What is the Inclusive Bible, the First Egalitarian Translation?

Every year it seems we see another Bible translation come out, but are they true to the Scriptures? What about the Inclusive Bible, the First Egalitarian Translation?

The Inclusive Bible

^[1]Every year it seems we see another Bible translation come out, but are they true to the Scriptures? What about the Inclusive Bible, the First Egalitarian Translation? It contains both the Old Testament and the New Testament, but does it fairly translate the original Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic manuscripts; or is there a hidden agenda that seeks to make sexual immorality acceptable? The first problem with the Inclusive Bible is that this translation is an inclusive-language translation or a re-imagining of the Scriptures and our relationship to them. So it’s about us, and not about God?! I’m already not liking it. Objective truth (God’s Word) is being changed into subjective truth, and that means it is subject to error. And so it is with this translation. It is a dangerous one for many reasons as you can later read.

New Truth?

One wise pastor once said, “If it’s new, it’s not from God but if it’s from God, it’s not new,” and yet the Inclusive Bible is seeking new and non-sexist ways to express the same ancient truths. Why seek another way to express the truth when most modern translations already do this. Fine translations like the KJV, NKJV, NASM, ESV, and others are available. I don’t want to read what their reimagining of the Scriptures is…I’ll stick with what already works. While trying to remove barriers, they have put up yet more barriers. ^[2]

The Egalitarian Movement

What’s behind this translation and where did it come from? Priests for Equality are a movement of women and men throughout the world-laity, religious and clergy-who work for the full participation of women and men in church and society. Of course, that means women are allowed to preach in their view, contrary to Scripture (Titus 1; 1 Tim 3). Their “reimagining” should not contradict Scripture, and here it does! Men and women do not have equal roles in the church, although equal before God, God has placed men behind the pulpit, and it wasn’t the men’s choice either! It was God Who determined where each member of the Boby of Christ should be. No reimagining allowed! Priests for Equality is a project of the Quixote Center in Brentwood, Maryland, and is a grass-roots organization committed to creating a culture where sexism and exclusion are left behind and equality and full participation are the order of the day. Sounds good, right…until we discover that there is a massive difference between Scripture and what they “reimagine.”

Gender-Inclusive Language

^[3]The Inclusive Bible translation removes male-dominated pronouns and traditional gender-specific terminology for God and humanity where the translators view the original text as non-gender-specific or patriarchal. I have a hard time with speaking of God in a non-gender oriented way. God is addressed in the masculine form in the Bible and we need to stick with that! Stop trying to improve what is already perfect! The problem arises when, as conservative critics and traditional scholars have argued, the translation takes excessive liberties with the original Hebrew and Greek texts. For example, this translation alters the structural Pauline passages or inserts unmentioned names, and by doing so, sacrificing literal accuracy for an ideological framework. And that’s a human ideological product. It changes what was originally written in the Word, and God warns anyone who does that in a very serious way (Duet 4:2; Prov 30:5-6; Rev 22:18-19)

Crossing the Line

The Inclusive Bible crosses the line from translation into a heavy-handed interpretive paraphrase, sometimes altering or smoothing out the actual meaning of the original Hebrew and Greek texts to fit an egalitarian framework. That is clearly turning God’s objective truth into human ideologies. How dangerous that is, so my suggestion is stay away from this translation. You’re wasting your money and reading an unreliable translation. One that is tainted with human thoughts and philosophies. We need the ^[4]pure and unadulterated Word of God (Prov 30:5-6; 1 Pet 2:2), not the ideology of man.

Creative License

The Inclusive Bible translation is taking far too much creative license, like inserting unmentioned names, and worse, how specific titles such as how “Son of God” or “Father” are treated, and that’s close to blaspheme in my opinion. I hope by now you’re convinced that this translation is no good and I would not recommend it in any way. We already have the full sufficiency of Scripture as is and it should not be messed with. You don’t try to fix what is already perfect…you’ll only mess it up, such as with the Inclusive Bible; the First Egalitarian Bible translations. We hope the First Egalitarian Bible is the last.

Conclusion

I pray you have put your trust in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If that has not happened yet, my friend, you are in real danger of hell fire. And I mean, in immediate danger. You’re one breath, one heartbeat…one accident away from eternity when it will be too late to repent. Today is the best day to believe (2 Cor 6:2) since tomorrow is no guarantee. If Jesus Christ came today, here is your fate (Matt 7:21-23). This is why I plead with you as you read this, repent today…and I mean right now. Put your trust in Jesus Christ. If you do not, you will face God’s judgment after death guaranteed (Heb 9:27) or at Jesus Christ’s appearance (Rev 20:12-15), which could happen at any moment.

Here is some related reading for you: What are the Best Bible Translations? ^[5]

Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.