''The Green Bible'' is an English version of the

New Revised Standard Version The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) is an English translation of the Bible published in 1989 by the National Council of Churches.Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

with a focus on environmental issues and teachings. It was originally published by

Harper Bibles HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Corp ...

on October 7, 2008. It is a

study Bible A study Bible is an edition of the Bible prepared for use by a serious student of the Bible. It provides scholarly information designed to help the reader gain a better understanding of and context for the text. History Perhaps the first editi ...

featuring a foreword by

Desmond Tutu Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 193126 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop ...

and essays by Matthew Sleeth, Calvin B. DeWitt,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

Brian McLaren Brian D. McLaren (born 1956) is an American pastor, author, speaker, and leading figure in the emerging church movement. McLaren is also associated with postmodern Christianity. Education and career Raised in Rockville, Maryland in the conservat ...

, Ellen Bernstein, Ellen F. Davis,

James Jones (bishop) James Stuart Jones (born 18 August 1948) is a retired Church of England bishop. He was the Bishop of Liverpool between 1998 and 2013. Early life Jones is the son of Major Stuart Jones and Helen Jones. He was educated at the Duke of York's Roy ...

, N.T. Wright,

Barbara Brown Taylor Barbara Brown Taylor (born 1951) is an American Episcopal priest, academic, and author. In 2014, ''Time'' magazine placed her in its annual ''Time'' 100 list of most influential people in the world. Education and recognition Taylor was born on ...

, and Gordon Aeschliman.

Background

The Green Bible is meant to "equip and encourage eadersto see God's vision for creation and help

hem A hem in sewing is a garment finishing method, where the edge of a piece of cloth is folded and sewn to prevent unravelling of the fabric and to adjust the length of the piece in garments, such as at the end of the sleeve or the bottom of the ga ...

engage in the work of healing and sustaining it". Emphasizing what the publishers see as the Bible’s message on the environment, all passages mentioning the environment are printed in green ink to draw the reader’s attention.

Inspiration

Mark Tauber, senior vice-president of

HarperOne HarperOne is a publishing imprint of HarperCollins, specializing in books that aim to "transform, inspire, change lives, and influence cultural discussions." Under the original name of Harper San Francisco, the imprint was founded in 1977 by 13 em ...

, has stated that the Green Bible was developed with the intention of being "the first ever specialty bible that takes the issues of

sustainability Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livi ...

, stewardship of the earth, what many in the religious community call '

creation care Evangelical environmentalism is an environmental movement in the United States in which some Evangelical Christians have emphasized biblical mandates concerning humanity's role as steward and subsequent responsibility for the care taking of Creation ...

' very seriously". He went further, exposing on the Green Bible’s purpose: "That the Bible has a profound message of sustainability—some might argue, the original message—is not all that surprising. What is surprising is that it is not one of the first things that comes to mind when most folks think about the Bible and its message. This Bible seeks to change that fact. We believe that the unique and specially added features by some of today's most important thinkers, writers and leaders, across the ecumenical spectrum make it a must-have for those who already find motivation, comfort and inspiration in it and for the many more who might see it freshly as a critical resource in their journey to sustain our planet". HarperOne also claims the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

contains more references to the environment than it does about love or most other subjects.

Construction

The Green Bible is meant to be a

study bible A study Bible is an edition of the Bible prepared for use by a serious student of the Bible. It provides scholarly information designed to help the reader gain a better understanding of and context for the text. History Perhaps the first editi ...

, and features a "green trail study guide" of the Bible, directing readers to specific verses on the environment and

stewardship Stewardship is an ethical value that embodies the responsible planning and management of resources. The concepts of stewardship can be applied to the environment and nature, economics, health, property, information, theology, cultural resources e ...

. Additionally, it features a topical index for finding verses pertaining to specific subjects. Before the biblical text, the Green Bible provides an introduction from

Archbishop Desmond Tutu Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 193126 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and Christian theology, theologian, known for his work as an Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Anglican ...

and essays from

, Cal DeWitt,

, Ellen F. Davis,

N. T. Wright Nicholas Thomas Wright (born 1 December 1948), known as N. T. Wright or Tom Wright, is an English New Testament scholar, Pauline theologian and Anglican bishop. He was the bishop of Durham from 2003 to 2010. He then became research profe ...

, Ellen Bernstein, Matthew Sleeth, James Jones, and

Gordon Aeschliman Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gordon, ...

. Verses involving the environment or the earth are highlighted in green to draw reader’s attention. Notable theologians including Archbishop Desmond Tutu and conservative N.T. Wright contributed material to the edition’s supplemental reading. To further support the green cause, HarperCollins printed the Green Bible on recycled paper, used soy-based ink, and made the cover from renewable cotton linen.

Reception

The

Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an environmental organization with chapters in all 50 United States, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by Scottish-American preservationist John Muir, who be ...

, The Humane Society, and the Eco-Justice Program have all officially endorsed the Green Bible. Reaction to the Green Bible among Christian leaders has been mixed. Some leaders have praised the concept of the Green Bible, but have raised issues with how some content is presented, stating that the environmental message deemphasizes the Bible’s central message of the

Gospels Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

Richard Land Richard D. Land (born 1946) is the president of Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina, a post he has held since July 2013. Formerly he served as president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), the public polic ...

, head of the

Southern Baptist Convention The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The wor ...

’s

Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) is the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, the second-largest Christian denomination in the United States, with over 16 million members in over 43,000 independent churches. Pr ...

said about the edition: "Sure it's important, but when they asked Jesus what was most important, he said, 'Love your God, and love your neighbor as yourself.' He didn't say anything about creation". Evangelist Matthew Sleeth stated that the Green Bible may help bridge the gap between liberal and conservative Christians.

Reception among political leaders

Reception to the Green Bible has also been differed among political leaders. Larry Schweiger, President of the

National Wildlife Federation The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is the United States' largest private, nonprofit conservation education and advocacy organization, with over six million members and supporters, and 51 state and territorial affiliated organizations (includin ...

praised the Green Bible for giving "solid context" for environmentalism. In contrast, some conservatives, like talk show host Pat Gray, accused the Green Bible of merely being a marketing gimmick and money-making scheme for HarperCollins.

References