GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.:
YEARS IN the making, publisher Zondervan is releasing a new translation of the Bible this week that's aimed at young adults accompanying the effort with a US$1-million media blitz.
"We believe it's the best
combination of readability and reliability of any Bible," said Ben Irwin, product development manager of Zondervan's Bible group. "It doesn't sacrifice one for the other."
The translation, called Today's New International Version or TNIV is one that aims to be more gender-neutral in some cases and, in others, a little more clear and plainspoken. Here, Jesus doesn't walk on water "in the fourth watch of the night" as in the King James version; instead, it's "shortly before dawn."
Zondervan, a division of HarperCollins Publishers, is
aiming the new Bible at 18- to 34-year-olds by advertising in publications and Web sites including Rolling Stone, Modern Bride, The Onion, MTV.com and AOL.
Zondervan's research indicates young adults are leaving churches in large numbers but remain more 'spiritually intrigued' than any other demographic, said Paul Caminiti, vice-president and publisher of Bibles.
John Wilson, editor of Books & Culture magazine, a sister publication of Christianity Today, said Zondervan is making an educated marketing move.
The wording changes in the TNIV play out in interesting ways. The King James Version of Psalm 1:1 reads as follows: "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful." In the latest
version, the translation is: "Blessed are those who do not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers."
CD audio and downloadable mp3 audio versions are available, too. In all, there are nine editions of the TNIV.
"The reality is ... the English language is changing faster than any other language in the world."
Associated Press
