The NIV 2011 Update Debate

Maybe you have heard about the NIV 2011 update debates.  Rodney Decker sites the "issues" at hand with this:  "The controversy regarding the NIV11 is due to at least four factors. First, the revision poses serious questions regarding linguistics and translation theory. Second, it raises the questions of language change and the use of gender-related language—a volatile issue due to concerns regarding the radical feminist social agenda. Many are concerned that the NIV11 attempts to mollify such radical concerns. Third, personality issues are involved. Entrenched positions have been staked out by well-known biblical scholars and high-profile advocacy groups. Fourth, theological boundaries and doctrinal bias impact the nature of Bible translations."

All this being said, some denominations that have ties to certain translations because of publishing rights and publishing companies have come out "against" the new NIV.  The accusations are mostly unfounded and with a little bit of study and understanding, I think that most (even scholars) would be impressed by the translation.

This link to this article is the best and most balanced explanation that I've read on the NIV 2011 controversy (if you want to call it that).  And, good thing, this is from Rodney Decker, Professor of New Testament and Greek at Baptist Bible Seminary in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania.  Read the article, and you'll better understand the issues at hand and be able to knowledgeably converse about it.

http://thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/article/an_evaluation_of_the_2011_edition_of_the_new_international_version

Why So Many Translations?

I've been asked by several in our church to address some questions on my blog that people have about the faith, the Bible, or the church in general. One of those that has surfaced recently is why we have so many different translations of the Bible. With the release of the NIV update this year, many are asking why we need another "version" of the Holy Scriptures. So, why so many translations of the Bible? That's a great question. Christian Standard had a series of great articles on this from this summer. I want to encourage you to read these articles understand the different translations of the Bible. They will answer probably better than I could write a response. Here are the links:

http://christianstandard.com/2011/08/an-embarrassment-of-riches-part-1-why-different-translations/

http://christianstandard.com/2011/08/an-embarrassment-of-riches-part-2-four-popular-translations/

http://christianstandard.com/2011/08/an-embarrassment-of-riches-part-3-the-most-popular-translations/

Hope this helps you on the journey to understanding different translations.

For translator's notes on the NIV 2011 update, see this link:

http://www.biblegateway.com/niv/Translators-Notes.pdf

Hope this helps! Merry Christmas!