Controversial new Dutch Bible cuts out
difficult gospel passages
THE NETHERLANDS — A new Bible translation produced in Holland that aims to be more attractive and market-oriented is causing controversy after it cut out the difficult parts surrounding economic justice, possessions and money.
The new Bible version, released by the Western Bible
Foundation in the
Chairman W. R De Rijke said the foundation has reacted to a growing wish of many churches to be market-oriented and more attractive.
"Jesus was very inspiring for our inner health, but we don't need to take his naïve remarks about money seriously. He didn't study economics, obviously," he said.
De Rijke said no serious Christian takes these texts literally.
"What if all Christians stopped being anxious, for example, and started expecting everything from God? Or gave their possessions to the poor, for that matter. Our economy would be lost. (We would have a company of beleivers as those spoken of in the Book of Revelation as "overcomers" Living by faith as Abraham, the children of Israel in the wilderness, and as Christ and His twelve disciples did.) The truth is quite the contrary: a strong economy and a healthy work ethic is a gift from God." (Christians are to have a healthy work ethic even after they sell all and give to the poor as stated in the Gospel and the book of Acts)
The foundation wanted to "boldly go where no one else has gone before" (Read this as going more worldlyand money hungry than ever) by cutting out the confusing texts, the news release said.
"We don't use them anyway! There's no single Christian selling his possessions and giving them to the poor," DeRijke added. (Actually there have been many that have done so all through church history and those that have dones so now. Today their number may be small in westernized indutrial countries but the misuse abuse or disuse or Christ's commandment here does not alter a single word he spoke.)
The Western Bible is published, so far only in Dutch, by the well-known Christian publisher Buijten & Schipperheijn. In it, some of the most important passages of the Bible: the Ten Commandments, sections of Isaiah, Proverbs, and the Sermon on the Mount, contain holes where the original translation urged radical actions around money, justice or affluence.
Hundreds of Western Bibles have been sold in the first few weeks, while anxious Christians filled newspapers and Web logs with their doubts.
But it seems there is sometimes more anger than humor among Christians.
It is published by Time to Turn, a network of
Christian students and young adults in the
"They do not believe in a new legalism, (Bible beleiving christainity) or in a utopian state,(They do not want to build a perfect Christian world) but in a God who is willing to deliver the world from materialism and injustice,” the release said. “Time to Turn is linked to the international student movement Speak.”
Frank Mulder, chairman of Time to Turn, said he is surprised by the commotion caused by the new Bible version.
"Many Christians accept the Western lifestyle, including the degradation of creation and the injustice of our trade, and they only take the easy parts of the gospel,” he said. But it isn't until we publish this gospel with holes, that they get confused!"
Time to Turn is soon to publish a
companion Bible study about the holes.