Revolve

Revolve is a publication of the complete New Testament in the form of a large glamour magazine, targeted at teen girls. Full of quizzes and Q&A advice, the “Biblezine” appeals by making the Bible seem exciting and relevant. Since its initial publication in 2003, Revolve has been followed by several similar products—as well as harsh criticism from more conservative Christians who see Revolve and its allies as giving bad advice and weakening the Bible's authority.

Revolve: The Complete New Testament is published by Thomas Nelson. Targeted at high school girls who are intimidated by the Bible, Revolve uses the New Century Version (NCV), a translation chosen for its “readability,” and mimics the format of popular teen magazines. Like typical niche study Bibles, Revolve includes informative sections such as “Bible Basics.” However, the text is also interspersed with familiar magazine features such as quizzes, “Guy 411” sections, “Blab” columns to answer readers’ questions, “Beauty Tips” to help girls achieve “inner beauty,” and interviews with popular Christian recording artists and speakers. Nearly a million young readers have been drawn to Revolve because it is written in a language they can understand, helps relate the Bible to their daily lives, and is nonthreatening to carry in public.

Since 2003, Revolve has been republished in annual new editions, as well as several offshoots, including Revolve Devos, a collection of daily devotionals; Revolve: Psalms & Proverbs and other Wisdom Books; and Revolve Study Guides for the books of Mark and James. There is also a Revolve Journal; a Spanish-language edition, En Órbita; and Revolve Spin: An Audio Devotional for Teens. Besides these magazine-format publications, the Revolve Devotional Bible (2006) is a NCV Bible that includes daily devotionals and study sections as well as typical Revolve features discussing relationships, culture, and spirituality. The Revolve Tour is a related evangelical outreach event.

After Revolve's successful debut, Thomas Nelson Publishing has launched several other similar “BibleZines.” These include Magnify: Old Testament Stories for kids and the New Testaments Blossom and Explore for middle school girls and boys. The male counterpart to Revolve is Refuel. For women in their 20s, Becoming discusses relationships, fitness, and beauty in editions featuring the New Testament and the Wisdom Books; Align is the counterpart for young men. The New Testament Biblezine for adults, Divine Health, includes features about healing and health.

Some more conservative Christian critics and parents have challenged Revolve for compromising [Page 1239]“God's Word” by making the Bible too comforting, too conformed to worldly culture, or without authority and power. Critics also critique the Biblezine for offering weak advice to impressionable girls and embracing cultural relativism, ecology, and feminist values instead of offering God's word as the answer to girls’ questions. According to critics, Revolve is also dangerous because it advises girls to minister to unsaved friends by showing them God's love and praying for them, not by trying to convert them directly or warning them about Hell. The NCV itself is criticized as being inaccurately translated.