I’ve received a new nickname at work – Bible Girl. I’ve taken quite a liking to it. Since I head up the Bible publishing at HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, it only made sense that I take on the persona this nickname entails.

One of my jobs as “Bible Girl” is to develop new Bibles that will engage with our culture. It’s funny how some of these ideas come to the table. Some are as simple as a hallway conversation, which is how The Green Bible came to be. After looking over many different “going green” book proposals, someone in our office said, “we should do a Green Bible!” And with that announcement, I was on my way, venturing into new, unchartered territory for me. No pun intended, but I was very “green” in my knowledge at that point on how the church was engaged in the topic of the environment.

I started cold-calling theologians and Christian conservationists to find out what the Bible has to say about creation. Turns out there’s a lot! There are over 1,000 verses that speak to how God interacts with, cares for and is intimately involved with creation as well as verses on how we are called to care. What really impacted me was seeing the teachings on creation throughout the ages - from the Apostles Creed to Martin Luther, Billy Graham, and Rick Warren. This isn’t a new message - but one that is woven throughout scripture. I was also able to work on the Green Subject Index, which includes listings of Bible passages that cover such topics as animals, caring for your neighbor (yes.. people are a part of creation!), land and water. This process meant that I read hundreds and hundreds of verses that all speak to God’s magnificent creation. “The earth is the Lord’s, and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it” (Psalm 24:1, NRSV). What a privilege to work on such an incredible project! 

You also might like to know that these verses are also highlighted in green. Yes… this is a Green-Letter edition! And, we also printed The Green Bible on recycled paper using soy-based inks, along with a super hip cotton/linen cover. It includes a study guide as well as essays from N.T. Wright, Barbara Brown Taylor, Brian McLaren, Matthew Sleeth, and a foreword from Desmond Tutu.

During this process, I also started investigating which organizations we could partner with on this project for additional word-of-mouth marketing. More cold calls were made to The Sierra Club and The Humane Society. I was surprised and encouraged to find out that both organizations either have a faith-based arm of their organization, or are already working alongside churches to engage in this topic of caring for the earth. It has turned out to be a wonderful partnership for The Green Bible as well as for The Sierra Club and The Humane Society. It’s also such a positive sign to see how the church and environmental organizations are working hand-in-hand to create awareness for how caring for the earth is not only a calling but a lifestyle to pursue.

If you’ve ever wondered what God has to say about “going green” or if you’re skeptical of the green movement and how it relates to your faith or if you haven’t picked up a Bible in years but you’re passionate about caring for the environment, take a look at The Green Bible. I look forward to hearing your thoughts!