There’s a new Bible that’s part Life, part Vogue, part National Geographic. Illuminated World, a Swedish publishing company, just released the English version of The Book: New Testament, a 280-page Bible in magazine form. Echoing the medieval tradition of illustrating sacred texts, The Book illuminates the text with photography and art—including portraits of Angelina Jolie, Bono and Princess Di for the passage about God sending a messenger to prepare His way.

Newsweek said it makes the text “maybe a bit less holy” and Christianity Today called some of the photos “sexually charged,” but I got a review copy and mostly liked it. While there’s no question that it intertwines Scripture and politics too breezily—there’s a photographic tribute to the U.N.’s Millennium Development Goals, and the destruction in Revelation seems to be ecological—the photos are provocative and moving. They draw attention to global suffering, along with Christianity’s call to love and level cultural barriers.

Illuminated World says the goal is to “drive an emotional reaction,” and I wonder if that’s not a good thing sometimes. The Bible’s themes—suffering, justice, love and grace—should move people, Christians and non-Christians alike. And while the pictures may indicate a loose interpretation of the text (Illuminated World makes it very clear that they’re not tied to any faith), the text is still there for people to read—unabridged, in the Good News Translation.