Our Move to the English Standard Version
We are moving to adopt the English Standard Version as our official translation at Christ Reformed Church. Since, some may wonder why we are doing this. Let me explain...
For several hundred years, when someone stood to read or preach the Bible in English speaking churches, the entire congregation knew exactly what was going to be read and could turn in their own Bibles and follow along because the King James Version was the only version in common use. While study helps and other translations were helpful in Bible study, the use of a standard text for corporate use in the church was a great blessing to God's people.
In modern times we have been inundated with many new translations of the Scriptures and this is causing confusion in the church. The pastor will preach from one text and the congregant will be reading from another. Someone will read from one text aloud, while others frustratingly try to follow along in another.
Translations like the New International Version (NIV); that seek a more thought for thought translation (Dynamic Equivalent), while being acceptable for what they are, should not replace a translation that is more faithful to the original words. The popularity of the NIV is threatening the rich heritage the English speaking world has had in regards to its 'formal equivalent' translations.
Furthermore, translations seeking to be 'politically correct' should be rejected outright as being corrupt. In the case of the new wave of translations that are 'gender inclusive', we are seeing a systematic attempt to tone down (or remove) the doctrine of headship and bow down to the idol of Feminism.
Since all translations are not equal and it is egregious when someone would stand in the church and read from a bad one, it is therefore wise for the church to adopt a single good translation as a standard for the ministry. In adopting the English Standard Version as our official translation, Christ Reformed Church seeks to establish unity and protect our members from bad versions. We also anticipate that standardizing in this way will help us return to the benefits enjoyed by the church before the influx of new versions.
Why The English Standard Version?
The English Standard Version (ESV) has been chosen for a variety of reasons. First of all, it is an accurate translation that is faithful to the original. This accuracy has been well balanced by readability. While the New American Standard Version is also a very accurate translation, it pays for some of its accuracy by being somewhat less readable. This is why the NASV has lost so much ground to the NIV.
The translators of the ESV have sought to be as faithful to the original as readability will allow. What we have is an 'essentially literal' translation that is a pleasure to read. This makes the ESV a good choice for use in the family as well as in the church. Fathers can lead their families in worship from a translation that is easily grasped (as far as the translation goes) by the younger members in the family without having to use a paraphrase. Pastors can preach from an accurate translation whose readability commends itself to the congregants.
The translators have also sought to retain the beauty of the historic English Bible. One does not have to read the ESV for long before the beauty of the language is evident. This is an area of modern translation that has been greatly neglected and we are glad to see attention given to it once more.
If you have not started reading from the English Standard Version, we heartily commend this translation to you and pray it is as much a blessing to you as it has been to us.
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Christ Reformed Church
2209 Sunny Hill Road
Lawrenceville, GA 30043
Sunday Services
10:00 AM -
Sunday School:
11:00 AM -
Morning Worship
Wednesday Service
7:00PM
- Prayer Service
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