Currently many churches use Hodder editions of the 1984 New International Version (NIV) of the Bible. Hodder produced another edition of this in 2009, which, we understand, was intended to run for many years.
In March 2002, Today’s NIV (TNIV) was published. This used a lot of inclusive language and ran into much criticism for blurring gender differences which are part of the original text. A new version of the NIV is due out this summer, and as this is issued we understand that both the old NIV and the TNIV will be withdrawn.
Necessary change?
Biblica, who hold the rights to the text of the NIV, has said the publication of the new NIV is necessary firstly in terms of the changes in use of English words (who uses the word ‘overweening’ any more? See Isaiah 16.6, NIV 1984. So the word is changed to ‘great’). Secondly, they say, change is required because of progress in scholarship (e.g. the word ‘inn’ in Luke 2.7 is now believed to be better understood as a ‘guest room’). The new NIV has changed in some areas in which the TNIV drew criticism. In many passages ‘man’ and ‘mankind’ replace gender-neutral equivalents.
The re-emergence of heavy shepherds
What would you think if you received a letter from your church leaders that read like this? ‘Are church members …