With the popularity of trendy coloring books for adults, graphic novel interpretations of classic works and video game sites being rolled out as books and movies, there are several Bibles focusing on these interests. Illustrators are using people’s varied interests, including Lego building and Minecraft video games, to express faith. With the variety of themes available, parents and teachers can choose those that best suit the interests of their children or students.

Minecraft Bibles

Two teachers, Garrett Romines and Christopher Miko created The Unofficial Holy Bible for Minecrafters. They had used Minecraft to create imaginative worlds in their classrooms and decided to recreate scriptural scenes with it. The book explains, “in the beginning there were only blocks, and God gathered resources, made a map, and saw that it was good.”

Now ZonderKidz has come out with the New International Reader’s Version Minecrafters Bible as well. The game Minecraft, a popular video game, requires the player to distinguish different building materials and use them to build fortresses. Players are also trying to stay away from their enemies as they build, complicating the building process. With these themed Bibles, Minecrafters recreate the Bible characters and tell their stories in a fascinating way. The journeys of Abraham and Moses, the battle of David and Goliath, Jesus’ birth, the Last Supper and many other Bible stories are depicted.

Lydia Runkle, the director of children’s ministry at New Life Alliance Church in Lake Worth and a parent herself, is pleased with the effort. “I think it’s great. Minecraft is like on-line Legos. All the kids are into it, both at our congregation and among their friends at school. Any effort to reach kids where they are is worth supporting.”

 

Lego™  Bibles

Two examples of Lego-themed Bibles are The Brick Bible and the Faith Builders Bible. The Faith Builders Bible uses the New International Reader’s Version, while The Brick Bible is the author’s interpretation of the Bible but leans on the King James Version.

The Faith BuildersBible is a Bible that includes twenty-four full color pages of story illustrations, along with some tips on building them. The Faith Builders Bible is a complete Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, in a print size that is easy to read. The Brick Bible is completely illustrated with Lego™ bricks, with the author’s translation of the stories. This Bible has received mixed reviews on Amazon, and most of the reviews suggest The Brick Bible is intended for older students. The author himself had described his Bible as graphic and for an older crowd. Brendan Powell, who now refers to himself as Elbe Spurling, has painstakingly created the Lego scenes. There is no shying away from the less pleasant aspects of popular stories, either. The slaughter of the innocents is included with the nativity story in the original Brick Bible. Brendan Powell later created The Brick Bible for kids. The Bible stories are both more simply told and more nuanced in the Bible for kids.

Graphic Novel and Journaling Bibles

The graphic novel has become a popular venue for writing (or re-writing) a story. The Action Bible, a popular version, was re-imaged from Cook’s Classic Picture Bible. Sergio Cariello, The Action Bible‘s artist, grew up reading Cooks Classic Picture Bible, even from before he could ride a bike. The Bible’s vivid images and creative titles for Bible stories will interest anyone from the age of six to adults.

Journaling Bibles also appeal to a variety of people, from those who like to take notes and keep a personal record of their thoughts to those who artistically illustrate verses or concepts. There are as many journaling or doodling Bibles as there are versions, and more. The Amplified version of the Bible has the Note-taker’s Bible, most of the rest of the versions are referred to as Journaling Bibles.

The Beautiful Word Bible‘s hard cover edition has a cover artistically suited to it, as do the pages in both the leather and hard cover editions. With 500 verses illustrated in full color, The Beautiful Word Bible may encourage a deeper and more authentic Bible time. There is also The Beautiful Word Coloring Bible available for those who like to color while meditating on the Scriptures.  The NIV Wonders of Creation Holy Bible is also soon to be release featuring illustrations of animals and Scripture to color and inspire.

 

Penni Bulten is a homeschooling mom who is fascinated with the Founding Fathers and their faith. She can be reached at [email protected].