Zondervan Blog

NIV Bible Tops List by Evangelical Leaders

The New International Version of the Bible is by far the most preferred translation of the Scripture, according to a new survey of US evangelical leaders.

More than 65% of the participating leaders named the NIV as their preferred Bible in a survey conducted by the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) in light of the NIV's 30th anniversary this year.

"New Bible translations face large competition to gain a foothold in churches and homes but once established they have long staying power," commented Leith Anderson, president of the NAE, which claims to represent 30 million evangelicals. "And, the NIV has maintained popularity and influence since it was published in 1978."

The survey questioned the 100 members on the NAE board of directors, which included heads of evangelical denominations with about 45,000 local churches, executives of para-church organizations, and heads of Christian colleges.

In the survey, evangelical leaders were asked, “What is your preferred English Bible translation?” and were left to write in their response rather than being given a list to choose from.

Nearly half (49%) of those surveyed named only the NIV as their preferred translation, while another 18% listed a second translation along with the NIV for a total of 67% selecting the NIV in the survey.

Among those who chose two translations, the other version listed included the New Living Translation, The Message, the New English Bible, the New Testament in Modern English (J. B. Phillips, 1962), and the King James Version of the Bible.

One denominational leader listed the NIV, the New King James Version, and the Contemporary Parallel Bible which shows multiple translations side-by-side for comparison.

But among those that do not prefer the NIV Bible, there was no clear preference in translation that dominated the field. Translations that were most mentioned were The New Living Translation, the New American Standard Bible, the Revised Standard Version, the English Standard Version, and the New King James Version. There was also one response each for the Amplified Bible and Today's New International Version (TNIV).

"Evangelicals agree that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God but have a long list of translations to pick from," said Anderson. "Translations come and go but the Bible lasts forever."

The NIV is the most popular modern English translation of the Bible in the world. It celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2008 with more than 300 million copies in print worldwide. (Source: The Christian Post and the National Association of Evangelicals)

Bible Translation as Bilingual Quotation by Karen H. Jobes

Zondervan is pleased to present in this blog posting an 18-page paper titled Bible Translation as Bilingual Quotation presented by Karen H. Jobes at the Fall 2007 Evangelical Theological Society Annual Meeting.  We believe this paper succinctly addresses two significant points on contemporary Bible translations:

1. Translation as bilingual (inter-lingual) quotation – see pages 5-11 of the paper

• “Because of the growing importance of accurate, authoritative translation in the highly charged forums of the United Nations and the European Union, the practice of simultaneous interpretation has enjoyed increasing study by linguists over the last thirty years.” p. 5
• “Although simultaneous translation of spoken language may at first seem an inappropriate analog to Bible translation, both tasks share the paramount goal of producing a precise and accurate translation that is faithful to the meaning of the original language.” p. 6

2. Verbosity as a measure of translation – see pages 11-16 of the paper.  Chart below is from page 15 of the paper.

• “My point is that the concepts of formal versus functional equivalence, though perhaps useful in their day, do not fully do justice to how language works and to what characterizes translations that are faithful to their sources.  Furthermore, the concepts of formal and functional equivalence have been polarized and used to valorize or demonize a given English translation, which has been quite counter-productive for scholarly debate of translation issues, to say the least.” p. 16

We invite you to download the PDF of the 18 page paper at this link.  After reading the paper, we invite you to provide your reactions to the 2 points above in the Comments section of this blog posting.  Additionally, if you have your own blog, we welcome you posting your reactions and linking your readers to this blog posting. 

Please note that the 18 page paper is copyrighted by Karen H. Jobes, 2008.  We ask that you would not save or distribute the PDF in any manner.  You are welcome to link to the PDF at its URL hosted by Zondervan.  Thank you for your courtesy in this regard.

We appreciate you reading Bible Translation as Bilingual Quotation by Karen H. Jobes and we look forward to reading your comments.

Sincerely,
Paul J. Caminiti
Vice President and Publisher, Bibles
ZONDERVAN

Got your Bible Experience?

This is the behind-the-scenes video of the making of Inspired by... The Bible Experience, a fully-dramatized and symphonic-orchestrated reading of the entire Bible performed by an unprecedented ensemble of distinguished African-American actors, musicians, and clergy such as Denzel Washington, Blair Underwood, Angela Bassett, Juanita Bynum, Shirley Caesar, Samuel L. Jackson, Cuba Gooding Jr., Kirk Franklin, and many more.

NOW AVAILABLE: Monday-Friday free DAILY PODCASTS of Inspired by...The Bible Experience. Subscribe to the 2-minute segments directly from iTunes or Zondervan.com by going to http://feeds.feedburner.com/TBEPodcasts. The daily podcasts will run through the end of 2008. Each podcast will feature a dramatic audio presentation from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in chronological order.

Visit Zondervan's Inspired by...The Bible Experience's feature page at www.zondervan.com/tbe for audio clips, videos, and more information.

Authentic Publishing and Zondervan Support Christian Outreach with Low-Cost, High-Quality Bibles

Partnership Launches High-Engagement Scripture at the Cost of a Greeting Card

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., January 8, 2008 – Authentic Publishing, a division of IBS-STL Global and Zondervan, a world leader in Christian communications, have partnered to produce the first NIV Scriptures available through Christian retail that are designed specifically to help Christians reach out to friends and family with the life-changing Word of God (www.zondervan.com/outreach).

The partnership will launch Finding God, a one-of-a-kind line of high-engagement, feature-rich but low-cost complete New Testaments, based on the best-selling, most trusted New International Version (NIV) translation. The New Testaments will offer quality paper, attractive covers, easy-to-read text, and be available exclusively in Christian retail stores for the first 12 months.

"Scripture is the most important resource believers have, so this isn't just about introducing a product line -- it's about equipping a movement," says IBS-STL Global Publisher Steve Johnson. "By providing Christian retailers with a high-engagement, high-impact Scripture resources, we can help them help the believers in their communities reach out and share God's Word."

Zondervan and Authentic Outreach, an imprint of Authentic Publishing, will release four editions in the new line that will retail for $4.99 each: Finding God for Men; Finding God for Women; and Finding God for Young Adults. The New Testaments feature an extensive in-text note system designed specifically for each targeted audience. Three individual tracks support the New Testament, including sections titled "The God Who Seeks You," "The God You Seek," and "True Encounters."

For more than 30 years, IBS-STL and Zondervan have collaborated to resource Christians with NIV Bible products. The Finding God New Testaments represent the first time IBS-STL has been able to provide this kind of resource to Zondervan for the retail market. Zondervan will handle initial sales to the trade for the Finding God New Testaments, and STL Distribution (IBS-STL) will cover replenishment. Every copy sold supports IBS-STL's Bible translation and distribution efforts around the world to put Scripture into the hands of people who need it.

"We've been blessed to share a tremendous partnership with IBS-STL for decades and are thrilled to expand our partnership with a line of Bibles that are designed to help transform lives," says Paul Caminiti, Vice President of Bibles for Zondervan. "For the cost of a greeting card, Finding God New Testaments are the perfect gift to share with family, friends, and neighbors. We're confident that retailers will get behind this product line in a major way, as they are truly one-of-a-kind and are perfect for engaging the hearts of those who seek direction from God."

Finding God New Testaments will release in February 2008 at a suggested retail price of $4.99. More information can be found at www.zondervan.com/outreach. They feature the NIV translation, the most popular modern English translation of the Bible in the world. With more than 300 million copies in print worldwide, the NIV celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2008.

About Authentic Publishing/IBS-STL Global
Authentic Publishing is the publishing arm of IBS-STL Global, the merged organization of International Bible Society and Send The Light. The combined organization delivers more Bibles into the hands of more people, in more countries, more efficiently than either could individually. IBS-STL holds the copyrights to the New International Version® (NIV), the Today's New International Version® (TNIV), and New International Reader's Version® (NIRV) Bibles. Visit IBS-STL online at http://www.ibs.org/ and http://www.stl.org/.

About Zondervan Bibles
Zondervan is the world's leading Bible publisher. With a vision to see more people engaging the Bible more, Zondervan offers bestselling study, devotional, reference, text, audio, software, and digital Bibles designed to inspire readers at every age and each stage of life. Zondervan holds exclusive North American publishing rights to the New International Version (NIV) which is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2008. The most popular modern English translation of the Bible, the NIV has more than 300 million copies in print worldwide. Zondervan also publishes Bibles in the TNIV (Today's New International Version), NIrV (New International Reader's Version), KJV (King James Version), NRSV (New Revised Standard Version), NASB (New American Standard Bible), the Amplified Bible, and parallel Bibles featuring The Message. Visit Zondervan Bibles on the Internet at www.zondervan.com/Bibles.

Zondervan, a HarperCollins company, is a world leader in Christian communications and the leading Christian publishing brand. For more than 75 years, Zondervan has delivered transformational Christian experiences through general and academic resources by influential leaders and emerging voices, and been honored with more Christian Book Awards than any other publisher. Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich., with offices in San Diego and Miami, Zondervan conducts events and publishes its bestselling Bibles, books, audio, video, curriculum, software, and digital products through its Zondervan, eZondervan, Zonderkidz, Youth Specialties, Editorial Vida, and National Pastors Convention brands. Zondervan resources are sold worldwide through retail stores, online, and by Zondervan ChurchSource, and are translated into nearly 200 languages in more than 60 countries. Visit Zondervan on the Internet at www.zondervan.com (mobile site: zvan.mobi).

What's your 2008 Bible Reading Plan?

Have you considered reading the Bible in 90 Days? Or listening to The Bible Experience each day in 2008?

We hope you'll create a plan for your life in 2008 to engage God's Word every day! Zondervan has a comprehensive web page with various ways you can create your very own 2008 Bible Reading Plan. Check out Zondervan's Bible Reading Plans at this link.

What's your plan?

TV One's "The Making of The Bible Experience"

On Sunday December 9th TV One presented "The Making of The Bible Experience," a one-hour special that goes behind the scenes of the making of the historic audio book The Bible Experience. This is a captivating audio performance of the Bible presented by a stellar ensemble of today's top-name actors, musicians, clergy, directors and award-winnnig producers. Celebrities interviewed in the special include Blair Underwood, LL Cool J, Star Jones Reynolds, Malinda Williams, and Jeffrey Wright. Encore airings will be on Saturday, Dec. 15 at 6:00 AM, Sunday, Dec. 16 at 2:00 PM, and Friday Dec. 21 at 9:00 AM (all Eastern Standard Time).

Visit The Bible Experience feature page at www.zondervan.com/tbe for audio clips, behind-the-scenes videos, and more information.

The Christmas Story from The Bible Experience

The Christmas Story from The Bible Experience New Testament (www.zondervan.com/tbe), the 2007 Audio Book of the Year, blended with beautiful artwork by Michael Dudash (http://www.cmdudash.com/).

The Jesus Storybook Bible NEEDS YOUR VOTE!

The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones & illustrated by Jago is now in the top 10 list of Amazon.com's Best Children's Picture Books for 2007. People are being asked to vote for their favorite to determine who will be #1! VOTE NOW! And thank you!

Listen to Angela Bassett as Esther—The Bible Experience

Listen to Angela Bassett as Esther!

“As a pastor and a student of the Bible, I have spent most of my life reading it, studying it and preaching from it. It is a never-ending surprise to me how I find more to learn and apply the more I read it. Recently I obtained a copy of The Bible Experience, and to my amazement I found in it a way to experience the Bible that took my appreciation for it to another level. I highly commend The Bible Experience to everyone. You will discover how this incredible high quality, word for word, dramatic presentation of the Bible can take to new heights your appreciation for what the Word can do to change your life.”

—Dr. Robert Jeffress, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas

>>Read what other people are saying about The Bible Experience

Visit The Bible Experience feature page (http://www.zondervan.com/tbe) for more audio clips, behind-the-scenes videos, and information.

What do you think about The Bible Experience?

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Denzel Washington Reads Song of Songs

Listen to an exclusive clip of Denzel Washington and his wife Pauletta reading part of the love story in Song of Songs from The Bible Experience: Song of Songs, Chapters 1 and 2.

Watch an interview with Denzel and Pauletta Washington about their experience reading Song of Songs for The Bible Experience.

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