[Steven Avery]

Hi Folks,

Beautiful study, and heart for sharing, Will.

You raised my interest, I always received corn as a fine an accurate Bible word, however the extra background is really neat. When I get back home shortly (a day) I will check one or two other versions (e.g. Soncino) and plan on doing a bit more reading and checking, and share a bit more with you.

It is amazing the walls of excusism that these fellows, especially those seminary trained, and Bible-translation trained, will raise in order to avoid identification of the pure an perfect word of God. Hopefully this brother will receive some and reconsider his positon of opposition.

Shalom,
Steven

[Will Kinney]

Hi Steven. It's great to hear from you again. I haven't really heard from you for a good while now so I was wondering what had happened. I always enjoy reading the research you come up with.

God bless,

Will K

Steven good to hear from you again.
Bro. Will, great study thank you for posting that. I just had some delicious corn (on the cob) myself for the 4th of July, so I appreciated it even more.

[PaulB]

Thank you for your article every time I read one I get inspired to think!

Concerning your missionary friend’s desire to reword the Bible to his target audience, this is one of my arguments with Rick Warren’s “purpose driven phenomena” - where they redesign the gospel, the ethos of the church and the worship to please their target audience.

Once we start to apply the hammer and chisel to the rock on which we stand we don’t only weaken it but we disfigure it, no matter how well meaning our intentions may be. Once we start to question the need for relevance driven changes to the established foundations that are entrusted to us we are tampering with things that we have no right to and entering into a forbidden domain.

Once a person starts off down that route they are playing a dangerous game and I get concerned for folks like that because where do they decide to draw the line? If a culture has no equivalent to the number 4 (I speak hypothetically) does that mean that I redesign Scripture to win their hearts by being “relevant” – or do I remain faithful to the sacred text and change their understanding?

When I read the following:

“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.” Isa 40:8

I see that as something that is eternally established and not to be changed. If I decide to add a new number that fits in between 1-10 and make my own name up for it I totally ruin any sensible calculations that would be understood from a simple mathematical formula. This is exactly what the change agents are doing with the Bible and the gospel (today’s sell out in both areas speaks for themselves). And as a result many research polls now tell us that pastors and congregations alike are convinced that there is no absolute truth, that Jesus sinned, got married and had kids…etc.
All of these blasphemous conclusions had their origin and it normally comes down to the rejection of absolute authority.

Bibles to suit is satan’s reformation and now, after his labours during the 1800s even the authentic claims of Christ are dismissed as nonsense by those who claim to be His followers!

You are right Will, when you say that these “archaic” arguments are smokescreens because that’s exactly what they are. When the preserved word isn’t believed (as the foundation of their argument) then something else is being believed and that is the real basis of their quest.



God bless

PaulB

[magicref]

I don't recall the source, but I recall a story once of a Bible Translator who wanted to replace "sheep" with "pigs", because the native people the Scriptures were being intended for didn't know anything about sheep, but did know a lot about pigs.

Not only is this changing the Word of God (as explained above), but the very nature of pigs are different than sheep, and would ruin many of the symbolic pictures gained by using sheep.

We do lose a lot today when we don't reap and sow our own fields, but this doesn't mean we change the Words of God, rather, we teach people what it means to reap and sow, and we teach people what sheep are...

Doug A.

[Will Kinney]

Good point. Thanks,

Will K