Whatever Happened to the Red Letter Bibles?

As you all know, I love my job working at the Family Christian Bookstore. But lately I have been getting some very unhappy customers and they have been unhappy for what I think is a pretty silly reason.
The issue that seems to be stirring up most of the strife in the Bible section is that many Bible publishers are moving away from printing the words of Jesus in red letters. For many people, this is the very first thing they seem to turn to when choosing a Bible. And if the red letters aren't there, they get upset!!
Now, to me, it doesn't really matter either way. Red Letters are the last thing on my list of choosing which Bible to purchase or to recommend. The only time it becomes an issue for me is whenever people make that the number one criteria by which they judge a Bible.
Here is my concern: All of the Bible is the very Word of God, not just the words that Jesus spoke. And though we should hold the words of Jesus in the highest regard, we should never (consciously or subconsciously) make the Bible have two tiers of authority.
Whenever we elevate the words of Jesus (which is the Word of God) over the words of Paul (which is the Word of God) then we have a serious problem. When that wedge is put inbetween Jesus and Paul (or Jesus and Moses, Jesus and John, etc) then the result is the homosexual movement saying things such as, "Yeah, Paul didn't like homosexuals, but you never see Jesus saying anything about it, therefore it must be okay!"
Or you see some of the evangelical feminists saying, "Paul was a chauvanist, but Jesus loves all people, therefore what Paul said about women can't be true."
This is simply a lack of trust in the Bible, which is a lack of trust in the one who Authored the Bible, namely, Jesus. And so by claiming to be most "faithful" to Jesus, those who elevate the red letters over the black ones are actually being least faithful to Him!!
And so whenever folks come into the bookstore and seem to be distraught about Bibles not having the words of Jesus in red letters, I consider it a great opportunity to encourage people by giving them even more confidence in the Word of God as a whole, not just a small portion of what He has revealed to us.

What about you? Do you elevate one part of Scripture above another? Do you trust the words of Jesus more than you trust the words of Paul? Do you determine what you part of Scripture you obey most by the color of ink in which it is printed?

All of the Bible is God's Word and God's Word is Sufficient.



http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/october/33.100.html