Tag Archives: Bible

The Newest International Version

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Print editions of the 2011 NIV will not be available until March of 2011, but you can find the text online now.  On November 1st, Bible Gateway (in my sidebar to the right) and the Biblica website (the new name for International Bible Society) switched to the new NIV 2011 text.  If NIV was your default version on Bible Gateway, it automatically updated your search results to return new NIV verses.  When released in print next spring, the name of the new version will simply be NIV, as opposed to NIV 2011 or some other indicative title.

According to the Biblica website, 95% of the biblical text remains identical to the 1984 version currently in use.  The 5% of verses that are rendered in a new way are not spread out equally, however.  Some Old Testament books are left virtually untouched, but Galatians is over 32% new and improved.  Well, perhaps “improved” is subject to interpretation.  You will have to read, compare, and draw your own conclusions.

The NIV is not my favorite translation, but you could certainly do worse.  I would rather a person read ANY Bible than not read the Bible at all.  I grew up reading KJV and have read the NRSV, which is very similar, in its entirety.  I had planned to make the NIV the next Bible I read through when I was introduced to the ESV.  My preference for the ESV should be clear.  My philosophy on Bible translations is to never rely solely on any one translation.  When I really want to understand a passage, I research the Greek (or Hebrew) words involved, read a few commentaries, and consider multiple translations.  I have studied enough history of the Bible, and am just bi-lingual enough, to know that translation is subject to interpretation.

If the NIV is your favorite, then you have probably known since late summer 2009 that a new one was coming.  Do some online browsing and see what you think.  For everyone else, the new NIV is what people are going to be talking about for the next few months, especially after March.  Before you talk about it, be sure to know something about what you’re talking about.

Would Jesus Burn a Koran?

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Terry Jones, pastor of Dove World Outreach Centre in Gainesville, FL, has declared 9/11 “Burn a Koran Day.”  Publicizing the event has earned Jones multiple death threats, and many have threatened to burn down his church as well.  Jones is also the author of “Islam is of the Devil,” and his church has a large sign out front that reads the same.  You can read more on the event here.  Many Christian groups have tried to convince the church to cancel the event, still scheduled to take place next month. Continue reading →

Separation of Church, State and Twitter

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Read the full story here (CNN).  The issue is over Rep John Shimkus (R- IL) posting Bible verses daily on his Twitter account.  Political activist Barry Lynn claims that Shimkus tweeting Bible verses is a violation of separation of church and state.  My argument is that the only people reading the verses are the 3,000 or so followers who subscribe to receive the tweets.  There is no violation here.  Hundreds of comments took the same or similar positions, including those of atheists, agnostics, and those simply identifying themselves as non-Christian.

The establishment clause states that Congress shall make no law establishing a religion.  Sending personal tweets is not a legislative procedure.  Shimkus is also granted the first amendment right to express himself and exercise his religious beliefs freely.  Again, he is not quoting the Bible on the floor of Congress but in tweets read by his followers.  Does anyone care to weigh in, or is this matter too cut and dried to debate?

The Bible is About Jesus

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The Bible is about Jesus.  I’m certain I have said this before, but after looking high and low for a post with that title I cannot find one.  So let me go on record making this statement: the Bible is about Jesus.

I did find a post titled Old Testament God is the God of the New Testament.  To some, there is almost two different Gods in the Bible.  In the Old Testament, God is angry, vengeful and scary.  He is more like Zeus or Thor than the mild-mannered, pacifist Jesus found in the New Testament.  Let me suggest that 1) like the Pharisees, you are not reading the Old Testament correctly.  While he is a God of judgement in the Old Testament, he is also patient and longsuffering toward the nation of Israel.  2) Jesus is not just presented in the Gospels as patient, kind and loving towards all.  He also raises his voice and drives the money changes out of the temple – with a whip in John’s Gospel!  Jesus is present as judge at the end of Revelation.  There is one God.  Perhaps a re-read of the text is necessary. Continue reading →

Gideon Sunday

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Today was Gideon Sunday, at least where we live.  It may not be the same in every county or state, but once a year the Gideon’s spread out and each take a church to visit and share with.  For those that may not know, the Gideons is an organization that does nothing but print and distribute Bibles.  If you have ever been in a hospital or hotel room, there was probably a Gideon Bible there.  That’s only a part of what they do. Continue reading →

Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, and the Kingdom of God

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Lincoln, King and the Kingdom: what’s the relationship?  I’ve always wondered who in the government decided to put Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) together.  Although my students will tell you that sometimes I get a little preachy when I teach history, I’ve always tried to not lecture history from the pulpit.  This time, I’m going to ask that you indulge me just a little bit.

It’s always around this time of year that my American History class studies the Civil War.  It just so happens that right in the middle of that, my wife and I visited D.C. over the Christmas break.  I stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and looked across the reflection pool toward the Washington Monument.  The words of the Gettysburg Address are carved into Lincoln’s memorial in 12″ letters.  It’s hard not to come back and say something about it. Continue reading →

The Discovery of the Short Post

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timeI was warned when I started blogging about writing posts that were too long.  Shorter posts stand a better chance of being read.  Well, I’ve recently been trying to get our youth involved in some online discussion on their Facebook page.  I tossed out what I hope will be conversation starters, and realize that I don’t have to say everything I know in order for a post to be good.  Here’s an example, titled Jesus Read the Bible and Prayed:

 

There are sometimes tough choices to make when deciding how a Christian should act or what one should do in certain circumstances. What’s easy to understand is that we should be imitating the things that Christ did.

We know from the New Testament that Jesus was frequently found in the temple and synagogue reading the Hebrew scrolls. He is the Word of God, and he also read the Word of God. Jesus also spent serious time in prayer. Not just reciting the Lord’s Prayer, but we might say Jesus was hardcore in his prayer time. He often got up well before sunrise to pray, and on occasion prayed all night ’till sunrise. In Gethsemane, he prayed until Luke says his sweat was like great drops of blood.

Sometimes we get the mistaken notion that the closer we get to God, the less we need to pray. The opposite seems to be true; you can’t get closer than Jesus.

In Order to Understand Scripture

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reading-bibleThere is a lot of criticism of the Bible in our culture today, and of those who believe in it.  Some of those criticisms may be valid, although many are certainly not.  There are Christians who have trouble responding to these critics, partly because even those believers do not understand what they are dealing with.  And of course a novice student of the Bible, even with the best of intentions, may have difficulty understanding the Bible due the nature of it’s age and form.  In order to understand scripture, there are some things that one must realize first.

1) The Bible will not answer all our questions.  When we look at the Constitution, it is important to try and understand the framers’ intent.  The same holds for the Bible.  No Biblical author was attempting to provide an exhaustive list of every answer to every possible question that would arise. Continue reading →

Re-Introducing Jesus

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This is everything some have us have been saying about “other” Jesus for years (Hippie Jesus, Cool Jesus, BFF Jesus, Discount Jesus) we just haven’t been throwing down lyrics.

Thanks to The Joy of Grace  for posting this (so I could post it also).  I figure the more people see it the better.

p.s.  The full screen button works!

Can A Person Get Saved Reading the Old Testament?

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reading-bibleI certainly teach that the whole Bible is about Jesus.  The Bible, on the whole, is the story of how a holy God relates to a sinful and fallen people.  Jesus is at the center of that story.  You’ve heard all this before.

The question I heard raised this morning is “Can a person get saved only reading the Old Testament?”  II Timothy 3 tells us that all scripture is given by the inspiration of God.  Obviously the New Testament is God-given, and we need to read and study it.  If the Old Testament was sufficient, why would God give us another?  But still, if the gospel is all over the Bible, is there enough there to lead a person to Christ?  And I say, yes it is possible.  Continue reading →