So in what may be the only action the 2011 Southern Baptist Convention took that I disagreed with, a resolution against the 2011 NIV was passed overwhelmingly. It came from the floor, rather than the committee, which is highly unusual. The committee had read the resolution and declined to offer it for consideration.
The committee was exactly right. The resolution should have never seen the light of day. Such an important issue should have never been voted on by people so ill-informed about as complicated an issue as Bible translation. As much as some want to paint the issue as black and white, good vs. evil, it is not as simple as that.
As the discussion displayed – many of the people didn’t even know how to evaluate the new NIV. One well-meaning gentleman stood up and said that we shouldn’t condone translations that use gender-neutral language for God. I agree! But the NIV doesn’t do that. The applause his comment received made it clear to me that this was an exercise in misunderstanding and misinformation.