"Do We Still Need a Literal Bible? Discover the Truth about Literal Bibles" delves deep into the essential principles of Bible translation, emphasizing the importance of literal translation philosophy. This book is a must-read for anyone passionate about understanding the Scriptures as they were originally written. It explores the foundational aspects of Bible translation, clarifies key terminologies, and critically examines popular translations through the lens of accuracy and faithfulness. The book begins with an introduction to the basics of Bible translation, detailing the source texts and essential tools required for translators. It underscores the unique nature of the Bible, highlighting its divine inspiration, historical reliability, and theological depth, setting it apart from other great books. The discussion on functional versus formal equivalence exposes the pitfalls of dynamic equivalence and advocates for a literal approach to maintain the integrity of the Scriptures. Special attention is given to the necessity of accurate Greek and Hebrew texts, addressing common translation challenges, and the impact of cultural context on translation. The book also critiques popular translations like the KJV, NKJV, NIV, ESV, and NASB, ultimately endorsing the Updated American Standard Version (UASV) as the most faithful literal translation available today. Through detailed case studies and discussions on the influence of theology on translation choices, readers will gain insights into the ethical responsibilities of translators and the importance of avoiding interpretive biases. The book also addresses the future directions in Bible translation philosophy, emphasizing the need for ongoing commitment to literal accuracy. Finally, "Do We Still Need a Literal Bible?" promotes biblical literacy and provides resources to help readers engage deeply with the Scriptures. It encourages lifelong study and highlights the role of the UASV in fostering a deeper understanding of God's Word. Whether you are a scholar, a student of the Bible, or someone seeking to deepen your understanding of the Scriptures, this book provides a comprehensive guide to why a literal translation philosophy is indispensable for preserving the truth of the Bible.

As a pastor I have a dual role: that of a prophet and a priest. The prophet confronts the people, and the priest comforts the people. I am to comfort the troubled and trouble the comfortable. In relationship to the Bible, the dual struggle is clear. As the priest, I take the Bible seriously because it changes lives (first sermon). I have never heard anyone give testimony that reading Plato's The Republic, Virgil's Aeneid, Homer's Odyssey, Cicero's Moral Ethics, or John Stewart Mill's Liberty changed their lives. But thousands of people have given testimony of how reading the Bible has changed their lives forever. As the prophet, I propose to you that no book has been more abused than the Bible or more misunderstood. The Bible has been a playground for lunatics, profit for the charlatans, a profession for the clergy, a problem for theologians, a puzzle for the general public, and placid for the masses. I believe if a person will read the Bible interpretatively and intelligently it will be read seriously, respectfully and reverently thereby becoming the living word of God. Gene Rollins, Author

How do you read the Bible? Figuratively, or literally. Some are bound by the law, and deceptions of man. Grace is the gift of God through the work at the cross. The Old Testament should be read as a surgical knife removing a cancerous growth from your soul. At the very least it is a road map of rules and regulations showing you, you can never obtain perfection. But Jesus is that perfection.

Those who understand the Bible in literal terms are constantly accused of not understanding the Bible in literal terms. Someone will point to the word "all" or "this" or "that" and charge that the Literalist does not take those words literally, therefore they are not truly understanding the Bible in literal terms. Is there any truth to this? Does the Literalist strive to understand the literal meaning of the Bible, and by doing so, is he required to understand every word in its most literal sense? The author sets out to show that within language, while not all words, phrases and verbiage are to be taken literally, all meaning derived from those same words, phrases and verbiage is to be taken literally. It is the actual meaning that matters. What's the difference? Is the Literalist simply pulling the wool over everyone else's eyes, in order to make the Bible say what they want it to say?

The concept of inspiration is part and parcel of the theological tradition in several religious confessions, but it has largely receded to the background, if not vanished altogether, in the discussions of biblical scholars. The question "Do we still need inspiration?" might well reflect the perplexity of many exegetes today. Systematic theologians, for their part, often further their own reflections on the subject independently of developments in the field of exegesis, with the risk of remaining purely theoretical. Biblical research in the last decades has been marked by new insights about the nature of the biblical texts, stemming from the study of their inner plurality (insofar as they combine and sometimes intertwine conflicting theologies), of their textual fluidity, and of their reception. Can these new insights be integrated into a theological reflection on the notion of inspiration? These questions are often explicitly raised about the Jewish and Christian Scriptures, but they also prove increasingly relevant for Qur’ānic studies. This volume addresses them through contributions from exegetes of the Bible and of the Qur’an and systematic theologians.

Differences in translation between so-called literal Bible versions make it quite appropriate to re-evaluate what is meant by the label literal. What do different literal Bible translations have in common? How do they differ? How do we account for possible different concepts of literalness? How is the concept of literalness applied to the making of a Bible translation? To answer these questions, the author compares three literal Bible translations: the King James Version, the New American Standard Bible and the English Standard Version. For each of these versions, the historical background and the writings of the translators themselves are analysed. The book concludes with a comparison of the three translations in their renderings of selected examples from the Gospel of John.

In Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World, bishop and social activist John Shelby Spong argues that 200 years of biblical scholarship has been withheld from lay Christians. In this brilliant follow-up to Spong’s previous books Eternal Life and Jesus for the Non-Religious, Spong not only reveals the crucial truths that have long been kept hidden from the public eye, but also explores what the history of the Bible can teach us about reading its stories today and living our lives for tomorrow. Sarah Sentilles, author of Breaking Up With God: A Love Story, applauds John Shelby Spong’s Reclaiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World, writing that “pulsing beneath his brilliant, thought-provoking, passionate book is this question: can Christianity survive the education of its believers?…A question Bishop Spong answers with a resounding yes.”