Minister Switches from ESV to TNIV
12/05/2006 00:21 Filed in: Faith & Reason
Brian Wallace, Youth and Outreach Worship Minister at Hampton Presbyterian Church in Gibsonian, Pennsylvania, has blogged about why he has dropped the ESV and switched to the TNIV for "preaching, teaching, and recommending."
In his recent blog entry, "Why I Use the TNIV," Wallace describes his journey to using the new translation after using the NIV as a teenager and the ESV through most of seminary.
His basic reasons for using the TNIV boil down to accuracy and readability. Wallace notes that the TNIV translates Greek words such as ἀδελφοί / adelphoi as "brothers and sisters" when the context warrants it rather than simply "brothers" as more traditional translations are apt to do (to its credit, the ESV usually notes "brothers and sisters" as an alternative translation in the footnotes).
Regarding readability, Wallace finds this issue to be particular important to his target ministry group: junior and senior high school students. Wallace notes that "they’re not stupid by any means - but I need to be using a translation that uses langauge they can understand." As an example, he discusses Luke 15:17 from the parable of the Prodigal Son:
ESV: But when he came to himself, he said, "How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!"
TNIV: When he came to his senses, he said, "How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!"
Brian Wallace, who has studied both Greek and Hebrew says that not only is the TNIV his main translation for use with students, but also the main translation he uses himself.
In his recent blog entry, "Why I Use the TNIV," Wallace describes his journey to using the new translation after using the NIV as a teenager and the ESV through most of seminary.
His basic reasons for using the TNIV boil down to accuracy and readability. Wallace notes that the TNIV translates Greek words such as ἀδελφοί / adelphoi as "brothers and sisters" when the context warrants it rather than simply "brothers" as more traditional translations are apt to do (to its credit, the ESV usually notes "brothers and sisters" as an alternative translation in the footnotes).
Regarding readability, Wallace finds this issue to be particular important to his target ministry group: junior and senior high school students. Wallace notes that "they’re not stupid by any means - but I need to be using a translation that uses langauge they can understand." As an example, he discusses Luke 15:17 from the parable of the Prodigal Son:
ESV: But when he came to himself, he said, "How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!"
TNIV: When he came to his senses, he said, "How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!"
Brian Wallace, who has studied both Greek and Hebrew says that not only is the TNIV his main translation for use with students, but also the main translation he uses himself.