April Bible Sales Stats

[DMcFadden]

OK, we've beaten the translations issue to death. But, after noticing what CBD had on sale today, it caused me to wonder what the sales were for the CEB. A look at the most recent month 2013 CBA statistics causes me to scratch my head . . . again!

1 New International Version various publishers
2 King James Version various publishers
3 New Living Translation Tyndale
4 New King James Version various publishers
5 English Standard Version Crossway
6 Common English Bible Common English Bible
7 Reina Valera 1960 American Bible Society and licensees
8 Holman Christian Standard Bible B&H Publishing Group
9 New International Readers Version Zondervan
10 New American Standard various publishers

Who is purchasing the CEB? Have you looked at some of its "mainstream scholarship" renderings??? Yech! And it is just behind the ESV, ahead of the decent HCSB, and 4 spots ahead of the NASB!!!

Doesn't this just warm your hearts?

First, ben ’adam (Hebrew) or huios tou anthrōpou (Greek) are best translated as “human being” (rather than “son of man”) except in cases of direct address, where the CEB renders “Human” (instead of “Son of Man” or “Mortal,” e.g., Ezek 2:1). When ho huios tou anthrōpou is used as a title for Jesus, the CEB refers to Jesus as “the Human One.”

 

[GulfCoast Presbyterian]

I am familiar with neither the CEB nor the "NIV Readers Version." I continue to be surprised at the sales pace of the "New Living" as well.

 

[Rich Koster]

I guess some of the sales of a new or revised translation come from the curious to evaluate the content crowd. After one has been around a while it is either good, or it has found an audience who resonate to its ear tickling frequency, to stay a best seller.

 

[DMcFadden]

The Common English Bible is sponsored by an alliance of several denominational publishers in the USA operating under an umbrella group called the Christian Resources Development Corporation (CRDC), incorporated in 2009 and based in Nashville, Tennessee. The publishing houses participating are Chalice Press (Disciples of Christ), Westminster John Knox Press (Presbyterian Church U.S.A.), Church Publishing Inc (Episcopal Church), Pilgrim Press (United Church of Christ), and Abingdon Press (United Methodist Church). According to the CEB's preface, the motivation for producing a new translation was that "it has proved difficult to combine concern for accuracy and accessibility in one translation that the typical reader or worshipper would be able to understand." One hundred twenty scholars from twenty-four different denominations worked on the translation.

In April 2011 Fuller Theological Seminary, a large evangelical school catering to many denominations, selected the CEB as one of two approved Bible translations for Biblical studies courses, replacing the soon-to-be-discontinued Today's New International Version.

It was a kind of a mainline translational lollapalooza with a few progressive evangelicals tossed in for good measure (e.g., Joel Green and Tremper Longman).

 

[Rom]

New International Readers Version is the NIV simplified for children.

 

[sevenzedek]

CEB's Ezekiel 2:1, The voice said to me: Human one, stand on your feet, and I’ll speak to you.

Human one? There are many things I could vocalize about this by using my mandibular muscles (my oral mitochondria would be ever so vigorous), but the common English speaking culture is not ready for such refined scientific phraseology. Your cochleas can't hear me anyway.

Never mind. I am going away now.

 

[Zach]

When I think about the stuff that CBD markets as "Christian" it makes me not want to purchase anything from them again.

 

[Curt]

No matter the version, I would imagine that guns and ammo are selling at a greater rate at the moment. While I appreciate the value of gun ownership, I suspect that trend at least indicates in whom the (conservative) American places its collective trust.

 

[Jack K]

Number 6 on the list of 10 best sellers makes sense. The CEB is the only full-fledged politically correct translation on that list. The others have to split the larger, more conservative side of the market, while the CEB gets the whole market of those looking for something they consider non-sexist, etc. The fact that it has supplanted the RSV as the translation of choice for many liberal, mainline churches also helps sales. Churches buy in bulk, and even liberal churches still put Bibles in the pews and give them as graduation gifts and such. Even if it's the sixth best selling Bible, I highly doubt it's the sixth most read Bible. The most serious Bible readers are choosing something better.

BTW, the NIV Readers Bible has a lot going for it if you want to give a 7- or 8-year-old a full Bible he'll be able to read and understand without much difficulty. Its main difference from the (1984) NIV is shorter sentences. That's a HUGE help for young readers without sacrificing much, if anything, in terms of meaning.

 

[PointyHaired Calvinist]

I'm unhappily not surprised that the Nearly Inspired Version is still number 1, and that the NLT (people still use that one?!) has overtaken the NKJV.

 

[PuritanCovenanter]

I am a strange bird. I am not a KJVO person but I do like that manuscript family the best. I also prefer something that is more along the lines of a formal equivalence translation. But I became a Christian reading a paraphrase of the scriptures called the Living Bible. A gentleman named Kenneth Taylor wrote out a thought by thought Bible based upon the American Standard Version called Living Letters because his children were having a hard time understanding the language of the KJV during family devotions. The first time I read the whole Bible through from cover to cover was with the New International Version which the base chapel was giving out. I so appreciated that because I basically read the whole Bible in four months due to its ease and style of reading. It is also because of the NIV and Robert Martin's book on the NIV translation that propelled me into discovering the importance of manuscripts and Verbal Plenary Inspiration.

I did start memorizing the Navigator Topical Memory System in the King James Version because I just simply had some weird attachment to it. And I am grateful I did because I almost read exclusively from the KJV now. I owe that translation a big Kudo for stretching my vocabulary and raising my comprehension level to above a Sophomore College reading level within two years of my Navy career. I quit High School the day I turned 16 and I failed Ninth grade. After being a Christian for one year I started to read the KJV and in my second year in the Navy my Commanding officer made everyone who hadn't graduated from High School take a test to determine our education level. He also made all of us who didn't have a High School education take the GED. I thank God for my CO and for the grace He gave me to take up and read. Tolle Lege!

I mention all that to say that I believe God is providential in giving us translations and paraphrases. At the same time it is a dangerous business when a group takes it upon themselves the responsibility to do a translation. Can you imagine living under the curses for adding to or taking away from the Word of God.

 

[Ask Mr. Religion]

and that the NLT (people still use that one?!) has overtaken the NKJV.

The NLT 2004 was updated in 2007 with the publication of the NLT Study Bible. The changes made are shown in the attached:

View attachment NLT 04 vs.07.pdf

Some of the folks involved with the 2007 study bible:
D.A. Carson, Douglas Moo, Thomas Shreiner, Harold Hoehner, Tremper Longman, Moises Silva, Robert Mounce, Darrell Bock, Grant Osbourne, with F.F. Bruce giving a special review

Here is a sample of the NLTSB (Genesis 1-6):

http://www.nltstudybible.com/05_downloads/NLTSB_Genesis.pdf

NLT 2007 Interlinear:

Tyndale Bibles

I am disappointed just about as often as I am surprised when consulting the translation.

I once did a little experiment on a discussion site wherein I used the translation in discussions. At no time did I mention or explicitly cite the Scripture I was quoting. Folks just assumed I was having a conversation with them about the Bible, never once realizing I was actually quoting a translation. That is how "conversational" the translation can be in many places.

 

[mercyminister]

I read on the Bible Gateway site a blurb about the CEB, "The Common English Bible Committee . . . consists of denominational publishers from the following denominations: Disciples of Christ (Chalice Press); Presbyterian Church U.S.A. (Westminster John Knox Press); Episcopal Church (Church Publishing Inc); United Church of Christ (Pilgrim Press); and United Methodist Church (Abingdon Press)."

This alone is enough to make the translation suspect.

James

 

[Bill The Baptist]

I read on the Bible Gateway site a blurb about the CEB, "The Common English Bible Committee . . . consists of denominational publishers from the following denominations: Disciples of Christ (Chalice Press); Presbyterian Church U.S.A. (Westminster John Knox Press); Episcopal Church (Church Publishing Inc); United Church of Christ (Pilgrim Press); and United Methodist Church (Abingdon Press)."

Then there is this part: "Adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA."

Oh wait...That's the ESV.

 

[DMcFadden]

I read on the Bible Gateway site a blurb about the CEB, "The Common English Bible Committee . . . consists of denominational publishers from the following denominations: Disciples of Christ (Chalice Press); Presbyterian Church U.S.A. (Westminster John Knox Press); Episcopal Church (Church Publishing Inc); United Church of Christ (Pilgrim Press); and United Methodist Church (Abingdon Press)."

Then there is this part: "Adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA."

Oh wait...That's the ESV.

Very funny, Bill. I'll take a conservative version of the RSV (= ESV) any day over the uber-trendy, gender neutral renderings of the CEB! Maybe I'm just old and old fashioned, but "the Human One" as a translation just rubs me the wrong way.

 

[DMcFadden]

Number 6 on the list of 10 best sellers makes sense. The CEB is the only full-fledged politically correct translation on that list. The others have to split the larger, more conservative side of the market, while the CEB gets the whole market of those looking for something they consider non-sexist, etc. The fact that it has supplanted the RSV as the translation of choice for many liberal, mainline churches also helps sales. Churches buy in bulk, and even liberal churches still put Bibles in the pews and give them as graduation gifts and such. Even if it's the sixth best selling Bible, I highly doubt it's the sixth most read Bible. The most serious Bible readers are choosing something better.

Jack, those are GREAT points. Other than the NRSV, the CEB would be the most mainline-acceptable translation. It is nice to see that mainliners are just as fickle with Bible translations (RSV-NRSV-now CEB) as conservatives! Of the making of translations there is no end.

 

[mercyminister]

Just for the record, what is your church using for its preferred Bible translation today?

James

 

[Bill The Baptist]

I read on the Bible Gateway site a blurb about the CEB, "The Common English Bible Committee . . . consists of denominational publishers from the following denominations: Disciples of Christ (Chalice Press); Presbyterian Church U.S.A. (Westminster John Knox Press); Episcopal Church (Church Publishing Inc); United Church of Christ (Pilgrim Press); and United Methodist Church (Abingdon Press)."

Then there is this part: "Adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA."

Oh wait...That's the ESV.

Very funny, Bill. I'll take a conservative version of the RSV (= ESV) any day over the uber-trendy, gender neutral renderings of the CEB! Maybe I'm just old and old fashioned, but "the Human One" as a translation just rubs me the wrong way.

I agree, I just couldn't resist stirring the pot.

 

[DMcFadden]

Just for the record, what is your church using for its preferred Bible translation today?

James

My pastor is SLOWLY migrating to the denominationally preferred ESV from the NIV. The sermon this morning was from the NIV.
He does, however, advise people to get an ESV if they are purchasing a Bible and admits that most of the congregation will probably be "there" in a couple of years. My guess is that when the critical mass is on the side of the ESV, so will the Bible in the pulpit.

Drives me nuts! But, 800 people hearing the Word of God faithfully exposited from the NIV is worth something, I guess.

 

[bookslover]

April Bible Sales Stats? But it ain't April yet!

 

[DMcFadden]

CBA is a bit prospective in the titles they assign to their sales stats.

 

[Bad Organist]

Hi,

Why should there not be even more translations? Isn't it just another "book" in the marketplace? Are there not more "Bibles" sold if there are more "versions" of it?

The reality is, the "Bible" is no longer considered to be God's gift to the Church. Instead it has become the domain of scholars, publishing houses, publishing projects, etc. There seems to always be a reason why another "translation" is necessary.

So, how is the novice to the faith, the person on the street, supposed to determine which is a good version apart from those that are not so good.

Are they all "God's Word"?

Maybe another question could be asked - Is God pleased with all these "versions" or "translations"?

Seems to me, that the more translations there are in English, the less the Bible is read, and in fact maybe even fewer Bibles are sold. If judging by what I see in book shops and even Christian book stores, there are fewer bibles on shelves than there used to be 10 or 20 years ago.

Just my thoughts on the subject.

AV

 

[Berean]

These are from EvangelicalBible.com for the month of March (which isn't over yet either) and show a slight variation from Dennis' list.

Interesting National Bible Sales Statistics

Bible Translation Sales Based on Dollars (March 2013)

1 New International Version various publishers
2 King James Version various publishers
3 New Living Translation Tyndale
4 New King James Version various publishers
5 English Standard Version Crossway
6 Holman Christian Standard Bible B&H Publishing Group
7 New American Standard various publishers
8 Common English Bible Common English Bible
9 Reina Valera 1960 American Bible Society and licensees
10 The Message

Bible Translation Sales based on units sold (March 2013)

1 New Living Translation Tyndale
2 New International Version various publishers
3 King James Version various publishers
4 New King James Version various publishers
5 English Standard Version Crossway
6 Common English Bible Common English Bible
7 Holman Christian Standard Bible B&H Publishing Group
8 New American Standard various publishers
9 Reina Valera 1960 American Bible Society and licensees
10 New International Readers Version Zondervan