Why bother?

[John81]

I turned the radio on today after church to listen to as I changed my clothes. The preacher was using the NIV but twice during the short time I listened to his sermon he paused to point out the NIV poorly translated a particlar verse. In both cases, this pastor actually corrected the NIV by saying the KJB had the better translation, then read the verse from the KJB and stated why that was better than what the NIV said!

Why bother preaching from the NIV if you disagree with the way it was translated and find it necessary to have to correct it using the KJB twice within a short space of time in your sermon?

[irishman]

indeed, why use it at all? Perhaps because "Fools make a mock at sin" Prov. 14:9

[Annie]

Why bother? I can't answer for the radio preacher, but I can answer for my pastor and my husband, both of whom use various versions in their preaching. They "bother" because they want to be as accurate and truthful as possible when preaching. If they believe that a certain version has translated a particular verse or word or phrase in the best/clearest/most accurate way, then they tell their audience, because they want to communicate clearly and accurately and honestly.

[irishman]

...And both are responsible for the Word of God, and the truth that God has already given, and the many souls that put stock in them.

[Annie]

...And both are responsible for the Word of God, and the truth that God has already given, and the many souls that put stock in them.

Right. Good point.

[Brother Rick]

Why bother? I can't answer for the radio preacher, but I can answer for my pastor and my husband, both of whom use various versions in their preaching. They "bother" because they want to be as accurate and truthful as possible when preaching. If they believe that a certain version has translated a particular verse or word or phrase in the best/clearest/most accurate way, then they tell their audience, because they want to communicate clearly and accurately and honestly.

In other words, no version has it right and the final authority is the preacher.

[Annie]

In other words, no version has it right and the final authority is the preacher.

No...not sure how you arrived at this conclusion, Rick. If "no version has it right," then they wouldn't cite any translation at all. And, it's often not as much a matter of "right" as "clear" and "precise" and "best." Similarly, if "the final authority is the preacher," then the Bible wouldn't be open at all. Edited April 18, 2011 by Annie

[HappyChristian]

Similarly, if "the final authority is the preacher," then the Bible wouldn't be open at all.

I've been to churches like this!!!

[Brother Rick]

No...not sure how you arrived at this conclusion, Rick. If "no version has it right," then they wouldn't cite any translation at all. And, it's often not as much a matter of "right" as "clear" and "precise" and "best." Similarly, if "the final authority is the preacher," then the Bible wouldn't be open at all.

The preacher chooses which translation or version is best, therefore he's the final authority.

[Annie]

I've been to churches like this!!!

Same here, LuAnne. I love the preaching at my church...The margins in my Bible are all marked up with notes about the verses our pastor is expositing.

[John81]

I tried to post earlier but OB wouldn't let me. I won't even try to retype all I did previously.

If a pastor/preacher knows a version isn't accurate (the NIV in this case), then why preach from it at all? If they are interested in being accurate, why not preach from a version that is accurate?

[Annie]

The preacher chooses which translation or version is best, therefore he's the final authority.

Does choosing which translation/rendering is best really make someone "the final authority," Rick? How so? Is a person who prefers one translation over another, or who selects one Greek/English rendering over another making himself or herself "the final authority"? Edited April 19, 2011 by Annie

[HappyChristian]

Here's another version....

http://www.deadseriousnews.com/?p=237

...a real perversion!!

[Invicta]

I read recently, that when believers were exiled to the Netherlands in the early 1600s, they did not allow any translations, the preacher had to translate directly from the Greek and Hebrew. Services started about 8.00am and several preachers would speak for up to an hour each, and the service would often finish well after midday.

[John81]

I read recently, that when believers were exiled to the Netherlands in the early 1600s, they did not allow any translations, the preacher had to translate directly from the Greek and Hebrew. Services started about 8.00am and several preachers would speak for up to an hour each, and the service would often finish well after midday.

When reading biographies of many pastors and preachers of that era I noticed a great many read and studied directly from the Greek and Hebrew. Of course, at that time the Bible in English still wasn't widely available to many and what was available wasn't widely accepted for various reasons.

Even in colonial and early Republic America, it was common for pastors and preachers to spend hours preaching. It's also interesting to note that in cases such as a travelling preacher coming to an area, often many folks would travel many hours, or even days, by foot, mule or horse in order to hear the preacher. When these preachers came to an area they would often preach most of the day.

Today it's difficult to get someone to get up and ready on a Sunday morning and then to get them to drive a few minutes across town to the church.