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God's Word for today
Not since the forum on women in ministry in 1996 has a ct article generated so much mail. The June 16 News story "Hands Off My NIV!" produced an outcry from readers on both sides of this issue, with the mail almost evenly divided between those who regret the decision by Zondervan and the International Bible Society not to publish a new "gender-accurate" edition of the New International Version Bible, and those who are relieved and vehemently insist that updated versions must never use "inclusive" nouns and pronouns in referring to the human race. Feelings run deep, as shown by the sampling of letters in this issue.

World's "directed reporting"
* In the June 16 news report on Zondervan's ethics complaint againstWorld magazine ("Hands Off My NIV!"), it wasreported that I had previously registered a complaint with the EvangelicalPress Association. You stated, correctly, that I remain unsatisfied and donot consider the matter resolved.

The major problem with World is a practice Olasky calls "directedreporting." According to the editor of World, it is hisresponsibility to send his reporters out with a clear "direction" on theslant that will be given to the story. The slants were clear in both thearticle that reported on the conference I was involved in and theNIV issue.

Ostensibly, the slant is predetermined to be the authentic Christian world-view.In reality, however, the slant is more likely to be southern, conservativePresbyterian evangelicalism. This means, then, that if individuals,organizations, conferences, publications, and so forth do not supportlaissez-faire economics, libertarian politics, and right-wing evangelicalconservatism, World's reporters are "directed" to write negative accounts.

Sadly, World's confusing of right-wing politics with authenticChristianity perpetuates the view of many unbelievers that evangelicals aremerely conservative Republicans with religious trappings. It's too bad thatFrancis Schaeffer is no longer here to give them the scolding they need.World needs to get off the political/economic low road and back onto thehigh road that values biblical truth and Christian ethics over sensationalismand conservatism.

Dean Ohlman
Jenison, Mich.

I am dismayed by the outrage over the "gender accurate" edition of theNIV. I would have opposed this change as an evangelical seminarystudent. But after ten years of preaching in the real world to congregations,half of whom are female, I welcome and encourage the change.

Please, International Bible Society, please go ahead and publish the "InclusiveLanguage Edition" in the United States. Do what is right, even if it affectsyour financial bottom line.

Pastor Mike Tatman
Westchester United Methodist Church
Portland, Ind.

One problem is reflected in the article's title: MyNIV, per se, is not the issue; it's our Word, givenby almighty God. The CBT's Barker affirmed "the Bible as theauthoritative, infallible, inspired, and completely truthful Word of God."Why then try to "improve" on it? Translation is one thing, but "timelyinterpretative" translation is wholly different. It implies tergiversationby God. But by nature and character, he's not evasive, ambiguous, doesn'tequivocate, or is different at different times for improvement. Wecan bank our very lives on his saying exactly what he wants, intends, andmeans to say when first he says it! The issue is "Don't mess with our InstructionBook." Thank God its authoritative infallibility is beyond political correctnessand the vagaries of worldly cultural agendas arriving to have the very wordschanged, not only to tell God what he meant to say, but moreover, what heshould have said to bring him up to "the nineties."

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August 11 1997, Vol. 41, No. 9