Bethel Church Halts Sales of The Passion Translation Amidst Ongoing Controversy
In response to growing concerns, Bethel Church in Redding, California, has decided to temporarily suspend the sale of The Passion Translation (TPT), a paraphrased version of the Bible. This decision comes as a wave of criticism and scrutiny has been directed towards TPT from various Christian communities.
According to an update on Bethel’s website, the church is actively addressing issues brought up by its community and is undergoing reviews by specialized groups. The pause will remain in effect until Bethel can achieve clearer insights into the matter.
The church has been engaging with both current and former congregation members, students, staff, and external advisers to ensure transparency and accountability within the organization.
Previously, Bethel offered a special edition of the TPT New Testament, which featured a foreword by its Senior Pastor, Bill Johnson. While the promotional page for this edition is still online, the purchase link is currently inactive. A video endorsement from Johnson still exists on TPT’s official site.
In recent weeks, other religious entities and digital Bible platforms have also distanced themselves from TPT. This trend was highlighted by The Christian Post.
Life Bible, an app with a user base of approximately 1.5 million, has removed TPT from its offerings. Similarly, Damon Thompson, a notable charismatic leader from The Homestead in Mobile, Alabama, has withdrawn his support for TPT. Thompson’s ministry website features his statement expressing doubts about the translation’s scholarly credibility and the misrepresentation of its foundational credentials.
Thompson, who had previously recommended TPT to his community, now questions its reliability and has apologized for disseminating information he now believes to be incorrect. He admits he trusted the translation because of his limited proficiency in Aramaic but no longer has confidence in its accuracy.
The shift in perception follows an investigation by the YouTube channel “Minor Prophets,” which, with insights from Bible teacher Mike Winger, alleged inaccuracies in the lead translator Brian Simmons’ academic claims and pointed out uncredited content taken from other sources.
Winger, a California-based Bible teacher, has been a long-time critic of TPT, arguing it introduces unsupported interpretations. On the social platform X, Winger highlighted a consensus among scholars across various Christian denominations that TPT is unreliable as a Bible translation.
Since its launch in 2017, TPT has gained popularity in charismatic and Pentecostal circles. Its website claims the paraphrase uses manuscripts in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic to convey divine love to today’s generation. However, critics view it as a devotional paraphrase rather than a legitimate translation.
In 2022, Bible Gateway removed TPT from its platform after consulting translation experts. A petition on YouVersion, the leading Bible app, urging the removal of TPT has amassed over 17,000 signatures.
Winger, in June, announced he deleted the YouVersion app due to its inclusion of TPT, cautioning others about the potential risks of using the app.
He emphasized that users expect apps to provide only safe and accurate Bible translations.
This article was originally written by www.christiantoday.com
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