Assembly Approves Report Condemning Muslim Bible Translations

Note: This post was written immediately after the events and needed some corrections, which I added later in the evening. The Ad-Interim Committee on Insider Movements submitted an eighty-page report on Bible translation which included five recommendations for the Assembly. The report was submitted to us by the unanimous action of the Committee. The first four recommendations passed almost unanimously after brief opposition from the floor. The fifth recommendation concerned funding and will come later in the business. The Assembly received the report, which grants it a great deal of weight in the PCA. Some scholars are calling the document "historic" as it defines biblically, theologically and linguistically why the common biological terms must be retained in the translation of "huios" (son) and "pater" (father) in reference to Jesus and God the Father. Muslim Idiom Translations have translated these terms with such substitutes as "representative" and "guardian."

This action will give guidance to churches supporting translation work, a resource to our mission agency, and place pressure on translation agencies to hold to biblical standards for translation.
Neither our mission agency or the pastor who questioned some of the language of the report in a pre-Assembly packet spoke against the report. I think we're all on the same page with this. Praise God.

Please pray the the Assembly will authorize funding the AICoIM to continue for another year.

Insider Movements and Translations

Last year, after a vigorous floor battle, the PCA erected a study committee to deal with the subject of Insider Movements (IM) and Muslim Idiom Translations (MIT). Insider Movements are a type of missions strategy which encourages Muslims to believe in Jesus but remain Muslims attending the Mosque and following Muhammed as Prophet. Muslim Idiom Translations use non-biological terms for "pater" and "huios" ("father" and "son" in ESV), replacing them with terms such as "guardian" and "blessed one."

Potomac Presbytery submitted Overture 9 last year asking the General Assembly to condemn MITs and erect a study committee to investigate missionary Bible translation and study Insider Movements. Mission to the World (MTW) objected to the study committee but agreed with the condemnation of MITs. The Committee of Comissioners on MTW disagreed and the GA went with the CoC and erected the Ad-Interim Committee on Insider Movements.

This year the AICOIM completed the report on MITs and is asking for another year to complete work on a report on IMs. The GA has to vote to receive the report on translation and then vote to authorize the AICOIM for another year. One PCA Teaching Elder (TE) is suggesting wordimg changes to the report which some say completely gut the safeguards against MITs and others may argue for ending the AICOIM.

Currently the PCA, with the Assemblies of God, is on the cutting edge of this issue, standing for the Gospel. I pray that we stay there.

Sent from my NOOKcolor