Gender issues in the Bible

[THOTH]

Just ran accross this - wondering if it may be a sign of things to come. Of course - some basic doctrine will have to change to take it further than this:

 

New Gender-Neutral Bible Planned

 

 

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.

 

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On the Net:

 

International Bible Society: http://www.gospelcom.net/ibs

 

 

© 2002 The Associated Press

[Arturian]

Revelation 22:18

 

I warn every one who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if any one adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if any one takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book!

[Juggernaut]

Yes, somehow this has escaped their (revisers) minds.

 

[ January 29, 2002: Message edited by: Juggernaut ]

[Arturian]

Unfortunatly these revisers are motived by nothing but benjamins...

Tomothy 2:3

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days (before the Day of Judgement, added by me). People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-- having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth!

[Anshnork]

Although I don't necessarily believe in the Bible, I honestly don't think it should be altered in this way. If it is indeed "the word of God," who are we to change it to make it politically correct?