the story of Noah has brought back the question of adapting Bible stories for the big screen and whether there is a "religious market" for films.  While Noah is being judged by most reviewers as "not very Biblical", there are other films out there making a bigger impact.

God’s Not Dead, about a Christian college student confronted by an atheist professor, opened last weekend with a remarkable $9.2 million in just 780 theaters, and it grossed another $9.1 million after expanding into 398 more theaters this weekend, for $22 million total. At this pace, it could easily clear $50 million as it plays into the Easter holiday weekend, a robust result for any independent film, let alone one explicitly geared toward a Christian audience.

BIBLE NEWS: Airdropping Bibles into North Korea

For most of the world, this is a great time to read the Bible.  It is available free on the internet at sites like BibleGateway.Com and it is available free through countless Missions organizations.  But there are still places on Earth where getting your hands on a Bible is a life and death situation.  Christians are seeking to sneak more Bibles into North Korea, one of the most tightly controlled Communist dictatorships left on the planet.

The balloons, made from a large sheet of "farm plastic," said Foley, are filled with hydrogen before the Bibles and "tracts" - testimonials written by other North Korean Christians - are attached at the bottom inside a sack or box. Timers are then used to release the materials in stages, dispersing them at high altitudes across North Korea.
Foley and members of his Christian mission group, Seoul USA, use GPS technology to help direct where the Bibles land. Around 50,000 of them have dropped from the skies in the last year.

BIBLE NEWS: Bible More Accessible Than Anytime in History

It was not so long ago that you were a very lucky person if you had access to a Bible.  For centuries, they were held almost exclusively by priests and monks.  Then for centuries more, they were mostly held by the rich.  By the time our parents and grandparents came along, Bibles were everywhere in the Western world, but still forbidden across most of the east.  But now, experts are saying the Bible is accessible to nearly anyone, more-so than any time in history.  And it may be fulfillment of prophecy!

Creson states that "the last translator for the last Bible translation is alive somewhere in the world today." He told CP why he believes that. "Thirty years ago, the average New Testament took over 20 years to translate," Creson explained. Today, it takes about 8 years.
The Wycliffe president also testified his belief that organization's work helps bring about the End Times. "I believe that the work we do hastens the return of Jesus Christ," Creson told CP. Citing Matthew 24:14, he paraphrased Jesus' words saying "this good news message has to be preached to the whole world, to every tongue, tribe, and nation, and then the end will come."

BIBLE NEWS: Tweeting the WHOLE Bible

For the last three years, one dedicated user on Twitter has been tweeting a summary of every chapter of the Bible, one day at a time.  As of Friday, he has completed his project with the tweet "Rev22: The river of life flows from the throne of God. "Behold, I am coming soon. I am the beginning and the end." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!"  Now that is a social network worth following!

BIBLE NEWS: Online Bible reading at an all-time high

It is no secret that Coach Matt and I are techies.  We've been reading the Bible in electronic forms since the 1990s!  But for many Christians, the idea of reading the Word of God outside of paper is still quite strange.  Still, a new study indicates that more people than ever before are reading the Bible online!

“The data shows a continual shift to digital content. The number of Bible readers who use their smartphone or cell phone to search for Bible content has increased each year, with a 6 percent increase in the use of this format from 2012,” said the Society. “Use of Internet to find Bible content has also increased, up 4 percent from 2011.”
...However, the report also found a decrease in Bible ownership: 92 percent of American households owned a physical copy of the book in 1993, while only 88 percent do today. That's still a tremendous number, of course; the decrease is likely more indicative of the increased access to scripture online than lessened interest.

 The day is fast approaching when anyone in the world can access the Bible anytime they need it.  But the day may also be fast approaching when finding a paper Bible is next to impossible.

BIBLE NEWS: Returning a stolen Bible... after 42 years!

I guess the phrase "Better late than never" comes to mind here.  A man who stole a Bible decades ago from an English church has finally returned it.  The church from whom it was stolen is both amused and pleased to have a little piece of its history returned.

Simon Scott, treasurer of the Holy Trinity Church, in the coastal resort of Hastings, England, received the large, leather bound, book in the mail earlier this month.It followed an anonymous note, inside an envelope marked with a German return address, that he'd received a few days earlier from the man who said he's taken the text back in 1971...The anonymous note said: "I've never managed to pluck up the courage to come and hand it back personally. But now that I've retired, I've definitely decided to get on the right side of things.""Whenever I came across the bible I would have this guilty conscience about doing it," he added.

God says His word never returns void.  Perhaps it did some good in the life of this man, in the end.