Southern Baptist critics of the new Todays New International
Version might be surprised to learn their own new Bible also is more gender-inclusive
than earlier translations.
Southern Baptist critics of the new Todays New International
Version might be surprised to learn their own new Bible also is more gender-inclusive
than earlier translations.
A recent examination of the Holman Christian Standard Bible
found it more gender-inclusive than both the traditional King James Version
and the modern New International Version.
The Holman Bible was introduced in 1999 by Broadman and Holman,
the Southern Baptist Conventions publishing arm. It is being marketed
as a more accurate and readable Bible translation that still preserves the integrity
of Scripture.
“Up until now, every English translation of the Bible
has been a tradeoff between accuracy and readability,” Broadman and Holman
President Kenneth Stephens said in a Baptist Press news article. “The more
accurate it was, the harder it was to read, and the more reader-friendly it
was, the more it drifted from a precise translation of the original text. With
our Bible, weve eliminated the tradeoff.”
The new translation would not follow the path of political
correctness, added David Shepherd, vice president for Bible publishing at Broadman
and Holman.
“The (Holman Bible) will be under the stewardship of Christians
who believe we should conform our lives and culture to the Bible – not
the other way around,” he said.
However, the Holman Bible adopts a more gender-neutral approach
to language than the two most-popular earlier translations of the Bible, a North
Carolina pastor who has compared the translations said.
David Stratton said he noticed gender-neutral language in Holman
Bible portions and became curious when he heard criticism of the Todays
New International Version. Stratton is pastor at Brunswick Islands Baptist Church
in Supply, N.C.
He chose a sample of seven books in the New Testament –
Mark, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 1 Thessalonians, James and Revelation. He
read each book in four translations – the King James Version, the New International
Version, the Holman Christian Standard Bible and the Todays New International
Version. (The Old Testament is not yet available for either the Holman Bible
or Todays New International.
Stratton first used the King James Version as a baseline to
flag gender language, and compared other versions to it.
He then read the same books a second time, using the New International
Version as the baseline for gender language.
In the seven books, he found 339 verses in which the Holman
Bible is more gender-neutral than the King James and/or New International versions
and 194 verses in which it is more gender-neutral than the New International
Version alone.
Consider Mark 4:9.
The King James Version reads, “He that hath ears to hear,
let him hear.”
The New International Version has, “He who has ears to
hear, let him hear.”
The Todays New International Version translates the verse,
“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
The Holman Bible reads, “Anyone who has ears to hear should
listen!”
Consider Romans 2:16.
In the King James Version, Paul says God will judge the “secrets
of men.”
The New International Version translates the phrase as “mens
secrets.”
The Todays New International Version reads “everyones
secrets.”
The Holman Bible translates the phrase as “what people
have kept secret.”
Consider James 5:16.
The King James Version cites the “effectual fervent prayer
of a righteous man.”
The New International Version also reads “righteous man.”
The Todays New International Version reads “a righteous
person.”
The Holman Bible avoids any gender reference with “the
righteous.”
However, in passages dealing with addresses to church leadership,
the Holman Bible is careful to preserve male terminology, Stratton explained.
For example, in Acts 20:30, where Paul addresses the elders
of the church, the King James, New International and Holman versions all refer
to “men.” The Todays New International Version refers to “some.”
Both the Holman Bible and Todays New International Version
also retain male pronouns for God. However, Stratton suggested the Holman Bible
is more likely to translate masculine participles that refer to God in a gender-neutral
manner.
For example, Rev. 1:4 speaks of “him which is, and which
was, and which is to come” (King James Version).
The New International Version translates the verse as “him
who is, and who was, and who is to come.”
The Todays New International Version keeps the same reading.
The Holman Bible has “the One who is, who was, and who
is coming.”
Likewise, in a reference to God in Romans 9:12, both New International
versions refer to “him who calls.”
The Holman Bible uses the gender-neutral “the One who
calls.”
Similar translations can be found in Acts 22:9 and a number of texts in Revelation,
including 2:1, 8, 12; 3:1,7; 4:9,10; 5:1, 7, 13, Stratton said. (ABP)