GQ Magazine Says You Don’t Have to Read the Bible
- By Kelly Frazier --
- 23 Apr 2018 --
Internet Firestorm Over Calling Bible Irrelevant
GQ Magazine is not known for controversy. Most of their articles are about grooming tips or how shoes with socks are the new fashion trend. But the most recent issue has been getting Christians furious.
GQ Magazine Says You Don’t Have to Read the Bible[/tweetthis]
In an article titled “21 Books You Don’t Have to Read,” novelist Jesse Ball argues you should not read the Bible. Ball calls the Bible “repetitive, self-contradictory, sententious, foolish, and even at times ill-intentioned.” Instead, Agota Kristof’s The Notebook is recommended. Why a trilogy of postmodern literature would replace the Bible is not exactly clear.
Christians took to social media to protest the article.
.@fatherjonathan: It’s ‘foolish’ that the editors of GQ Magazine would claim that the bible is one of the most overrated books of all time pic.twitter.com/rY7vhbTWkx
— FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) April 22, 2018
Hillsong Church Pastor Brian Houston also issued a response:
Wow. What a way for GQ to show this irrelevance. The bible is way more hip than GQ.
— Brian Houston (@BrianCHouston) April 23, 2018
Critics are questioning why the Bible was targeted as overrated while other holy books like the Quran were not. Also, while someone might have a personal issue with the Bible, given that it is holy to a large segment of the global population and has shaped Western civilization, it should still have value. Therefore, the book has importance as a historical and cultural artifact that demands examination.
GQ has not responded to any of the criticism so far.