Posted on 10/07/2005 8:38:02 AM PDT by Caleb1411
As evangelicals debate the inclusive-language Today's New International Version (TNIV), many liberal mainline churches have slipped far down the slippery slope in what they have done to the Bible.
In 1990, the National Council of Churches published the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), an inclusive-language rendition of the well-accepted Revised Standard Version (RSV). This translation keeps masculine references to God and to Jesus, but changes them for human beings, getting rid of the generic "man," putting "brothers and sisters" where the original just has "brothers," and using awkward plurals and repetitions to avoid the generic "he." Never mind that the messianic title "Son of Man" is now "a human being." What the NRSV did to the RSV is pretty much what the TNIV did to the NIV.
But that much inclusive language was not enough for many mainline churches. An Inclusive Language Lectionary, a rendition of Scripture texts read during the worship service, takes the next step of changing the gendered language for God. Today, the congregations who use this lectionary in Sunday worship pray to "our Father-Mother." Jesus is not the Son of God, but the "child of God." The pronoun "he" is not even used for the man Jesus, replaced with ungrammatical constructions: "Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us" becomes "Jesus Christ, who gave self for us" (Titus 2:13-14).
But that much tinkering proved not to be enough either. In 1995, Oxford University Press published the New Testament and Psalms: An Inclusive Version. This revision of the NRSV not only uses gender-inclusive language for God and Jesus ("God our father-mother"), it also eliminates, in the words of the introduction, "all pejorative references to race, color, or religion, and all identifications of persons by their physical disability." In avoiding all "offensive language," "darkness" is changed to "night," lest it offend black people, and "the right hand of God" is changed to "the mighty hand of God," lest it offend left-handed people.
But that does not go far enough. The liberal Catholic group Priests for Equality published in 2004 the Inclusive Bible. "Kingdom" is both sexist and authoritarian, so the priests made up a new word, "kindom." Adam is not a "man," he is an "earth creature." And to avoid offending homosexuals or others in nontraditional relationships, the words "husband" and "wife" are changed to "partner."
But since radical theology depends on demonizing the "patriarchy" of the Bible, the Inclusive Bible includes footnotes admitting that "the actual Hebrew is even more brutal" and chastising the apostle Paul for his retrograde attitudes. Then the translators just change the text to something more suitable.
But the Inclusive Bible does not go far enough either. The Bible version Good as New: A Radical Retelling of the Scriptures uses what its introduction calls "cultural translation." Not only is it inclusive, it translates ancient terms into their modern-day equivalent. Thus, "demon possession" becomes "mental illness." Even names are changed: Peter, Nicodemus, and Bethsaida become "Rocky," "Ray," and "Fishtown." Religious terminology is eliminated, as not being in accord with our culture: "Baptize" is changed to "dip"; "salvation" is changed to "completeness."
The translation describes itself as "women, gay and sinner friendly." Thus, when Paul says that it is better to marry than to burn, the Inclusive Bible says, "If you know you have strong needs, get yourself a partner. Better than being frustrated." The Inclusive Bible follows the higher critics in leaving out the Pastoral Epistles and Revelation, and it follows The Da Vinci Code in including instead the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas. This translation is endorsed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, and the evangelical leader Tony Campolo.
But does any of this matter, as long as people are exposed to the Bible? Yes, it does. The bisexual deity "Father-Mother" is not the true God, nor is this made-up religion Christianity. These translations are not the Word of God. Just the Word of Man.
**I know the Gospel of Thomas is a favorite among writers ..**
Well, did Mary become a man after Christ preached to her?
Thanks for that clarification. I'm an Episcopalian, and I've had my eye on the Roman Catholic Church since our House of Bishops installed Vicky Gene as Bishop of New Hampshire.
It isn't likely that an actively gay priest will come into our parish, but if it should happen, I'll bail immediately, and the only Christian branch now that appears to hanging onto tradition is the Roman Catholic Church.
High on what, I wonder?
Age doesn't mean it is God's Truth. It would be a mistake to make that a qualification. Satan predates man. Does that mean what he says is more right than whatever any man has ever said?
Like I said, it is only taken seriously by those who seek to discredit the Christian faith - like the Jesus Seminiar and Da Vinci Code cultists.
(1) According to the earliest what?
(2) The Oxyrhyncus fragments may date before 200, but probably not.
The fragments of Matthew and John analyzed by Thiede and Greenfell date two to three generations earlier than the Thomas text.
>> Get thee to a nunnery. <<
:^). I was just referring to how "molten likenesses" managed to become "graven images," and "serve" became "worship," and "prostrate" became "bow." The sad thing is these translations are so engrained in the American mind that most Catholic bibles unwittingly repeat them even while claiming to be based on Latin texts.
"Behold! I am Godself!"
"Did he say he's God's elf?"
>> What version is are you refering to? My KJV has this in Rev 22:18-19 <<
Tsk! Tsk! You're missing the super-sacred chapter? Darned Free-masons!
I still remember this year's Maundy Thursday service. Normally, I expect a heavy dose of Christ Crucified in such a service, with a strong emphasis on His sacrifice, and maybe a hymn like "O, Sacred Head Now Wounded", but the sermon, and the hymns were all about doing good works in the world (not that good works are bad, but you could do a sermon on that in any organization, like the Rotary Club). I remember afterwards, some of the more new-agey members (moms with gays sons or daughters) praising him for the sermon, while I kept wondering "where was Christ?"
Obviously, this particular church is sliding down a slope into an abyss. There is a PCA chuch kind of near that I intend to look at. It has to be a church with a halfway decent choir program, which my wife enjoys.
>> Well, did Mary become a man after Christ preached to her? <<
Holy Cow! You just discovered why they like the Gospel of Thomas so much... They think it supports transgenderism!
I was a sixth generation Piskie - my gggg grandfather was baptized in St. Giles Cripplegate (where Cromwell was married and Milton is buried). Our bishop (Atlanta) went stark raving mad, he was one of the delegation sent to Lincolnshire to "explain" to the primates why Vicky Gene was just ducky . . . and he has "explained" it to his flock ad nauseam. Our former rector and his sidekick vicar were all for it . . . to the point that in one of those interminable "meetings" to try to explain why black was white and good was evil, the rector said anybody who couldn't accept gay bishops and gay priests and gay marriage was "hating and evil". We walked out and never looked back.
We found a wonderful Catholic parish where Christ is glorified, the word of God is preached extensively and in detail, Christian education really educates, and there's a great choir too. Of course we were really "high" to begin with, so it seems to us as though we just came home after wandering around with a bunch of lunatics in the wilderness for the last 10 years or so . . .
>> It isn't likely that an actively gay priest will come into our parish, but if it should happen, I'll bail immediately, and the only Christian branch now that appears to hanging onto tradition is the Roman Catholic Church. <<
I got some bad news for you :^D
(I'm only smiling 'cause it hurts!)
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