Bible-Believers Win on NIV ... but Must Stay Alert

by    T. C. Pinckney                                                                                                                                   Vol. X, No. 6, June/July 1997

The evangelical magazine World, based in Asheville, NC, in its issues of 29 March, 19 April, and 3 May reported on decisions which had been made to produce a “gender-neutral” NIV Bible for the US market by 2001. The reports sparked theology-related objections among a number of U.S. evangelicals to changes in various passages where the words "he," "man," "brothers" and "mankind" typically are replaced by "people," "person," "brother and sister" and "humankind."

To understand references in the following article, here is a description of the NIV cast of characters. The IBS (International Bible Society) holds the NIV's copyright; Zondervan publishes the NIV in the US; and the CBT (Committee on Biblical Translation) is a 15-member group of scholars with authority over the NIV translation and the revision of the text into gender-neutral language.

The (Southern Baptist) Sunday School Board uses the current NIV text in many of its Sunday school and discipleship resources and in various Bible texts and commentaries. First published in 1978 and revised in 1983, the current NIV holds a 45 percent share of all Bibles sold in the United States.

Concerns and questions of Baptist Sunday School Board officials and Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, were aired 19 May to representatives of the IBS, Zondervan, and CBT.

On 27 May the IBS issued a surprise statement which resulted from May 22 and 24 meetings of its six-member executive committee and a May 26 teleconference of its 20-member board of directors. The board adopted a four-point resolution:

"1. The International Bible Society (IBS) has abandoned all plans for gender-related changes in future editions of the New International Version (NIV).

"2. The present (1984) NIV text will continue to be published. There are no plans for a further revised edition.

"3. IBS will begin immediately to revise the New International Readers Version (NIrV) in a way that reflects the treatment of gender in the NIV. IBS is directing the licensees who publish the current NIrV to publish only the revised NIrV edition as soon as it is ready. [The New International Readers Version is translated at a 4^th grade level and already includes much gender-neutral language.]

"4. IBS will enter into negotiations with the publisher of the NIV in the U.K. on the matter of ceasing publication of its 'inclusive language edition' of the NIV. "

Jimmy Draper, president of the BSSB, said the four-point IBS action "addresses the concerns shared with them in the May 19 meeting here at the Sunday School Board. This decision reflects their responsiveness to those who have been most supportive of this translation. I am particularly grateful for these actions in light of our long and positive relationship with IBS." [My translation of Draper’s statement: “If IBS and Zondervan had not come to this decision, we would have stopped using the NIV and they would lose millions of dollars.” TCP]

The IBS statement noted: "The four-point IBS policy statement effectively eliminates incorporation of gender-related language revisions in any NIV Bible licensed by IBS to Zondervan Publishing House (ZPH), North American publisher of NIV, and Hodder & Stoughton, publisher of the NIV in the U.K." The IBS statement also said the IBS action "includes IBS entering into negotiations with the U.K. publisher of the NIV regarding cessation of its inclusive-language edition of the NIV, of which 5,000 copies are currently in print." The statement quoted IBS board chairman Oliver, however, as saying, "Because our relationship with independent publishers in the U.S. and in other countries is contractual, we can request, but not dictate, that they respect our sense of responsibility as caretakers of this rich translation."

IBS President Dunberg noted in the 27 May statement: "We deeply care about the concerns of church leaders, scholars and Christian readers who favor gender-related language changes. However, this decision comes from our internal conviction that to move ahead would cause division within the body of Christ and therefore compromise our mission to serve the Church in the U.S. and abroad."

As late as 14 May in a joint statement, IBS and Zondervan said they were planning to “continue to move forward with plans for the possible publication of an updated edition of the present NIV,” while also remaining “unequivocally committed to continue to publish” the current NIV text.

Bill Merrell, vice president for convention relations for the SBC Executive Committee, observed, “The spirit of the age can be quite alluring, but the transcendent truth of Scripture must never be held hostage to passing fashions.”

We can be thankful that IBS, CBT, and Zondervan have responded as they have. But we should not be naive. Clearly the primary consideration for them was financial. It behooves Christians to remain as innocent as doves but also as wise as serpents.