Vinny,

I'm not against showing the Bible as relevant, but most of this, to me, 
seems like a money making deal.  The Experience might not be bad, depending 
on how it compares to the written word.

Vicki

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Vinny Samarco" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, January 07, 2007 6:48 AM
Subject: Fw: [CCNN] Bible gets unstuffy makeover


Hi Everyone,
What do you think of this?Vinny
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Rick Johnson" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, January 06, 2007 5:10 PM
Subject: [CCNN] Bible gets unstuffy makeover


>   **
> **
> Bible gets unstuffy makeover
> **
> *By Tania Padgett*
> *Newsday*
>
>
> It's called the "Good Book." But is the Bible a good book as in a 
> riveting,
> can't-put-down page-turner? Many – with eyes nervously scanning the sky –
> might argue no.
>
> To most people, the perennial best-seller is a moral must-read. It's just
> not a gut-stirring one. Recently, however, some innovative minds have
> challenged the view that the Bible is a stuffy, dispassionate tome.
>
> A wide range of presentations of the Bible have emerged as technology,
> multimedia and dry wit have been used to revamp one of the most 
> influential
> and widely quoted texts in the world.
>
> The results go from the dramatic to the astute to the downright wacky.
>
> "We are going back to the future," said Dr. Robert Hodgson, dean of the 
> Nida
> Institute for biblical scholarship at the American Bible Society in
> Manhattan. "The Bible has always been a multimedia product or a product 
> that
> is adapted to meet the different needs of many people."
>
> Hodgson said passages from the Bible were illustrated in the catacombs of
> ancient Rome, performed in the passion plays depicting the death and
> Resurrection of Christ in medieval Europe and displayed in stone 
> cathedrals
> around the world.
>
> "Now," he adds. "It's on movie screens, iPods and audio CDs."
>
> Some examples:
>
> •A celebrity-studded, 18-disk audio CD Bible, "The Bible Experience: New
> Testament," was released in October and, its publisher says, it has 
> outsold
> every audio CD Bible that the company ever produced.
>
> •A series, "Blogging the Bible," by David Plotz, a deputy editor of the 
> Web
> magazine Slate, has prompted nearly 7,000 e-mails from readers, according 
> to
> the author.
>
> •A pocket-sized MP3 player, called the GoBible, that contains the King 
> James
> and New King James versions and is searchable by verse, was created and is
> being sold by Manhattan entrepreneur Andrew Block.
>
> •"The Nativity Story," from New Line Cinema, tells the story about the 
> birth
> of Christ; it was released in time for the holiday season.
>
> •A Web site and book series, called the Brick Testament, illustrates
> biblical stories by using LEGO bricks.
>
> •Comic books, novels, and you bet, PC computer games, are also on the
> market. Can a sitcom be far behind?
>
> •The numerous interpretations are not surprising. The text remains one of
> the most popular books in America.
>
> More than 90 percent of American households have at least one Bible,
> according to Zondervan, a publishing company based in Grand Rapids, Mich.,
> that estimates many families are looking to buy more.
>
> Despite those sales, statistics show a wide gap between owning and reading
> the Bible. About 20 percent of respondents read the Bible daily, according
> to a 2005 survey by Princeton Survey Research Associates International for
> Newsweek.
>
> At the same time, sales of the "Good Book" easily clear $1 billion 
> annually.
>
> Written versions of the Bible have always abounded – the two most popular
> being the near 400-year-old King James version and the more contemporary 
> New
> International version.
>
> Four years ago, Kyle Bowser, a former television executive and attorney,
> said his goal was to listen to the entire Bible.
>
> "I bought an audio one," he said. "And came away disappointed. It was very
> boring."
>
> So Bowser teamed up with new media executive Ron Belk, music producer 
> Louis
> Brown and casting director Robi Reed to create their own production 
> company.
> That company, Inspired by Media Group of Beverly Hills, Calif., then 
> hooked
> up with Zondervan to create an audio CD, "The Bible Experience: New
> Testament," featuring a star-studded cast, that was released in October.
>
> The 21-hour, multimillion-dollar production, featuring music and
> state-of-the-art sound effects, includes the voices of Denzel Washington 
> as
> King Solomon, Blair Underwood as Jesus, and Samuel L. Jackson as God. 
> Other
> cast members include Angela Bassett, Cuba Gooding Jr. and more than 250
> singers, clergy, actors and athletes.
>
> "Every ear shall hear," said Belk, quoting the Bible itself. "This
> generation is focused on sight and sound; it is bombarded with imagery. 
> And
> we felt we had to make a product relevant to them." "The Bible Experience:
> New Testament" sold more than 100,000 copies within six weeks after its
> release, said Paul Caminiti, vice president and publisher for Bibles at
> Zondervan.
>
> The company's previous best-selling audio Bible – a New International
> version – sold 60,000 copies last year.
>
> "Experience" has ranked consistently high on the
> Amazon.com<http://amazon.com/>and Wal-Mart Web sites and is the
> fastest-selling audio Bible, according to
> Family Christian Stores, a Michigan-based retail chain.
>
> "Sales have just been mind-boggling," Caminiti said.
>
> An Old Testament version of "Experience" is due out next spring.
>
> Slate.com <http://slate.com/>'s Plotz describes a similar experience for 
> his
> project. He began his "Blogging the Bible" effort in May, offering wry
> insights into the Bible. His postings – hilarious, and maybe blasphemous
> depending on how humorless you are – have attracted a rapt and loyal
> audience.
>
> "You'd think God would know exactly what he's doing, but he doesn't," 
> Plotz
> posted about God in Genesis, Chapter I. "He's a tinkerer."
>
> Plotz, who said he grew up reading the Bible, realized he didn't know it 
> all
> when as a teen he came across the rape of Dinah after skimming through a
> Bible during a bar mitzvah.
>
> His interest continued as an adult, so much so that he pitched the project
> to his boss.
>
> The popularity of his blog has led to a recent book deal with 
> HarperCollins.
>
> "When I first started the project, I expected to be damned to hell by a 
> lot
> of people," said Plotz, who estimates that his blog is about 100,000 
> words.
>
> "But that hasn't happened. Americans are very open-minded about religions,
> and they want to be engaged. They want to be able to joke and ask dumb
> questions. They want to look at it in a fresh way."
> ------------------------------
> *Bringing Biblical Stories to Life *
>
> The Bible and its many stories are taking on many new looks. A sampling:
>
> •"*The Deliverance Game" ($39.95).* This action-packed game for your PC
> focuses on the story of Aaron and Moses. Players battle to free the
> Israelites from slavery, part the Red Sea and unleash plagues. "It's our
> answer to 'Grand Theft Auto,' " said Don Triezenberg, founder of the 
> company
> that created the game. (thedeliverancegame.com)
>
> •*The Brick Testament. *A Web site and series of books created to 
> illustrate
> biblical stories using characters and scenes constructed with LEGO parts.
> The series, which premiered and has been updated frequently, was created 
> by
> Brendan Powell Smith, who goes by the name "The Reverend." (
> thebricktestament.com)
>
> •*GoBible. ($99.95). *An MP3 player, loaded with the King James or New 
> King
> James versions of the Bible, fits easily in a shirt pocket. "There is a 
> real
> revolution in technology and communication under way, and people are
> applying new technologies to deliver the word of God," creator Andrew 
> Block
> said. (gobible.com)
>
> •*Almighty Heroes. ($12.99). *Action figures David, Moses, Noah, Samson,
> Queen Esther and Deborah the Warrior are available with accessories to
> introduce and inspire children about the Bible, says Don Levine, who also
> created the G.I. Joe doll.
>
>
>
> -- 
> ___________________________________
> HELP A LIBERAL GET OVER SADDAM'S EXECUTION.
> TELL THEM IT WAS JUST A LATE TERM ABORTION!
> ___________________________________
>
> Rick Johnson
> http://360.yahoo.com/ccnnowner
> http://www.americanheritageparty.org
> http://www.sftt.org/
> http://www.romad.com
>