Frame on 'Gender Neutral' Language

Here is a concise and clear defense of the use of generic masculine pronouns by John Frame (my theology prof from Reformed Theological Seminary). Some have inquired about this in terms of my own writing and preaching. Most inquiries are not looking for me or the church to adopt a gender neutral pastoral 'newspeak', but rather looking for a simple rebuttal against those who do. Also, I think that some of Frame's argumentation is helpful to students in the academic world where they are censored in their writing if they do not accept the new gender ideology being forced down their throats via writing/style standards.

Driscoll on the ESV

Hey everyone...sorry I haven't posted in awhile- away on vacation. I should maybe throw a post up warning you I'd be out of the blogger world for one reason or the other next time.

Well, Mark Driscoll over at Mars Hill Church (www.marshillchurch.org) has a great explanation of why their church has recently transitioned to the ESV (English Standard Version). Go check it out: http://marshillchurch.org/content/ESV. If I were a real pastor, I would have drafted such a defense of our own transition this past fall from the NIV to the ESV. I just announced it from the pulpit, autocratic tyrant that I am. But, why spend such time on these things when I know guys like Driscoll will do it better?

Driscoll spends the bulk of his time discussing the main reason for their shift from the NIV to the ESV in defending the use of a translation that uses a 'word for word' (formal equivalence) philosophy of bible translation over a 'thought for thought' (dynamic equivalence) philosophy. [Confused? Well, read Driscoll's article and here is a great little blurb:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formal_equivalence - there is a great link to a list of the formal or dynamic translations out there on the shelf.] And only mentions the issue of 'gender-neutrality' within this context in the sixth point of his theological reasons for the change. It is a great point, and it needs to be made. For a more exhaustive source dealing with gender neutrality and the TNIV go here:http://www.genderneutralbibles.com/.