Are you saying the church is fallen prey to the danger outlined by Tarak Barkawi? I think there might be some merit to that thought.

If enough people requested the Thompson Chain Reference Bible in the ESV, the copyright holders of the Thompson might be encouraged to approach Crossway about doing an edition. Why don’t you start a Facebook page to solicit popular support for the idea. You never know what might come of it.

Thanks for reading the post and for your comments.

You speak of “intellectual Darwinism,” in terms of Darwinism being an accepted truth. While I acknowledge that Darwinism is promoted as factual and beyond question, it is still a theory since it has never been proven. To date there is no clear, unassailable link between animals and humans.

The biblical account of Creation is far easier to embrace, since I believe in the existence of God, than the sheer chance involved in a Darwinian worldview. Intelligent design is a superior worldview to my way of thinking.

Thank you for contributing to the conversation – it is, for me, a fascinating one.

I don’t know if I believe all of that but thought it was interesting enough to consider in this discussion.
Not sure if I believe it but if true it would mean that studying talmud is a waste unless you find it interesting for its own sake. I have a feeling that if true another form of intellectual Darwinism is happening in the general population now. The world in general is becoming a place where only the very highly educated can prosper. Intellectually successful people tend to marry others like them. And perhaps this explains why IQ is on average getting higher in western nations.
Just some food for thought.

Yes, I have NIV renderings memorized – I can even “see” those verses on the pages of my trusted NIV. I will likely try to retain them as much as possible, though it is inevitable that using a different translation means I will eventually lose some of that as I memorize in the new version. I’m not happy about it, but I don’t know what else to do.

For sheer enjoyment in reading, I love the NIV, and I also like the updated NIV except for the “linguistic gymnastics” required to fulfill their goal of gender inclusivity. In essence, this is my main reason for abandoning the NIV.

I do like the formal equivalence of the ESV, but I don’t always like the way it reads. Since I recognize translations have different strengths and weaknesses, I’ve opted for the ESV over-all for public preaching and teaching. I will continue to reference the updated NIV (as I do the NKJV, NLT and other versions that I know are present within the congregation) as I preach.

Thank you for reading my posts and commenting. Blessings on your ministry.

I’m a pastor, and I’ve memorized several chapters, as well as a few hundred verses in the New International Version. I actually did a “performance” of the Sermon on the Mount at church a couple of years ago. Scripture memorization seems to be my biggest hang-up with switching versions. Essentially, the Bible I’ve spent so much time committing to memory is on its way out of print. After 21 years, I’d imagine you could quote several NIV passages as well, whether you intended to retain them as memory verses or not.

I was wondering what your plans are as far as meditation, and memorization of the Word. Do you plan on keeping some of those old NIV favorites rehearsed? How practical will this be if the Bible you’re carrying around no longer supports what you’ve memorized over so many years? What are your thoughts on this concern? I want to support a Bible that my congregation can actually find in print at the local bookstore. But I haven’t been utterly sold on the ESV so far. I just don’t see why Zondervan can’t continue publishing NIV1984, seeing as the differences are as controversial as they are.