Whats Going on with Bible Translations?
What is the fuss about? The Bible is God’s own Word to us. We depend on it for instructing us about the crucial issue of salvation: “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30). We depend on it to guide us in the right way to live: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Ps. 119:105). We depend on it for revealing Jesus Christ to us: “these things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). So it is surpassingly important that the Bible be translated accurately. A. A controversy over gender terms But now evangelicals are arguing about how to translate the Bible. How should we translate gender-related terms in the Bible? Some recent translations have switched to “inclusive language,” replacing “father” with “parent” and “he” with “they.” For example, Proverbs 28:7 says, “He who keeps the law is a wise son, but a companion of gluttons shames his father” (Revised Standard Version
