NEW! March 9, 2005

Vern S. Poythress has identified an egregious error in the TNIV. Not only is it a distortion of the Word of God, but its inclusion in the TNIV reveals the enslavement of her translators to the spirit of the age. Here's his conclusion:

He concludes: "Mainstream prestige culture finds certain patterns of thought politically incorrect. It is at war with the word of God. And so the integrity of the word of God is at stake. The TNIV fails at crucial points to maintain that integrity. The rejection of the TNIV is important for the spiritual health of the people of God."

Now read his arguments in the whole of the essay:

Small Changes in Meaning Can Matter:

The Unacceptability of the TNIV

FEBRUARY 3, 2005

Vern S. Poythress has written a review of the newly released TNIV.

TNIV's Altered Meanings: An Evaluation of the TNIV

Visit WORLD Magazine's new Blog

Stealth Bible: TNIV

Since 1997, when IBS announced their plans to produce a gender-neutral NIV, WORLD magazine has chronicled the events and debates concerning the NIVI and TNIV.

Click here for links to these articles.

For the most lucid and theologically valuable critiques of the gender-neutering of Scripture, visit Touchstone Magazine's TNIV page.

 

Touchstone TNIV Page (December 2002):

Editorials and Essays Prompted by the New Spate of Egalitarian Bibles

 

Newly released by Broadman & Holman Publishers...

The TNIV and the Gender-Neutral Bible Controversy

by Vern Poythress and Wayne A. Grudem

Vern Poythress and Wayne Grudem examine the translation practice of replacing the generic “he” and the specific “father” with the gender-neutral “they” and “parent” with special attention focused on the TNIV. While translators may be well intentioned in seeking not to offend, Poythress and Grudem contend that the results are subtly changing meanings of the original texts.

Gender and Generic Pronouns in English Bible Translation

by Vern S. Poythress

"In sum, the use of pronouns shows interlocking between form and meaning.  From these phenomena we may generalize.  Specific forms within a specific context often carry meaning nuances that cannot be completely reproduced by substitute forms.  Translation must indeed translate meaning, not merely form.  But meaning includes nuances, not just a basic core."

Systematic Pattern in TNIV

by Vern S. Poythress

"The central problem with Today's New International Version (TNIV) does not lie in this or that verse that has been translated in less than an ideal way.  It lies in a pattern, a systematic policy, namely that it avoids using a male representative or example to communicate a general truth."

Stewarding the Mysteries of God:

Implications for the Use and Abuse of Language

by Andrew Dionne

Note from Tim Bayly: This essay by KeptTheFaith's editor, Andrew Dionne, examines whether certain words and habits of usage found in Scripture are of enduring value after their decline or death in the vernacular. Demonstrating that language change is anything but neutral, Dionne also exposes the naivete of the oft-repeated claim of those marketing gender-neutral updates of Scripture, that their work was in no way influenced by the ideological pressures of feminism.

Get the PDF here.

Dionne received a Doctor of Music in composition from Indiana University. Currently, he is the Assistant Pastor of Christ the Word PCA in Toledo, OH.

Christianity Today (October 7, 2002):

The TNIV Debate

CT asks "Is this new translation faithful in its treatment of gender?"

Vern S. Poythress says No. | Mark Strauss says Yes.

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Read Poythress's main contribution here.

Read Poythress's response to Strauss's article here.

Read the article mentioned in Poythress's "A Response to Mark Strauss:
The TNIV Undermines Plenary Inspiration" (Christianity Today | Oct. 7, 2002):

Analyzing Today's NIV Below the Surface: KepttheFaith's response to several
explanations from the TNIV website ("Passages Explained"). Get the PDF here.

In June, International Bible Society posted a defense of the TNIV by Ellis Deibler
titled, "An Evaluation of the Colorado Springs Guidelines." (Get the PDF here.)

Vern S. Poythress here presents a response to Deibler titled, "A Preliminary Response
to Ellis W. Deibler: The Real Problem with Gender-Neutral Translations." (Get the PDF here.)

Part II "A Response to Dr. Deibler on the Colorado Springs Guidelines" (Get the PDF here.)