Why We're Switching Bible Translations

The 1984 New International Version has been the Bible translation I’ve used at The Brook in my preaching and in recommendation to others since we began the church. As of this week however, after months of consideration and after prayer and counsel with others, I am switching to the English Standard Version as the preferred translation.

You might be wondering, “What’s wrong with the NIV?” The answer is, “Nothing at all.” I’ve loved the NIV for years and committed most of my Scripture memory from this translation. The 1984 NIV has been a great translation. It's accurate and up to this point it’s been the most popular and most widely used translation in the world.

However, a couple of years ago Zondervan, the New International Version’s publisher, announced that their 2011 edition would replace the 1984 edition. The 2011 NIV has been in print for a while now and stores are selling out of the last of the 1984 editions they had in stock, and are replacing them with the 2011 version. It is very difficult at this point to find the 1984 NIV in print, online, and in Bible software. I’ve already in fact had this experience in my studies and others have told me how they have not been able to find the 1984 NIV in print in bookstores. This is discouraging to me and the change prompted me months ago to consider switching translations. I’ve spoken to other godly people in our church about this as well and they believe the decision is warranted.

So what’s the big deal with the new 2011 edition?

About ten years ago the TNIV (Today’s New International Version) came out, and then was revised in 2005. The TNIV was met with a lot of controversy regarding its gender-neutral translation approach. Due to the controversy, the TNIV is out of print today. Yet despite the critical response the TNIV got, the translation of the 2011 NIV is based upon the TNIV. The result was a new NIV (2011 NIV) that is 39% different from the 1984 NIV (12,166 verses out of 31,101 have been changed). Words and phrases that were changed include “father” to “parent”, “man” to “person”, “he” and “him” to “they” and “them”, and “forefather” to “ancestor”.  In some instances the change is not all that impactful or different from the meaning- but in all cases, the Hebrew or Greek words being translated are indeed masculine (he, him, father, etc.), not neutral (they, them, parent, etc.). So from a translation standpoint, the translated words are inaccurate.

Following the release of the TNIV New Testament in 2002, Biblical scholars Vern Poythress and Wayne Grudem evaluated it and cataloged over 900 translation inaccuracies. The bottom line is that the 2011 NIV does not represent an accurate translation of the written manuscripts and languages of the Bible. (For a comprehensive list of changes and inaccuracies, visit this website: http://www.slowley.com/niv2011_comparison/)

This of course is problematic to those thinking the NIV is a good translation (as it was until now), but only finding the 2011 version in print. Due to the literal inaccuracies and controversy of the 2011 NIV, as well as the inability of new believers and members to find the 1984 NIV Bible, I have decided to switch to a different translation in my preaching and teaching- the English Standard Version.

Why switch to the English Standard Version?

The English Standard Version was first published in 2001 and was the result of a collaboration of over 100 of the world’s leading evangelical scholars and pastors. Rapidly gaining wide acceptance due to its blend of trusted scholarship and readability, the ESV has become the fastest-growing English Bible in the world. (www.esv.org)

The ESV is “essentially literal” (or “word-for-word”), which means the translators sought to keep the precise wording of the original text as much as possible, as well as capture the personal style of each biblical author. Keeping the exact word order in every instance is impossible, since grammar, syntax, and idioms differ from language to language. Taking these differences into account though, the translators have produced a Bible that strives for “word-for-word” correspondence, but is also highly readable and fluid in English.

The ESV is a solid literal translation that is easy to read, and comes with none of the gender-inclusive controversy that the 2011 NIV has experienced. As a translation rapidly growing in popularity and endorsement, I have decided to preach from, and encourage personal use of the English Standard Version at The Brook. I also encourage all teachers at The Brook to use this as the translation from which to teach others.

To find out more about the English Standard Version, visit www.esv.org.

I apologize for any inconvenience this might have upon you as to the need to purchase a new Bible if you decide to do so. But, the time has come for a need for this change, and I know you'll understand how we need to stay true to the text. I hope this change will help us stay committed to the historical, grammatical, and literal accuracy of the translation of the Holy Scripture.

Pastor Mike and the Elders of The Brook

(Excerpts and stats taken from different internet sources)