Who or What Is Responsible...

1. The proliferation of discovered manuscripts combined with the rise in demand for up-to-date language--that's just a guess, though. Economics, IMO, play a great role. The HCSB, I believe, emerged because of LifeWay's desire to avoid paying royalties for using the NIV. I could be wrong about this, though.

2. In some respects, yes, but having different translations can guard against misinterpretation. It would be much easier at times if every member would just believe the pastor's word, but (as with the Catholic church) it is not necessarily a good thing.

 

While I do think that some versions came about for money, I think most of them came out of a zeal for God. However, this type of work does cost money, and unless the individual or group is independently wealthy or receives a grant, they have to make a living, and it's expensive.

 

You can't "blame" anyone. Of course there is a desire to make money on the part of some. There is no doubt that there are plenty of solid, modern English translations to satisfy any desire nad that some translations are just an attempt to case in.

However, those who hold to the "oldest is best" theory would feel compelled to give us a Bible that reflects the critical text body feeling that they are doing a service the body of Christ.

As far as I know the only major new version based on the the traditional textual body is the NKJV which, as far as I can tell, was primarily an attempt to give us, well, a new version of the old King James.

 

It's because instead of looking out on the fields which are white to harvest, many American Christians keep looking inside the farmhouse, looking for better and better tools to teach each other. Obeying the Great Commission, looking on the fields, and realizing that there are still 1000's of languages with not even the NT would take care of that.

I was delighted to see a comment on the Bible translation forum I am on concerning a back translation one of the scholars worked on in conjunction with a tribal translation. Wonderful! Would that more of our scholars did that instead of producing more new English Bibles. :type:

 

It's because instead of looking out on the fields which are white to harvest, many American Christians keep looking inside the farmhouse, looking for better and better tools to teach each other. Obeying the Great Commission, looking on the fields, and realizing that there are still 1000's of languages with not even the NT would take care of that.

I was delighted to see a comment on the Bible translation forum I am on concerning a back translation one of the scholars worked on in conjunction with a tribal translation. Wonderful! Would that more of our scholars did that instead of producing more new English Bibles. :type:

 

I knew this post was coming

Great post John

 

Well, our Association solved that problem for us.

ARTICLE 2. We believe the scripture of the Old and New Testaments of the Authorized King James Version of the Bible are the written words of God and are the only rules of faith and practice.

 

Well, I'm sorry, Brother Bob, but that doesn't quite solve the problem for the rest of the world. We don't have a Japanese KJV! It was translated into English and no one here spoke English in 1611! Few enough speak it well here now.

The Motoyaku, "Original Translation," was translated mainly from the KJV into Japanese, but it hasn't been in print for over 80 years. And if we followed it we'd have to use sake ("rice wine") for the Lord's Supper!

 

I've got a sneaking suspicion that Stefan is right about the Holman. I was more than a bit irritated when it came out after all the push LifeWay made to get every one to move to the NIV (when was that exactly???). I don't remember the year, but I remember the push. Those of us writing for LifeWay then even got sweet little parallel KJV/NIV Bibles. They have not been nearly as successful getting people to change over this time, but there are many more to chose from now also.

I've bought a few of the late comers for comparison's sake in my writing, but I'm sticking with my NASB for personal study.

 

John, I have to agree with you and I knew Roger would agree too.

But are we missing the field at home? Before WWII there we about 40 to 50 % of the people went to church, now if my reading is correct it is less than 10% and some one came out over there and said in 50 years ( I think) it would be less than 1%. Keep in mind if what I read is true England has had 10 of the biggest years they have ever had of being evangelize and still going down in numbers. In this country we are down to about 45 % and the kids are saying according to some poll ( of ones in collage) I've read that they don't plan to keep up going to church, to many other things to do. Are we 50 years behind GB?

I see so many of our churches are just trying to proselytize and many churches are filled with proselyte from other churches. So many of the folks that I witness to don't even know what being saved means or any of our Christian sayings. Where in the 40's and 50's even the lost knew what we were talking about for the most part. Lets take Chattanooga where I think you said you went to school, go down to the truck stop at Ringgold and talk to the truck drivers, you will see what I'm saying. To name a few other place near where you went to school try Soddy Daisy or Jasper, in the last year I have tried to share the Gospel with folks in both of those small towns, and I'm sure I had to learn what you had to learn where you are, these folks didn't know what I was talking about, their culture did not understand the Christian culture. All I can say is woe is me!

 

I know those areas well, Lived in Chattanooga for about 7 years . You have a valid point, but I don't think we are going to solve it by a 100 new translations. In fact, I think you validate John's point. What if the same amount of effort spent on doing new translation was spent on simply spreading the gospel, whether it be in Soddy Daisy or Dublin?

 

John, and Roger.... One day, you may see the day that your church will be sending missionaries to America to help us!

Good posts fellers!!

 

This seems as if your church is giving authority to your local association... wouldn't this do away with church autonomy?

We had a similar problem a few yrs ago, in which our association wanted to make this a rule, but because of church autonomy, the local association has no power to enforce this...

Besides unless you all believe in advanced revelation the statement is a false one... God did not write in English... He wrote in Japanese... er... I mean Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek....

Not being contankerous.. just trying to keep you on your toes!!!



Gotta love me!:love2:

I guess this is why I wouldn't be a good Old regular Baptist!!!

 

Roger, we are in agreement, but my point is, it isn't money here, it is we Christians getting the Gospel out to folks around us, to the lost. But what are we doing here in our churches or so many of them, we are trying to get more proselyte than get the gospel out to the lost and have churches filled with converts but so many would rather proselytize.

As long as we have Bible Collages and seminary, we will have professors and PHD's who will want to get their knowledge out to the rest of us and we will have many new Bibles.

My point was if I can go into towns that don't have many folks and I preached in 40 years ago and there were many Christians and I could go out in the towns and even the lost knew something about Christ, salvation and so on and to day they want to know who Christ is, was he a real person, was he a nut and so on. We aren't doing our job at home, woe is me. I believe you are in Ireland, one of the men used by God in Ireland a 100 years or so ago was C. H. Mackintosh and many came to know Christ as their Saviour at that time. Ask how many today know of him. Are we in the good old USA going the same way?

I still use the KJV, love the ASV 1901 and have the NASB along with the NKJV, but about 90% of the time I use the KJV and about 9 3/4% the ASV 1901. Yes, money could be better spend, I've been telling my wife that for years and come to think of it she has been telling me the same thing.

 

Plenty of undeserved guilt in that statement, John.
My field is where God places me.
No matter how much I want/wanted to minister overseas, God has placed me here.
Personally in spite of a desire to serve, I'd be an ugly American abroad.
My skills are just not in that area.

And there are only a small number of scholars with the ability and desire to spend years studying the intricacies of Greek and/or Hebrew then spend 3+ years gaining support, then spend more time mastering a foreign language (or two).

My former congregation had a policy of only supporting those directly involved in church planting.
That’s too bad for those interested in translational work (or for those like me interested in serving in a medical area).
Add to this the problems obtaining permanent visas for a lifetime of work.
I would hazard to guess that for the overwhelming vast majority of Christians (even those equipped for the task), God has closed this door.

So who or what is responsible for so many versions?
Who is responsible? Those that devote time to studying the word of God.
What is responsible? A swell in scholarship perhaps brought about because marketing has provided another avenues of funding.

Rob

 

I don't think JoJ was saying that... but since it is night time in Japan now, we will have to wait until he wakes, to see..

I think what he is saying is we have enough English Versions...
how about taking some resources and using them to reach the people that have no Bible...

If I am wrong John, you can slap me with a wet noodle...

 

Prolly right.

...but scholarship goes where funding supplies.
I've never gone to a church that supported a scholar; Universities support them.

Rob

 

Hogwash. You'd hold true to the word of God and use rice juice.