I am proud to wholeheartedly endorse the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) and will continue to prefer it in my preaching ministry.
Within the past week, Jonathan Merritt, son of former SBC President Dr. James Merritt and writer for Religion News Service (RNS), wrote an article entitled “Southern Baptists Embrace Gender-Inclusive Language in the Bible”. The article, published in the Atlantic, took great pains to portray Southern Baptists in a light of compromise and contradiction. It did this by inferring that the gender-inclusive language of the new CSB represented a significant break from the Southern Baptist moorings related to gender complementarity. Merritt argued that Southern Baptists were inconsistent on the issue of gender-inclusive language in adopting the CSB, yet opposing the release of the TNIV in 2011.
There is no controversy here. The article fails to adequately portray the translation philosophy adopted by the CSB or the issues being raised revolving around the TNIV 2011. Dr. Denny Burk wrote an excellent critique of the article which you can read here. The article amounted to making a mountain out of a non-existent molehill, no doubt intentionally timed to produce controversy on the eve of the 2017 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona. I can assure you that the General Editors of the Christian Standard Bible–Dr. Tom Schreiner of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Dr. David Allen of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary–hold a high view of scripture and gender complementarity. To suggest they let something slip thru the cracks or adopted a more liberal view on scripture is simply ridiculous.
The CSB combines an ideal blend of textual faithfulness and contemporary readability, providing a translation that will minister equally to the savvy saint or the inquiring visitor. Dr. Trevin Wax and Brandon Smith of Lifeway Christian Resources have provided the church with an excellent resource in this new translation. Southern Baptists have always been bound by their cooperation in confession and mission. And with the introduction of the CSB, Southern Baptists can be proud in yet another added dimension to their cooperation.
So for the members of Calvary Baptist Church-Republic, let me assure you that you’ll hear the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth when I preach from the Christian Standard Bible on Sunday’s. The CSB–for Conservative Southern Baptists.
Adam Mallette 