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Monday, February 27, 2006

CBMW continues its anti-TNIV crusade

The CBMW (Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood) continues its longstanding campaign against the TNIV with the latest issue of its journal, available on the CBMW website as a free PDF download. This issue contains the following articles (I have added links so that BBB visitors can learn more about each author):

Editorial, by Peter R. Schemm, Jr. (faculty webpage)

I Want My NIV: Gender Issues, Bible Translations, and the Rise of Evangelical Individualism, by Russell D. Moore (SBTS faculty webpage)

A Response to “Why the TNIV Bible?” by John Mark N. Reynolds (blog)

Today’s New International Version: A Brief Look at Its Methodology and Some Examples, by Justin Taylor (recent commenter on this BBB blog; Justin's blog; interviewed; employed by Desiring God, a ministry of John Piper)

Changing God’s Word, by Wayne Grudem (theology professor; faculty webpage)

Small Changes in Meaning Can Matter: The Unacceptability of the TNIV, by Vern S. Poythress (website)

(Mis)Translating Psalm 1, by Robert L. Cole (SEBTS faculty webpage)

Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve: How the TNIV Cuts Off the Ancient Conversation, by Peter R. Schemm, Jr., and Michael E. Travers (SEBTS faculty webpage)

Choosing a Translation of the Bible, by Russell T. Fuller (SBTS faculty webpage)

Annotated Bibliography for Gender Related Books in 2004, by Rob Lister

Categories: ,

11 Comments:

At Tue Feb 28, 06:01:00 AM, Blogger Ted M. Gossard said...

They evidently think they're in a war.

I say to all, "Chill out" (still a saying?). Those who believe in and want to use the ESV, God bless them. Etc.

 
At Tue Feb 28, 06:06:00 AM, Blogger Ted M. Gossard said...

At the same time, thanks for taking them on.

 
At Tue Feb 28, 06:09:00 AM, Blogger Ted M. Gossard said...

I just wish there could be an irenic discussion going on. Rather than this volleying of fire.

 
At Tue Feb 28, 06:13:00 AM, Blogger Ted M. Gossard said...

Forgive me for another thought. This is, after all, from the CBMW which is clearly agenda driven.

I'm sure many complementarians cannot support them in this stand.

 
At Tue Feb 28, 04:21:00 PM, Blogger Matt Gumm said...

I believe Justin has left Desiring God & now works works for Crossway.

 
At Tue Feb 28, 06:13:00 PM, Blogger Suzanne McCarthy said...

That explains it. I often find it hard to place a date on a webpage.

However, he still writes for the Journal of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood against the TNIV. That is very recent and dated this fall.

He is a full participant and writer aginst the TNIV. He does not take a neutral position.

 
At Tue Feb 28, 09:12:00 PM, Blogger Wayne Leman said...

That explains it. I often find it hard to place a date on a webpage.

Me too. I have found that it gets the webpage sticky.

 
At Tue Feb 28, 09:49:00 PM, Blogger Suzanne McCarthy said...

Find the date. Discover the date. Whatever! Okay?

At least blogs are dated. But how often have I seen a webpage without a date. It is by far the most irritating thing about the internet. Posting any webpage without a date should be outlawed. It is an inaccuray and makes the page not to be trusted by the community or even for private use. I will prepare a Statement of Concern about undated webpages!!

 
At Wed Mar 01, 04:24:00 AM, Blogger Peter Kirk said...

Suzanne, there are ways of finding the date of a web page automatically, it's just that your browser software (any browser software, probably) chooses not to display this prominently. I think any file has a last editing date visible on the server - although it is possible to spoof this at the server end.

Michael commented: "The only strange part about this is that we only seem to be hearing from one side in this war." Well, the other side, as you have characterised it, has hardly been silent. Rick Warren's "The Purpose Driven Life" has sold more than 20 million copies (from which Zondervan, the publishers, have indeed made a buck or two, good for them). In fact I personally sold about 50 copies of this book last night to members of my church, as we are starting the "40 Days of Purpose" course. If people like this choose not to get involved in the Bible version war, it is probably because they consider winning the lost more important than criticising fellow believers.

Warren's book and talks quote a very eclectic mixture of mostly dynamic equivalence Bible versions, by the way. Here are the results of a quick survey of featured quotes (I have tried to avoid counting duplicates) in "The Purpose Driven Life", published in 2002 and so predating TNIV:

NLT 19
The Message 18
NIV 16
LB 15
TEV 11
CEV 7
NCV 7
God's Word 5
Phillips 5
NJB 1
KJV 1
NASB 1

 
At Wed Mar 01, 12:45:00 PM, Blogger Wayne Leman said...

Michael wondered:

I am just surprised that the TNIV translation team nor the IBS nor Zondervan has really come out defending itself, in light of all of the negative things being said. Maybe silence is better - the whole thing will eventually blow oever. Or maybe they don't care since the negative comments are being made by people outside of their target marketing area (i.e. 18-34 year olds). I don't know.

Michael, I happen to know from private correspondence that they care deeply. But they have chosen not to respond in kind, believing that that is the appropriate thing to do. They have chosen to explain why they have translated a number of the key disupted passages as they have. These can be found on the TNIV website. This has been a difficult time for the TNIV team and I'm sure they would appreciate supportive prayer.

They have not been totally silent. Mark Strauss has written a number of defenses of the TNIV. I don't know if he will continue to do so, since he recently was invited to join the team and did.

 
At Wed Mar 01, 07:01:00 PM, Blogger Suzanne McCarthy said...

Peter, This page at Desiring God is dated 2006 at the bottom, so I assumed that Justin Taylor was an employee of Desiring God and therefore might be able to tell me who to write to about the Statement of Concern.

However, now I understand he works for Crossway. In any case he is active in writing about the TNIV.

 

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