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Bock noted that the TNIV does not always use inclusive language. He said Ephesians 6:4 traditionally has been translated using the word fathers. "But when it's plural like that in Greek, you have every linguistic right in the world to translate it as parents. They haven't done that."

John Kohlenberger III, author of the Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary, said this updated NIV reflects changes in scholarly opinion on certain texts.

The CBT is doing nothing "different than what has been done for 600 years of Bible translation; it's just more systematic," Kohlenberger said. "Every single passage that deals with male-female relationships in the church and in the home [is] translated exactly the way [it is] translated in the NIV."

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The TNIV Web site offers the full New Testament text (in Adobe Acrobat format), a questions and answers section, endorsements, and other promotional material. Zondervan is also providing free copies of the translation.

For more information on the release of the TNIV, see today's Associated Press article from religion writer Richard N. Ostling.

Christianity Today coverage of gender-inclusive Bible translation includes:

The Battle for the Inclusive BibleConflicts over "gender-neutral" versions are not really about translation issues. (Nov. 15, 1999)

Do Inclusive-Language Bibles Distort Scripture?He Said, They Said (October 27, 1997)

The Great Translation DebateThe divide over gender-inclusive Bibles hides what unites us. (Oct. 27, 1997)

Hands Off My NIV!Bible society cancels plans for 'gender-accurate' Bible after public outcry. (June 16, 1997)

Bible Translators Deny Gender AgendaFocus on the Family yanks children's Bible; NIV translator loses seminary job. (July 14, 19997)

World magazine's 1997 article, "The Stealth Bible" argued that CBT had been co-opted by liberals and feminists.

Zondervan will publish the TNIV New Testament in addition to its several NIV study Bibles.

The International Bible Society site has information on the IBS and the on the NIV Bible.

The Bible Learning Center has a helpful series on translating the Bible including "How is Bible Translation Done?" and "Why So Many English Translations?"

Previous Christianity Today articles on Bible translation include:

A Translation Fit For a KingIn the beginning, the King James Version was an attempt to thwart liberty. In the end, it promoted liberty. (Oct. 22, 2001)

The Reluctant RomansAt Douai in Flanders, Catholic scholars translated the Bible into English as an alternative to the Bible of "the heretics." (Oct. 22, 2001)

We Really Do Need Another Bible TranslationAs good as many modern versions are, they often do not allow us to hear what the Holy Spirit actually said. (Oct. 19, 2001)

Old Wisdom for New TimesThe International Bible Society is doing "spiritual archaeology" and retro-publishing to reach seekers. (April 23, 2001)

And the Word Came with PicturesVisual Bible International (VBI), is producing a movie version of the Bible book for book, word for word. (March 1, 2001)

New Bible translations help to preserve world's disappearing languagesThe total number of languages in which the Bible is available in part or in its entirety now stands at 2,233. (Feb. 28, 2000)

What Bible Version Did Jesus Read?What does the knowledge that Jesus used different versions of Scripture mean for us today? (April 26, 1999)

On the Shoulders of King JamesBarclay M. Newman has kept before him a question posed by the translators of the 1611 King James Version: "What can be more [important] than to deliver God's book unto God's people in a tongue which they understand?" (Oct. 27, 1997)

Confessions of a Bible TranslatorAs a stylist on a new translation of the Bible, Daniel worries over the effectiveness of the language into which the text is translated. (Oct. 27, 1997)

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February 4 2002, Vol. 46, No. 2