J. Crane

I recently went into a large bookstore, which I will not name, to find an Old Testament commentary to use with a course I’m taking. Logically, I started my search in the “Christian” section. As I scanned the shelves of bibles, I was astonished (and agitated) by the number and types of Christian bibles on the shelves. For some reason, a bowl of cereal came to mind.

There were so many bibles, many with unique titles. I’m not talking about national translations like KJV, NKJV, NIV and so on. These were bibles that seemed tailored to specific groups, and it was the words in the titles that irked me. I saw The Basic Bible, which in my mind means dumbed down by substituting easier synonyms for “advanced” words…I guess. There were women’s bibles and men’s bibles, and even The Everyday Man’s Bible, but as opposed to what? The Weekend Man’s Bible? I was baffled (and more agitated) by why and how one could produce a gender-specific bible without changing Inspired Scripture. What’s the point?  I don’t recall Jesus saying that only men should follow him. I cannot think of a single example in the Bible when Jesus asked a woman not to concern herself with learning, teaching or ministering to others. This does not surprise me in that He never said women are “partially” made in the image of God. I do not recall His ever dividing his audience by gender either. The Logos, the Word, Jesus Christ simply spoke.

Scanning through the titles once again, my eyes focused on My Creative Bible, and I admit that I actually got a little excited. I mean, I love projects, particularly crafts! Would I find some insert on how Early Christians made baskets or ovens? I have clay in my yard. I’m not afraid to get dirty, not if the end product of slugging through the mud is an ancient oven.  As my adrenalin slowed, however, logic told me that I would find no craft instructions in this book. So why add the word “creative?” Did the editor think other translations are “uncreative?” Further, what information did he add or remove to make this “creative” version?  What makes him smarter than the Holy Spirit? Was he inferring that the Holy Spirit is boring?

There are motives behind changes. If a book is edited, it’s because someone felt it needed to be changed. I’m not referring to language translations needed so a populace can read Scripture in its own language. I’m talking about changes made to target a specific demographic or those made to support politically correct behaviors, even those that in no way square with the Lord’s Words. I may be wrong, but I doubt a KJV “Holy Scripture” is going to be anything like My Creative Bible. Anyway, as I noted, logic told me that it wouldn’t be discussing crafts, so I moved on without examining it.

Returning to my title scanning, guess what I found. Go ahead, guess! Ok, I’ll tell you. Are you ready? I came across The Passion Translation that stated I could “Encounter the heart of God.” Yes, I watched The Passion of Christ on TV, but that is not where my mind went when I saw the word “passion” in the title. What a sinner I am? I wondered if this was some type of xxx version created by the devil and if I might sin just by touching it.  (Yes, I am weird. I acknowledge it, so you don’t have to wonder if I am.) Then I remembered something that my mama used to say to my older siblings, “Get your mind out of the gutter, and your soul will follow.” Yep, I took heed.  I just moved away from that book really quick. Thank you, mama. Memory Eternal!

The point I’m trying to make is that Holy Scripture does not change to accommodate culture. The Evil One would like you to dance around that Kumbaya flagpole, pretending that everybody needs their own version of Scripture so that their feelings are not hurt and/or to legitimize their sin; but seriously, Scripture does not bend to culture.

Holy Scripture was written within the cultural context of Early Christianity, yet it has relevance to all cultures. Relevance does not mean changes. Before I get in trouble here and get myself excommunicated, let me explain. The Bible is relevant for eternity because it is a guide, a manual of instruction, authored by the Holy Spirit, to teach us how to live the right way, God’s way. We learn from the lives of those mentioned in the Bible as the Holy Spirit guides us. For example, my patron saint is St. Judith of the Old Testament, in the Orthodox Bible, not the Protestant Bible. Though she is my namesake, her story is not meant to teach me to feign seduction so I can get close enough to an enemy to cut off his head, as she did to save her people. The relevance I draw from this saint is her strength under fire, her willingness to do what had to be done to save her people, regardless of what others thought. I would never want this story to be “modernized” because it offends someone.

In fact, the Bible has numerous passages admonishing us not to destroy the integrity of God’s Words:

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book (Revelation 22:18-19).

Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar (Proverbs 30:5-6).

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21).

Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it (Deuteronomy 12:32).

So, to editors, translators and their publishers, remember that you cannot improve on a document that was perfectly crafted and delivered in its original, Divinely Inspired, form. Adding commentary points at the foot of the pages is not the same as making purposeful alterations that change the meaning so that Scripture supports a human motive.  Don’t insult the Holy Spirit. There are serious consequences for those who do. As for me and finding support materials for my studies, I guess I’ll just frequent the used books stores where I’m more likely to find the pre-crazy world translations of Scripture.