New Bible Removes ‘Christ’
So a couple weeks ago I talked about new Bible translations that remove “Father”, “Son”, and “Son of God” as not to offend anyone. Que your outrage because it gets worse…
>There is a new Bible called The Voice that takes out “Christ,” “angels,” and “apostle.”
Now, before you get your full outrage goin’, hit pause. Unlike the Bible translation that simply removes terms that might offend people (like Father, Son, and Son of God), which I would argue changes the very meaning, intent, and overall message, The Voice aims to be a simpler read.
Let’s compare. The ever-popular John 3:16-17 in the King James version reads:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
In The Voice it reads:
“For God expressed His love for the world in this way: He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not face everlasting destruction, but will have everlasting life. Here’s the point. God didn’t send His Son into the world to judge it; instead, He is here to rescue a world headed toward certain destruction.”
As I detail in my book, Bible translations range from the literal to the paraphrase. The Voice leans toward the paraphrase side of the spectrum, much like The Message.
>It is not really for in depth Bible study.
It is geared for the person who just wants to sit down and read on a lazy Sunday afternoon, perhaps. It is captures contemporary English (no King’s English or Shakespeare spoken here) in story from.
Just thought you should know.
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The ties between “The Voice” and the Muslim Idiomatic Translations you criticized in an earlier post are much stronger than you may realize. Brian McLaren, who is one of those involved with the production of the Voice also serves on the advisory board of of a ministry that advocates the use of the Muslim idiomatic translations. While the theological errors of the voice are different, they are still significant. Both the Voice and the Muslim Idiomatic Translations are deeply rooted in the postmodern theology of the emergent church.
That’s very interesting. Thank you for the clarity. It makes sense.