Related articles and links |  1 of 4

Responding to hundreds of complaints about proposed gender-related revisions to the New International Version, the International Bible Society (IBS) has canceled plans for all revisions—including those based on new archaeological findings and current biblical scholarship. "It is clear that the evangelical church said: Don't mess with our NIV. IBS has said: We hear you," says Steve Johnson, director of communication for IBS, which is based in Colorado Springs and holds the NIV copyright.

Meanwhile, IBS and Zondervan Publishing House in Grand Rapids, Michigan (which has exclusive publishing rights to the NIV), have asked the Evangelical Press Association (EPA) to investigate World magazine's reports on the now-scuttled revision.

The Asheville, North Carolina-based World, circulation 75,000, began a series of articles about an inclusive edition of the NIV with a March 29 cover story by assistant editor Susan Olasky, which called the proposed NIV "The Stealth Bible." World's inside headline referred to the possible NIV revision as a "Femme Fatale" and a "feminist seduction of the evangelical church."

Referring to the publication of an "inclusive version" of the NIV published exclusively for the British market by Hodder & Stoughton (now Hodder Headline), World alleged that the NIV was "quietly going gender neutral," which would "cloud the uniqueness of men and women."

Officials at both IBS and Zondervan say that World's reporting—especially the NIV cover story—may violate the first standard of EPA's code of ethics. That standard says Christian publications should be "characterized by sincerity, truthfulness, accuracy and an avoidance of distortion and sensationalism. … In dealing with controversial matters, opposing views, when presented, should be treated honestly and fairly."

IBS and Zondervan officials believe the cover story did not describe the inclusive NIV accurately or fairly. They object to descriptions of the proposed NIV as "gender-neutral," "unisex," and "part of a trend toward egalitarianism," which World defined as "the denial of any distinctions between men and women."

IBS and Zondervan protest that Susan Olasky did not seek comment from IBS or Zondervan when preparing her initial story.

World publisher Joel Belz responded that his magazine's initial story focused properly on the Committee on Bible Translation (CBT). The CBT is an independent body of 15 evangelical Bible scholars that carries out the work of revising and updating the NIV translation. "This story was not about publishing and marketing," Belz says. "It was about text."

Kenneth Barker, secretary of the CBT, objects to how Olasky quoted him. "I will never consent to another interview by Susan Olasky or anyone else connected to World magazine," Barker says. "They have simply done too much unwarranted damage to the NIV, the CBT, Zondervan, and IBS."

Olasky declined to speculate on what prompted Barker's regrets but says she appreciated CBT members' "openness, frankness, and obvious pride in what they're doing."

The Battle for the Bible, title of former ct Editor Harold Lindsell's book, became the rallying cry in 1976 for evangelicals concerned that their seminaries and colleges had abandoned the doctrine of biblical inerrancy. World editor Marvin Olasky—Susan's husband—uses the phrase in the debate about Bible translations and contemporary English usage. "The story is the battle for the Bible," he says. "We are not neutral when it comes to preserving God's Word."

next page... |  1 of 4

June 16 1997, Vol. 41, No. 7