Let’s Make a Deal with the NCC

By Dwayna Litz

© LTW Worldwide December 2006

A new article I have written on the English Standard Version Bible translation and the National Council of Churches was recently published. This is an addendum to that article with a response from a well-respected leader involved with the translation. (My original article is posted on: www.christianworldviewnetwork.com entitled "English Standard Version Profits National Council of Churches"). In the article I state that the copyright credits the NCC, so a Christian can only assume that the NCC is garnering profits from ESV sales.

One thing I want to clarify is that I am not purporting that the ESV is a bad translation. I am only grieved over the copyright information, which does not make me feel "good" about it.

I heard back yesterday from Dr. Wayne Grudem who was closely involved in the ESV translation. After taking some time to pray about this, and after writing back to let him know I would like to make his response public, I have decided to post this correspondence with an apology for getting a minor detail wrong: it was a one-time deal.

Beneath his response are more questions to Wayne Grudem from myself. I have added the caveats in brackets for clarity. I sent these questions out to him yesterday via my friend who is on the Board of CBMW (Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood) in response to his response. I will publish more explanation from Dr. Grudem if I hear back.

--------------------

Dr. Wayne Grudem:

"We bought the rights to the old RSV from the NCC in a one-time payment several years ago. The funding for that came from private sources, not from any ESV sales…Not one cent goes to the NCC from ESV sales, and it never will."

My response:

…The [ESV] Bible has the copyright information listed as National Council of Churches. If they bought the copyright then why does the copyright information read otherwise? It is listed right there on the page with the publishing information. Please tell Wayne Grudem that I have bought about 20 copies of Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth and given them all away! I love his work and greatly respect him, and I will be happy to publish his response along with further clarification. If not one cent goes to the NCC then why is the NCC listed in the copyright information? It is confusing to the average Christian .

So, the funding for that [copyright deal with the NCC] came from “private sources”—so I assume those private sources were Christian s.

How could any Christian give money to the NCC with a clear conscience before the Lord?

Thanks for passing these questions along.

-------------------

So, I guess a better title to my original article would be: “English Standard Version Profits the Private Sect Who Paid Off the National Council of Churches [Giving The NCC Lots of Money in a One-Time Deal to Promote Liberalism (Homosexuality, Goddess Worship, etc.)] for the Rights to a Bible [Which Is Opposed to All of Those Things the Money in the One-Time Deal Went to Fund].”

That really doesn’t sound very good.

Dwayna Litz
www.lightingthewayworldwide.org