STOP CPH'S MOVE TO PROMOTE ESV IN LCMS

STOP CPH’S MOVE TO
PROMOTE ESV IN LCMS
Christian News, Vol. 48, No. 46, November 22, 2010

The time has come for the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, particularly the Board of Directors of Concordia Publishing House, to stop CPH’s Paul McCain’s all out drive to get the LCMS to use the English Standard Version of the Bible in all of its publications.

Last week McCain on his Cyberbrethren blog included items showing him promoting the ESV and then a string of non-Lutherans giving their reasons why they believe the ESV is accurate and in the language of the people. McCain says that the ESV is following in the great legacy of Tyndale and the King James translators. He notes that Tyndale was influenced by Martin Luther. The preface of the ESV says much the same, adding that the ESV is also following the legacy of the Revised Standard Version of “faithfulness to the text and vigorous pursuit of accuracy” with “simplicity, beauty, and dignity of expression.”

Christian News and many others, including Paul Burgdorf’s Confessional Lutheran have shown that the RSV translators were higher critics of the Bible. Almost all rejected such doctrines as the deity and virgin birth of Jesus Christ. The publishers of the ESV sya it is 91% RSV. A few of the most flagrant errors in the RSV were corrected. However, both McCain and the LCMS’s Worship Commission insisted that both the RSV and ESV are thoroughly accurate.

Although CN was told that McCain seldom places anything on his blog which takes issue with what he says, CN sent this notice to McCain’s Cyberbrethren in response to McCain and others making their statements promoting the ESV:

A review of the ESV in the Concordia Journal of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (April, 2005) said: “The text of the English Standard Version ‘feels’ antiquated, if that is the desired outcome. However, the use of archaic English is not helpful. . .” “The advanced reading level almost makes this translation difficult to read. . .” “the AAT provides a more readable and understandable translation. . .”

The ESV is 91% the RSV, copyright by the National Council of Churches. The preface of the RSV says: “The RSV is not a new translation in the language of today.” The Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly (Fall, 2006) said that in many places the ESV “sounds quite stilted.” Mark L. Strauss of Bethel Seminary, San Diego, who has been a consultant to several Bible translations, says that the ESV “is not suitable as a standard Bible for the church. This is because the ESV too often fails the test of ‘standard English.’” A survey (Christian News, August 24, 2009, pp. 16, 17) comparing the AAT and ESV showed that some 90 percent who responded preferred the language and doctrinal accuracy of the AAT over the ESV. The Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society (Vol. 46, #3, 531) said that the ESV “is somewhat archaic”. Its language is not the language of contemporary communication, which makes it too difficult to read for many in the Church and will lead to misunderstanding on the part of others. Herman Otten
Christian News has a long history of publishing letters and articles by critics who claim Christian News does not tell the truth. LCMS’s bureaucrats often suppress the criticism and the truth.

McCain, who refuses all letters and calls from the CN editor, did not include CN’s response to the promoters of the ESV.

CN has shown for decades that no translation of the Bible is more like Martin Luther’s than Beck’s An American Translation of the Bible. No translation is more accurate on predictive messianic prophecy, presenting Christ at the heart of both the Old and New Testament, and the sacraments.

Reproduced in this issue from the LCMS’s 2010 Convention Workbook are overtures 2-10 “To Publish Orthodox Christian Translation of Bible” (pp. 156-157) and “To Instruct CPH to Stop Using ESV” p. 157.

“Report and Overtures Correlated With Resolution” on pp. 177-179 of the LCMS’s 2010 Convention Proceedings list no resolution adopted by the convention responding to these overtures. It appears as if once again some synodical officials suppressed the truth about a matter far more vital than all the talk about restructuring.

Christian News sent a copy of the AAT to each member of the convention committee which was to deal with the ESV, AAT ad Bible translations. CN suggested that McCain have CPH send a copy of the ESV to all members of the committee. CN pleaded with the committee members to compare the AAT with the ESV. No member of the committee acknowledged receipt of the Bible or expressed any thanks for the Bible.