A few evenings ago I happened to tune into the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) as I was channel-surfing, and discovered they were once again showing the movie “The Gospel of John”. They never announce when they’re going to show it; it just happens to pop up on that channel now and then. At any rate, I had become aware sometime last year that the translation used in that movie was the NLTse, and I am very impressed with how clear and easy it is to understand in the movie.
I own, personally, three NASBs, three NIVs, a couple NKJVs, a KJV, a couple NRSVs, an ESV, and a Phillips NT. Maybe a couple others that I can’t think of right now. We also have a NLT1 in the house, and an old, old paperback GNT. My wife says, “What do you need another Bible for?!” Well, do you notice anything about my list? They’re mostly older, literal, scholarly, conservative translations. There’s no TNIV; there’s no NLTse; and I feel once again like I have a Bible-shaped hole in me that needs to be filled.
I have been shopping around town the last several weeks, looking to see just what is available locally along the lines of TNIV and NLTse. WalMart and Sam’s Club carry NIV, NKJV, and KJV almost exclusively. I went over to the local Christian book and gift store, only to be told in no uncertain terms that they do not carry the TNIV. But they have lots of NIVs, KJVs, NKJVs, and even NASBs and ESVs…..and they carry the NLTse! I checked them out pretty well, and they do have the nice large print personal size one I’m interested in…but they like to charge full retail price.
This evening my wife and I were out for a while, and stopped in at the brand new Barnes & Noble bookstore that had recently moved into our big mall, and I took the opportunity to look over what they had. NIVs, NIVs, everywhere NIVs! But here and there among the NIVs I found a few, a very few, TNIVs! Now at this point I’m not expecting to find any TNIVs that really match my wants and needs. I’m waiting for the new TNIV Reference Bible this fall for that.
But next to the NIVs and TNIVs were a couple shelves of NLTs, including the NLTse. Actually, most of them are the second edition now, but there are a few of the first one still left on the shelves. I spent some time looking at various versions of them, but they were all thinline and very few large print. But even the regular-size print was quite clear, and I almost…almost… well, you know. And the B&N prices were generally less than full retail, especially for those that were on sale.
I know I can get the Bibles I want from Amazon or Christian Book, at low prices, but when you add in the shipping I only save a couple dollars in many cases, so if I can find what I want locally it’s usually worth paying a little more to have it in my hands that very day.
I have really been enjoying reading the NLTse online, and at this point I am leaning very hard towards going to the local Christian bookstore and picking up that personal-size large-print in black bonded leather for $35. I don’t really like stealth Bibles anyway. I’d rather have a Bible that looks like one.
I’ll worry about getting a TNIV this September. For now I’ve got a NLTse-shaped hole to fill!
R. Mansfield said:
Hey, Gary, the Gospel of John movie was released in 2003, a year before the NLTse was first published. The movie actually uses the Good News Translation.
I’ve got a copy of the movie, and it’s actually quite good. I also watch the TV show, Lost, and one of the characters–Desmond–is the same actor who plays Jesus in the 2003 movie. He’s a very good actor, but Desmond comes across as a bit of a messianic character for me because of seeing the movie first.
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Gary Zimmerli said:
The movie actually uses the Good News Translation.
Well, that burst my bubble, didn’t it? I guess that’s what happens when you get old and foggy-headed. π
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Jason said:
I can relate; a local Christian book and gift store come right out and told me they do not and will not carry the TNIV. I don’t shop there for anything any more. π
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Brad Boydston said:
Amazon shipping is free — if you’re $25 or more.
I bought my TNIV pocket Bible at a California Costco last year. They had probably 3 or 4 different TNIV options at that time.
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Gary Zimmerli said:
Jason, when I left the store after the kid told me they don’t carry the TNIV, I said to him, “Well, you will, someday.”
Brad, I’ve never bought from Amazon before. I’m one of those Neanderthals who don’t buy things over the internet…yet! CBD wants about $27 for the NLTse I’m looking at, plus $6 for shipping. The local store wants $35, only two dollars more. It’s worth it to me to have it in my hands the same day.
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Anonymous said:
Gary,
That same bookstore, which won’t carry the TNIV, DOES carry tiny statues of Joseph to bury in your yard to help your house sell! Which is pagan, as I pointed out to them the last time I saw it there. I’m surprised there’s something they won’t sell! But, as the only game in town for the most part, its hard not to shop there –
Jeff
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opinion-minion said:
It does bug me that every bookstore I go to has millions of NIVs, and NLTs, but only a few TNIVs. My local Borders carries a PB TNIV study bible, one thinline, and that’s about it. I bought their second thinline, and it hasn’t been replaced. We have more ESVs and NASBs than TNIVs!
There’s two Christian bookstores in our town. I haven’t been to the tiny one for awhile, but the Family Christian bookstore does carry the TNIV. Boycotting hurts the bookstore more than it could possibly could harm the moral fibre of a local community that barely picks up their Bibles anyway.
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Gary Zimmerli said:
Hi Jeff, you feel anonymous today? π
Our local store carries that stuff??? Kinda short on discernment, don’t you think?
O-M, we have two Bookstores in our town, too, but one is pretty much straight Catholic, so I stay out of that one.
I’m really frustrated by how the campaign against the TNIV has made them less available to us. And what frustrates me even more is the fact that many of the Bible scholars and teachers I respect most are on that side of the argument. And more and more, I can see that those particular people are not translators; many are not even Greek or Hebrew scholars, they just jump on what they perceive as the “conservative” bandwagon and mouth the lines they have been fed.
Anyone who is a serious Bible student can look at the TNIV and quickly tell that it’s a more accurate, functional translation than the original NIV.
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Beyond Words said:
What’s the address for reading NLTse online? I’ve googled it and can’t seem to find it.
Thanks!
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Gary Zimmerli said:
Hey BW, when I want to read the NLTse online, I go to Bible Gateway, http://www.biblegateway.com/
You can pick whatever translation you want to read from their list, and the NLT they have is the second edition. You can adjust all your personal preferences from text size to cross references to footnotes. Plus you can also read in multiple translations on one page. It’s a great Bible study tool!
I’ve been hoping to find a free download of the NLTse, but so far no luck.
Gary
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Jim Swindle said:
Probably the cheapest place to get the NLT would be the International Bible Society, http://ibsdirect.com , or the American Bible Society. Of course, you’d get a basic text version, hardback or paperback.
I, too, love Bibles, but am concluding that my wants and my needs in terms of Bible editions are very different things.
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