In the February 1997 issue of the PBC,
I published an article sent out by David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist News
Service. This article was about Virginia Mollenkott, a lesbian, who worked
on the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible. At the beginning of
the article I wrote one paragraph which is published below.
(Note by ELB: If you have ever wondered why the word "sodomite"
does not appear in the "New International Version" of the Bible,
the following article will help you. This shows one more reason why the
NIV Bible is a corrupt translation).
Bruce Oyen, Pastor of the Fellowship Baptist Church, Miles City, Montana,
wrote a three page article defending the NIV in the leaving out of the word
sodomite. He says, "I am not a fan of the NIV. I do not read it, except
occasionally to see how a given passage is translated in it. I do not have
much confidence in the NIV, and therefore, I do not recommend it to others.
But I do recommend, trust, and read and preach from the King James Version."
Yes, Bro. Oyen, we see how you trust the KJV. You say the KJV is
wrong in using the word sodomite, and that the NIV is right in leaving it
out. Your commendation of the KJV sounds rather hollow! The KJV does not
need this kind of friends. Then he goes on to tell us that lesbian Mollenkott
had very little to do with the NIV. Of course, his information on that comes
from Kenneth L. Barker, Executive Director of the NIV Translation Center.
Anybody that believes that you will get the truth from these people probably
also believes in the tooth fairy. Asking the NIV people to furnish the facts,
is as likely to produce the truth as quickly as asking Bill and Hillary
about Whitewater. How can you trust people who have butchered the Bible
as the NIV Translation Committee has done?
(If you want the proof that NIV is a terrible translation, order Tract
# A-217, Should We Trust the New International Version, by E. L. Bynum.
Send $1.00 for 1 copy, or $5.00 for 50 copies postage paid anywhere
in the USA.)
If you want to know whether you can trust the people that control the publication
of NIV, read the article elsewhere in this issue of the PBC about the new
unisex, feminist, gender neutral NIV. This perversion is already being
sold in England, and will be coming to your local bookstore in two or three
years. We hope that the apologists for NIV will get their copy so they can
write to us, justifying the changes in the NIV.
He also quotes James R. White's book, The King James Only Controversy. Where
does White get his information to prove that lesbian Mollenkott had little
to do with the NIV? You guessed it, he got it from the same Kenneth L. Barker
of the NIV Translation Center.
Then Pastor Oyen uses Strong's Concordance and a number of commentaries
to try to prove that the NIV is right in removing sodomite. Then if NIV
is right, then the KJV is wrong. This comes from a man who says, "I
do recommend, trust, and read and preach from the King James Version."
Some people just don't get it. I am not in favor of changing the KJV with
Strong's Concordance, or his list of dubious commentaries. In the past I
have published material that he has written. In the future, he can send
it to the friends and lovers of the NIV!!!
Professor Ron Minton, Baptist Bible Graduate School, Springfield, MO has
written to me twice about our article in the February 1997 PBC. Back in
March, he mailed me what looks like a press release from the NIV Translation
Center. It was written by Kenneth L. Barker, Executive Director. If I am
not mistaken, this undated release was circulated in 1993. His copy contains
a handwritten notation, "rec. 9-94." Minton sent me a handwritten
note which reads, "You should also publish Barker's notes if you are
interested in the facts. Ron Minton." We are interested in the facts,
and that is the very reason why we are not going to publish Barker's press
release.
I received a typed letter from Prof Minton, dated May 5, 1997. I am going
to print his complete letter paragraph by paragraph along with my answer.
Dear Bro. Bynum,
This is in reference to your introduction to the Virginia Mollenkott article,
written by David Cloud, as it appeared in the 2-97 Plains Baptist Challenger.
Please note:
1. All homosexuality is sin against God and man. Any Bible which does not
so indicate this wickedness is distorted!
Neither E. L. Bynum or David Cloud said that you could not take the NIV
and prove that homosexuality is wrong. You certainly can, but it does weaken
our stand, and it does it in the same way that homosexuals have argued for
years. You can also take the RSV and prove the virgin birth of Jesus Christ,
but not from Isa. 7:14. The RSV removed "virgin" and substituted
"young woman."
2. The error in the article was its very strong implication that since Virginia Mollenkott is a lesbian, the NIV is a weak translation that waters down the biblical teaching on such sins.
The NIV certainly strengthens the argument of the homosexuals and lesbians.
They have claimed for years, that sodomite is the wrong word, and that the
only sin involved was homosexual prostitution in the temple. They say that
this would be wrong, but that homosexual and lesbian practices are just
fine between consenting adults. Several years ago, I was on an hour long
call in radio show, where I gave the Bible view of homosexuality. The woman
pastor of the Metropolitan (homo) Church(?) called in and argued this same
thing with me. The NIV most certainly strengthens their hand. The lesbians
hate the word "sodomite," but they don't mind "temple prostitute" in the NIV. Only a college professor could fail to see this.
3. You said in the introduction to the article, "If you have ever wondered why the word sodom ite does not appear in the NIV... the following article [by David Cloud] will help you." The foolishness of such is seen in the fact that one could say, "since the word homosexual is not in the
KJV...." Of course both are silly statements meant to mislead readers,
and that is a sin.
Now the Prof accuses me of "foolishness," and of "silly statements."
He also says that I "meant to mislead readers, and that is a sin."
In the first place, if the word "homosexual" was in the Bible,
I would be opposed to it being removed. "Sodomite" is in the Bible,
and the NIVites have taken it out. I will tell you what sin is, it is tampering
with the Word of God. Sin is taking words, sentences, verses and sections
out of the Word of God. NIV has done that, and where is Prof Minton's rage
over this? The good professor and the NIV people would do well to read Rev.
22:18-19. For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the
prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall
add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall
take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away
his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the
things which are written in this book.
4. Cloud's article did give a good overview of her statements that prove
she is a lesbian, and I do appreciate that; it is good scholarship. Yet
his earliest dates of such evidence is 1978, after the NIV was published.
Unless we can prove the NIV committee knew of her ways and that her views
are reflected in the translation, any suggestion that she influenced the
NIV in the area of sexual sins is indeed tabloidism.
For the record, I never said that the NIV committee knew that she was a
lesbian. I do not know, and neither does Prof Minton know. All we have is
the word of the NIV committee, and I count their word of little value. They
may or may not be telling the truth. One thing is certain, and that is they
are biased. They will protect their child (NIV) at all cost. I do suggest
that she may well have influenced the NIV committee to leave out the word
sodomite. One thing is certain, she would most heartily approve, and it
is a sad day to find a Baptist professor in agreement with a lesbian. If
the professor thinks I am wrong, let him get a signed letter from Virginal
Mollenkott, in which she says "sodomite" should have been left
in the NIV Bible. Later on in this article, we shall present evidence that
there were some people who knew she was a lesbian, or had strong suspicions
that she was.
5. Brother Bynum, your note seems to reveal a lack of integrity. Why publish
those introductory comments with the article? Can we not defend the use
of the KJV without such? You act like the KJV will collapse without your
ill-founded crutches. It would have been best to say the article was against
homosexuality, not the NIV. Please be more discerning.
The defenders of the NIV certainly think you lack integrity if you attack
their sacred cow. We pub lished our introductory comments in the interest
of truth, and we would not change one word of it. I not only defend the
KJV, but I do expose those such as NIV that intend to replace the KJV. No,
I do not believe that the KJV will collapse without my help. It will never
collapse, because it is preserved by the mighty hand of God. He promised
to keep His word in Isa. 40:8, and many other places. I am trying to convince
people not to be duped by these modern counterfeit bibles. I am trying to
save people from the heartache of giving up their KJV, for one of the modern
perversions like NIV. Prof Minton says, "Can we not defend the use
of the KJV without such?" We haven't seen his defense of the KJV. Where
are the articles that he has written for the defence of the KJV? It sounds
to me like he is too busy defending the NIV.
Grace be with you. Prof Ron Minton, Baptist Bible Graduate School, Springfield,
MO
By the way, it would seem to me, that there ought to be a period after Prof,
but I wouldn't dare change anything written by a Graduate School Prof. Oopps,
I just did.
I will tell you what Prof Minton and people like him are doing. They are
attacking the defenders of the KJV. They are criticizing and correcting
it in the classroom, while professing to love it. The KJV can do without
friends like that.
The Baptist Bible College is operated by the Baptist Bible Fellowship. Leaders
of this school have been talking out of both sides of their mouths for years
on the KJV issue. Years ago, the President of that school, wrote a very
strong article showing that BBC was indeed strong on the KJV. I was glad,
and printed the article with favorable comments. Then I received letters
from students saying that this was not the true stand of the teachers in
the School.
From the platform of a BBF meeting, one of the leaders said that those who
believe in the King James Only, are a cult. He invited them to leave the
Fellowship, and quite a number of them did.
You can be in the BBF and at the same time be in the Southern Baptist
Convention. Jerry Falwell is one example. There are some good men in
the BBF that believe in the KJV. They would be better men if they would
get out. With their money, they are feeding those who, like termites, are
destroying the foundation.
Did anyone know that Virginia Mollenkott,
who worked on the NIV was a lesbian? Did she have any influence on the NIV
translation? Let us look at that for awhile.
In the June 1994 issue of the PBC, we published an article entitled An
NIV/Lesbian Cover-up! It was written by Yvonne S. Waite, the wife of
Dr. D. A. Waite. He is director of The Bible For Today, and is President
of the Dean Burgon Society. This Society defends the Traditional
Text and the KJV. I shall quote from that article.
Dr. D. A. Waite warned years ago of her (Mollenkott) fondness of women and
of her penchant for non-Biblical views in his analysis of her early work.
"Woman Men, & the Bible," which he drafted in 1977,
(BFT #518/$4.00) In fact, he concluded after reading her book that
she was not a "believer." He wrote: "Virginia Ramey Mollenkott
might very well be an apostate who has never been born again, but
is only posing as a `sheep' when in reality she is a `wolf' in `sheep's
clothing.'" (pg. 33) Dr. Waite knew she was a practicing homosexual
as far back as 1962-63 when they both taught at Shelton College in Ringwood,
New Jersey--that's when she told her classes it was all right to lie, a
la Tom Sawyer. In fact, Arthur Steele refused to be president of that college
unless this "SOPHIAlator" were kicked off the staff! Yes, he has
a letter, dated November 27, 1978, from Bob Jones, Jr. (Bob Jones
University) saying: "We had a definite problem with her because
she insisted on hobnobbing with a few girls when she was employed as a teacher here for one year in the fifties."
According to the above quote, there were people who knew things about Mollenkott
long before she came out of the closet. Of course, we can't say that the
NIV see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil people knew anything
about this. Some people barely know that Satan is evil. I quote further
from the Waite article.
In '78, I point-blank asked Virginia, "Are you a lesbian?" --an
opportunity for her to end the rumors that trailed her. She refused to answer,
claiming it would hurt her influence in both the "gay" and the
"straight" camps. Her silence condemned her!
In anticipating questions about Mrs. Mollenkott, NIV editor/corrector, Dr.
Kenneth Barker, on September 12, 1993 denied: "There is a malicious
rumor going about that a lesbian was one of the NIV translators. That is
a bold face lie!...she was an English scholar...she made virtually no
suggestions or proposals. She did not influence the NIV at all...nothing-absolutely
nothing-was known about her being accused of lesbianism!!...I must
set the record straight...she was briefly involved in a minor way...."
According to Barker, she did not. This is not true according to Mollenkott.
I continue quoting from Yvonne S. Waite's excellent article.
Dear reader, that "ain't" the way Virginia (Mollenkott) tells
it! During a radio interview by Christian talk-show host, Joseph Chambers
(BFT #2439/$4.00) she responded to the question, "Did you
enjoy `your work' with the `translating team,' particularly for the NIV?"
Mollenkott re plied: "I worked mainly in solitude...they would
send me big swatches of translations... many chapters at a time... perhaps
several shorter books from the Old Testament or the New Testament... and
my `my job' was to read them with an eye as to how this would communicate
with the modern reader, and to indicate if I thought there were any infelicities
in language that could be corrected... So, I would write notes all over
manuscripts which I was sent, both praising phraseology that I thought was
wonderful and raising questions or asking-for instance something I would
typically write would be, `Would the Greek or would the Hebrew permit this
word' which would seem to me to be much more understandable or clear to
a modern reader?..."
This uncloseted lesbian translation consultant, who by the way, also worked
on the Inclusive Language Lectionary of the National Council of Churches,
is listed in the NIV's own ad as one of its "scholars." For sure,
her name appears under a headline, "The Translators," along
with "renowns" such as Gleason L. Archer, John J. Davis, Frank
E. Gaebelein, Murray J. Harris, Everett Harrison, S. Lewis Johnsons, Walter
C. Kaiser, Kenneth S. Kantzer, Arthur H. Lewis, Kathryn Ludwigson, Allan
A. MacRae, Merrill C. Tenney, Bruce K. Waltke, Leon J. Wood, Ronald Youngblood,
et al-- How about that for eminence?
Then of course, we know that in 1972, the New York Bible Society lists VRM
as a literary con sultant. In 1982, she was enumerated as a literary consultant
in "The Word Of God," edited by Lloyd R. Bailey & published
by John Knox. Then Vantage Press claimed her as a literary consultant in
the "NIV Story" by Burton L. Goddard. Behold: a
letter sent to a friend from the International Bible Society (IBS) stated:
"Dr. Virginia Mollenkott was not involved in the translation or
editing of the New International Version text. Her role was very minor
and short lived; in fact she was dropped from the project in early 1970,
therefore could not `influence' the translation work or slant the translation
to fit her views." Friend, does that jibe with a 1994 IBS letter to
a NIV critic, which said, "It is true that in the earliest stages
of the translation work on the NIV (in the late 1960's) VRM was consulted
briefly and only in a minor way on matters of English style." Looks
like a cover-up to me!
The translation committee sends lesbian Mollenkott the book of Deuteronomy
to edit. She comes to Deut. 23:17, which reads, "There shall be
no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel."
The lesbian suggests that they use the word "sodomite" in
their translation. So, you can't imagine that, well neither can I. So, she
sends it back telling them that "sodomite" should be removed and
"temple prostitute" be substituted. Of course, she has no ulterior
motive! If you can believe that, you might well believe that elephants
can fly.
Pastor Bruce Oyen and Prof Ron Minton are way off track. I only hope they
get on the right track, going in the right direction. I sure hope that they
won't be among those defending the unisex, feminist, gender neutral NIV,
when it goes on sale.
In the future, I may reveal some of my correspondence with the New York
Bible Society, the original sponsors of the translation of the NIV. I close
with the final paragraph of Kenneth L. Barker's news release. He said, "Finally,
I want to go on public record as affirming that the NIV translators are
among the most spiritual and godly scholars I have ever had the privilege
of knowing and working with." Mr. Barker, I don't believe "spiritual
and godly scholars" will treat the Holy Word of God like the translators
of the NIV have treated it!