Bible Review: NIV Heart of Gold Bible

NIV Heart of Gold Bible. Zondervan, 2019, 1088 pages (9 point font)

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12

Recommended for: ages 8-12

Though “girls” is not in the title, this edition is clearly aimed at girls, from the gold-hearty cover to the back-cover heading: “Calling all daughters of the King!” And all the pink-tinted pages in between. To be fair, I did not have a chance to see this book in person (can’t browse the racks at Mardel these days), but if the sample devotionals are any indication, I have significant problems with it. Taking a passage from the Song of Solomon, Devo #1 affirms, “God often declares that the people he made and loves are good and beautiful. He says all the things he loves about them from head to toe. He means you. You are altogether beautiful, my darling.” That’s the way to convict sinners! Another devotional about Deborah stresses leadership and the distinction of being an “only,” like the only Christian in the room. “Being ‘only’ means you are brave.” Even though the devotional is titled “Give God the Glory,” it’s mostly about “you.”

I do understand that many girls have severe self-image problems, but this is laying on a little thick. If the rest of the devotionals are along this line they may never help a girl face her real issues (hint: it’s not bad hair or lack of popularity). I have problems with purely devotional Bibles anyway (see link below), but there are better options than this.

Overall rating: 2.5 (out of 5)

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