Manga Bible?

I regularly read my friend's blog, Gospel-Centered Musings, which is full of great articles, videos, etc. This week as I was going through some posts, this one really jumped out at me - "Christ, The Samarai Stranger" - which was a post about a new Bible that's been printed... a Manga Bible. (Manga = Japanese comic) I am quite a comic book nerd, so of course I had to see what this was all about, and I was so struck by the overall disappointment and disgust I felt after reading the article about this Bible (I highly recommend reading the post/article!). It hit me just how much our society/culture is led and dependent on entertainment - and it's scary how much we see Christians buying in to it. To actually allow parts of the Bible to end up "on the cutting room floor" and to leave out such important sections such as The Sermon on the Mount because it's not "exciting enough" - I felt so disappointed to read those words and know that countless people see nothing at all wrong with that. It reminded me of yet another Kay Arthur reading from Lord, I Give You This Day, where she challenges us to examine our own lives and see what drives us and influences us, etc. I think this is something that is SO important to do, especially as we're being surrounded more and more by current society and its views and behaviours; and specifically as it is filtering into Christian bookstores/media in such a profound way. Pray that God will always keep you in pure and simple devotion to Him alone, and give you wisdom to discern what is acceptable in His eyes.

Will you pause for a moment and think with me about the standards of our day? Who sets them? Who determines what is right? Moral? Correct? Socially acceptable? Just? Fair? How we should dress, think, act, behave?
Let me challenge you to sit in front of your television for a couple of hours and listen with an analytical ear to what’s being said. Jot down what you see and what you hear. And as you do, bring each think up against the standard of God’s Word. What are the differences, the discrepancies? Or are there any?
Then take a good look at yourself. Where do you want to be? What do you admire? What do you want to imitate? What is your dream? Your desire? What gives you your sense of worth?
Where are you in this world? In the flow of our culture? Who sets the standard for you? Whose standard to you come closer to – God’s or the culture’s? How does that feel? Does it alarm you at all?
Consider Paul’s words to the Corinthians: “I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3).
Is there any danger that possibly you’ve been “led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ”? If so, what will you do about it?