Christians question new translation of Bible

London, England, Mar 27, 2005 / 22:00 pm

A new version of one of the world’s most widely read English-language Bibles has caused a stir among some Christians in the United States.

The New International Version, renamed Today’s New International Version, underwent a recent “modernization” by a team of 15 American and British scholars and was published March 15.

Scholars say that more than 45,000 changes, about seven per cent of the text, have been made in an effort to update the “archaic” language and use more colloquial terms.

But Paige Patterson, a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, told the Telegraph that the translators have gone beyond trying to clarify meaning.

"They have an agenda — to attempt to force egalitarian and even feminist perspectives on readers in the name of translation," he was quoted as saying.

Patterson is referring to the "inclusive" language that has been introduced in the new version.

Where the original read: "When God created Man, he made him in the likeness of God"; the new version says: "When God created human beings, he made them in the likeness of God."

The translators have also changed the word "aliens," which they thought younger readers would associate with extra-terrestrials, to "foreigners.” The term "saints", considered too "ecclesiastical", was changed to "God's chosen people." And the Virgin Mary is no longer "with child"; she is "pregnant."

The scholars rejected the charges, reported the Telegraph. They said the changes were a fair reflection of the original Greek or Hebrew texts or updated colloquial English words.