We intend to introduce and distribute the Common English Bible to congregations. This completely new translation will be an excellent rendition of the original texts and also a document that is accessible to readers of the Bible in our churches. The new Bible translation would be pitched at 7th-8th grade reading level (compare 11th-12th grade reading level for the NRSV), so that it might enjoy wider use. The new translation will be used in the teaching and worship practices of congregations in at least the following traditions: Presbyterian, Episcopal, Methodist, Lutheran, Baptist, Disciples of Christ, and the United Church of Christ. Readers and seekers from many other traditions will benefit also from this new translation.
The theological influences and expertise for the new translation are drawn from ecumenical biblical scholarship (Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish). These diverse scholarly influences, in service of the congregation, will position the CEB in the center of the theological landscape. The rich interaction and mutual influence among liberal and evangelical collaborators and editors will distinguish the CEB from a crowded field of translations that effectively represent the theological perspectives and shibboleths of their particular support groups.
Music and worship practices have shifted significantly in the previous 15 years, with more emphasis on image and metaphor. A new translation must attend to evocative language that is more engaging emotionally than precise, systematic syntax. Further, due to globalization, technology, and the internet, enormous changes have occurred in the English language since the major translations were prepared a generation or two in the past. The vocabulary of the English language has tripled in size to more than one million words. It is time for a new translation that responds to the more recent needs and idioms of Bible readers.
More information about the scope, reading level, purpose, and workflow of the new version can be found in a Rationale and Translation Guideline that is provided to translators.
