The New, New International Version

 The year was 1984 (or 1985?).  My Daddy purchased me a huge Genuine Leather Thompson Chain-Reference Bible, New International Version.  NIV was the Bible we had recently heard Mylon Lefevre reading from at one of his concerts.  I figured if it was good enough for a thirty-something Christian rocker, it was good enough for an aspiring 14 year old rocker!

The last time the NIV was updated, other than the TNIV, was 1984.  Wait!  That explains why we got such a good deal on that huge Bible:  It contained the 1978 edition of the NIV which they would have been trying to get rid of in 1984-85! 

Anyway, flash forward to 2010.  This, most popular modern English version of God's Word, is getting a face-lift which will be unveiled in print sometime around March, 2011.  If you want a preview now you can go to Bible Gateway, and compare the NIV (2010) to the NIV (1984) and the TNIV.  Or you can keep reading!

As a NIV guy for the past 25 years or so, I have mixed feelings about this update.  Sure they tried to spring that gender-neutral TNIV on us a few of years ago.  But I didn't have to accept it because it didn't even have the same name, what with that extra "T" at the beginning!  The 2010 NIV is slated to be the only, NIV displacing both the 1984 NIV and the TNIV the two of which will not be published after March 2011.

I've only glanced at a fraction of this new version, but I've seen some interesting developments.

The new NIV has some changes which lean toward the inclusive language of the TNIV.  For example, John 1:4 uses the word replaces, "...was the light of men," with, "...was the light of all mankind."  The TNIV went all the way, with "people" completely blurring gender.  Galatians 1:2 in the New NIV addresses Paul's letter to, "all the brothers and sisters."  The footnote for this verse states:  "The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family."

However, in some passages the new NIV leans to a more traditional reading that earlier editions.  Since 1984, this was Galatians 5:16: 
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.  
And the New NIV: 

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

Notice the words "walk" and "flesh" are right from more traditional versions, such as the King James.

I will give some other examples in upcoming posts, and I encourage you to examine this new version of the Bible for yourself.  You can go to the Committee on Bible Translation or Bible Gateway to read the new text from this update  Let me know what you think about it!

[Photo:  Mylon Lefevre and Broken Heart, Mid-80's]