Bible wrapped in a flag? You’ve got to be kidding?
OK. You’ll think I’m making this up. But I’m not. I got this email recently:
I am Cristy from BreakinThru, the publisher of God’s Glory™ Bible – a beautiful, heirloom-quality, a limited First Edition King James Version Holy Bible that is wrapped in stars and stripes. After six years and an incredible response on social media – we have over 500k fans just this last year – it is released and ready for delivery.
We did quite a bit of research looking for bloggers to partner with, and not only did we enjoy your blog Brian McLaren, we feel like you are a great fit. We would love to send you a Bible to review and give away to your audience – and we will of course direct our social media community to your blog and review.
We additionally have an affiliate program available, should you be interested in placing an ad on your blog – or using an affiliate link for your visitors. You can learn more about God’s Glory™ Bible at www.GodsGloryBible.com or visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GodsGloryBible.
You can reach me at xxxyyy – I look forward to hearing from you, and of course getting God’s Glory™ Bible to you for review!
I’m impressed that they did “quite a bit” of research and that they determined this blog was a great fit for their product. Huh?
In contrast – I recently read this from the brilliant theologian Joerg Rieger:
We can reclaim the authority of the Bible when we realize, for instance, that not even the most powerful empires, including current forms of capitalism, have the last word. Here, alternative biblical visions finally get a chance to transform us, from the visions of liberation promoted in the Jubilee Year in Leviticus 25; to accounts of the communities that Jesus organized where the last were indeed the first and the first were the last. Or, if we realize that the status quo of the concentration of wealth, privilege, and power in the hands of a few does not need to have the last word, alternative biblical visions of power that organizes itself in adverse situations (even on a cross) might make a real difference.
In conclusion, a truly progressive position brings together both a deeper awareness of how the powers that be hold us back and a more astute sense for possible alternatives (see Rieger, Christ and Empire, 2007). In these progressive efforts we need all the help we can get. There is little hope that we can pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps, and so the ancient wisdom of the Bible is a most welcome guide, especially where it was honed in similar conflicts with empires and the status quo. To be sure: this is not just wishful thinking or a pious dream. Despite much misuse, the Bible has demonstrated its authority in the ability to make a difference in movements of liberation through the ages. As Latin American Liberation Theologian Gustavo Gutiérrez once put it: “We indeed read the Bible, but we can also say that the Bible ‘reads us.'”
