The New Testament and Psalms: An Inclusive Version

The New Testament and Psalms is a new version of the Bible that speaks more directly than ever before to today's social concerns, especially the move towards universal inclusivity. This revolutionary new version pushes the English language to new levels of inclusive expression. The noted scholars who produced this work address issues of gender, race and ethnicity more directly than ever before. The resulting version is one that can truly be said to speak to all people. The language of everyday life is already changing to reflect a more inclusive, less pejorative view: "spokespersons" and "the disabled" have replaced "spokesmen" and "the handicapped." Even Star Trek now "boldly goes where no one has gone before." In recent years Bible translators have recognized the limits of the language used in many older versions and have produced new versions that begin to use language that emphasizes a universal community rather than a particular gender or other favored group. But none have gone as far as The New Testament and Psalms to make this vision a reality. In this version biblical language concerning people with physical afflictions has been revised to avoid personifying individuals by their disabilities; language referring to men and women has been corrected to reflect this inclusiveness precisely; dark and light imagery has been revised to avoid equating "dark" as a term for persons of color with "dark" as a metaphor for evil; references to Judaism have been corrected to avoid imprecise allusions in relation to Christ's crucifixion; God language has been improved to reflect more precisely a universal concept of God and Jesus Christ. The New Testament and Psalms reflects the newest scholarly work on the most reliable biblical manuscripts available. The principles applied by the editors are consistent with the accepted requirements applied to all respected English language versions of the Bible: close reference to the original language texts and current scholarly material, and a consistent scholarly orientation throughout the work. The editors involved with this project have applied these principles to produce a new rendering of the New Testament and Psalms that brings out the underlying meaning of the text more explicitly than ever before: its truths do not exclude anyone, the comfort and strength gained from it should be accessible to everyone--a truly universal world view. * A revolutionary new version of the Bible to serve today's world. * "A project of...utmost significance"--Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza * "This Bible breaks new ground...Inclusive...finally means everyone."--James H. Cone * "Should be read as an important step in the search for a new inclusive idiom."--Bishop Krister Stendahl * Prepared by a group of noted biblical scholars and theologians. * Reflects current social trends and their effect on one of the most important documents of Western culture.