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| Robert Bratcher, ThD, Southern Baptist Seminary, Louisville |
Today’s English Version – Good News for Modern Man – Bad News for the Bible
Modern translations do not sprout on their own. Someone
must decide a direction for them and find the money for the project and initial
printing. When Robert Bratcher got in trouble, as a Southern Baptist missionary
teacher, for arguing against the Trinity, Nida hired him.
O
Jornal Batista, on July 9, 1953:
“Jesus
Christ would not enjoy omniscience. That is an attribute of God.”
“…Jesus
did not claim He and the Father to be one—which would be absurd.”[1]
Bratcher got into so
much trouble with the American Bible Society, for similar taunts that he resigned
from the ABS while moving to the United Bible Societies. He is given credit for
guiding the translation of Today’s English Version, often called the Good News
Bible.
Bratcher
Obituary
Working
for the American Bible Society, employing an approach to translation known as
“dynamic equivalence,” and rendering the text in simple, everyday English, Bob
Bratcher produced an English translation of the New Testament that was
published in 1966 as Good News for Modern Man: The New Testament in Today’s
English Version; by 1971 it had sold 30 million copies, and by now over 100
million copies have been distributed. Bob went on to chair a team of scholars
that translated the Old Testament in the same accessible style, leading to the
publication of The Good News Bible in 1976. These translations have been deeply
meaningful to many around the world; they also have been controversial among
some fundamentalist Christians. Bob Bratcher’s contributions to Biblical
studies extended far beyond his initial translations. He made extensive
contributions to a common-language Brazilian Portuguese translation of the
Bible, published in 1988. Working with United Bible Societies, he wrote or
co-wrote numerous “Helps for Translators,” each one focusing in detail on
issues involved in translating a particular book of the Bible, including
Psalms, The Gospel of Matthew, and Revelation. He also wrote scholarly essays
on translation issues, among other works, and lectured all over the world. Bob
was a faithful and active member of Binkley Baptist Church in Chapel Hill since
he moved to the area in 1975. He served the Binkley community as a teacher,
preacher and wise elder, and will be dearly missed. He also was a strong proponent
of compassion for the less fortunate, justice for the oppressed, and world
peace.[2]
Those who object to hiring
and honoring such infidels are given a story about “he no longer works here” or
“has that damaged your faith?”
[1] Why
They Changed the Bible, p. 105. Denial of the Holy Trinity is common among
apostates, who dishonestly play the role of a Christian while undermining
Biblical teaching.
[2]
Obituary, Dr. Robert Bratcher, 2010. https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/newsobserver/obituary.aspx?n=robert-g-bratcher&pid=144069874
