The Bible has been translated many times over the centuries. A troubling new "translation" approaches the translation from the standpoint of ideology rather than seeking accuracy. It's called the "Conservative Bible Project," and a story on Yahoo news gives some background:

The Gospel of Luke records that, as he was dying on the cross, Jesus showed his boundless mercy by praying for his killers this way: "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."

Not so fast, say contributors to the Conservative Bible Project.

The project, an online effort to create a Bible suitable for contemporary conservative sensibilities, claims Jesus' quote is a disputed addition abetted by liberal biblical scholars, even if it appears in some form in almost every translation of the Bible.

The project's authors argue that contemporary scholars have inserted liberal views and ahistorical passages into the Bible, turning Jesus into little more than a well-meaning social worker with a store of watered-down platitudes.

An article on Salon offers some passages from the new site where the new Bible translation is in progress:

That's led to verses like this one, for now Conservapedia's version of Mark 3:6: The Liberals then fled from the scene to plot with Herod's people against Jesus, and plan how they might destroy him.

Or this passage, from Mark 10:23-25, the last portion of which is usually translated "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God":

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How unlikely it is that those who worship riches will enter the kingdom of God!" The disciples were astonished to hear this.

But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a man who cares only for money to enter into the kingdom of God."

Here's another take on it from the Huffington Post.

And if you want to see the actual Conservapedia article, go here.

A good interpreter is honest and open about the fact that we all bring bias and perspective to the text. Usually, the goal is to, as much as possible, avoid that bias with the goal of actually hearing the text. This project is disturbing since its stated goals root in furthering a particular perspective.

What do you think?

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I found this the other day thanks to tweet by Rainn Wilson
written by Marc, December 04, 2009

I discovered the Conservative Bible Project the other day through a tweet by Rainn Wilson, who plays Dwight Schrute in the Office, in which he mocked the project. And I can't say I blame him. This project reminds me somewhat of the recently published American Patriot's Bible.

I agree with your assessment of this project whole-heartedly. Our goal as we are interpreting the Bible should not be to find how we can best use it to push our understandings and perspectives to others by reading ourselves into the text, which in hermeneutics is called eisegesis (from Greek, literally "read into").

Instead we should be seeking to recognize ourselves even more so that when we interpret the Bible we allow the text, through the presence the Holy Spirit, to make us realize that what is in the Bible is bigger than our own understandings alone and that we need others in whatever perspective we come from and especially people from different perspectives to journey with us as we all seek to grow together with God in the global community of the people of God.

You have GOT to be kiding me!
written by Bullwinkle Q. Pettigrew, December 04, 2009

My favorite part of the Yahoo article is as follows:

""This is not making scripture understandable to people today, it's reworking scripture to support a particular political or social agenda," said Timothy Paul Jones, a professor at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., who calls himself a theological conservative."

When you're so far gone in your conservatism that you need SBTS professors to reign you back in, you are WAY over the line. That said, kudos for the integrity and sense of balance that Tim Jones brought to his comments. Given his context, I think it's a bit insulting for the article to claim that he "calls himself a theological conservative."

Let's not forget the Conservative guy on Beliefnet who said

"More seriously, the insane hubris of this really staggers the mind. These right-wing ideologues know better than the early church councils that canonized Scripture?" and" It's like what you'd get if you crossed the Jesus Seminar with the College Republican chapter at a rural institution of Bible learnin'."

At bottom of this cesspit lies the inescapable fact that as we allow our society to become ever more polarized and uncivil we open the door for insanity.

Good ole Qohelet
written by Maximus Bertimus, December 05, 2009

vanity! vanity! all is vanity!

Love God. Love others. everything else is vanity!

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