- We (as do most other publishers) follow the Chicago Manual of Style and The Christian Writers Manual of Style. Neither recommends this practice.
- Other highly respected Christian authors have made a similar decision, so we are not alone. (Max Lucado made a statement online of this decision.)
- Since The Passion Translation is being distributed internationally, we sought to consider other audiences in this decision. Capitalization of deity pronouns is much less of an issue outside the US and in many cases is not desired.
- Once you start, it’s very easy to get lost in all the words that should be capitalized due to a direct or indirect reference to God or any spiritually significant person, place, or thing.
This explanation may not be satisfactory to some, but we want readers to know this decision was made after much thought and prayer. We also trust that this heart-level translation of the Bible will deepen your passion for God as you experience God’s passionate heart for you.
The writers of the Old Testament had many labels for God, but when using his proper name, they wrote YHWH (Hebrew writing often leaves out vowels). Over time, people started speaking Adonai (Hebrew for “lord” or “master”) whenever they came across YHWH in the text so that they wouldn’t accidentally take his name in vain. Known as the tetragrammaton, YHWH has been translated in most English versions as “LORD” (all caps). Whenever you see LORD in all caps, you know that the Hebrew word YHWH is behind it. YHWH has often been mistranslated into English as “Jehovah” (a mistaken blending of the consonants for YHWH with the vowels for Adonai). We translate YHWH into English as “Yahweh” to recapture the passion with which King David wrote many of the Psalms, calling on God by his intimate personal name. Martin Luther (in the sixteenth century) had a feel for this intimacy also, choosing to refer to God (in his German translation of the Bible) with the informal/intimate personal pronoun du, which is normally reserved for family and closest friends. The original writers of the Old Testament wrote with passion about a personal God who shared his name with them. That sense was lost over time.
The Bible: We believe the Bible is the only inspired, infallible, authoritative Word of God, inerrant in its original manuscripts, communicating exactly what God desired to communicate to us about himself and his redemptive plan for humankind
The Bible has all authority over issues of faith and life. We believe the canon of Scripture is closed and complete. (2 Tim. 3:16–17; 2 Pet. 1:20–21; Heb. 4:12; Ps. 19:7–11)
We aim to recapture it
Trinitarian God: We believe that there is one God, eternally existing in three persons and in one essential unity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Deut. 6:4; Mt. ; Jn. )
Jesus Christ: We believe in the full deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, eternally begotten of the Father and of one being with the Father, who is coequal in power, glory, authority, and dominion with the Godhead; his virgin birth by the power of the Holy Spirit, www.hookupdate.net/wildbuddies-review taking upon himself the flesh and blood of full humanity; his sinless life, who was himself tempted in every way just as we are, yet conquered sin; his miracles, displaying his power and authority over creation while offering a foretaste of the kingdom of God; his vicarious and substitutionary-atoning death through the shedding of his blood on the cross for the forgiveness of sins; his bodily resurrection from the dead after three days as foretold in the Scriptures, the firstfruits of a great resurrection harvest of those who have died; his ascension to the right hand of the Father, where he sits in full glory and power, having all things placed in subjection under his feet by the Father; and his bodily return in power and glory. (Jn. 1:1, 14; Lk. 2:1–21; Acts 2:22–36; Heb. 1:1–4; Heb. 2:9–15; Heb. 4:4–5:2; Gal. 4:4; Phil. 2:5–10; Col. 1:13–20; Col. 2:8–12; Jn. 19–20; Acts 1:9–11; Rev. 20:1–6)
