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Coping with depression. Dealing with worry. And tackling fear all are lessons taught in a new Bible series geared toward African American youth called 'My Holy Bible for African-American Children' and 'Our Heritage & Faith Holy Bible For African-American Teens.' The releases arrive just in time for Easter, one of the most important holidays in the Christian faith. For teens, they come in color palattes for girls (pictured) and boys.
The Bibles come at a time when the nation's youth are experiencing a so-called crisis of faith or lethargy, said Wade Hudson, the nationally acclaimed author and publisher of Just Us Books, who along with his wife, Cheryl Hudson, served as general editors of the Bibles. The project took a year of research and writing.
Hudson hopes the Bibles will serve as a foundation for today's youth to help them move toward religion to seek answers instead of away from the church.
He sees today's youth as possessing a devil-may-care attitude, a trend he fears may have played a role in the death of a 15-year-old Massachusetts girl who recently committed suicide after a spate of bullying by nine teens.
"At the core of a lot of problems I see today is that many people feel disconnected to anything of value, including their parents, close friends and God,'' Wade Hudson said.
"So many of us are just wandering alone in the universe and not understanding that we are connected to something larger. I think these Bibles will help our youth to begin to understand their lives and give them a sense of purpose. Having a strong spiritual connection to the Lord is important. It's key to feeling good about who you are and accepting other people. We are all in this together.''
Indeed, the teen Bible offers ways to deal with emotional issues such as being bullied and bullying through a special "question and answer" section at the back of the Bible. When depressed and overwhelmed, for example, the teen Bible urges readers not to deny their feelings. "Read Psalm 42:11" (You gave us up to be devoured like sheep and have scattered us among the nations).
When worried, the teen Bible urges readers "to trade your worry for something better -- peace.'' When fearful, it reminds readers that "God's help is to make YOU the conqueror of your own fear.''
"In spite of Sunday school classes, children don't get a good understanding of what our Christian faith is all about,'' Hudson said. "We felt there was a need to develop a vehicle for children and young adults to help them understand what their faith is all about. There are so many young people who are turned off from the church experience. We wanted to provide them with a resource in a presentable, non-threatening way.''To that end, the children's Bible tries to "connect the spiritual challenges and triumphs of today's youth with the journeys of well-known Bible heroes.'' It illustrates biblical stories with people of color, including striking images of Daniel in the Lion's Den, David and Goliath and, of course, Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus. The teen Bible, on the other hand, attempts to address the traditions of the African-American church.
One hundred six pages of articles and essays help teens understand religious heritage, forms of worship and the roots of their Christian faith. Photos help readers relate to contemporary religious figures, ceremonies and experiences. Eight pages of maps help readers imagine the world during biblical times.
'Our Heritage and Faith Holy Bible for African-American Teens' is available in both the New International Version (NIV) and King James Version (KJV) translations.
"I think we need to delve deeper into the Bible stories to add meaning to our lives,'' Wade Hudson said. "That's what these books are all about, teaching the younger generation to find nourishment in the Holy Bible.''
Comments: (20)
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By: Ron on 4/04/2010 1:51AM
That such a book has been written shows the failure of the church to effectively use Scripture to help our youth. This book will fail as well because our youth see the corruption and hypocrisy within the
Church.
The church and efforts such as this will not teach our young people anything tangible. Like the church, it is designed to control them and get them to surrender their God-given thinking ability and not to ask questions; but to conform to man-made policy.
This effort will also fail because it will teach a Bible and a methodology of worship based on how it was presented to us as a people and the way worship is conducted in the church today.
Our young people reduced down to singing hymns and fed milk and kept spiritual babies and not allowed to mature as "solid-food" Christians.
Rather than building character from the inside out in our young people, this effort is really designed to get them to join a church, where they will end up conforming to church policy rather than adhering to the teachings of the Christ.
As adults, we are missing the boat with how to deal with our young people. Many of them stay away from religion because they see it for what it has become.
It all has to begin with us adults. We have to be good examples. As concerns the churches, they need to change the way they do things and how they appear to young people. All of the hoopla and hollering and dancing and shouting from the pulpit has to stop. That is not teaching. It does not come across as serious to young people. It certainly does not follow the example Christ set. Rather, it resembles the behavior of demons possessing persons.
Many young people view it all without any substance and find it unattractive.
As adults, we mention "bible" and "church" to them and they run away. They equate it with power and control and condemnation over them. And they are right.
They will eventually be told that if they do not conform to a certain standard they will be punished (burned in hell, for example).
This is weak use of the power of God's word.
This effort - noble as it may be - will not work because the churches have lost it's way and they do not know what they are doing. If they did, there would be no need to write a "new" Bible and one just for African American teens? We have lost it !!!
It just shows that we do not know how to use what God gave us: The Bible and use it as an effective teaching tool.
Before we as adults try to remove the straw in the eyes of youths, we need to first look at ourselves and remove the rafter in our own eyes.
How? By our conduct. And, by challenging and changing that "old time religion" mentality that exists in the church today.
For some reason we as a people can't break free of it. It has kept us ignorant to what is actually taught in Scripture. We do not see the big picture.
If we could paint a true picture of why Christ was sent, why he had to die, why he had to leave the earth, why he must return, as well as investigate and challenge the many ridiculous God dishonoring teachings (Easter being one of them), many of our youths eyes will be opened to something new and true and give them a hope that seems more realistic and reasonable rather than "pie-in-the-sky."
The seeds the church has planted in our youth are not seeds of truth because it is not growing within them.
If we take courage and stand up and say enough is enough, that this so-called Christian "religion" was given to us by White masters was totally wrong, and we begin to re-examine the teachings of the Lord and Master Jesus Christ as they were intended, then the seeds of Truth will fall upon fertile hearts in our youth (and us too) and God will make it grow and make them as individuals grow to mature followers of the Christs.
But the church is unwilling to do this. It would rather station men and women over the congregations who shout at them from the pulpit telling them what to think and what to believe. Stifling the "individual" from approaching God on his own and relieving the individual of the hard labor of thinking.
It is sad that other books replace what God has handed down.
Jesus said I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Men are now arrogantly saying that they are.
And they don't see this.
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By: Dee Jay J.J. on 4/04/2010 12:21PM
"Deep."
Dee Jay J.J.
East Orange, New Jersey USA
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By: Shirley on 4/04/2010 1:42PM
Interesting!
I will purchase/look at/read/ and then decide if I want to give to my childen!
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By: RODSAN2000 on 4/04/2010 9:58AM
This is a great idea. I have a "modern language" bible with illustrations I received right before I went to college. I am 45 and I still refer to this bible from time to time. I don't understand why anyone would have a problem with this. Sounds like a great concept and a huge labor of love.
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By: Blu on 4/05/2010 12:16AM
I agree with you. I have an african-american womens study bible and it has helped me tremendously. I belong to a church where my Pastor tells us not to simply rely on the words that he is preaching but to pick up the bible and read it for ourselves. Some bibles enable the reader to be better able to break down its meaning and apply it to their own lives. The youth of my church are very engaged and interested in what is going on because we have many tools to help them not just with church on Sunday but how to lead a Christian lifestyle. Teaching a religion and teaching the word of Christ are not one in the same. It isn't about trying to indoctrinate a person with a bunch of religous laws bylaws and customs, but about Teaching why Christ died to save our souls and what we need to do for our own soul's salvation and to try to live a holy lifestyle. We can't just blame the problems of todays youth on the church, nor can we expect the church to be the sole solution to the problem. It takes a community that is willing to not let it be okay to accept the sagging pants, explicit musical lyrics, ignorant behavior and blatant disrespect in our communities. It takes responsible adults that don't jump on our educaters when they discipline the children assuming the child has the right to cut up and disrupt in class and rendoring our educaters powerless and afraid to discipline.
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By: 1 Child of God's on 4/04/2010 3:21PM
By looking at the cover I know shouldn't read this so-call bible. There is only one true Holy Bible.
call it what it is ( a book ). writing this book put you in a very serious persition, your soul will have be responsible for every soul you lead away from God's true Bible.
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By: TeeTee on 4/04/2010 4:57PM
What I wanna know is, did they take word from word of the Holy Bible and make this book? Because if they didn't then they are putting their words as the way instead of all of God's words. In Revelations 22:18-19 says; For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book. If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book. (19) And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. So unless they are transferring word from word from the Holy Bible, they are in danger of what follows if they are not. So I tend to agree with "1 child of God's" that it should be called just that a "Book" and not the Holy Bible. And what is this with making it just for African Americans? Now it seems like they trying to divide the Christians by race. News flash...God's word is for every greed, color, nationality, gender and mentality. God does not seperate us, we seperate us from one another. To God, we are simply, his Children. It seems like the enemy may have his hand in there somewhere, even if the people who wrote this book is doing it in good faith, we have to be careful of what and how we use God's word and his Good Name. We are living in perilous times and we must all use Wisdom that God gives us to help us overcome the evils of this world. Take care e1, be kind to one another and may God Bless us all. Peace!
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By: Sparkle on 4/04/2010 5:46PM
Who said the Bible ITSELF was changed? The bible comes in two well-known versions, the KJV and the NIV. Just like Bibles for African American adults, it contains the scriptures with articles written for us.
I own the Original African Heritage Bible and a few others in both the KJV and the NIV versions. I even own a Catholic bible for the AA community. There is no changing around of scripture. I love the articles dealing with Africans in the Bible.
The Bible and Christianity is too often presented with a "whites only" bias. I am grateful to the scholars including the head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in the Western Hemisphere for contributing articles that let black people know that we were always a part of Biblican history. After all Jesus dispactched more disciples to Africa and Asia than he did Europe which was a barbarous land in which few people could travel beyond Southern Spain. Egypt and Ethiopia were the centers of learning in Jesus' day.
I am fortunate enough to be able to visit both the Ethiopian Orthodox and Egyptian Coptic churches in my community which are a Godsend for teaching the "African" presence in the Bible.
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By: Jazz on 4/04/2010 5:52PM
God bless you for caring enough about our youth. The world is a scary place for our children. There , are no morals, no discipline, Nothing is scared any more. Thank you for giving our youth something to show them that God is still in control. Bullys have driven some of our children to commit suicide, drug dealers hanging around our schools, prostitutes at age thirteen, God help us. Our children have a lot to deal with in this sinful world, it is a blessing to know that they can read the Bible in a language that they can understand. It is also a blessing to know that they can take any problem to God in their language, and know that He has blessed a couple to write our Bible in that language that is easy to understand. Our children nedd this badly. There are problems every where, just waiting for our youths to make that wrong turn. God help us to encourage our youths to read this wonderful book. Anyone who can't see the goodness in this, has to blind, and uncaring about our children, and the turmoils they face every day, just trying to make it through each day, and not fall victim to the daily troubles. God have mercy on our children. Thank you for being caring people, and may God continue to bless you.
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By: Dee Jay J.J. on 4/04/2010 6:47PM
"Read Ron's commentary (very good, by the way), then read Tee Tee's. Then think."
"Both really lead to credence."
Dee Jay J.J.
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