(This is a follow-up question to “Women Preachers”, “Women Preachers (Part 2)”, and “Women Preachers (Part 3)”)

Thank you very much for indulging me in our debate about women and women's roles.  I have read in earnest your replies and appreciate your forthrightness (is that a word? LOL).  The root of the reason that I ask these questions stems from my struggle with God's Word and who I am.  God made me, right?  Then why did He make me so stubborn and pig-headed? (Partly a joke, but not all the way.)  Because of the life I have lived and all the stuff I have been through, the only thing that kept me alive and sane was to be as hard as nails.  I am tired of being the "tough guy" on one hand, but on the other, I am strong because of it.  Society gives women conflicting signals: be "your own woman" BUT "find a good man".  Why can't I do both?  How now am I supposed to throw away who I am to live a life that makes me feel like I am in too-tight, itchy, wool clothing (i.e. be someone I am not)?  Am I simply being pig-headed again when I feel that in order to be what I am "supposed" to be, I will actually become a pretender?  I do not know how to be anyone other than who I am, who God made me to be.  How am I to live an honest life if I always go around trying to be something I am not?

Sincerely,
The Not-So-Feminist

Dear The Not-So-Feminist,

Who said anything about women not being allowed to be tough?!  Some of the most godly, brilliant, and faithful women are tough as nails and as resilient as sand under the tide.  Esther had the courage and bravery to stand up to the king and save the entire nation of Israel (Esther 4:16)!  It was women like Mary, Joanna, and Susanna who provided for Christ while He preached the gospel – it was their courage to stand by Him that made a difference in so many lives (Lk 8:1-3).  Abigail put her life in her hands and stood up against a wicked husband and prevented the deaths of an entire settlement of people (read the story in 1 Samuel 25); not to mention, she rebuked David in such a clever way that he adored her for her forthrightness (yes, it is a word).  Rahab risked her life to protect two of God’s servants and left a life of harlotry to become a faithful Jew (Heb 11:31).  There isn’t enough room to tell of the perseverance and knowledge of Priscilla, the devotion of Lydia, the strength of Hannah, or the wisdom of Deborah.  Suffice it to say, the Bible is simply brimming with stories of women who’ve been beaten down and assailed on every side, but they kept getting back up again.  Women and men may have different roles, but women have played a vital and truly epic part in the delivery of God’s Word to mankind.

Will your past affect the way you are as a christian today?  Definitely.  Will you have to change some things in your life to serve God?  Of course.  Will the essence of your personality be lost?  Absolutely not. God doesn’t want you to stop being tough – He wants to channel that into the right arenas.  Like you said, society sends women conflicting signals.  The Bible is designed to remove that conflict and give you real answers to what being a woman looks like… courageous, faithful, and utterly unflappable.  Being a woman isn’t the same as being a doormat.

5 minutes a day 5 days a week - a year of Bible Wisdom

Which Bible "translation" do you recommend out of the dozens out there?  So I understand the KJV to be the "authorized translation", and I do have and read it but more for the poetic language than to actually be able to read and understand it.  I understand the difference between the NIV and TNIV which uses simple, more gender-inclusive language.  Then there is the paraphrase language used in The Message and the Recovery version that one church (Living Waters Ministry) puts out to emphasize what they believe which, to me, seems wrong to do.  Then there is the ESV, the NASB, the Amplified (which to me seems to put words in God's mouth), the... you get the point.  I have been collecting different versions and have read them all (which in itself is good, because at least I am reading it, right?), but I don't know how to choose the "right" one, so I can do consistent Bible study (not to mention lighten the heavy book bag, LOL).  Is it right to choose a translation because I like the language used?

Sincerely,
The Reader

Dear The Reader,

There are two things to consider when choosing a Bible translation:

1. Accuracy
2. Readability

As you have noticed, the easier a translation is to read, the less accurate it becomes – and the more accurate a translation is, the more difficulty you will have in reading it.  The key is to find the right balance between readability and accuracy.  There are three types of translations: word-for-word translations, thought-for-thought translations, and paraphrase translations.

Paraphrase translations don’t even attempt to be accurate; all they want to do is make the Bible easy to read.  We never recommend a paraphrase translation.

Thought-for-thought translations try and take the original language and translate it using what the translators think is the same idea or concept that the Greek and Hebrew languages were trying to convey.  The NRSV, NIRV, and TNIV are all though-for-thought translations.  The NIV (currently the most popular version) is a mix between a word-for-word and a thought-for-thought – we have a lengthy article on the NIV translation that will give you more insight into that particular translation (click here to go to that post).  Thought-for-thought translations are better than paraphrasing, but they still remove the exact words of Jesus and His apostles and replace them with someone’s best guess at what they might have said if they had spoken in English.

Last, but not least, we have word-for-word translations.  Word-for-word translations are exactly what they sound like – they do their best to directly translate every word from the Greek and Hebrew into English.  There are currently five major word-for-word translations available: King James Version (KJV), New King James Version (NKJV), American Standard Version (ASV), New American Standard Version (NASB), and English Standard Version (ESV).  God tells us that every word was directly conveyed from God to the original Bible writers (1 Cor 2:13).  Since God made a point of divinely inspiring every word of the Bible, we here at AYP only feel comfortable using a translation that keeps those words intact.  Personally, we find the NASB and NKJV to be very readable and highly accurate.  Having read the New Testament in both the Greek and English (a couple of our AYP writers can read Koine Greek), we have found those two versions to be very sound.

To sum up, if you really want to make sure you are reading what God authored, make sure to ask for a word-for-word translation.

5 minutes a day 5 days a week - a year of Bible Wisdom

It has been a long time since I last e-mailed you.  I would like to know from whomever answers this question how long they've been serving God.

My question is:  My christian friend and her father (in particular) say that I shouldn't listen to Turkish/Arabic or any music from around the world.  Now, in my defense, I do hope that it isn't the words of the devil but of the counsel of God.  My defense is that God made music, and like art, it makes you feel good.  I understand I should want to hear only music to exalt God, but I have gotten translations to these tracks, and they just talk about life and how they went through life trials.  Why can't I enjoy some classical or salsa music just because nobody is singing "hallelujah God"?  Their defense was that everything you do should work up to God; if you’re a christian and you are pleasing yourself before God, it is wrong.  Long story short, why can't I appreciate the gift God gave to a man to play the violin or a computer to make tracks or art that doesn't particularly talk about God, like Monet or Rembrandt paintings?  I also understand to back away from things (in particular things God has told you not to do) that will hinder your path to God.  So I don't listen to specific music, art, movies, books that may arouse me negatively or state inappropriate lyrics.  But classical?  Jazz?  I still listen to christian rock and gospel 70% of the time, though.

Sincerely,
Art Lover

Dear Art Lover,

  There is nothing wrong with listening to music of any type as long as it:

1. not teaching or professing evil ideas (such as drunkenness, promiscuity, immorality, violence, etc.)
2. not full of foul or crass language (Eph 4:29).

Bad company corrupts good morals (1 Cor 15:33), and bad music is a form of bad company.

Having said that - any other type of music is perfectly permissible.  Jesus even uses music as an example of general happiness in the parable of the prodigal son (Lk15:25).  In fact, you might find it interesting to read some of our articles on religious music; it might give you a point of view you've never heard before.  Here are links to a couple of those posts:

“Should The Hip Hop Stop?”

“Ain’t Nothing But A Hound Dog”