Teen Guys Fuel Up on the New Testament by Bible Network News Staff
Refuel - the complete New Testament wrapped in a sports and entertainment magazine
NASHVILLE, Tennessee, USA, March 26, 2004 — For any teenaged guys out there who think the Bible isn't cool, Thomas Nelson has a message: look again.
Features in Refuel include:
Bible Basics… Simple explanations of Christian concepts like Scripture’s divine inspiration.
Look Cool… Tips about guy stuff, like shaving, etc.
Inside Her Head… Girls spill it all about things like “What should a guy do to impress a girl?”
Q&A’s… Experts answer tough questions, like “The Bible says I’m supposed to love my enemies. Does that include loving Satan?”
Calendar… Little suggestions throughout the year, like “Talk to someone you usually ignore” and “Pick up your room without being asked”.
Top Ten… Lists like “Ways to honor your dad”.
100 Practical Ways to live your faith… Tips on applying Biblical principles to one’s life.
Men of the Sword… Brief descriptions of famous men in the Bible.
Extras… Girls, Cash, Cars, and How to wrestle an alligator (start by getting on the alligator’s back…)
In your first glance at the teen 'zine, Refuel, some things jump right out. 172 lists!... 240 ways!... Extras!... "Wow!" you think to yourself, "this magazine has lots of stuff." It's not until you look again that you notice the words, "Complete New Testament," and realize that it's more than just great stuff - it's the Bible... this magazine has everything you need.
With Refuel, Thomas Nelson Inc., under the teen brand, Transit, has published an innovative New Testament formatted like a sports or entertainment magazine. It's the guy equivalent to Revolve, the enormously successful New Testament published last year decked out like a girls' fashion magazine.
"We didn't think we would ever do a guy version," says Laurie Whaley, Brand Manager for Nelson Bibles, "(but) we began to get calls from youth leaders and parents requesting a product for boys."
Whaley goes on to describe an even more persuasive rationale for developing a teen guy's Bible-zine: requests from the guys themselves.
"We got e-mails," she says, "along the lines of 'I was over at a friend's house and she had a copy of Revolve. I picked it up. I liked it. There's a problem, though... I'm a guy.'"
Traditionally, getting teens to crack open their Bibles is a challenge. The old family Bible can be intimidating, and big, dusty, black leather books full of "thees" and "thous" rarely pass the cool test. That's where Refuel comes in. Filling 384 pages and retailing for $24.99 in Canada, Refuel combines the truth of Scripture (in the easy-to-read New Century Version) with relevant, interesting, and entertaining pop culture references.
"The response of the guys that we tested it with has been extremely positive," says Whaley, noting that there were six focus groups from all over the U.S. "We tested which cover resonated the best and which headlines and topics to cover... We went out and found a great (writing) team, including a lead writer who is a youth pastor in his late twenties or early thirties and several other guys working with him. It was very important to have guy writers to make all the features as relevant as possible."
One of the features, a Q&A, even includes actual questions from teens submitted via the Transit website, along with the responses of Bible experts. Others give tips on everything from shaving (short strokes with the grain) to what a guy should do to impress a girl (nothing - he should concentrate on being himself) to how to wrestle an alligator (yes, you read that right!)
Revolve now has over 250,000 copies in print, and was the #1 best-selling Bible for 2003 (this, despite only being in the marketplace for six months). Refuel is sure to make a big splash too. Becoming, a Bible-zine for women is next up in June.
