The Gender-Neutral Bible Controversy: Muting the Masculinity of God's Words

"The Bible is God's own Word to us." Translating the words of God has become an even more daunting task in recent years as the pressure of "political correctness" and various activist agendas have sought to influence the landscape. No issue has become more controversial than gender-neutral Bible translations. Vern Poythress and Wayne Grudem examine the translation practice of replacing the generic "he" and the specific "father" with the gender-neutral "they" and "parent." While translators may be well intentioned in seeking not to offend, Poythress and Grudem contend that the results are subtly changed meanings of the original texts and less-than-accurate translations. Throughout, however, the authors seek to build a dialogue that will result in understanding both sides of the gender-neutral controversy and the challenge of producing accurate Bible translations.