22AR27-10
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AR 27:10 - Controversy surrounds "The Passion Translation"
In this issue:
BIBLE TRANSLATION - Bible Gateway 'cancels' The Passion Translation
BUDDHISM - whose 'influence is rivaled only by the Dalai Lama'?
GENDER - a good resource for transgender debate questions
ISLAM - a global investment of billion$ over the last five decades
Apologia Report 27:10 (1,563)
March 9, 2022
Please Note: Our office will be closed for the next week. AR is scheduled to resume publication the week of March 20th.
BIBLE TRANSLATION
"Bible Gateway Removes The Passion Translation: Popular among charismatics, the 'heart-level' Bible version was criticized as a paraphrase posing as translation" by Kate Shellnutt (Christianity Today, Feb 9 '22) -- "A Bible version designed to 'recapture the emotion of God's Word' was removed from Bible Gateway last week. The Passion Translation (TPT) is listed as 'no longer available' among the site's 90 English-language Bible offerings.
"First released as a New Testament in 2017, The Passion Translation includes additions that do not appear in the source manuscripts, phrases meant to draw out God's 'tone' and 'heart' in each passage."
Translator Brian Simmons - a former missionary linguist and pastor who now leads Passion and Fire Ministries <passionandfire.com> - describes TPT as "a translation instead of a paraphrase because Simmons and his partners worked to develop the text from Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic manuscripts rather than taking an existing English translation and putting it into his own words. ...
"If TPT's removal from Bible Gateway was related to the concerns over its translation claims, 'I think that's a good thing,' said Andrew Wilson, a Reformed charismatic who pastors at King's Church London and a columnist for CT. ...
"Wilson first raised concerns in a 2016 blog post <www.bit.ly/3tG00ct> about TPT and continues to get asked about the version from fellow charismatics. ...
"Certain passages in TPT are twice as long as in other translations such as the NIV. ...
"A 2018 review in The Gospel Coalition journal Themelios <www.bit.ly/3J0yVXU> critiqued Simmons's translation process, specifically his overuse of 'double translation,' bringing in multiple meanings of a word even if it wasn't clear that wordplay was intended." It was written by Andrew J. Shead, a scholar on the NIV Committee on Bible Translation, "who worried that Simmons's own theology and favorite themes were driving his word choice.
"Mike Winger, a Calvary Chapel–trained pastor who teaches through his online ministry Bible Thinker, has drawn in over one million YouTube views" with a 15-part series <www.bit.ly/3J26RDi> examining examining TPT.
"'Bible Gateway removing TPT after reviewing the work in more detail is a signal to everyone that the work may have issues,' he said. 'When you add that to the growing number of scholars, pastors, and laymen who are raising the red flag about TPT, you have a loud and simple message: 'TPT has enough issues that it is best to avoid it.'"
"Winger has called out Simmons for bringing in ... particular words that are part of a hyper-charismatic, signs and wonders movement, words that are about imparting and triggering and unleashing and releasing." ...
"For readers who don't know the original languages (which is, of course, most of them) ... you can start to form a judgment of a new translation by comparing it with those other translations that have gained a trusted readership over the years," sais Peter Gurry, NT professor at Phoenix Seminary. "In the case of evangelicals, this means something like KJV, NIV, ESV, NASB.'" <www.bit.ly/3MkflIa>
Also see New Apostolic Reformation specialist Holly Pivec's rundown on problems with TPT on her blog: <www.bit.ly/3tIr3Uy>
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BUDDHISM
Vietnamese Zen Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh died on Jan. 21 at 95. (For many, we suspect their first reaction to this news was, "Wow! He hid his age well.") Further discoveries follow, while much of it may be familiar.
"Over his long life he devoted himself to promoting peace, mindfulness and 'Engaged Buddhism,' a term Nhat Hanh coined to stress the importance of applying Buddhist principles of non-violence and compassion to social, political and environmental action."
Nhat Hanh's influence in the Buddhist world "is only rivaled by that of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama" writes Vanessa Zuisei Goddard for RNS (Jan 31 '22). She adds, "Nhat Hanh is popularly known as 'the father of mindfulness.'"
He "founded Plum Village, a Zen community that hosts over 200 monastics, as well as 8,000 visitors a year.
"In addition, Nhat Hanh also leaves behind nine monasteries and dozens of practice centers around the world, not to mention more than the 100 books he has written. ...
"Nhat Hanh taught us Westerners how to walk mindfully, simply for the sake of walking and without a goal in sight. ...
"The best thing we have to offer someone we love, Nhat Hanh said, is our presence. His mantra, 'Darling, I am here for you,' was meant to galvanize the quality of attention needed to show someone we care." <www.bit.ly/3vzRfTJ>
For greater insights, see Douglas Groothuis's critique of Nhat Hanh's bestseller Living Buddha, Living Christ in Christian Research Journal (Summer 1996) <www.bit.ly/3vQ89O8>, in which he refutes Nhat Hanh's attempt to "convince us that both Buddha and Jesus can be our spiritual ancestors." Groothuis explains that "World view confusion permeates" the book, and Nhat Hanh "disparages the importance of Jesus’ resurrection and places us all on the same level as Jesus."
Groothuis concludes: "[T]he historic Buddha and the historic Christ cannot be so reconciled. Buddha taught a philosophy whose primary purpose was to deliver adherents from eternal suffering by attaining extinction; it had nothing to do with a personal God. Christ taught that He was God in human form, 'the desire of the ages' who came in the fullness of time to set His people free. He is ‘the living Christ' because He is the resurrected Lord of life. The Buddha lacked these credentials."
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GENDER
God and the Transgender Debate: What Does the Bible Actually Say About Gender Identity? by Andrew T. Walker (Christian ethics, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center <eppc.org>; and contributor <www.bit.ly/3KcMVxX> at The Gospel Coalition) -- the publisher notes: "In the West, more and more Christians are coming across the topic of gender identity in their everyday lives. Legislative changes are impacting more and more areas of life, including education, employment and state funding, with consequences for religious liberty, free speech and freedom of conscience that affect everyone. So it's a crucial moment to consider how to engage lovingly, thoughtfully and biblically with one of the most explosive cultural discussions of our day. [Walker] includes a section on pronoun usage and a new chapter challenging some of the claims of the transgender activist movement." He also "answers questions such as: What is transgender and gender fluidity? How should churches respond? What does God's Word actually say about these issues?" <www.bit.ly/348a8lu>
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ISLAM
Wahhabism and the World: Understanding Saudi Arabia's Global Influence on Islam, by Peter Mandaville -- Oxford University Press reports that "For more than half a century, Saudi Arabia--through both official and non-governmental channels--has poured billions of dollars into funding and sponsoring religious activities and Islamic causes around the world. The effect has been to propagate Wahhabism, the distinctively rigid and austere form of Islam associated with the Kingdom's religious establishment, within Muslim communities on almost every continent. This volume features essays by leading scholars who explore the origins and evolution of Saudi religious transnationalism, assess ongoing debates about the impact of these influences in various regions and localities around the world, and discuss possible future trends in light of new Saudi leadership." Chapters are devoted to the major actors and institutions involved in Saudi global religious propagation. Contents:
Part I
1. Wahhabism and the World: The Historical Evolution, Structure, and Future of Saudi Religious Transnationalism
2. Wahhabism and Salafism in Global Perspective
3. From Dir'iyya to Riyadh: The History and Global Impact of Saudi Religious Propagation and Education
4. Salafi Publishing and Contestation over Orthodoxy and Leadership in Sunni Islam
5. Transnational Wahhabism: The Muslim World League and the World Assembly of Muslim Youth
6. Humanitarian and Relief Organizations in Global Saudi Da'wa?
Part II
7. Salafism, Education, and Youth: Saudi Arabia's Campaign for Wahhabism in Indonesia
8. Saudi Influence in Kyrgyzstan: Beyond Mosques, Schools, and Foundations
9. Saudi Arabia: A South Asian Wrecking Ball
10. "Working for a living in the Land of Allah:" Migration from Bangladesh to Saudi Arabia and Remittances of Wahhabism
11. Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia: Between Proximity and Distance
12. Wahhabi Compromises and "Soft Salafization" in the Sahel
13. Unpacking the Saudi-Salafi Connection in Egypt
14. Arab Brothers, Arms, and Food Rations: How Salafism Made Its Way to Bosnia and Herzegovina
15. The Shifting Contours of Saudi Influence in Britain <www.bit.ly/35riCEK>
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