CHRISTIANS TO CHANGE THEIR BIBLE AGAIN: New Gender-Neutral Bible
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CHRISTIANS TO CHANGE THEIR BIBLE AGAIN: New Gender-Neutral Bible |
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Posted by Washington Post on January 28, 19102 at 20:49:04:
New Gender-Neutral Bible Planned
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48340-2002Jan28.html
By Richard N. Ostling
AP Religion Writer
Monday, January 28, 2002; 8:07 AM
The International Bible Society said Monday that America's best-selling
modern Bible is about to get an update using gender-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., owned by HarperCollins, holds North
American rights for both versions. To date, the Bible society and
Zondervan have spent $2 million to develop the new translation but they
did not disclose other financial terms.
Both versions, the work of evangelical translators, are especially popular
in the conservative, Protestant heart of America's competitive Bible
market.
The older version's gender 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 had already
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 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, Colo., 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" to "children of
God" in Matthew 5:9, and "a man is justified by faith" to "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 percent of the changes do not relate to gender.
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 extra 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 gender-free terminology.
"Holman Christian Standard Bible" from Broadman & Holman, the Southern
Baptist book house, which rejects gender-neutral wording. It is currently
available only in the New Testament, with the full Bible due in 2004.
All or part of the Bible is currently available in some 70 English
translations.