Under Fire, Interpreter Shelves Proposed Swimsuit Issue

Nashville, TN -- After word of the project leaked to the media five days ago, Rev. Larry Hollon, publisher of Interpreter and General Secretary of Communications for the United Methodist Church announced that the magazine was cancelling its proposed swimsuit issue, slated for March.

Kathy Noble, editor of the publication, had accepted the initiative in order to boost subscriptions of the sagging Methodist bimonthly magazine, as well as add advertising revenues from apparel manufacturers launching new lines for the Spring swimwear market.

"I think that we figured that there would be a reaction," said one highly-placed anonymous source on the Interpreter staff, "but none of us anticipated such fierce anger at the decision. We were just trying to boost circulation!"

A flood of angry letters, e-mails, and phone calls to Nashville disapproved of Interpreter's decision. "It's outrageous!" exclaimed Rev. Greg Hazelrig of the Mississippi Annual Conference, who sent in his own letter of protest to Interpreter. "They should have known better than to slap the cross and flame on to this filth."

Rev. Abi Carlisle-Wilke of the North Alabama Annual Conference, who had been designated as the cover model for the swimsuit issue doesn't agree. "This was going to be the start of a good modeling career, and some old prudes have ruined it."

As of press time, there was no response from UM Reporter about whether that publication would match Interpreter's decision.