“Christian Teens and Biblezines: An Analysis of Revolve, The Complete New Testament,” Journal of Religion and Popular Culture 22(3) Fall 2010: 15-31
Released in 2003, Revolve was the first “Biblezine”, a format that combined scripture with a teen magazine. It sold extraordinarily well and spawned a series of copycats. This essay argues that previous scholarly analyses of Christian and secular teen magazines do not provide an adequate framework for understanding this new genre. A close reading of Revolve reveals a complicated pattern of socialization, where inerrant scripture interacts with pop culture. Revolve teaches and reinforces in its teenage readers two principal cultural norms: the process of engaging with and “filtering” secular messages and a method of communication that follows a redemptive sin-confess-repent cycle. The essay concludes by discussing Walter Benjamin’s concept of “aura” and questioning whether the Biblezine is powerful for teens due to its very reproducibility.
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Released in 2003, Revolve was the first “Biblezine”, a format that combined scripture with a teen magazine. It sold extraordinarily well and spawned a series of copycats. This essay argues that previous scholarly analyses of Christian and secular teen magazines do not provide an adequate framework for understanding this new genre. A close reading of Revolve reveals a complicated pattern of socialization, where inerrant scripture interacts with pop culture. Revolve teaches and reinforces in its teenage readers two principal cultural norms: the process of engaging with and “filtering” secular messages and a method of communication that follows a redemptive sin-confess-repent cycle. The essay concludes by discussing Walter Benjamin’s concept of “aura” and questioning whether the Biblezine is powerful for teens due to its very reproducibility.
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