wfn.org | NCCCUSA TV Show " The Bible Under Fire"

[CAROL_FOUKE.parti@ecunet.org (CAROL FOUKE)]

National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA
Email: news@ncccusa.org  Web: www.ncccusa.org

Contact: NCC News, 212-870-2227

112NCC10/15/99 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NCC TV DOCUMENTARY "THE BIBLE UNDER FIRE" SET FOR NOV. 21 
PREMIERE

 October 15, 1999, NEW YORK CITY -- "The Bible Under Fire," a 
new documentary from the National Council of Churches, will make 
its world television premiere on Sunday, November 21 at 4 p.m. 
(ET/PT) on Odyssey, A Henson & Hallmark Entertainment Network.  

It will be repeated Monday, November 29, at 1:00 a.m. 
(ET/PT).  This one-hour special tells the story of the Revised 
Standard Version (RSV) of the Bible, which was published in 1952 
and was a significant cultural watershed, opening the way for the 
many competing Bible translations that are available today.  The 
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) came out in 1989; its story 
is also featured in this program.

"The Bible Under Fire" looks at the RSV Bible and the many 
translations that followed against the backdrop of American 
history, both secular and religious.   It is a story of "firsts." 
It was the first widely popular new translation of the Bible 
since the 1611 King James Version.  It was the first Bible to 
incorporate the discoveries of the Dead Sea Scrolls.  It was the 
first distinctly American Bible to be a success-and the first to 
be successfully promoted by an advertising agency.  

The RSV Bible also drew controversy-it was called the "Red 
Bible" by those who thought it was communist-inspired, and burned 
by pastors who thought it was heretical.  It was also a best-
seller, breaking national sales records.  It was the inaugural 
project of the newly-formed National Council of Churches (NCC), 
the ecumenical organization comprised of a wide membership of 
Protestant and Orthodox denominations.  This year marks the 50th 
anniversary of the NCC.

The goal of the RSV translators was to create a "standard" 
Bible for modern times that would unify Christians, would be 
easier to read, and would be more faithful to the original texts.  
The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 led to the most 
controversial passage in the RSV -- the translation of "a young 
woman" (true to the Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls) in Isaiah 
7:14, replacing the King James Version language of "a virgin."  
Many in the evangelical Christian community continue to interpret 
that change as a denial of the divinity of Christ. 

The publication of the RSV opened the floodgates for 
competing translations.  American culture has demanded that 
issues of gender, race and language be addressed.  New Bible 
translations reflecting the whole spectrum of religious, 
political and social perspectives in American society continue to 
be published. 

Both the RSV and the NRSV translations have been made 
possible through the NCC's Bible Translation and Utilization 
Committee, which also assisted in this production.

"The Bible Under Fire" is produced by Odyssey Productions 
for the National Council of Churches, in cooperation with the 
National Interfaith Cable Coalition.  It is produced by Linda 
Hanick.  Executive Producer for the National Council of Churches 
is Dave Pomeroy.  Through the Interfaith Broadcasting 
Commission's "Horizons of the Spirit" series this program will 
also be made available to NBC stations in the spring of 2000.
 
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