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Pastor's favorite version

Discussion in '2004 Archive' started by Jimmy C, May 7, 2004.

  1. Jimmy C

    Jimmy C New Member

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    Interesting artile in BP on the version of preference for pastors NIV and KJV top the list the article follows:

    Most pastors use the NIV, KJV Bibles, study suggests
    May 6, 2004
    By Michael Foust

    Familiarity of Bible versions


    NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--When pastors choose a Bible, what do they use?

    According to a new survey, it's either the New International Version or the King James Version.

    But among pastors in different denominations, there is little consensus. Southern Baptist pastors are split evenly between the NIV, KJV, New Kings James Version and the New American Standard Bible. Methodist pastors prefer the NIV and the New Revised Standard Version. A plurality of Lutheran ministers choose the NRSV. And close to half of Pentecostal pastors favor the King James Version.

    The study of 700 pastors was conducted by Ellison Research for Facts & Trends magazine, a publication of the LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. The data, involving 12 different Bible versions, will appear in the May/June issue.

    "The NIV, King James, New King James, New American Standard and New Revised Standard are clearly the versions of choice for most clergy, as well as the ones they would recommend to their congregations," Ron Sellers, president of Ellison Research, based in Phoenix, said in a news release.

    Most of the pastors -- 65 percent -- said they were not familiar with the recently released Holman Christian Standard Bible.

    Among the study's findings:

    -- Forty percent of ministers said they tend to select their favored Bible versions on the perceived accuracy of the text; its readability was second, at 16 percent; its language style, 14 percent; and its reputation, 13 percent.

    -- Thirty-one percent of all pastors use the New International Version, while 23 percent use the King James Version. Other versions used are the New Revised Standard Version (14 percent), New King James Version (13 percent) and the New American Standard Bible (10).

    -- Southern Baptist pastors are split evenly between the NIV (26 percent), NKJV (25 percent), KJV (23 percent) and NASB (22 percent).

    However, those same pastors put the NASB on top when asked how they would rate Bibles for use in their church. Forty-three percent rated the NASB "excellent," while 41 percent gave the New King James Version and 38 percent the NIV the same rating.

    -- Fifty-one percent of "non-Southern Baptist" Baptist pastors said they use the King James Version, 24 percent the NIV.

    -- Forty-five percent of Methodist ministers use the NIV, 38 percent the New Revised Standard Version. When asked to rank Bibles for use in their church, Methodist pastors gave an "excellent" rating to the NIV (61 percent), the NRSV (60 percent) and Today's New International Version (which is different from the NIV, 23 percent)

    -- Forty-eight percent of Lutheran pastors use the NRSV, 23 percent the NIV. Forty percent of Lutheran pastors gave an "excellent" rating to the NRSV, 25 percent gave that rating to the NIV.

    -- Forty-five percent of Pentecostal pastors use the King James Version, 23 percent the NIV and 15 percent the New King James Version. Pentecostal pastors gave an excellent rating to the King James Version (56 percent), the New King James Version (49 percent) and the NIV (36 percent).

    -- Among all pastors, 42 percent rated the New International Version excellent. Following the NIV, which led the list, were the NKJV (33 percent), NASB (32 percent), King James Version (31 percent) and New Revised Standard Version (23 percent).

    -- The Bible versions ministers rated as “poor” included the Living Bible (27 percent), Today’s New International Version (18 percent), New Living Translation (16 percent), The Message (15 percent) and the KJV (15 percent). The King James Version was the only version to be listed in both the “excellent” and “poor” lists.

    By geographic regions, Ellison reported that the KJV is the favorite of pastors in the southern United States. The NIV is strongest in the Midwest and western parts of the country; and the NRSV is strongest in the Northeast.

    Pastors of smaller churches and those 60 years of age and older, meanwhile, tend to prefer the KJV, the study said.
     
  2. robycop3

    robycop3 Well-Known Member
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    I believe we should each follow the Holy Spirit's calling in our personal choice of BV(s). I don't believe there's any "one-version-fits-all" edition.
     
  3. tinytim

    tinytim <img src =/tim2.jpg>

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    I agree with Roby.
    After all we are Baptist, and I have never seen two baptists get together that didn't have three opinions. lol
     
  4. Dr. Bob

    Dr. Bob Administrator
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    Southern Baptist pastors are split evenly between:
    NIV (26 percent)
    NKJV (25 percent)
    KJV (23 percent)
    NASB (22 percent)

    Actually that is far different than I thought it would be.
     
  5. Pastor KevinR

    Pastor KevinR New Member

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    Yeah, for SBC Pastors, I thought it would be:
    NASV 50%
    KJV 25%
    NKJV 20%
    NIV 5%
    Shows you what I know! :eek:
    I wonder about IFB's....what do you all think???
     
  6. Lacy Evans

    Lacy Evans New Member

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    I thought you had to be KJVO to join our club. :D

    Lacy
     
  7. Askjo

    Askjo New Member

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    I thought you had to be KJVO to join our club. :D

    Lacy
    </font>[/QUOTE][​IMG] [​IMG]
     
  8. Dr. Bob

    Dr. Bob Administrator
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    Historic ifb'ers have seen some of the members "hijacked" by the KJVO sect. But that is certainly not the majority.

    But thinking "club" and "KJVO" seem to go together! :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
     
  9. Phillip

    Phillip <b>Moderator</b>

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    What did you think it would be Dr. Bob? Just curious. This is pretty much what I would have expected, but I'm an SBC right in the middle of the Bible belt, so from the churches I've been around this looks about what I would have thought.
     
  10. Pastor KevinR

    Pastor KevinR New Member

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    Yeah, for SBC Pastors, I thought it would be:
    NASV 50%
    KJV 25%
    NKJV 20%
    NIV 5%
    Shows you what I know! :eek:
    I wonder about IFB's....what do you all think???
    </font>[/QUOTE]To answer my own question, according to my own personal experience;
    KJVO 40%
    KJVp 50%
    NKJV 5% (me!)
    NASV 4%
    NIV 1%
    Hey, I may be waaaaay off, this is just my own experience. :D
     
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