Next, the NCC people began to realize that God was not only verbose but a chauvinist, as well! Someone pointed out that not a single he/she could be found in either Old or New Testament. And God had a penchant for referring to Himself by masculine pronouns alone. Clearly something had to be done. With the zeal of a Digest editor, a committee was formed and went to work rehabilitating God's Word into something a bit more inclusively respectable. Released late last October, the book of selected readings, An Inclusive Language Lectionary: Readings for Year A, sparked a lot of criticism, but it was undeniably free of male bias. "Son of God" has become "Child of God"; "Son of Man" now reads "Human One." God is no longer just our Father in heaven; He/She is our Mother, as well!
Such "worthy" efforts to help God communicate more effectively are clearly the wave of the future. The Reader's Digest and the NCC have made a good beginning, but they don't go far enough. Others will have to take up the challenge of making the Scriptures acceptable to all the special interest groups of the twentieth century. Here are my suggestions for some logical next steps.
The violence-and-crime lobby. Violence on TV is bad enough; in the Scriptures it's intolerable. All that fighting and killing in the Old Testament, the persecution of Christians in the New, and the Crucifixion itself are pretty gory reading. Surely the world deserves a Bible that qualifies for a G rating. As it is now, no one under 18 ought to be allowed to read it unless accompanied by an adult!
Homosexuals. A judicious emendation of such texts as Genesis 19:1-11; Leviticus 20:13; and Romans 1:18-32 could result in a gay Bible.
Children's rights groups. Activists sup porting the right of children to sue their parents if mom and dad don't measure up surely can't be too happy with the fifth commandment or Paul's counsel in Ephesians 6:1-3 (although they would probably allow verse 4 to remain). It shouldn't be too hard to go through the Bible and take care of the problems in this area.
The Humane Society, and Friends of Animals. The first chapters of Genesis are fine, as they describe God creating all the animals, birds, and fish, but what kind of attitude will Bible readers get if they are allowed to see Balaam beating his donkey? And what about the thousands of sacrificial animals prescribed in the Old Testament sanctuary services ? Some work needs to be done in this area.
Others will no doubt be inspired to contribute their perspectives once these groups begin their work. At last the Bible could truly become what it has always claimed to be--the Book for everyone and all cultures. I suppose it wouldn't really be the Word of God anymore, but then everything is done by committees these days. It's the modern way.
One warning, though. Each group will have to work separately. If anyone ever tries to combine all the revisions into a single volume suitable for everyone, he'll quickly find that nothing at all is left. Perhaps that is the ultimate bible for everyone. --B.R.H.
