© 11 Colin Melbourne
Part 1 of 5
A Review of the new Gender Inclusive NIV
Image courtesy of Biblica
Please read these New International Version (NIV) verses out loud, and decide which is the superior rendering;
Romans 3:21-22 NIV 2011;
But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.
This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
Or this one; Romans 3:21-22 NIV 1984;
But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
Now, let’s try another verse;
Romans 8:7-9 NIV 2011;
The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. You, however are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.
Or this one; Romans 8:7-9 NIV 1984;
The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You however, are not controlled by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.
Not difficult to decide is it?
And I chose those verses because they are untouched by the controversial new gender terminology.
Lest we forget the TNIV
I was excited when I heard about the 2011 revision of the NIV. The last one, in 2005, was designated; Today’s New International Version (TNIV) with “gender inclusive language” (please excuse the jargon), and was a resounding flop. Even backslidden ecumenical denominations refused to approve it because of the brutal use of “gender-neutral terms”.
Here’s how the NIV 1984 rendered Gen. 9:6;
Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.
Which was “neutered” in the TNIV to become;
Whoever sheds human blood, by human beings shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made humankind.
Well, as they say, “It’s not Shakespeare.” Nor is it Bible, although Mr. Spock would like that rendering for his Vulcan Bible Version.
You can see why the TNIV belly-flopped. It was packed with such Orwellian verbiage and doctrinal clangers.
Never Say Never Again
The copyright owners, International Bible Society (IBS), rapidly issued a public apology promising to “freeze” the 1984 NIV, abandon all plans for gender-related changes in future editions, and never to repeat the expensive blunder. Eyes and heads rolled, and then the IBS’s name changed.
The new management of, Biblica, lobbied by Hodder and Stoughton UK, backtracked on the IBS promise, and the NIV Committee on Bible Translation (CBT) were set loose to try again, the result being the NIV 2011.
Your NIV: Going… going… Gone!
Biblica have declared that both the 1984 NIV and the TNIV will cease to be published, being replaced by the 2011 edition.
They are not giving NIV readers any choice in future.
I read Biblica’s publicity, and sampled the new text online. I quite liked what I read, the inclusive language seemed to have been handled more sensitively this time.
So when the generous people at Hodder and Stoughton UK., sent me a review copy I was looking forward to discovering further improvements.
A Christian-life-long NIV User
I’ve used the 1984 NIV continuously since being saved in 1988, alongside the Cambridge Standard Text 1769 King James Version (KJV), which is my main Holy Bible.
Fatally Flawed Foundation
Most of us are aware that the NIV New Testament, Like the Majority of Modern Bibles, is not based on the Textus Receptus (The true Greek NT Received Text), but on what the 1984 CBT termed an “eclectic” Greek Text.
They mean a pick-and-mix Greek New Testament, but it is obvious they relied heavily on derivatives of the deeply flawed “Critical Text” of Westcott and Hort, as manifested in the latest Greek New Testaments of Nestle and Aland and the United Bible Societies (UBS).
Although the current CBT tries to distance itself from Westcott and Hort’s work, here’s what their mentor and role model, Bruce Metzger, admits in his 1981 book, The Westcott and Hort Greek New Testament – Yesterday and Today;
The International committee that produced the United Bible Societies’ Greek New Testament, not only adopted the Westcott and Hort edition as its basic text, but also followed their methodology in giving attention to both external and internal consideration. [emphasis added]
Westcott and Hort’s discredited theories are still followed by modern textual critics, and form the foundations of the UBS / Nestle and Aland Greek New Testaments that were used to translate the NIV 2011, and nearly all modern Bible versions.
I advise you to seek the Lord, and do your own research on the topic of “Textual Criticism” and the modern “Critical Text”. The current academic world hold the “Critical Text” pre-eminent, to the verge of idolatry, despite the overwhelming body of evidence proving it to be a modern fabrication based on corrupted fourth century manuscripts. (It was the sublime books of Oxford Professor John Burgon that convinced me. They are Rock solid scholarship, have stood over 125 years, and nobody has refuted them, or ever will.)
What Does Jesus Say?
Twice, since being saved, I’ve researched and studied the matter very carefully, asking the Lord to show me the truth, and both times He’s pointed me to the KJV NT based on the Textus Receptus.
The indwelling Holy Spirit always leads believers to the Truth. Jn. 16:13.
Therefore, we’ve learned to “take with a pinch of salt” the NIV’s precipitate footnotes by CBT academics and theologians claiming passages such as Mark 16:9-20, John 7:53-8:11, and various other relegated or deleted verses “are not authentic”.
The CBT are plainly flat wrong about that.
One Redeeming Feature of the 1984 NIV
Nevertheless, because the 1984 NIV adhered to the same basic Christian doctrines as the Textus Receptus and KJV, and because of its modern phrasing, I have sometimes used the 1984 NIV for evangelism in English.
<< Blood-bought, Tried and Tested: Treat yourself to a King James Bible and discover why it has endured and overcome all pretenders
We hold the KJV as our standard in; doctrine, study, translation, ministry, and teaching. In the past we appreciated the lucidity of the 1984 NIV for getting the simple message over to people. That is why we have occasionally used the NIV 1984. But will not in future in case it leads people to use the appalling 2011 NIV.
We will definitely not be using the NIV 2011 at all.
Let’s have a closer look to find out:
What’s Wrong With the new NIV 2011?
© 11 Colin Melbourne