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Politically Correct Scripture

My favorite Bible translation is the English Standard Version. I like it because it combines accuracy with readability. I like to read the ESV Blog occasionally, and yesterday I noticed a good post there. It was about how different passages of the Bible are viewed as “difficult” or “problematic” in different historical periods.

For example, in the Victorian period (late 1800s and early 1900s), atheists often complained that the Bible was not outspoken enough about the dangers of alcohol.

Isn’t it interesting how we think the Bible should fit our cultural standards? Two modern-day examples come to mind:

1. Evangelical feminism. This arose in response to secular feminism. Suddenly biblical scholars were finding more “correct” and “contemporary” ways of interpreting Scripture in regard to women’s roles.
2. Homos*xuality. Now that it is more accepted in the culture, some scholars have scrambled to find ways to reinterpret passages that have traditionally been interpreted as calling homos*xuality sin.

The moral of the story is, let’s not fall prey to the temptation to make the Bible say just what we want it to say for our time. The Bible is not always going to be politically correct. It certainly wasn’t when it was originally written!

Tags: alcohol, Bible, English Standard Version, ESV, feminism, history, translation

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