The Holy Bible.
Cultural Diversity Challenges the Bible
By Megan Larkin
FORT WORTH, Tex.—The translation of the Bible, historically a subject of great debate, is becoming even more complex as the Great Book delves into the world of cultural diversity.
Historically, the issue of diversity has always challenged Biblical teachings, but with the recent death of translator Rev. Eugene A. Nida, there may be new battles.
One reason for the concern is perhaps the lack of credible translators into ethnic cultures. Nida was highly respected by different groups for his understanding of diverse races.
Through his linguistic expertise and dedication to making the Bible accessible to all, Nida helped expand Bible translation into 2,500 languages.
Many translation organizations have set goals to translate the Bible into every language in the world, amounting to an additional 2,250 translations.
It may be the most translated book in the world, but debate about the best way to translate the Bible is still a hot topic.
For nearly 70 years, Nida dominated the Bible translation field, developing and introducing one of the most adopted methods in the field today—dynamic equivalence. Dynamic, or functional, equivalence stands in opposition to the other dominant approach in translation, formal equivalence.
Observed Brian Mclemore, Vice President of Translation for the World Bible Translation Center in Fort Worth, Tex.:
“There are different approaches to translation. One is what we ...Read More
New York's famous and historic Judson Memorial Church has a history of providing refuge.
NEW YORK—Houses of worship have been occasionally used for protecting gangsters and other unseemly characters from cops. But, for the most part, churches have served as asylums for idealistic and morally-driven political activists seeking religious or social justice and freedom.
Historically, the Egyptians, Greeks, Hebrews and other groups embraced the “right of asylum” position on behalf of those two different groups—including slaves. The governments of these ancient societies often established laws that prevented the activists from being prosecuted, as wel...Read More
Ira C. Lupu, Ph.D.
WASHINGTON—A sharply divided U.S. Supreme Court will make a ruling in the spring on whether churches are exempt from employment discrimination because a “ministerial exception” puts them beyond the law.
In effect, it is considered understood that those employed by churches serve only at the will of the church and do not have ordinary rights under the constitutional separation of church and state.
The First Amendment shields churches and their operations from anti-discrimination laws when dealing with religious employees. But this understanding has never b...Read More
Sex education, which is not exactly reading, writing and arithmetic, is becoming a staple in schools.
NEW YORK—Sex education, despite opposition from conservative religious leaders and organizations, is on the rise in schools and becoming part of the American mainstream.
In New York, Catholic parents and clergy are up in arms over the decision by the mayor’s office to mandate sex education in public schools and are instructing their children to skip the classes, calling them an “affront to Catholic parental control.”
There is a groundswell of parental support to skip the classes, which are titled Health Smart and Reducing the Risk. They are scheduled ...Read More
WASHINGTON—The big stumbling block the Super Committee of the Congress had in reaching an agreement was over extending Bush-era tax cuts.
That’s the view of Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), who also argues that a more balanced and fair tax structure for the rich would solve many of the nation’s financial problems.
The 2001 and 2003 Bush Tax Cuts lowered the tax rates for nearly all U.S. taxpayers, setting income tax rates with standard deductions at 10 percent for the lowest incomes to a top of 35 percent for those earning $373,650 or more.
Most fell in...Read More
