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LTRP Note: The following news story in the form of a radio transcript is posted for informational and research purposes and not as an endorsement of the content. We have also posted links to two other articles on the issue, one which (The Christian Post) is defending SBC’s actions.
By Tom Gjelten
NPR
Faced with declining membership among millennials, the Southern Baptists are seeking to modernize their language. The denomination has adopted a new Bible with more gender-neutral terms.
RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: Southern Baptists are the largest Protestant denomination in the country, and they’re holding their annual convention this week. Their congregations are mostly in the South and mostly conservative. But like other denominations, Southern Baptists are working to adapt to the times. NPR’s Tom Gjelten reports on how they are trying to change their language.
TOM GJELTEN, BYLINE: On the eve of the convention, the president of the Southern Baptists pastors, Dave Miller, announced he’d be quoting from a new translation of the Bible, one issued by the denomination’s own publishing house.
DAVE MILLER: We are using the new Christian Standard Bible. Tomorrow night, if you come back, the first 2,000 people in the door will receive a gift Bible, a very nice gift Bible. I’ve switched to the Christian Standard Bible. I love that Bible.
GJELTEN: Advertisements for the new Bible say it’s more readable than prior translations, but the changes go deeper. Religion writer Jonathan Merritt and a colleague theology professor dug through the new version and found the text used more gender-neutral language. Click here to continue reading.
Two Examples of Gender Changes in the Christian Standard Bible
The word “sisters” is in the CSB in the New Testament 159 times (18 in KJV NT and NASB NT)
The word “human” is in the CSB 216 times (0 in KJV and 39 in NASB)
Other Articles on This Story:
Conservative Christians Deny That New Southern Baptist Bible Translation Is ‘Gender Neutral’ by Christian Post