MANILA, Philippines - When you hear about Danika Navarro’s thesis, you envision her to be a certain kind of Christian — the kind they warn you about.
The kind that has her hair in a tight ponytail, with hands clasped to hold religious paraphernalia, that pontificates about your eternal damnation, that judges you and your mortal existence. It has you picturing Mandy Moore in Saved!, literally throwing Bibles at whoever she thinks qualifies as a sinner just because she is “filled with the love of God,” or Georgina Sparks in Gossip Girl, quoting Bible passages as she screws you over, sinner.
Danika Navarro is not that kind of girl. For her thesis, this Information Design major from Ateneo decided to embark on the challenge of a lifetime — redesigning the Christian Bible. Born out of the problems many young people have with the Bible — from difficulty locating books and verses to the Bible’s dry aesthetics — Danika aimed for revolutionary, opening up the Bible to a generation of kids brought up on info-graphics and typefaces. Her thesis — titled “Selah Redesigned Desk Study Bible” — uses a black and white motif coupled with distinctly youthful renderings of the Bible’s key elements.
“I aimed to showcase its [the Bible’s] beauty,” she says, “how it is accessible and how it is so universal that even teens can engage in it, study it, and love it. By choosing to do the very challenging task, I hoped to prove God’s amazing work.”
After a warm reception from her teachers and the CCf community, next for Danika is finding a larger audience for “Selah.” “This summer I plan to present the thesis to either the Philippine Bible Society or OMF Literature,” she says. “I believe in using my God-given abilities for His purpose and glory.