Well…
I reserve recommending the GNT for one very special group of people.
That is: people who
a – are not poor readers (they actually like to read, most of them)
b – but who hate in particular reading things like the Bible and history text books
Obviously this includes a lot of people! What’s special about the GNT is that it has a *style* more like a novel and less like a history text book. Most Bible versions have a style very much like that of a history text book – which is, of course, the “original style” of the Bible itself. On the other hand, the GNT is a genuine, scholarly translation – unlike The Message and The Living Bible, its primary competitors in the “novel-like style” category, which are both paraphrase Bibles and difficult to trust.
So: people who want to read the Bible but who literally cannot force themselves to do so (because it is so dry and boring and stilted like a history text book) – but who at the same time will happily read a Harry Potter or a Stephen King book – often succeed with the GNT where they failed with other Bible versions, and this is the niche where the GNT succeeds so well.
There are a couple of additional “pros” to the GNT:
– it is available with the English Protestant Apocrypha
– it is available with an “imprimatur” (which means that some editions are approved for use by Catholics)
– it is the only English Bible I know that has editions with the Apocrypha **and** an imprimatur (both *in the same edition*), so that Catholics can feel *completely* OK with reading 1 & 2 Esdras and The Prayer of Manasseh in a GNT – the Scriptures of the Apocrypha that as far as I know have not been included in English Catholic Bibles since the 1700s (they were found in the original editions of the Douay-Rheims – those predating the Challoner Revision of 1750).
Dislike? Well…
– it’s a little too free *for my tastes*, verging on paraphrase despite being an authentic scholarly translationhttp://www.bibleselector.com/literalness…
– it’s over-generous with the use of inclusive languagehttp://www.bibleselector.com/inclusive.h…
Note that both of those are relatively minor points with respect to the particular audience that I’ve mentioned above – the audience that simply can’t force themselves to read any other *respectable* Bible version. Lots and lots of people have tried and failed to read the Bible, but then have succeeded and fallen in love with the GNT.
– Jim, http://www.BibleSelector.com/
The are too many changes needed to even begin to list here. The bible is about 50% mythology. Some spiritualists are needed to totally revise this book or it will continue to be ineffective.. God bless.
I was an atheist who became a Christian while reading the Good News Bible in a hotel room. I like that translation for obvious reasons, but I now prefer the KJV.
Well…
I reserve recommending the GNT for one very special group of people.
That is: people who
a – are not poor readers (they actually like to read, most of them)
b – but who hate in particular reading things like the Bible and history text books
Obviously this includes a lot of people! What’s special about the GNT is that it has a *style* more like a novel and less like a history text book. Most Bible versions have a style very much like that of a history text book – which is, of course, the “original style” of the Bible itself. On the other hand, the GNT is a genuine, scholarly translation – unlike The Message and The Living Bible, its primary competitors in the “novel-like style” category, which are both paraphrase Bibles and difficult to trust.
So: people who want to read the Bible but who literally cannot force themselves to do so (because it is so dry and boring and stilted like a history text book) – but who at the same time will happily read a Harry Potter or a Stephen King book – often succeed with the GNT where they failed with other Bible versions, and this is the niche where the GNT succeeds so well.
There are a couple of additional “pros” to the GNT:
– it is available with the English Protestant Apocrypha
– it is available with an “imprimatur” (which means that some editions are approved for use by Catholics)
– it is the only English Bible I know that has editions with the Apocrypha **and** an imprimatur (both *in the same edition*), so that Catholics can feel *completely* OK with reading 1 & 2 Esdras and The Prayer of Manasseh in a GNT – the Scriptures of the Apocrypha that as far as I know have not been included in English Catholic Bibles since the 1700s (they were found in the original editions of the Douay-Rheims – those predating the Challoner Revision of 1750).
Dislike? Well…
– it’s a little too free *for my tastes*, verging on paraphrase despite being an authentic scholarly translationhttp://www.bibleselector.com/literalness…
– it’s over-generous with the use of inclusive languagehttp://www.bibleselector.com/inclusive.h…
Note that both of those are relatively minor points with respect to the particular audience that I’ve mentioned above – the audience that simply can’t force themselves to read any other *respectable* Bible version. Lots and lots of people have tried and failed to read the Bible, but then have succeeded and fallen in love with the GNT.
– Jim, http://www.BibleSelector.com/
The are too many changes needed to even begin to list here. The bible is about 50% mythology. Some spiritualists are needed to totally revise this book or it will continue to be ineffective.. God bless.
I was an atheist who became a Christian while reading the Good News Bible in a hotel room. I like that translation for obvious reasons, but I now prefer the KJV.
It is good in our books, Try to buy a Strong’s concordance to help you in your studies.-Jesus Christ
I insist on a translation that respects Ex 23:13, and does not call YHVH by names of heathen mighty ones,,, like ‘god’ or ‘lord’.
Propaganda….
it is very good but from a different perspective but delievers the same dynamite message.
No opinion. It is just another translation. I wonder how many translations exist.