New Bible translation promotes fornication Archbishop of Canterbury

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | June 24, 2004

[take]

New Bible translation promotes fornication Archbishop of Canterbury praises version for 'extraordinary power'

A brand-new translation of the Bible – praised by Britain's archbishop of Canterbury, that nation’s senior Christian voice – flatly contradicts traditional core Christian beliefs on sex and morality.

Titled "Good as New," the new Bible is translated by former Baptist minister John Henson for the "One" organization, to produce what the group calls a "new, fresh and adventurous" translation of the Christian scriptures.

Archbishop Rowan Williams

The 104th archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams – leader of the Church of England – describes it is a book of "extraordinary power," but admitted many would be startled by its content.

"Instead of condemning fornicators, adulterers and 'abusers of themselves with mankind'," says Ruth Gledhill, the London Times religious affairs correspondent, "the new version of his first letter to Corinth has St. Paul advising Christians not to go without sex for too long in case they get 'frustrated.'"

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"The new version, which Dr. Williams says he hopes will spread 'in epidemic profusion through religious and irreligious alike', turns St. Paul's strictures against fornication on their head," adds the Times.

The One organization that produced the new Bible translation is dedicated to "establish[ing] peace, justice, dignity and rights for all." It is also focused on "sustainable use of the earth's resources," challenging "oppression, injustice, exclusion and discrimination" as well as accepting "one another, valuing their diversity and experience."

According to Ekklesia, a London-based "theological think tank" that supports the "One" translation:

The translation is pioneering in its accessibility, and changes the original Greek and Hebrew nomenclature into modern nicknames. St. Peter becomes "Rocky," Mary Magdalene becomes "Maggie," Aaron becomes "Ron," Andronicus becomes "Andy" and Barabbas becomes "Barry." In keeping with the times, translator Henson deftly translates "demon possession" as "mental illness" and "Son of Man," the expression Jesus frequently used to describe himself, as "the Complete Person." In addition, parables are rendered as "riddles," baptize is to "dip" in water, salvation becomes "healing" or "completeness" and Heaven becomes "the world beyond time and space."

Here's how Williams, the top Anglican archbishop, describes the new Bible: "Instead of being taken into a specialized religious frame of reference – as happens even with the most conscientious of formal modern translations – and being given a gospel addressed to specialized concerns … we have here a vehicle for thinking and worshipping that is fully earthed, recognizably about our humanity."

In addition, notes Ekklesia, the archbishop praises Henson's translation for eliminating "the stale, the technical, the unconsciously exclusive words and policies" in other translations.

Here, according to the London Times, are a few sample passages:

Mark 1:4

Authorized version: "John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins."

New: "John, nicknamed 'The Dipper,' was 'The Voice.' He was in the desert, inviting people to be dipped, to show they were determined to change their ways and wanted to be forgiven."

Mark 1:10-11

Authorized version: "And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him. And there came a voice from the heaven saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

New: "As he was climbing up the bank again, the sun shone through a gap in the clouds. At the same time a pigeon flew down and perched on him. Jesus took this as a sign that God's spirit was with him. A voice from overhead was heard saying, 'That's my boy! You're doing fine!'"

Matthew 23:25

Authorized version: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!"

New version: "Take a running jump, Holy Joes, humbugs!"

Matthew 26:69-70

Authorized version: "Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, 'Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.' But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest."

New: "Meanwhile Rocky was still sitting in the courtyard. A woman came up to him and said: 'Haven't I seen you with Jesus, the hero from Galilee?" Rocky shook his head and said: 'I don't know what the hell you're talking about!'"

1 Corinthians 7:1-2

KJV: "Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: [It is] good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, [to avoid] fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband."

New: "Some of you think the best way to cope with sex is for men and women to keep right away from each other. That is more likely to lead to sexual offences. My advice is for everyone to have a regular partner."

1 Corinthians 7:8-7

KJV: "I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn."

New: "If you know you have strong needs, get yourself a partner. Better than being frustrated

[Cronos]

Titled "Good as New," the new Bible is translated by former Baptist minister John Henson for the "One" organization, to produce what the group calls a "new, fresh and adventurous" translation of the Christian scriptures.

ROTFLOL!! Anglicans!!!!

[Cronos]

"Instead of condemning fornicators, adulterers and 'abusers of themselves with mankind'," says Ruth Gledhill, the London Times religious affairs correspondent, "the new version of his first letter to Corinth has St. Paul advising Christians not to go without sex for too long in case they get 'frustrated.

This is a "rewrite", a new piece of fiction. Who wants to bet that the Islamofascists use this garbage as propaganda against Christians? They used the ECUSA's decision on that gaybish to slaughter Christians in Namibia (and probably Sudan). I wonder how many will be persecuted and die because of this?

[Fifth Business]

Oh, and I forgot to say:

That Anglican's are praising this "translation" in spite of this symbolic-only understanding of baptism speaks volumes about where their church is at. The need to update concepts about marriage overrides everything else.

[Cronos]

Time for another Armada, another Inquisition. The Angliccans (notice the change in spelling to fit in with Wiccans) are paganists, worse, they're the canker of Christianity -- post Christians

[Cronos]

At the same time a pigeon flew down and perched on him. Jesus took this as a sign that God's spirit was with him. A voice from overhead was heard saying, 'That's my boy! You're doing fine!'

Please tell me this is a joke.....

[BibChr]

The Greek gune is the common term for "wife," and in the context of Paul's well-known thinking, can have no other meaning here. To translate otherwise is not only academically indefensible, it is a slander on a dead man. And that's low.

Dan

[Cronos]

Rocky shook his head and said: 'I don't know what the hell you're talking about!'"

And I suppose "Rocky" is also given the keys to the groovy place?

[Cicero]

Finally someone has succeeded in making the Good News Bible look conservative.

I teach parts of the Bible in a college course. I would like to use the King James Version, since it is by far the most familiar to most people in the English world and was used by most of our great writers. But I settled for the Revised Standard Version (RSV) as the best for students who are put off by the antique language. It's accurate and it has most of the dignity of the KJV.

I usually have a few Jewish students in the class who know the Hebrew well, and they are not happy with some of the more modern versions, which depart widely from the original Hebrew. They seem happy with the RSV, which was produced by a committee of Protestant and Catholic scholars who were not fortunately committed to the watered-down, least common denominator version of ecumenism.

Most of the translations published since the RSV are less, not more accurate, because the agenda is usually feminist and political. "Man" is out. "He" is out. "Father" is out. And so forth.

Yes, Peter means "rock" in both Greek and Latin. His name was Simon, and Jesus changed it to Peter because he said he was the Rock on which he would build his Church. But the thing to do is to tell people that, in a note or a sermon, not change his name to Rocky.

Changing of names goes back to Genesis and Exodus, where God changes Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, Jacob to Israel, and so forth, to indicated that they were being brought into His covenant and beginning a new life of faithfulness under a new name.

[Cronos]

Are there any Anglican/Episcopalian Freepers out there? What do you guys think about what's going on in your organisation? And what are you doing about it? Is there any help you would need from us, your fellow Christians (because in the end that's all that matters) and fellow freepers?

[joeyGibson]

Is it _really_ that hard to read the KJV? I'm reading it now and if I happen to not understand a word I look it up. If I don't understand a passage, I'll read the same passage in an NIV and/or RSV and work through it. But I can count the times I've had to do that on one hand.

If this is real, and not a parody, then it looks to me far worse that the "inclusive language" of "Today's NIV" that Zondervan started hawking a few years ago.

[Fiddlstix]

This has to be a joke. A very bad joke.

[Cronos]

Sounds like an old Anglican cleric, waiting on his slippers, encouraging his new puppy.

Sounds like an old Anglican cleric (Jeffrey John), wiating in his slippers, encouraging his new boyfriend.

[tnlibertarian]

"That's my boy! You're doing fine!"

When I read that sentence, I pictured the faceless guy who follows Tiger Woods around standing on the bank shouting, "You the Man, Jesus!"

[Taliesan]

"You da man, Jesus!" (Arsenio Hall-type barks and hand gestures here.)

[Jaded]

Unfortunately, this is not satire.

I had someone at work look up John Henson on a news service. (She printed the articles for me) There is an article yesterday from the London Times and the Vancouver Sun today. These are both pay-me-money sites, so I can't link to the story.

[plushaye]

Yes, we think it's absolutely horrendous. I've been on several Anglican/Episcopal conservative messageboards and both clergy and non-clergy are VERY upset. We think it might be the final straw that could split off the conservatives within the western world from the liberal establishment in ECUSA/Canada/Church of England. There's a dying hope that ++Rowan was possibly duped into writing the book comments without reading the contents and may apologize. Otherwise he has just revealed himself to be the worse kind of liberal.

As for this trash which claims to be a Bible, it's not worth the paper it is printed on. Among its numerous faults:

- they remove the Book of Revelation and replace it with a book from the Apocrypha
- the Holy Spirit at the Baptism is a female pigeon
- they take out the Bible verses against homosexuality
- they change the words of St Paul to recommend sex with a 'partner' rather than with a spouse in marriage
- no angels, only God's 'helpers'
- no Satan. Jesus is tempted by thoughts popping into His head
- Rocky? Maggie?

It's simple heresy. Drivel and garbage. End of story.

[plushaye]

I forgot that Jesus goes around preaching that the New World is coming. I think they mean the New World Order. The spirit of antichrist is truly found in this garbage.

[Jaded]

For your review.....

[Malesherbes]

There is also a new politically correct version of the Koran in which the Sura that says that infidels should be beheaded comes out this way: "Give the non-believers a close shave, and if your razor slips, pray that they will get their 72 virgins."

[King Prout]

WHAAAAAAAT???

ok... where's the Onion byline?