Vern S. Poythress & Wayne A. Grudem. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2004. 494 pp. (Paperback).
This quite scholarly work takes serious issue with the gender-neutral language in the 2002 Today’s New International Version (TNIV) of the New Testament. The TNIV with both Testaments has recently been released.
There was also somewhat less gender-neutral language in earlier translations, such as the New Century Version, The International Children’s Bible, the New Revised Standard Version and the Contemporary English Version.
Quite interestingly, the authors are quite distinguished biblical scholars, as are the vast majority of scholars, leaders and pastors who agree with the major thrust of this work.
Examples of male-oriented words changed from how they appeared in earlier translations include the change of “sons” and “fathers” to “children and parents,” “brother” to “brother or sister” and “man” to “mortals” or “human beings.”
To be sure, many of the concerned scholars are disturbed by what is called “the slippery slope,” which suggests the acceptance of verbal changes such as those above could lead to serious problems.
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