I am a fan of the English Standard Translation of the Bible. Sit me down for a time and I will try to tell you why. I think there are good reasons to like it, but I’m always interested in understanding other’s reasoning for preferring it, and so I watched this video.
Interestingly, none of the speakers here really attempts to say anything more beyond it is readable and trustworthy. The real intention of the video, clearly, is to fix the celebrity status of each speaker behind the ESV.
So, there is little value to be had from the video’s expressed intention. What was interesting to me was the opportunity to see the faces and voices behind the celebrities I’ve heard about and/or read!
chrisinnm
Well, I find the whole worship of celebrity even less attractive in a Christian setting, where we ought to know better. But i watched, and you are right. They do say the ESV is reliable, has good scholarship behind it, etc. But the whole point here is to create a need to use the bible that the famous guys use. i can’t help but think this must grieve God.
Randy Greenwald
Really? I’m only bothered because they didn’t ask me…
I’ve grown more critical of the ad overnight. I love Crossway and am devoted to my ESV. But there is no difference in this ad than any featuring Tiger Woods and Buick. What really do these guys know about the quality and value of the ESV? No more than Tiger Woods knows about Buicks.
I honor these peoples for their contribution to Christ’s kingdom. I’ve learned much from many of them. This, however, does little for me.