The similar phrase 'Worldly Christianity' is one used by Bonhoeffer. It's J Gresham Machen that I want to line up most closely with. See his Christianity and culture here. Having done commentaries on Proverbs (Heavenly Wisdom) and Song of Songs (Heavenly Love), a matching title for Ecclesiastes would be Heavenly Worldliness. For my stance on worldliness, see 3 posts here.

It's an NIV world

Users of the NIV are probably aware that a new version is now available. See here or here. One of its features is a mania against being gender specific. Imagine my surprise then when reading Matthew 9 in the new version I come across these words:
Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat.
My surprise was added to when I saw that the NIV 1984 has a gender neutral term - paralytic. I guess they just don't want the term - too old fashioned or too connected to the idea of being drunk? It's not easy being a modern Bible translator.

2 comments:

Family Blogs said...

Had my first proper look at the new NIV today. We have the 1984 as our pew Bible in a modern imprint, but unfortunately the NIV2011 has different page numbers...so no risk of me moving over to it as a preaching Bible :-)

Are you going to start using the new revision yourself, or stick to the 1984?

Gary Brady said...

I will stick to the 1984 version as far as I can. I am getting to know the NIV2011 through Bible Gateway. Some of it really does appear to be change for change sake (Sinful nature is now flesh again and Christ is Messiah, etc). Some of it is just fixing things. Having gone for desert over wilderness they now realise that for most people desert means nothing growing whereas the point is empty, lonely so back comes wilderness. Frustrating.