NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–Christians who get excited about varsity sports almost as much as they do about reading the Bible can now combine the two.
Broadman & Holman, the trade publishing division of LifeWay Christian Resources, is producing a bonded leather, ultra-thin version of the Holy Bible (NIV or KJV translations) boasting one of five school varsity colors.
“We have Varsity Blue, Varsity Crimson, Varsity Orange, Varsity Purple and Varsity Red,” said Ricky King, product development manager of Bibles, reference and devotional books for B&H. If these Bibles go over well, he said, they might add gold and green to the mix.
It was King’s idea to use big school colors to cover the Bibles.
“I was in a meeting one day and someone said they had a customer coming in asking for a UT orange [University of Tennessee] Bible, which we didn’t produce at the time.”
And that started him thinking.
“I thought people buy Bible covers all the time to give their Bibles a different look. Why don’t we just start binding our Bibles in colors that will have wide appeal?”
Most importantly, King said, the colorful Bibles could be used as an evangelistic tool.
“Say you play sports on a team and you are a Christian. You’ve wanted to share the Word with somebody, but haven’t figured out a way to do it. This would be a cool way.”
Giving a non-Christian a Bible in a varsity color would be much different from providing a black one, King said.
“It wouldn’t be the same. This Bible is cool enough and different enough that they might pick it up and read it.
“Then I started thinking about Christian schools and Christian colleges and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. My mind was racing with all the possible uses for a Bible in varsity colors.”
King said he then began researching the Internet and discovered the top five school colors.
He said among other uses for a Bible in a varsity color are gifts to college alumni or benefactors, high school or college athletes or church members.
King said the Bibles can be purchased for under $20 in any LifeWay Christian Store, other Christian and mass-market bookstores or online at www.lifewaystores.com.
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(BP) photo posted in the BP Photo Library at https://www.bpnews.net. Photo title: VARISTY-COLORED BIBLES.
