the books of the bible: a gender accurate and narrative format bible

the books of the bible is a refreshing new bible that is not only written without chapter and verse numbers throughout the text (there is a text range at the bottom of the page) but it is also currently in the gender accurate tniv (today’s new international version). here is some info:

The Books of The Bible project encourages better Bible reading, particularly by emphasizing the reading of whole books. The result is an inviting and clean visual presentation of the Bible that can be understood and enjoyed more easily. The Books of The Bible differs from the format of most current Bibles in significant ways:

Chapter and verse numbers are removed from the text(A chapter and verse range is given at the bottom of each page)

Each book’s natural literary breaks are shown instead

There are no notes, cross references, or section headings in the text

Text is presented in one column rather than two or more

Books that have historically been divided into parts are restored

Books are presented in an order that gives readers more help in understanding

here are some sample page comparisons:

you can find out more at their website and even download sample books.

if you’re wondering what gender accurate means the following should help clarify:

The TNIV is not gender neutral; it is in fact “gender accurate.” Gender neutrality suggests the removal of specific male or female attributes. The TNIV does not remove these attributes or “neuter” any passages of Scripture. The TNIV uses generic language only where the meaning of the text was intended to include both men and women. These changes reflect a more precise rendering of Greek and Hebrew words.

Half of all major Bible translations use some gender-accurate language, especially translations like the NLT (Tyndale) and the NCV (Nelson). But even translations like the the NKJV and the Holman Christian Standard Bible use gender-accurate language.

The TNIV does not refer to God by using such terminology as “she” or “our Father-Mother”. It is the commitment and firm belief of the CBT that masculine terminology remains masculine when the original texts use the masculine form.

The TNIV uses gender-accurate language only where the meaning of the original text was intended to include both men and women.

more info on this topic here

this ridiculously inexpensive ($6.99) but beautifully designed bible can be purchased directly from the international bible society. it says “while supplies last” so i don’t know if it will be reprinted. i heard julie clawson mention elsewhere that the tniv may not be around for long.

update:  here is a christianity today article on this very issue. the tniv is indeed being phased out for a new niv.

ht: frank viola

Top 10 Reasons Why Men Shouldn’t Be Ordained

(one of our commenters posted this and it’s too funny not to share with all of you. thanks chris. :)

10. A man’s place is in the army.

9. For men who have children, their duties might distract them from the responsibilities of being a parent.

8. Their physical build indicates that men are more suited to tasks such as chopping down trees and wrestling mountain lions. It would be “unnatural” for them to do other forms of work.

7. Man was created before woman. It is therefore obvious that man was a prototype. Thus, they represent an experiment, rather than the crowning achievement of creation.

6. Men are too emotional to be priests or pastors. This is easily demonstrated by their conduct at football games and watching basketball tournaments.

5. Some men are handsome; they will distract women worshipers.

4. To be ordained pastor is to nurture the congregation. But this is not a traditional male role. Rather, throughout history, women have been considered to be not only more skilled than men at nurturing, but also more frequently attracted to it. This makes them the obvious choice for ordination.

3. Men are overly prone to violence. No really manly man wants to settle disputes by any means other than by fighting about it. Thus, they would be poor role models, as well as being dangerously unstable in positions of leadership.

2. Men can still be involved in church activities, even without being ordained. They can sweep paths, repair the church roof, change the oil in the church vans, and maybe even lead the singing on Father’s Day. By confining themselves to such traditional male roles, they can still be vitally important in the life of the Church.

1. In the New Testament account, the person who betrayed Jesus was a man. Thus, his lack of faith and ensuing punishment stands as a symbol of the subordinated position that all men should take.

labels, the f-word, and splitting hairs

awhile back makeesha had an excellent post on her blog about feminism and the chaos of labels. something she said has stuck with me all this time. she said:

One thing to keep in mind is that labels are self identifiers, they’re really not intended for us to place on others – they’re for others to place on themselves. In other words, they’re not supposed to be used as a way to judge others or put others in a box based on OUR understanding of that label.

i am reminded of her admonition when i identify myself as a “christian feminist”. christian feminism, as i see it, is a far cry from feminism. all one has to do is look at the wiki on feminism and see the numerous types of feminism there are to know that we are only one specific type of feminism rooted in christian thought. where we agree with the other types of feminism i rejoice and where we disagree i hope to extend grace.

the problem i’ve run into is that the f-word–feminism–is highly controversial. many years ago when i was in college one of my friends asked if i would help her with something. i’m not sure if it was a class assignment or what but i agreed. what we did was go around and informally ask people we knew in our dorm what they thought of the word “feminism”. the results were overwhelmingly negative and i remember internally thinking that i’d never claim to be a “feminist” as i didn’t want that negative baggage attached to me. well, now it’s 20+ years later and in some ways things haven’t changed much, especially in some church circles.

what i’ve found is when people are engaging in all-or-nothing thinking and  i say i am a “christian feminist” all they hear is “feminist” and i subsequently get pigeonholed into a box in which i most definitely do not fit that is at odds with their belief system and values. maybe i should be more courageous and be willing to say i’m a feminist, but i see christian feminism as being quite different from the secular liberal feminism that many disdain. further, i find it quite disturbing when i see christians unable or unwilling, whichever the case may be, to think in more nuanced terms.

sadly, i’ve seen too many christians swing from one extreme of christianity to another not realizing those are not the only options. usually this is a swing from christian fundamentalism to liberal christianity or vice versa. a psychiatric nurse told me that in psychology there is even a term for this sort of thinking. it is called splitting because the person is unable to view life in a more balanced or moderate fashion but splits everything up into black and white categories, good vs. bad, all or nothing. this is not to say that sometimes things aren’t good vs. bad but i believe it may not be as often as some would have us believe.

as this world we live in is changing many of us have left behind those limiting categories of either/or and moved on to seeing things in a more complex fashion. some associate this with postmodernism with it’s bothand thinking. i know some people think it’s not possible to be a “christian feminist” as “christian” is usually associated with conservatism and “feminism” with liberalism. thankfully, we are moving into an era where the reductionist thinking of modernity, which has a tendency to isolate and marginalize one as the Other, is being replaced by a more generous, complex, and inclusive way of thinking in postmodernity.

when i grow up i want to be an old woman

i just love this commercial that features the michelle shocked song “when i grow up”. it’s so nice to see older women being shown in a positive, fun, and humorous light. as i heard a very attractive woman in church say once, ” i don’t try to hide my wrinkles…i’ve earned them!” if a woman living in los angeles among all the starlets can say that then i think we all can. :) 

women in christianity video

this blog hasn’t been update in eons, so i thought i’d post jennifer’s video ‘women in christianity’. some of you may have already seen it, but it really shows how historically women in the church have not been treated as the eikons of God that they truly are. tell me what you think.

 

a series on women’s biblical issues

we’re in for a treat. the series i mentioned that tia lynn is doing on her blog abandon image is going to be crossposted here. she’s doing such a great job writing about women’s roles from a scriptural perspective that i wanted you all to have a chance to interact with her posts. so stay tuned. they will be up and running shortly.

when i started this group blog i contacted julie clawson of emerging women (she was my inspiration to start this blog :) but i had no idea how many people would find this blog from both her and makeesha contributing here. it’s wonderful if not a bit overwhelming. a bigs thanks to them both.

besides having a place where we can meet and talk about these issues my desire is that christian women and men would know that scripture does in fact support women having the freedom of equality with men–which doesn’t mean sameness–to fulfill their God-given roles and utilize their gifts in all spheres of their lives. so without further adieu we will take a look at what scripture really says about men and women.

linda

silent all these years

(this post originally appeared on my old blog but i thought i’d resurrect here rather than at i wonder as i wander)

in thinking about women and power, and the few things i’ve read on power, i know that i’ve been very afraid of my own power. i’ve absconded from it because i’ve seen all too well how power can be abused–and i’ve wanted nothing to do with that. what i’ve neglected to realize is that power can be used for good, for justice. when one’s voice is silenced, and then when one subsequently silences one’s own voice out of fear–the fear of abusing others–it can be very hard to believe one even has a voice or any power. and standing up to those in authority, or perceived authority, is certainly not easy for some of us. personally, i abhor conflict, as mostly i’ve seen it rip people to shreds. usually me. :) but the price of silence is death, death of one’s true self. so, i muster my courage and speak. speak to those who would control and oppress. those who may think they are doing right but are not. those who may not admit responsibility and might even remain in denial. but i will speak my piece, or is that peace…

excuse me but
can i be you for a while
my dog won’t bite
if you sit real still
i got the anti-christ in the kitchen
yellin’ at me again
yeah i can hear that
been saved again by the garbage truck
i got something to say you know
but NOTHING comes
yes i know what you think of me
you never shut up
yeah i can hear that

but what if i’m a mermaid
in these jeans of his
with her name still on it
hey but i don’t care
cause sometimes
i said sometimes i hear my voice
and it’s been HERE
silent all these years

–tori amos, silent all these years

around the web neighborhood

just wanted to give you a heads up to a couple of things happening around the blogospere. over on emerging women the current book discussion for this month is virginia woolf’s a room of one’s own which is an early 20th century classic on feminism. also, i will be putting up a list of recommended books on christian feminism on this site sometime in the not too distant future.

and one of our readers, tia lynn, is posting on her blog, abandon image, a series on on women’s issues for women’s history month. she will be focusing on gender issues and said her readers are mostly complementarians and requested some egalitarian input by our blog writers. i’m letting you all know, and i trust you will be respectful to our complementarian siblings. they are our sisters and brothers after all. :)

cheers,

linda

finney the feminist

over at The Rebel God blog you can read a post about how revivalist charles finney was admitting women and blacks to oberlin college back in the 1800s. he also allowed women to speak publicly in his revival meetings. here’s the link: finney the feminist. it is odd to me that in the recent past (the 1800s) and in biblical times women had more freedom in minstry than we currently do in many evangelical settings.

please excuse our technical problems

for some reason the comments section aren’t always showing up on the frontpage nor who the posts are written by. we’re working on getting the bugs out. if you click on the post title they do show up there and you can post comments there. linda :)