ACTA Publications and Tyndale House Publishers have partnered together and plan to bring The Message: Catholic/Ecumenical Edition to diverse audiences through multiple new products. In an interview with the Catholic Bibles Blog, ACTA President and Co-Publisher Greg Pierce said Catholics have been drawn to the Message Bible.

Pierce said The Message: Catholic/Ecumenical Edition has appealed to Protestants as well as Catholics. Many Protestants have purchased the Catholic edition in order to read the Deuterocanonical books in the version's modern style. The Catholic edition also has been distributed in the Asian and African markets.

Regarding new products, Pierce lacked specifics but gave several ideas.

“[ACTA’s partnership with Tyndale] will include experimenting with new styles and sizes of both the full Bible and individual books,” he said. “For example, I am interested in doing an illustrated version of the book of Job, using The Message translation, which has allowed me to understand that great ancient story for really the first time.”

Pierce reported that the product had gained traction in the two years since the release tailored to Catholic consumers. He said that ACTA was planning its second printing for next year, and was optimistic that the product would continue to sell well for retailers.

“Publishing a Catholic/ecumenical edition of The Message is the most important thing I have done as a publisher in my 30 years in the business, and I believe that this book will inspire many people, including many Catholics and especially many young-adult Catholics, to read the Bible for many years,” Pierce said. “The Holy Spirit will do the rest.”

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