Long ago, it was considered revolutionary to have a copy of the Bible written in the common language of the people. The world’s leading Bible publisher is taking that idea further. Representatives of the publisher are travelling across the country in a big bus, inviting people to help write a new edition of the Bible, one verse at a time.
Hmmm! I wonder if Jesus ever asked the individual members of His listening crowds: “So, what do ya think? Shall I say, “the meek shall inherit the earth, or should I promise it to someone else? Help me out, here!”
This kind of seems like the same thing, except this time we will be trifling with the selections and thoughts of the Third Person, rather than the Second.
I can see it now. For each $250 you donate during PBS pledge week, you get to write a verse in this Bible. If they really want to up the ante, they can charge an additional $500 so you can have have your verses reviewed (for good karma) by Deepak Chopra. 🙂
“Representatives of the publisher are travelling across the country in a big bus, inviting people to help write a new edition of the Bible, one verse at a time.”
And they think that is a new idea. The revisionists have been rewriting the Bible on a ‘situational basis’ since early in the 20th Century.
I wrote comment #3. and then went to StandFirm and ‘voila’ there was confirmation of ‘revisionist’ hanky-panky early in the 20th Century under the title of “Mohler: Can a Christian Deny the Virgin Birth?”
Well yes, but. When I heard this story on the radio this morning I actually thought it sounded like a very nice idea. More than nice. Where else in the world would this happen? Obviously the point is not to create a Bible, but to celebrate the Bible, on this anniversary of the NIV. I understand all the comments above, but the message of the story is that out here in the wide world, people love the Bible, read the Bible, hold it near to our hearts. Sing for joy that every scruffy 15 year old can have a denim-jacketed NIV in her backpack to read during homeroom . . . . Think of Tyndale, “If God spare my life, ere many years I will cause a boy that driveth the plough shall know more scripture than thou dost.”
Blessed Lord, who hast caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou has given us in our Savior Jesus Christ.
Bruce Robison
If they were to spend as much energy investigating the Scriptures on a deep level they wouldn’t get this publicity but they would realize the dumbness of this enterprise.
As KSH is wont to say:
“So Sad”…
GRandmother in SC
I see Sadducees are still active and can use computers.
A report on the Holy Scripture by NPR produced without a smirk. What a unique project, may it bless those that participate.
If I understood NPR correctly, the aim was to make a copy, not a revision, celebrating and owning the text; a very good thing.
If you don’t believe it, pick a book and copy it out by hand (a handwritten Song of songs makes a great gift!). I remember the almost overwhelming joy of first writing out the prologue of John in greek. The greek lessons didn’t stick, but the joy did
I’m waiting for Jeff Foxworthy to rewrite the Bible in ‘Redneck”
#2. — and, for an additional $1,000 you can get a written guarantee that Deepak will not be allowed to review it.
Harumph. We ent off the rails when we stopped using the KJV.
“went”. Sigh.
BINGO, Evan!
I really wonder what the purpose of this project is. I mean, scholarly treatment of each individual word of scripture, and scrupulous accuracy of translation, has always been a goal of both conservative and liberal Biblical scholars. What possible good can this much more informal treatment of scripture do us? At best, it would only be a paraphrase, sort of like the “Living Bible” except likely worse. At worse, it will be a document that completely degrades the value of Holy Writ. Or can that be the purpose of the project?
#15: I guess we all must be hearing very different things in this story. I mean, it’s the 20th anniversary of the NIV, the most popular version of the Bible in the U.S. in the last century, and to celebrate this anniversary, the publisher is sponsoring this kind of fun participatory event, a one-time deal, where each participant, thousands upon thousands, will paraphrase a verse of scripture. The goal is not to create a “new Bible,” but to celebrate this vast population of Bible-reading, Bible-loving Christian people from shore to shore. To some extent it might be seen as a marketing stunt by the publisher. But think of it like a sing-along Messiah, for the whole community. Not to create a musically-correct, performance-quality event, but to create a fun, participatory, experience for those who have loved the work but who aren’t really singers. It doesn’t suggest either a failure of critical standards or a disrespect of Handel’s intent. It’s an “homage.”
Seems to me on this Christmas Eve this really nice story has tweaked a good deal of “Bah, Humbug” responses. How many copies has the NIV sold in 20 years? In what other country of the world is there such enthusiasm for scripture?
BruceR
Well Father Bruce has it correct …..
Individuals will [b]copy[/b] a verse of the NIV Bible in their own handwritting or print. 30,000 are expected to participate between now and March 09. Whether 5 or 95, all they ask is legibility and the ability to copy a verse.
Merry Christmas all …. here is wishing you better hearing in the New Year!
But BMR, it WILL create a new Bible. THAT”S the problem. This is not the new Vulgate, this is the new vulgar. Copy a verse? Just copy? No, not in America. This is a perambulatory Wikipedia, at first and at last.
You make it sound as if we were dealing with monks, miniscule, illuminated initials in scriptoria. But this is not the case. This is monumental ignorance being given its opportunity to integrate
inaccuracy. Other here may very well ask what the possible purpose of this undertaking could be. And yet, I think we cn guess. Larry
[url=http://www.bibleacrossamerica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=9]Bible Across America[/url]
Nothing nefarious, heretical, or unseemly …. please investigate for yourself. Then, maybe join them and copy a verse too.
I repeat, all the energy it takes to organize this verse copying (not to mention the publicity it draws to a certain version of the Bible) doesn’t advance people’s knowledge of the Scriptures.
Chaos may probably occur if there would be another verse of the bible. Believers may be divided into two. Bart Ehrman has been getting a lot of flak. He is the author of the book, “Jesus Interrupted,” which is about Biblical inaccuracy, and gives a critical look at the core of Christianity through logical research of history, and more importantly, the historiography (the study of the writing of history and how it was compiled) of the Bible. A lot of people would give unsecured loans to quiet him. The upcoming release of Angels and Demons, sequel to the DaVinci Code, has brought up a lot of debate over the accuracy of the Bible and the development of the Christian faith. Controversy, even if it’s backed by accurate research brings sales, which means Bart Ehrman might never need payday loans again. see: http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/2009/05/15/bart-ehrman-jesus-interrupted/