Bible Cover Redesign

So I've been going through my share of design blogs lately, and I've run into this project by UK-based designers Crush Design & Art Direction Ltd. They were commissioned to re-do the book jacket of the Bible, and here is their result:































The inspiration from the illustration is described on FontFeed by Yves Peters:

The inspiration for the cover illustration came from the back cover copy lines... The text mentions “Mankind’s poisoning of a beautiful world” and asks “The cause of wars and intolerance, or the most important book ever written? How well do you know the bible?” So the idea germinated to conjure up a really contemporary image of the Garden of Eden. On the flip side of the image Crush tried to illustrate the possible “poisoning and destruction of a beautiful world”. Therefore the illustration shows Adam and Eve fat with the overindulgence of a consumer society gone out of control. The trees have died from pollution and skulls illustrate the destruction of the animal kingdom.

As an illustrator, I appreciate the aesthetics of the book jacket, although I can only imagine the ensuing discussion arising from the possible sacrilege some people may view it as. Should the Bible's book jacket be treated with a reverence that should prevent it from being modernized, or does this contemporary take on the cover only serve to further the good news to those who wouldn't otherwise be bothered to even pick up the Bible? What do you guys and girls out there think?

Sam