Sex Neutral Bible
 

Sex-neutral Bible is in the works
By Richard N. Ostling, The Associated Press

The International Bible Society said Monday that America's best-selling modern Bible is about to get an update using sex-neutral wording, despite past criticism of that idea from conservatives.
The revision will be called Today's New International Version, or TNIV. The original New International Version, which has sold more than 150 million copies worldwide since 1978, will remain on the market. The New Testament of the latest version goes on sale in April, with the full Bible, including Old Testament books, expected by 2005. Zondervan of Grand Rapids, Mich., which is owned by HarperCollins, holds North American rights for both versions. To date, the International Bible Society and Zondervan have spent $2 million to develop the new translation,
but they did not disclose other financial terms. Randy Stinson, executive director of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, a Louisville group that works to preserve sex-specific language, said Monday that he had not yet seen the revisions but was concerned that word meanings may have been altered.

"This is incredibly serious to evangelicals, how the Bible is translated," Stinson said. "We believe the Bible is the word of God, so changing these things deliberately is dangerous."
The older version's word usage became hotly disputed in 1997 when World magazine, a conservative weekly, reported that the Bible society was working on an inclusive-language revision. The society already had published such an edition with a British publisher. Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest U.S. Protestant denomination, criticized the language change, as did James Dobson of the influential "Focus on the Family" radio broadcast. After meeting with critics, the International Bible Society said it would halt publication of Britain's inclusive edition and had "abandoned all
plans for gender-related changes in future editions of the New International Version." The Bible society, based in Colorado Springs, isn't quite abandoning its pledge because the latest version won't replace the New International Version - it will just be sold alongside the older translation.

Examples of some changes from 1978 to 2002: "sons of God" will become "children of God" in Matthew 5:9, and "a man is justified by faith" will become "a person is justified by faith" in Romans 3:28. A publicity release says "the TNIV is not merely a gender-accurate edition of the NIV," because 70% of the changes do not relate to sex. Also, terms referring to God and Jesus Christ have not been altered. Like the 1978 Bible, the new version is aimed at Protestants and will not appear in an edition with the additional biblical books recognized by Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. The major U.S. sales competitor for the NIV has been the venerable King James Version. But the international versions will now also have to compete with two evangelical translations that appeared last year: English Standard Version from Crossway, a slight update of the 1952 Revised Standard Version that makes modest use of sex-free terminology.
Holman Christian Standard Bible from Broadman & Holman, the Southern Baptist book house, which rejects sex-neutral wording. It currently is availableonly in the New Testament, with the full Bible expected in 2004. All or part of the Bible is currently available in some 70 English translations.

Is the Bible the only book on the shelves? Really?

Now I know how feminists, etc. may feel, but this is going way to far. If you change the words that have lasted for thousands of years, you change their validity. Really, while we're at it, lets change the part about the flood, that was kinda harsh. Also, let's make Jesus "Christ-like", and not Christ, so that way the Bible is more accessible to non-Christians. :rolleyes:

Its not fair that anyone with a pulse can attack and re-write Christianity. If we tried this with the Torah, or the Koran, no one would stand for it.

I don't know if I am the minority in this, but things like this get me fired up. The more we change the Bible, the less real it becomes, it becomes not a record of events and people and instead becomes a mix of myths, flights of fancy, and "stuff like that." :mad:

RIDICULOUS!!!!
 

What is the whole purpose of that? What gives US the liberty to be able to CHANGE the Bible to fit the desires of self? This is a disgrace and that's the very reason why the US is in all of it's turmoil. Look around you...change of weather, people being proud of their sins, etc. Now we change the Bible?! God is not proud of this and we will suffer the consequences. I'm disgusted with the thought of this.

http://www.plauder-smilies.de/krach.gif

ME

I have to agree with everyone that has posted. This is going to far. I do not need the "him', "he", & "sons" changed to know that I am loved by God and one of His children. If you are secure with who you are in Christ there is no need to change the Word. The change should take place in the people.

Can I Get a Yaaaaaaaaay men
 

Preach it Soror!!:cool:
Next they will want to change "AMEN" to AHUMAN!!:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Re: Can I Get a Yaaaaaaaaay men
 

LOL. And the people of God said, "AHUMAN". You are silly.

I would definitely have to agree with all of the post so far. I'm very upset over them changing it to make it more genderally neutral. It just doesn't make any sense to me. Does not the word of God say do not add or take away from any of the contents therein. This is absolutely ludacris (sp???). I know this is one BIBLE that I will not have in my collection.

The KJV works best for me. Praise the Lord.

LOL
 

Ludacris is the rapper.
Ludicrous is what you were looking for.

I don't need the Bible to be sex neutral to know that God meant me too. Shoot if you want to get technical according to the slave masters, the Bible was not meant for Blacks but you don't see anyone coming up with an Afrocentric Bible in terms of identifying that the Bible is filled with people of African descent. I own an African American Bible (NIV) that is accessorized with mini-sermons from various prominent African American ministers and religious leaders including SOROR VASHTI. :D :cool:

Thanks for the correction. I was really thinking about that one and didn't have my dictionary handy...

But anyway, with that I wonder how ministers around the country will feel about this new bible.

Bad Idea
 

The mere thought of a "sex-neutral" bible is absolutely ridiculous. :mad: When you change too many words, you end up changing the meaning, validity, and the point of the scriptures.

The King James Bible is the closest thing we have from the original translations and even some things in there are misunderstood. The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek. Some things couldn't even be translated in the KJV. If we keep changing things, we'll end up with a big ol' mess. :eek:

And yes, God does love us all but he created man first and then woman for comfort and companionship. Although he doesn't practice favoritism, God word's continually says that a man should be the head of his household.

Re: Bad Idea
 

Agreed. I don't need the Bible to say WOMAN for me to feel secure in God's love. Tampering with the Bible is not the line of work I want to be in.

I TOTALLY AGREE NOWorNEVER, I TOTALLY AGREE!!! What is this world coming to? GENDER-NEUTRAL? PPPLLLEEEZZZ!!!!!!! Well, I just know that's one bible that I NOR anyone is my family will be purchasing. My husband and I too believe in the King James' version and that's what we're sticking to until the end. It's COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS!!!

If that were true, then why do Jews, when they make new copies of the Torah copy it Letter for Letter. Notice, letter for letter, not ssimply word for word. Even the letters are important! Why? Because in every letter in every word the meaning and the importance is revealed. When the words, the letters that make it up are no longer important, soon the text itself is not important.

I never had a pictoral Bible, and you know what? I didn't miss anything.

Lastly, you cannot elevate its validity. (IMHO) It is what it is. And if people cannot accept that, they should try another religion that more to their liking.

WHAT VERSION of the BIBLE
 

My question to ANY and ALL: What version or translation of the Bible do you read/prefer?

I own two copies of the NIV translation. I have been a big NIV lover for years because it has been translated into Modern English for the most part. I have the STUDENT NIV and the AFRICAN AMERICAN NIV.

I now want to purchase the Women of Color Bible. Yesterday in church they announced the MEN OF COLOR, King James Translation and one of our associate ministers has written for it.

Our minister will often include the different translations in his sermon outline. I never knew there were so many translations before.