New International Version
The New International Version (NIV) of the Bible is the bestselling English translation of the Bible, but it is written at the 7th grade reading level (some say it is as low as the 4th grade level).
The NIV has gained wide acceptance among evangelicals due to its adherence to conservative doctrinal points with respect to the divinity of Christ, salvation through faith, and both Old Testament prophecies and the fulfillment of them. It also uses gender-specific pronouns and declined to embrace liberal gender neutrality.
But the NIV did erase numerous biblical references to the unborn child,[1] perhaps to appease supporters of abortion. This has enabled scholars at Wheaton College and elsewhere to dilute or deny Christian opposition to abortion.
History of Translation
Led by a committee of mostly professors, more than one hundred scholars, beginning in the late 1960s, undertook the project of retranslating the Bible for the best extant (existing) originals in Hebrew and Greek texts. Their political views were undisclosed. Their stated goal was that the translation be:[2]
- an Accurate, Beautiful, Clear, and Dignified translation suitable for public and private reading, teaching, preaching, memorizing, and liturgical use. The translators were united in their commitment to the authority and infallibility of the Bible as God's Word in written form. They agreed that faithful communication of the meaning of the original writers demands frequent modifications in sentence structure (resulting in a "thought-for-thought" translation) and constant regard for the contextual meanings of words.
The International Bible Society (formerly the New York Bible Society) funded this project, and owns the copyright.[3]
The NIV Study Bible remains one of the most popular study Bible versions.
- ↑ See Feminist Bible.
- ↑ http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/index.php?action=getVersionInfo&vid=31#books&version=31;
- ↑ http://www.ibs.org/
See also: Concordia Self Study Bible
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