Not everyone can fully appreciate the fine array of baseball promotional items displayed in my basement. (That is why they are in the basement rather than a more prominent location.)

These freebies were given out as incentives at various baseball games I’ve attended. The overall ballpark experience is enough of an attraction to me, however. But I do enjoy the giveaways.

There is a nice pair of Chicago Cubs sunglasses from an afternoon at Wrigley Field and a Juan Gonzalez bobble-head doll from a spring evening in Arlington, Texas. Perhaps my favorite, and certainly the most unusual, is a salmon can filled with river pebbles to be used as a noisemaker to cheer on the Anchorage Pirates.

You are a long way from the majors when fans and players alike stand in concession lines between innings for hot coffee on a cool Alaska night.

However, I missed the promotion this August when the Nashville Sounds hosted the Memphis Redbirds and a local ministry provided 4,000 copies of the Heart of the Outdoors Bible. The camouflage-covered NIV Bible, according to a press release, is designed for hunting and fishing enthusiasts.

It reportedly contains adventure stories from noted sportsmen in addition, I assume, to the rather adventurous stories already in the Bible.

Southern Baptists produced their own “Sportsman Version” of the Holmon Christian Study Bible this year as well. Both the camo cover and the pages are advertised as non-reflective. I assume this allows for having the Word of God at hand while having the prey of choice in sight.

Publishers have gone all out in recent years to market the Bible to specific audiences. Revolve: The Complete New Testament, from Thomas Nelson Publishers, was one of the more controversial. The biblical texts are presented in the format of a flashy teen magazine with added guidelines for teenage girls on fashion and dating.

Opinions were split on whether this was a good thing. Some see relevance where others see irreverence.

Ridicule is not my purpose here. Rather it is to raise a question that challenges church leaders in many areas of ministry today.

How do we present the gospel in creative and contemporary ways that attract the attention of modern society without compromising the biblical message to the point that it accommodates rather than challenges our cultural values?

There is no need to scan down this page in hopes of finding an easy answer. There is none.

It is this crucial question — or more accurately, the varied answers -- that divides church leaders over worship styles, outreach tactics and various other approaches to ministry.

Despite the risk, however, this is a question that cannot be avoided. Addressing the issue does not have to be divisive, even when differing opinions are obvious.

The most constructive first step is for all church leaders to acknowledge the dilemma associated with seeking to stay true to the biblical message while relating to an increasingly secular society — or at least a society that does not buy into institutional church as easily as past generations.

Figuring out exactly how to do that is not easy. Some measure of give-and-take as well as trial-and-error is required. It is much easier to be a critic of what others are doing than to jump into the muddiness in search of a solution or two.

Some critics are resistant to anything that doesn’t look and feel exactly like the church they have always known. Personal preferences and comfort are their only means of evaluation. These persons often lack creativity and stifle the creativity of others.

On the other side, there are those who want to make the church so attractive — and successful by cultural rather than biblical standards — that they are willing to baptize self-indulgence and existing prejudices in order to recruit. In turn, the whole idea of conversion becomes lost. The church is big, fat and happy, but lacks a prophetic voice.

Neither of these options is viable. We are not closing deals. The church must risk having its message rejected by those not attracted to change, sacrifice and service.

Likewise, we must risk changing some familiar ways in which the biblical message of grace and hope is articulated. To change the way a message is delivered does not mean the essence of the message must necessarily be changed.

Can we go too far in trying to make the gospel attractive and relevant? Sure.

It is when the timeless message on the inside of the Bible is camouflaged.