Thoughts & Predictions on the 2011 NIV (and a Requiem for the TNIV)
Wednesday, September 2, 2009 at 12:36AM 
I'll admit... I gave up on the TNIV a while back. Yet, in spite of that, I still used it. A few months ago, I'd begun teaching from the NLT on Sundays. This class I teach on Sunday mornings has on average 40 or so in attendance each week. I believe the NLT is a great translation, but honestly, unless everyone has the NLT with them, it takes more work to use it in an interactive forum. So, in the last two or three weeks, I went back to using the TNIV more. There really is great value in a median translation.
Today's announcement of the 2011 NIV honestly didn't surprise me, but it did sadden me a bit. I feel like the TNIV never really got a fighting chance. I realize some people sincerely opposed some of the changes in the TNIV, but at the same time, some took this to the zealot level and created a disinformation campaign. Charges that it removed masculinity with numbers counting the fewer times that man occurred is one example. Really, let's compare the ESV and the RSV and see, if on that standard, the ESV has created a less masculine Bible (by that standard, it has: man or men in the RSV--4028 hits; only 3354 hits in the ESV).
And I can still remember a friend of mine, whom after hearing my suggestion to buy a TNIV said, "I don't want any Bible that refers to God as mother." An anti-TNIV zealot had told him as much.
Such charges were nonsense. Nevertheless, they kept people from buying the TNIV. A few years back, I wrote about the owner of a Christian bookstore who told me that she couldn't carry the TNIV because a prominent pastor in town told her that if she carried it, he'd tell all of his congregation to boycott her store. Major chains and up to 50% of CBA stores refused to carry the TNIV. Yet, at the same time, they'd carry the NLT, the Message, the NCV and others that also had gender accurate/inclusive language. It was clearly a double standard.
Further, neither the International Bible society (now Biblica) nor Zondervan could make themselves part with the NIV. The NIV has continued to be promoted by both entities to the neglect of the TNIV. And perhaps this is the real reason the TNIV just couldn't take off. There was simply too much money in the NIV. The TNIV was supposed to be more accurate. Yet recent promotions talked about accuracy for particular generations. In spite of the nonsense about the TNIV being aimed to an 18 to 34 year old crowd, Zondervan never did make the kind of logical steps necessary to transition to the TNIV, such as to refit the very popular Student Bible text with the TNIV. Such a move would have made sense by Zondervan's own promotional copy about the TNIV, but it never happened.
I've long maintained that the standard for transitioning to a new translation was set by Tyndale House when they released the New Living Translation in 1996. At the time, the Living Bible was still in the top five selling translations. I've never been told for certain, but I would guess that Tyndale probably took a financial hit at first when they decided to completely stop production on all but one edition of the Living Bible. IBS and Zondervan simply never could bring themselves to take the painful step.
So, will they be able to do it now? Yes, I know the promises were made today that they would. But what happens if the editors of the very successful Archaeological Study Bible decide they don't like the 2011 NIV? Will Zondervan stay true to their word and remove a bestselling Bible from the market? I can tell you right now, that if they aren't willing to make the hard moves, the NIV 2011 won't have any more success than the TNIV did. Zondervan has to stick to its guns, regardless of criticism. And there will be criticism.
When it comes down to it, if you like the TNIV, you can keep using it. No one is going to stop you. There are so many English translations out there, and updates seem to come so quickly these days, is there anything wrong with simply sticking with one, regardless what others use?
Nevertheless, here are my predictions for the time being.
(1) Get your TNIVs while you can as they will become more difficult than ever to find. Yes, I know that it's promised that the TNIV won't be phased out until the 2011 NIV is in print. But come on. I put 2009 and not 2011 on the tombstone above for a reason. For the most part Zondervan's never been that keen on the TNIV. They certainly can't be found in stores. Do you really think that as supplies dwindle, they'll crank up another print run? No way. Who knows--they may even be collectors' items one day. It kind of makes me regret deciding to start writing in the margins of my TNIV Renaissance Leather Reference Edition.
(2) The 2011 NIV will be more gender inclusive than the ESV, but less so than the TNIV. Keep in mind that the ESV is already more gender inclusive than the 1984 NIV--compare Matt 10:41 in both the NIV and ESV, for instance. And the ESV regularly includes inclusive renderings in the footnotes, but avoids them in the text (see Matt 5:47; 23:8; 25:40, etc.). For verses like these, the 2011 NIV will continue to use inclusive readings in the text. So the 2011 NIV will readily render ἀδελφοὶ as brothers and sisters and put in the text what the ESV translators are content to keep in the footnotes. Having said that, however, expect to see more controversial readings such as those found in Psalm 34:20 and 1 Tim 2:5 retreat back to traditional readings.
(3) Say goodbye to the Singular They. This is an easy compromise. I've always grudgingly accepted the singular they because I recognize its purpose and near ubiquitous use in informal communication. Yet, as I read from James 5:13-15 at church this past Sunday, I cringed internally. I imagine this will be an easy fix. Whether or not the CBT will decide to use a lot more second persons or retreat to masculine universals, I cannot say.
(4) Regardless of how much the progress of the TNIV is compromised in the 2011 NIV, it will still be controversial. The CBT is simply not going to satisfy some of the detractors out there. That crowd actually dislikes the NIV, too. The TNIV was simply their excuse to rail and promote "other" translations. Most of these folks will do the same thing to the 2011 NIV. However, if Zondervan can get Lifeway and other CBA stores to carry the 2011 NIV where the TNIV was forbidden, they will have at least made some progress.
(5) As we wait for the 2011 NIV, expect the 1984 NIV to keep on selling. I've already read some speculation that announcing the 2011 NIV so early might keep people from buying the current NIV. There's nothing for Zondervan to worry about here. You and I may be aware of the 2011 NIV, but for the average person in the pew, it will remain off radar--perhaps even after it's finally released. For the average person, the NIV will still be the NIV. Thus, sticking with that name may be the best idea yet.
And as for me, I'll always remember the TNIV with great fondness. It was surely the best translation that nobody ever read.
When the 2011 NIV finally reaches my hands, I'll be glad to evaluate it on its own merits, although it will be difficult not to compare it to the TNIV. Nevertheless, if I decide I do, in fact, like the 2011 NIV, can I finally get a real wide margin edition for the love of Margaret?!
Faith & Reason, NIV, NIV 2011, TNIV 
