Bailing Out of the Stealth Bible

Facing a revolt in pulpits and pews across the country, Zondervan Publishing House and the International Bible Society abandoned changes in the NIV--all the while maintaining the gender-neutral translation would have been more accurate. What's going on? And how did it happen? | Susan Olasky

In a surprise development, the board of the International Bible Society announced at 7:00 a.m. on May 27 that it will preserve the current New International Version Bible and discontinue all plans to develop a new, gender-neutral version of the NIV. The IBS board also ordered a revision of its inclusive-language children's Bible, the NIrV, to bring its gender usage into line with the current NIV, and said it would ask a British publisher to yank the NIV inclusive-language edition (NIVI) now being sold in Britain.

Later that day, at a meeting of scholars and publishing executives called earlier by Focus on the Family president James Dobson, presidents of IBS and the Zondervan Publishing House agreed to a statement criticizing "many of the translating decisions" made in the NIVI. The statement also indicated regret that Zondervan did not notify parents that the NIrV had gender-related changes, and noted that Zondervan would refund the purchase price of any NIrVs bought to date.