Dr. Ronald Youngblood was born into a non-Christian home in Chicago, Illinois, but after his parents became believers he accepted Christ as his Saviour at the tender age of eight. He went to college in the midwest, seminary in the southwest and graduate school in the northeast, so his post-secondary education took him to all parts of the United States and exposed him to various cultures.
He is currently the chairman of the Board of Directors of International Bible Society. On 31 July 2001, he retired from his position as professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at Bethel Theological Seminary in San Diego, California, after 40 years of full-time teaching.
Ronald Youngblood became an NIV translator in 1970 and a member of the CBT 10 years later. His translation experience during the past 30 years has included extensive work on all parts of the NIV as well as more limited tasks related to the recently launched Spanish and Portuguese NVIs. He is also the executive editor of the NIrV, the simplified Bible popular with children as well as with people for whom English is a second language. As an associate editor of the NIV Study Bible, Youngblood has been contacted by countless readers who have been helped and blessed by its text and notes.
Last year, the Dean of Bethel Seminary San Diego relayed to Ronald Youngblood a friend's request for 25 NIV Study Bibles to be distributed free of charge to pastors and other church workers in several African countries. Through the generosity of IBS, the Bibles were delivered soon afterwards. The many letters of appreciation Youngblood later received eloquently testify to the high esteem of Third-World Christians for the NIV. The following comments are typical:
'I had been praying for a study Bible which I could afford, but thank God yours came at the right time.'
'I just do not have suitable words with which to express my gratitude for the NIV Bible.'
'My prayer is that God may bless you and your family and may graciously meet your need as you labour to make the Word reach the world.'
'I am thanking you for your concern and gesture you have shown to us. It would have been quite difficult for me to buy one since this is quite costly in Zambia.'
In reflecting on these responses, Youngblood said, "Such expressions of love and gratitude truly make Bible translation, publication and outreach worthwhile. Thanks be to God!"
Dr. Kenneth Barker is an author and speaker living in Lewisville, Texas. Until his retirement from IBS in 1996, he was Executive Director of IBS' NIV Translation Center. He is one of the original translators of the NIV and a regular spokesperson for the CBT.
Dr. Barker has given talks all over the U.S. and abroad about the translation process of the NIV, and much of his time is spent writing, editing, preaching and teaching. He also worked on the NIrV, three books about the NIV, and the tenth-anniversary edition of The NIV Study Bible as its general editor.
He holds a ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary and a PhD from the Dropsie College for Hebrew and Cognate Learning. He has served as Academic Dean of Capital Bible Seminary, Professor of Old Testament at three theological seminaries, and Visiting Professor at two others. He also is an author of commentaries on the books of Micah and Zechariah.
In his book The Balance of the NIV, Dr. Barker says, 'The NIV translators were a community of Christian scholars dedicated to the clear and faithful rendering of God's Truth into contemporary, idiomatic English. Their association became a true biblical koinonia —a vital "fellowship" in Christ the Lord. Out of this came deepening insight into the demands of faithful translation and a surer feeling for the nuances of NIV style.
For me, it was first of all an experience in fellowship with some of God's greatest servants.
Second, it was an experience in humility. It was humbling to be voted down after lengthy argumentation. In fact, based on my experience as a Bible translator (NIV, NIrV, NASB), I have often said, 'If you want to discover how little you really know, become involved in translating all the books of the Bible from Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek into English or any other language.'
Third, it was a broadening experience. I gained a greater appreciation for the whole Body of Christ instead of just one small segment of it.
Fourth, it was an experience in sovereignty. I had to learn to trust that the sovereign God, through his Spirit and in answer to prayer, was somehow accomplishing His will in the final decision of the majority of the CBT whether I always fully agreed with those decisions personally or not. For these experiences, I am humbly grateful to the Lord.'
Dr. Barker tells the story of a woman who wrote to him: 'I was led to my Lord Jesus Christ through my NIV, which was a gift from my spiritual mother and physical mother-in-law. I was further discipled and continue to grow in my knowledge and faith of God and His Word through the NIV.'
Dr. Larry L. Walker holds a PhD from Dropsie College for Hebrew and Cognate Learning. He has taught Hebrew and other ancient languages (such as Aramaic, Akkadian, and Ugaritic) at the seminary level for 30 years. Although retired, he is currently a Visiting Professor at Beeson Divinity School of Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. Walker also served on the International Council of Biblical Inerrancy that drafted the now-famous "Chicago Statement on Inerrancy." Serving on the CBT has allowed him to work with fellow scholars who share the highest view of the nature of Scripture.
Dr. Walker joined the CBT shortly after it was formed. He comments, 'I was for many years the youngest member of it. Now I am one of the oldest! The committee has matured together and understands the thinking of others almost like mates in marriage do. We each bring different personalities and background experiences to the work. I can think of times when some issue was illuminated by a member's background in farming, medicine, chemistry, etc. The experience of working thousands of hours over several decades with excellent fellow scholars is beyond description. In many ways, this far exceeds all my formal training in preparation for my life's work.'
For Dr. Walker, it has been very rewarding to hear testimonies of how the Bible has come alive to readers who have never read it before in modern English. One seminary student's wife told him many years ago that when she first picked up the NIV New Testament, she could not lay it down until she had read most of it straight through!
In addition, the NIV has had a significant impact on his students. Dr. Walker remarks, 'I have used the NIV regularly in doctoral seminars where we analyse the translation on a very academic level. In this context, I am able to show graduate level students how the NIV translators made use of the latest discoveries in producing the best and most reliable translation humanly possible.
Many seminary students, who have had a little Greek and Hebrew, thought at first they spotted mistakes in the translation, only to find on further reflection that we were right. The NIV is very sophisticated and 'mature,' and its translation is not always immediately understood by the beginning language student.'
Dr. Walker concludes, 'Without question this work has been one of the greatest—if not the greatest—experiences of my life.
We all want to be of influence for the Lord, and I find this to be especially the case in this work. Over the years, I have taught over 4,000 students. But as one of the translators of the NIV, I have had an opportunity—through a suggested word choice here or a phrase there—to touch millions of lives for the glory of God!'
Professor John H. Stek is a retired Professor of Old Testament at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he continues to teach part-time. He holds a BD degree from Calvin Theological Seminary and a ThM from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; he attended the Divinity School of the University of Chicago and received a Doctoradus degree from the Free University of Amsterdam. He was one of the translators of the NIV . Professor Stek currently serves as chairman of the CBT.
Dr. Donald H. Madvig is a retired minister and Professor of Biblical Studies at Bethel Theological Seminary. He holds a PhD from Brandeis University. Dr. Madvig currently serves as Vice Chairman of the CBT.
Dr. Gordon Fee is Professor of New Testament at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. He received a PhD in New Testament studies from the University of California. He has taught at Wheaton College and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Dr. Richard T. France worked in the 1970s as a lecturer in religious studies at the University of Ife in Nigeria. From 1981 to 1988 he taught at London Bible College in New Testament studies and from 1989 to 1995 he was Principal of Wycliffe Hall at Oxford University. He was a parish minister in England and Wales from 1995 until his retirement in 1999. He has served for two periods on the CBT, from 1990 to 1995 and from 1999 to the present. Currently, he leads the UK delegation and is involved in Anglicising the text to make it appropriate for readers in the UK.
Dr. Karen H. Jobes is associate professor of New Testament at Westmont College in Santa Barbara. She holds a PhD in Biblical Hermeneutics from Westminster Theological Seminary (Philadelphia). Among her publications are Invitation to the Septuagint (with Moisés Silva, Baker, 2000), and the NIV Application Commentary: Esther (Zondervan, 1999). She has been a member of the CBT since 1995.
Dr. Walter Liefeld is serving this year as Interim President of Tyndale Theological Seminary in the Netherlands, and is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He served as a member of the team working on the book of Philippians for the NIV and became a full-fledged member of the CBT in the mid-80s.
Dr. Douglas Moo is Blanchard Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College Graduate School, and has been on the CBT since 1997.
Dr. Martin Selman teaches Old Testament at Spurgeon's College in London, England, where he is now the Deputy Principal. He received his university education at the University of Wales in Cardiff. His publications have been aimed at both academic and popular audiences, as he is concerned that the Bible's message should be accessible to ordinary people. He has been involved since 1993 with the CBT, where he has the special responsibility of making sure the NIV translation is understood by speakers of the Queen's English.
Dr. Bruce K. Waltke is Professor Emeritus of Old Testament Studies at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia and Professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary (Orlando, Florida Campus). He holds a ThD from Dallas Theological Seminary and a PhD from Harvard University. He has also taught at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and Dallas Theological Seminary. He has written numerous scholarly articles and edited or contributed to books such as the Theological Word Book of the Old Testament . He helped translate the NIV and continues to serve on the CBT.