Bible Illiteracy

The Bible has long been the English-speaking world’s best selling book. Over 900 English translations have been produced, from the dignified prose of the Authorised or King James Version to versions which attempt to render God’s Word in colloquial street-slang.

In the United States a prayer book has been published which utilises the vernacular of hoodlums. For example it renders the well-known Twenty-Third Psalm in these terms:

“And even though I walk through
The Hood of death
I don’t back down
For you have my back.”

Many find the more colloquial translations and these commercial gimmicks disrespectful. There might be some justification for them if they led to more people reading God’s Word. There is evidence, however, that this is not the case. In spite of the book’s best-seller status, Bible literacy is in decline around the globe....  [Click here to read the rest of this article]