FAQ: Our Bible Translation

Question

What Bible translation or version do you use at Camden BFC?

Answer

We don't. If you are asking what Bible translation do we require or strongly recommend our people use... we don't have a church authorized requirement. All versions and translations of the Bible have strengths and weaknesses. If you want more information about Bible translations philosophies, you can read our article on that. Some churches get into requiring the use of one or another translation. Some even go as far as to badger their people into the use of one. We find that to be abusive and unhelpful in the discipleship of Jesus' followers. Others may do something subtly to get their people to read a particular translation as if church were a continuation of junior high school peer pressure.

If your question really is, what version does Pastor Tim preach from. That is an entirely different question. In Morning Worship, he generally uses the New American Standard translation and in Evening Worship, he generally uses the English Standard Version. Both are essentially literal, or word-for-word translations in their philosophy of translation. But we don't care what translation you pick to read from, study from, memorize from... we just care that you are in God's Word. If you find it helpful to read from the same translation as Pastor Tim, go ahead and do that. Conversely, if you find it helpful to use a radically different version and compare what he is reading from and what you are reading from, we'd see that as very beneficial.

The bottom line is, no English translation is perfect. Editors and translators and scholars and critics all pour hours and months and years into detailed study in order to present to us what they find to be a meaningful, faithful rendering of the Hebrew and Greek original writings of Scripture. If we were to legislate to our congregation a rendition, it would be a flawed one because every English translation has less-than-accurate verses. On the whole, most major translation are incredibly helpful and all are faithful to orthodox Christianity. They are all helpful in making disciples of Jesus. And because all have a flaw here or there, we need them all to check against one another.