NIV2011 – What’s the big deal?

Posted on July 22, 2011 by RWollard

When I was a kid, my first Bible wasith the King James Version (KJV), and thouest wouldest thinkith it would have done more damage to my ability to read and write!  On top of that stumbling block, I grew up with idea that the Latin Mass was the “Closest thing to Heaven on Earth,” and for some reason thought the Bible had been translated from Latin. Go figure.

After I became a Christian and understood my need for a relationship with Jesus Christ, I set out to buy a new Bible that I could understand and study.  Imagine my shock when on my quest at the age of 33, I found out the Bible was originally written in Hebrew and Greek!  I later ended up at Trinity Seminary working on my MDiv, and like a kid in a candy store, I could not get enough learning about church history, ministry and language study.  I fell in love with the Bible and the Biblical text, and to this day, have a high regard for the authority of scripture.

I understand there are different translations used for different purposes, and this is a good thing, but the recent changes to the New International Version (NIV) are alarming to me. From my perspective, the NIV 2011 translation is not concerned about staying true to the text, but instead translated based on a bias regarding gender issues. I believe this new translation exacerbates the cultural chaos of role and gender confusion between the sexes, and even more disturbing is the decision to discontinue publishing the 1984 standard and force the purchase of the new 2011 version.

The Council on Biblical Manhood & Womanhood has published an outstanding article on the gender language concerns [click here], which are significant, but based on my findings, I will no longer recommend the NIV. I’ve been working with the English Standard Version (ESV) these past few weeks and have enjoyed that translation as an alternative for reading, and enjoy the New American Standard Bible (NASB) for my study.

It will be interesting to see how things develop moving forward, and if Zondervan & Biblica will abandon the NIV2011 like they did the TNIV, but in the mean time, guard the truth!

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T-Minus 11,300 days and counting

Posted on June 8, 2011 by RWollard

So it was my birthday last week, and I am still in my 40’s! I will cling to that until the day after the last day, but I am also a realist and am comfortable with aging. In Psalm 90:12, Moses prays that the Lord would teach us to number our days, a discipline I picked up the first time I read that passage 15 years ago. Psalm 90:10 says we get 70 or 80 years, so I chose 80, Lord willing.

I actually number my days. I have a little program that runs every day, and calculates all the numbers for me. I don’t look at it all the time, but I did update it after my birthday. It catches my attention every time I get to an even hundred number, because I will only get to see that happen maybe 100 more times in my lifetime. Yesterday, I hit 11,300 days left to live if I live to be 80. Not that big of a deal because something could happen today, but this is not the point. So what is the point? Here are a few I came up with:

  • I am to live each day in light of who I am in Christ.
  • This life is temporary, and I am to live each day in light of eternity.
  • I have a fixed number of days to live, and I need to use them wisely.
  • My days are not my own, I am only a steward of what God gives me.

The list could go on and on, but those are my big four. Each one of those could be broken down further, but I will save those for a future sermon series!

I found a note I had made earlier, when I had first started this little practice, and at the time, only 46% of my life had passed and I had 15,678 days to live.  Today, 61% of my life has passed and I only have 11,300 days left to live. Wow, where has the time gone!!

I don’t know exactly how much time I have left, only God does. I cannot do anything to affect the length of my life, but I can affect the quality and impact my life will have, and so can you!

Lord, like Moses, I pray that you will teach us to number our days, so that we can present to you a heart of wisdom!

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