Pink Cross Publishing is revising a gay Bible that will hit the shelves in a matter of weeks. Instead of portraying the common couples of the Bible: Adam and Eve, Mary and Joseph, and Samson and Delilah, there is now Adam and Steve, Mary and Josephine, and Samantha and Delilah. All of Jesus’ disciples will be gay except Judas, and Satan will be straight. Children’s workbooks are also being made to accompany this Bible ("Dead Serious News"). There are many people who are trying to rewrite the Bible for a variety of reasons. In the world, there are many translations of the Bible that are different from revised or rewritten Bibles. Translations attempt to keep the original idea while a revision takes the original idea and changes it into what a person wants it to say. Paraphrases and didactic or literal translations are more direct translations that intend to stay true to the original meaning. The Bible should not be rewritten.
Revision of Bibles appears to be a way that people are able to find satisfaction in religion. It seems to allow different viewpoints of the Bible to become apparent from all walks of life. The Gay Bible demonstrates this. However, this is wrong. Revision lets people say what they want to say instead of what it started out as. Rewriting scriptures is making it into a person’s image to how he or she likes it (qtd. in Vidimos). It cannot be looped with paraphrasing and didactic or literal translations because these focus on keeping the original thought. The Message Bible is a paraphrase that has helped many to understand Christ better. Its intent is to be compared side by side with the Bible and embellish it.
Rewriting the Bible undermines its original intended meaning. With each revision, the meaning that b...
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...s distorted by authors who are not qualified in writing it and the chance for a soul to be transformed by the Word of God is lost. There are many works out there that misrepresent the image of God and His word. People take it and mold it into what they want it to be, and what they need to hear. There must be an understanding of the importance of God’s word. In order to preserve the Bible for future generations, the Bible must stay intact in its original form, translated rather than rewritten.
Works Cited
"Gay revision of the Bible to go on sale." Dead Serious News. N.p., 21 Apr 2010. Web. 28 Sep. 2011.
Richer, Shawna. "Rewriting the Bible: U.S. Conservatives want less liberal bias, more hell." Globe and Mail. N.p., 10 Oct 2009. Web. 28 Sep. 2011.
Vidimos, Robin. "Rewriting the Bible: a heretic's handbook." Denver Post. N.p., 15 Feb 2004. Web. 28 Sep. 2011.
Carson, D. A. New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition. 4th ed. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994.
According to David M. Carr, the history of Scriptural interpretation indicates that religious texts are popular candidates for reinterpretation and, as such, are spaces wherein the personal identity of the reader frequently inscribes itself at length:
Murray, John. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. The Epistle to the Romans. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1968)
Coogan, Michael David., Marc Zvi. Brettler, Carol A. Newsom, and Pheme Perkins. The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Standard Version with the Apocrypha : An Ecumenical Study Bible. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2010. Print.
...yne A. The HarperCollins Study Bible New Revised Standard Edition . New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1993. 1645-1722. Print.
The King James Bible has been the focus of the moral compass of the world since its creation. Being that it was the English translated Bible, Christianity spread rapidly as more people began to know and study God about Jesus Christ. The language in the Bible holds better understanding in which why it became so well-known so fast. In study for the beginnings of the book, the revising of it turned people on to its stories like the Sermon on the Mount and Psalm 23. Translation of the King James Bible came directly from Tyndale’s writings of the New Testament written in 1524. The King James Bible is an adaptation of Tyndale’s writings.(1) Language in the King James Bible shows direct writings from Tyndale’s New Testament and poetic, literary wisdom,
A controversy of immense silliness has recently broken out among Evangelicals regarding the validity of modern, conservative translations of the Bible like the New American Standard, the New International, and the New King James. The controversy was ignited by a book written by Gail Riplinger entitled New Age Bible Versions.
King James I was crowned and went on a journey to create a new English translation” (“Roots Of The King James Bible”). “The ground rules for the Bible were set by 1604: such as no contentious notes in the margins; no language inaccessible to common people; a true and accurate text, driven by an unforgivingly exacting level of scholarship” (“The Bible of King James.(cover story)”). “When creating the King James Bible, the translators had fifteen rules which they had to follow” (“The Making of the King James Bible--New Testament”). “The first rule the scholars’ were to follow was that they had to follow along with the Bishops’ Bible” (“The Making of the King James Bible--New Testament”). The only thing about the scholars’ following along with the Bishops’ Bible was that there were so many different versions that no one knows which was used. “The first publication of the King James Bible was riddled with mistakes and received some negative criticism” (“The King James Bible: A Short History From Tyndale/ Shaping The Bible In The Reformation”). “The phrases were not always called majestic, but they were indeed frowned upon by many of an 18th century writer” (“The King James Bible At 401”). Even though the bible received many negative comments from people after the Bible was first made it has turned out to have a great impact on many writers and
Fox, Robin Lane. The Unauthorized Version: Truth and Fiction in the Bible. New York: Vintage, 1991.
This quote by Gene Nowlin in his book The Paraphrased Perversion of the Bible summarizes the composition of the Bible. Throughout life, Christians grasp tightly to these words of God in hopes to inherit the Kingdom of God one day. In order to do this, they must study the Bible closely and apply it to their lives daily. Without the proper Bible, this may become a difficult task to accomplish. Although the various translations of the Christian Bible are exceptionally similar in their message, some have quite a few differences and perversions that set them apart from one another. Many of them even leave out several potentially important verses in their revision. These variations contribute to the justification of one translation being more reliable and accurate than the other versions.
Wenham, G.J., Moyter, J.A., Carson, D.A. and France, R.T., eds. New Bible Commentary. Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1998.
The authors acknowledge that many books have been written on this topic. Their goal is to be unique by focusing on different types of literature (genres) so their readers will understand how to properly interpret them in the context they were written. This review will examine the principles the authors use to interpret the Bible. The review will summarize the book, followed by a critique, and a conclusion.
Henry, Matthew, and Leslie F. Church. Commentary on the Whole Bible: Genesis to Revelation. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Pub. House, 1961. Print.
Even though humans wrote the text, translating it and passing it down from generations to generations, God’s truth is unchanging. Debates of the inerrancy of the bible cannot usurp God as the King of grace. Instead of focusing on the inerrancy of the Bible, individuals who wish to seek a life of faith should focus on the inspiration God is showing them in his word. These revelations should move them into applicable, daily life changing implications from what they have learned. God shows revelations of himself through the Bible, and his character is revealed time and time again throughout scripture. Any faulty facts or discrepancies in grammar or data, should not take away from the value that scripture holds. When we read scripture we bring new meaning of interpretations of the truths God shows us, since new eras and environmental factors will be influential on how we process information. The bible is not just a fact book, telling humans stories of the past, but instead the bible is inspired instructions for how we can deal with spiritual and ethical encounters we
Carson, D, & Moo, D. (2005) An introduction to the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.