Pastors and Christian Leaders
Printable List of Positive Reviews

“It’s an awesome challenge to be a writer and speaker in today’s world and to seek to build bridges and not walls. I’m not referring to being ‘politically correct’ but to showing intelligent Christian courtesy and sensitivity regarding gender language. The TNIV is a tool that can help me be more ‘gender precise’ with my listeners and readers and therefore be a more effective bridge builder.”
Warren Wiersbe, Pastor and Bible Teacher

"As someone who is passionate about evangelism, I enthusiastically embrace the TNIV as a translation that faithfully communicates God’s word to the next generation of seekers and believers. The TNIV is not only accurate, but incredibly readable. I look forward to using the TNIV for personal study, preaching and evangelism."
Bill Hybels, Founding Pastor Willow Creek Community Church; Author, Courageous Leadership
As an evangelist committed to communicating the truth, relevancy, and power of the Gospel, I'm thankful to have the TNIV as one more valuable tool in reaching the next generation.”
Lee Strobel, Author, The Case for Christ; Host, Faith Under Fire, and Former Willow Creek Teaching Pastor		 “As the editor of the Student Bible, I’ve spent thousands of hours trying to help readers understand the NIV Bible. I’m thrilled to hear about the TNIV and its ability to help add clarity and impact to the study of God’s Word.”
Philip Yancey
Author, What's So Amazing About Grace?
"It is part of the mission of the church to make the scriptures available and accessible to people in our generation. The TNIV does this with accuracy, clarity, sensitivity and beauty. God will use it in great ways."
John Ortberg, Teaching Pastor Menlo Park Presbyterian Church; Author, Everybody's Normal Till You Get to Know Them		 "I love how the TNIV is in everyday English. It is down to earth and easily accessible to anyone longing to know what God has spoken through the Scriptures."
Erwin McManus, Pastor, Mosaic
We welcome the arrival of the TNIV. It is a translation that seeks to accurately communicate the Word of God in contemporary English and as such strengthens our mission in reaching college and university students with the Gospel."
Alec Hill, President, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship		 "It has never been easy to distinguish between a 'translation' and a 'paraphrase'. Translations tend to go for contemporary scholarship at the expense of contemporary language, whereas paraphrases tend to sacrifice accuracy for relevance. Today's New International Version is highly successful in combining both scholarly accuracy and linguistic relevance."
John R. W. Stott, Preacher, Evangelist, Author
"I trust the TNIV. While the NIV has been my Bible of choice for years, the TNIV updates much of the wording I’ve found cumbersome or problematic based on our current usage of the English language. I can’t wait to recommend this translation to teenagers and youth workers all over the world."
Mark Oestreicher, President, Youth Specialties		 "The only foundation that will prevail is the one built on God’s Word. That’s why I’m proud to stand with Zondervan, bringing the Word to today’s generation. That’s why I believe so strongly in Today’s New International Version, the TNIV; a new translation that speaks the timeless truth of God’s Word in the language of today."
Peter Furler, Lead singer of newsboys
"The TNIV is a welcome improvement to biblical understanding. Most sensitive and careful expositors have routinely made the adjustments in the language as they read the text aloud or otherwise clarified the meaning from the pulpit. Now the plain meaning is available. To all readers it clarifies ambiguities and cultural oversights. The intention of the text is made clear and inclusive as intended and will hopefully neutralize unnecessary controversy and tension."
Jay Kesler, Chancellor Taylor University

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 Great job!! We need all the help we can get if we're to escape becoming a biblically illiterate culture."
Stuart Briscoe, D.D. Phoenix Seminary (Adjunct Faculty) Elmbrook Church (Retired Pastor)
Telling the Truth ministries (Co-founder)
"What a shame it would be to lose the wonderful opportunity and openness to Jesus and Christian spirituality that emerging generations are beginning to desire - but only have it shut down due in not being sensitive to how the Scriptures can be communicated in today's post-Christian world. We need a translation of the Bible that stays accurate to truth and meaning, yet also understands today's culture in the words we translate into our English. I cannot tell you how many times I have had to slip in a "..and sisters" to Romans 12:1, or had to answer why does it say "sons of God", and not "sons and daughters (or children) of God" in the Beatitudes. To pastors who primarily work with older people or those with a Judeo-Christian mindset where this is not an issue, they might not realize the importance of this. But anyone truly engaging missionally with post-Christian generations, and is looking into their eyes as they speak and trying to answer their questions about the Bible, will face this issue again and again and again. That is why the TNIV is needed - as it would a horrific shame to allow this opportunity to teach the Scriptures to emerging generations be lost due to pre-conceived notions, pride, or fear that we are watering things down or abusing Scripture when what the TNIV is doing is translating from the inspired Word from one culture into another. We live in a new culture, a post-Christian one, and we should be passionate about having a translation of Scripture which speaks accurately to the emerging culture. If pastors and Christian leaders are serious about engaging and communicating to emerging generations growing up in a post-Christian culture, then we must seriously have a translation of the Bible that accurately and culturally speaks to them."
Dan Kimball, Pastor, Vintage Faith Church;
Author, The Emerging Church and Emerging Worship		 "I'm enthusiastic about the TNIV for many reasons related to my own training and calling. I studied graduate linguistics and translation theory for two years with Wycliffe Bible Translators (SIL) and served for many years in Asia; I gained a keen appreciation for the importance of a translation done in the "heart language" of those it seeks to reach. Presently, I serve in a position where our organization's goal is to empower churches to reach their communities with the gospel of Christ. The TNIV is written in today's language, proper yet flowing. It maintains a high value on accuracy, particularly when using pronouns that reflect the audience intended by the biblical writers. For the past six months, I've used this translation in my personal devotions and have been repeatedly impacted by the wonderful and powerful Word of God!"
Ron Forseth, Director of Business Development,
Outreach, Inc.
Today's New International Version is a powerful tool for evangelization in the 21st Century. God's Word was meant to be read and understood by everyone and the TNIV has been prayerfully translated toward this God/glorifying goal. I give it my highest recommendation!
Jim Cymbala, Pastor, The Brooklyn Tabernacle		 "I am delighted to recommend TNIV. It is time for a new translation of the scriptures that captures the original intent in modern language. I plan to read and preach from this new translation."
Ed Dobson, Senior Pastor, Calvary Church
"Not all updates of Bible translations succeed at being both faithful and elegant. The TNIV manages to do both. This old friend has added a new sparkle to its familiar sound, and promises to be a favorite for years to come. Kudos to the the translation team and to Zondervan for this bold new update."
Ben Patterson, Campus Pastor Westmont College		 "You have managed to capture the scholarship of the NIV and the contemporary language of today. The result is nothing short of awesome! You have done nothing with the timeless message of the Bible but make it even easier to understand. Please know that this is one Southern Baptist pastor that backs the TNIV all the way."
Dan Southerland, Former Teaching Pastor, Flamingo Road Church; Author, Transitioning: Leading Your Church Through Change
 
"For those of us who believe in the Bible as the authoritative word of God, the new TNIV, with its updated, careful scholarship, including use of gender-accurate language, is a godsend. Only a person who would wish to maintain a nonbiblical cultural bias would not welcome a more accurate translation of God's word."
Glenn R. Palmberg, President, The Evangelical Covenant Church		 "Since the goal of all Bible translation is to faithfully reflect the original Biblical languages in contemporary language usage, I heartily applaud this endeavor that more clearly includes women as well as men in the language of the Bible."
Doug Ross, Retired President, Evangelical Christian Publishers Association
"For the last two decades the NIV has been my trusted companion to bring the powerful and profound Word of God to the people I have been given to minister. It has had a great impact on my personal development in Christ. I am excited about the TNIV and the promise it brings to the people of a new century. It is my belief that the improvements and enhancements will draw us all closer to the rich redemptive grace of God as well as call more of us to the Spirit-powered obedience required of a fully devoted follower of Christ. The NIV couldn't have come at a better time. I believe the same is true for the TNIV!"
Pastor Randy Frazee, Author, The Connecting Church; Teaching Pastor, Willow Creek Community Church
 

 

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 “I remember distinctly the summer I got my first NIV – I couldn't put it down. Even though I loved the King James Version I'd been brought up with, I spent most of my summer break reading the NIV just for the fun of it because it spoke my language! But that was 24 years ago and language changes quickly in these heady postmodern days. Congratulations to the TNIV translators who have continued the tradition of the New Testament writers and Martin Luther by producing a translation of the Holy Scriptures in the normal vocabulary of everyday people. Nothing must stand in the way of getting the Word of God out to the people in a way they can understand. I'm so impressed and inspired by the tenacious work of the TNIV team to provide us with a new translation which is sensitive to our culture without losing any of the ancient heritage of God's Word.”
Rob Lacey, Actor, Broadcaster, and Author of The Word on the Street
"The TNIV is a welcome improvement on the NIV, which I've used with great profit for many years. It's important to me to have a translation that uses current language while maintaining absolute fidelity to God's word. As a writer I'm very aware of shifts in language, and I've felt for some time that TNIV was needed. It's exactly what I hoped for."
Tim Stafford, Senior Writer, Christianity Today Magazine,  Co-Editor, The Student Bible		 "I remember how excited I was when my daughter began reading her new Bible. But then one night, as I put her to bed, she asked, 'Daddy, why is the Bible only written to boys?' My heart sank. I tried to explain to her that male pronouns are sometimes used to refer to both men and women. She was utterly perplexed by this. Nowhere in her life experience were male pronouns used to relate to everyone. I've always loved the NIV, and I am very excited about this revision that will allow the NIV to speak to an entirely new generation."
Rev. Adam Hamilton, Senior Pastor, Church of the Resurrection
"As a teaching pastor, I am eager to use the TNIV. Clarity, accuracy, intelligibility and accessibility are key factors in communicating the life-capturing truths of the Bible. The TNIV exhibits these factors and is an excellent resource for pastoral work."
John W. Frye, D. Min., Author and Former Pastor, Bella Vista Church		 "I wholeheartedly applaud how the TNIV translation makes Holy Scripture relevant and understandable to the ever-changing human family. While every new translation triggers an understandable concern among faithful Christians that the translators do not sacrifice eternal truths to transitory cultural currents, the TNIV stays faithful to God's Word while making that Word ever more accessible to those for whom it is intended to reach and save."
Noel Becchetti, President, Center for Student Missions
"Christian apologetics should not have to apologize for biblical scholarship and language that don't match today's most faithful possibilities. As a Christian writer and personal evangelist, I welcome the TNIV as a gift to today's seekers."
Diane Komp, M.D., Author, A Window to Heaven 		"As a professional Christian communicator working full-time in evangelical publishing for the past 30 years, the NIV has been my personally preferred translation since it came out. I have always appreciated and admired it's literary style as much as I've trusted the solid orthodox scholarship behind it. I feel every bit as excited and confident about using the TNIV in the years to come."
Gregg Lewis, Author; Jesus M.D.
"I majored in Bible for three years and have a commitment to teaching and preaching the scriptures with integrity. I tenaciously hold to the inspiration of all scripture and to the importance of not tampering with the scriptural truth. I read all the comparison texts you provided and then looked up texts that deal with the most important elements of the Christian faith, specifically those elements covered in evangelical statements of faith.

I am delighted with the clarity of the TNIV and even more delighted with the results of careful gender translation. The result is scriptural truth and grace that includes both genders. I could find no place where the translation felt forced in order to accommodate a preconceived agenda. I am delighted with the integrity and readability of the TNIV."
Ken Davis, Author and Speaker 		"I love the NIV and look forward to using the TNIV now that it’s here. It updates the language so I don’t have to. For years I would add sisters to the greetings and instructions to the church that before just said brothers. All the girls in youth ministries all over the country will know that Gods word is speaking to them as well."
Tic Long, President of Events, Youth Specialties
"My appreciation for Today’s New International Version has increased throughout use of it in ministry around the world. We’ve found that communicating God’s Word requires sensitivity to two dominant global realities: the growth of English as the common language of commerce; and the liberation of women from politically oppressive regimes. My wife and I experienced both of these realities during a recent English-teaching mission with university students in Northern Afghanistan. Once denied access to education by the Taliban, Afghan girls and women are now free to pursue their educational dreams. In this context, Today’s New International Version, with its accuracy in all matters, including matters of gender, has opened the door to God’s Word in English for these young women as no other translation can."

"We have seen the same response in other countries. I thank God for the superb evangelical translation team that has made this possible. Today’s New International Version is a great gift to the worldwide mission of the Body of Christ for the 21st century."
Dr. Norm Nelson, President, Life At Its Best Ministry		  
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