In April, the IBS will release a new version of the Bible that it is already creating a stir among evangelicals.
The International Bible Society (IBS) abandoned plans for a gender-neutral Bible some years ago, but a new version � called �Today�s New International Version� (TNIV) � contains some gender-neutral wording. Dr. Richard Land, of the Southern Baptist Convention, said the SBC is disturbed with the changes.
�I guess it goes to show that even Christian publishers have been influenced by Bill Clinton�s corruption of the language,� said Land, who received a doctorate in philosophy from Oxford University. �I guess we have to now delve into what �the meaning of is,� is.�
Larry Lincoln, a spokesman for IBS, insists that the TNIV is not a gender-neutral Bible.
�There is no tampering or changing of the Deity,� Lincoln said. �God will always be He. So it�s certainly not gender-neutral; it�s gender-accurate.�
Randy Stinson, of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, said it is incredibly serious to evangelicals how the Bible is translated.
�Unnecessarily changing the words of the biblical text in order to accommodate those who think certain phrases are offensive or are problematic is dangerous and irresponsible,� Stinson said.
On the other hand, Alan Johnson, an emeritus professor at Wheaton College Graduate School, believes evangelicals can be comfortable with the TNIV.
�One can be, I think, very comfortable with the theological precision of the way in which the text has been handled,� Johnson said.
The Old Testament will be added to the TNIV in 2005.
Back to "The NIV Feminist Bible"