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Alicia and I have found this to be the norm so far. Pretty frustrating.

NIV Reviews

Rodney Decker has written a 39 page review here.

Dan Wallace has a 4 part review:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

A few excerpts from Wallace:

" Although ‘over 100 scholars’ seems like overkill for a good translation (a much smaller group could do as good a job if not better), the NIV’s multinational and multidenominational workforce removes it from any charges of sectarian bias."

"The primary focus of the NIV 2011 is an accurate translation (more on this later), and one has to admit that they have accomplished this objective admirably."

"The scholarship behind the NIV 2011 is probably as good as it gets."

"The NIV is strong on readability and somewhat strong on accuracy, while the ESV is strong on elegance and somewhat strong on accuracy and, less so, on readability. The NET is strong on accuracy, somewhat strong on elegance (though this is patchy), and semi-strong on readability."

"In sum, what can we say overall about the NIV 2011? First, it is a well-thought out translation, with checks and balances through rigorous testing, overlapping committees to ensure consistency and accuracy, and a publisher willing to commit significant resources to make this Bible appealing to the Christian reader. The commitment of the CBT, Biblica, the NIV translators, and Zondervan is truly stunning. A serious investment of money and manpower has produced this translation. And why? To encourage the believer in Jesus Christ to seek his face in the scriptures, and to grow in grace because of what he or she sees. The obvious dedication of all the principals to the Bible as God’s Word must not go unnoticed. This is a translation by believers for believers. And precisely because the translators represent various denominations and countries, as well as positions about the role of women in the church, the NIV 2011 has an incredibly strong foundation. The unity that is the NIV produced from such diversity speaks well for the health of the Church today. The translators model what believers are to be like.

Second, the scholarship that produced this version is excellent, both in text and translation decisions. The textual basis and rendering of difficult expressions in the original are bold features that warrant our gratitude. This is no fly-by-night operation. Unspeakable effort has gone into the production of this version of the Bible, with thousands of decisions being made by individuals and committees, all under the purview of the prime mandate of the CBT. For this, believers everywhere can and should thank God for the NIV, because it is what it purports to be: the eternal word of God in the language of English-speaking people today.

Third, there are problems with this translation, of course. But there are problems with every translation. Not a single one is perfect, though some are significantly better than others. The New World Translation, because of its strong sectarian bias and downright impossible renderings of the text in many places where the original text contradicts the core beliefs of this group, is far and away the worst translation in English dress. On the other end of the spectrum are some gems, and the NIV 2011 is one of them. Although it is easy for people to become pseudo-informed about Bible translations through the Internet, a far more valuable exercise would be to find a good version and read it. And for readability, the NIV 2011 has no peers. Debates over which translation is better ultimately are a major distraction whose fire the Enemy loves to stoke. As with the handful of other exceptional translations, the NIV 2011 definitely should be one that the well-equipped English-speaking Christian has on his or her shelf, and one that they consult often for spiritual nourishment. Tolle lege!"

(Dem Propas: Andy Naselli)

Always Reforming

"Of one thing we may be absolutely sure. If the Reformers could return and address us today, they would not say, 'We got it all right; you must follow our exegesis and theology and implement it precisely as it stands.' What they would say is, 'You must follow our method: read and study scripture for all it's worth, and let it do its work in the world, in and through you and your churches.' They would not be surprised if, as a result, we came up at some points with different, or differently nuanced, theological and practical proposals. They would encourage us to go where scripture led, using all the tools available to us, and being prepared to challenge all human traditions, including the 'Reformation' traditions themselves, insofar as scripture itself encourages us to do so."

--N.T. Wright, The Last Word, 77

5 Minutes After You Die

"Five minutes after we die, it will be too late to go back and redo our lives. Gazing into the eyes of the Christ we treasure, we'll know exactly how we should have lived. God has given us his Word so we don't have to wait to die to find out how we should have lived. And he's given us his Spirit to empower us to live that way now. Ask yourself: Five minutes after I die, what will I wish I would have done with the money and possessions God entrusted to my care: What will I wish I'd given away while I still had the chance? When you've come up with an answer, why not do it now? Why shouldn't we spent the rest of our lives closing the gap between what we are doing and what we'll wish we would have done for his glory?"

-Randy Alcorn, "Dethroning Money to Treasure Christ Above All," in For the Fame of God's Name.

Recklessly Abandoned Senders: Giving to Missions

Read this blog post by A.J. Gibson, then write a fat check or donate online to To Every Tribe Ministries, all for the glory of God.

One to One Bible Reading

The authors of the wonderful book "The Trellis and the Vine" write this:

"Imagine if all Christians, as a normal part of their discipleship, were caught up in a web of regular Bible reading - not only digging into the word privately, but reading it with their children before bed, with their spouse over breakfast, with a non-Christian colleague at work once a week over lunch, with a new Chrsitian for follow-up once a fortnight for mutual encouragement, and with a mature Christian friend once a month for mutual encouragement."

I want to point you to a fantastic resource to that end: David Helm's "One to One Bible Reading." It is short and simple, but helpful. What is the best way to share the gospel with an unbeliever? Read the Bible. What is the best way to disciple new Christians? Read the Bible. What is the best way to encourage mature Christians? Read the Bible. This little book gives you a plan for reading the Bible with another person. Do it!

A Book for Grown-Ups

"There is no need to worried by facetious people who try to make the Christian hope of 'Heaven' ridiculous by saying they do not want 'to spend eternity playing harps'. The answer to such people is that if they cannot understand books written for grown-ups, they should not talk about them. All the scriptural imagery (harps, crowns, gold, etc.) is, of course, a merely symbolical attempt to express the inexpressible. Musical instruments are mentioned because for many people (not all) music is the thing known in the present life which most strongly suggests ecstasy and infinity. Crowns are mentioned to suggest the fact that those who are united with God in eternity share His splendor and power and joy. gold is mentioned to suggest the timelessness of Heaven (gold does not rust) and the preciousness of it. People who take these symbols literally might as well think that when Christ told us to be like does, He meant that we were to lay eggs."

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, 114.

Walking

J-Ham's Top Ten on Biblical Theology

Dr. Jim Hamilton shares his top ten books on biblical studies here.

Bock Defends NIV

Here.

Kanye, a Mavs fan??

(Props: Basketball Jones)