All In The Translation


"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." — John 3:16 (NIV)

"For God expressed His love for the world in this way: He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not face everlasting destruction, but will have everlasting life." — John 3:16 (The Voice)

So, just one day through Catalyst West Coast, something became abundantly clear — this next generation is losing its grip on the Bible. I don't mean they're forsaking the Word of God, but rather the classic translations.

It used to be that using the NIV (New International Version) of the Bible meant you were "progressive." That, of course, is not a word you want to hear put on you if you're a conservative Christian. Then you come to a place like Catalyst West Coast, and it turns out that if you use the NIV, you're just old.

I was blown away by the varied, common-language, watered down versions of the Bible that were used. The most exclusive version quoted is The Voice, which I personally think makes The Message look conservative. On its website The Voice is described as "A new Bible translation that reads like a story with all of the truth and wisdom of God's word."

Maybe it's just me, but I don't think we need to water down the Scriptures. I think we need to study them in a translation as accurately as possible, work to understand, and pull out meaning to apply to our lives. The biggest crime of translations like The Voice isn't the language used but the way it perceives an intent and forces that upon the reader as well.

If you want a story, read the Old Testament, don't let a version of the Bible read the story to you.

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