I recently learned of a "Conservative Bible Project" that aims to eliminate the liberal bias in the Bible and hold on to the glorious ideal of conservatism (as they define it).
Is that what we really need?
Thomas Jefferson cut his Bible up to suit his needs. In many ways, we all look to passages in the Bible that conform to our understanding of God and humanity, but to cut out what we disagree with seems to narrow God into our nice little box.
Instead, we should have translators from around the world, from different denominations and different theologies to help guide the translations of a bible so that we can engage it all.
The Common English Bible from their website:
The CEB and the older NRSV help me engage the Bible daily. What translation helps you?
Combining scholarly accuracy with vivid language, the Common English Bible is the work of 120 biblical scholars from 24 denominations in American, African, Asian, European, and Latino communities, representing such academic institutions as Asbury Theological Seminary, Azusa Pacific University, Bethel Seminary, Denver Seminary, Princeton Theological Seminary, Seattle Pacific University, Wheaton College, Yale University, and many others. Additionally, more than 500 readers in 77 groups field-tested the translation. Every verse was read aloud in the reading groups, where potentially confusing passages were identified. The translators considered the groups' responses and, where necessary, reworked those passages to clarify in modern English their meaning from the original languages. In total, more than 700 people worked jointly to bring the Common English Bible to fruition; and because of the Internet and today’s technology it was completed in less than four years.
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