ATLANTA, GA – As more than an expected 8,000 people in the international Christian publishing industry gather in Atlanta for their annual convention, a unique new English Bible translation formally enters the crowded Bible-selling market.
Four years in the making, the print format of the new complete Common English Bible (http://CommonEnglishBible.com) (@CommonEngBible – http://twitter.com/CommonEngBible) is being unveiled at the International Christian Retail Show (@ICRShow) (#ICRShow), going on July 10-13 at the Georgia World Congress Center. While the New Testament was released last August, and the digital version of the entire Bible debuted in June on 20 platforms, this is the first time the complete Common English Bible is obtainable on paper. Originally expected this fall, the paperback edition is shipping to stores now. Six other editions, including one with the Apocrypha, will be available in August.
“Despite the English Bible market having so many options available, the Common English Bible stands apart from them all,” says Paul Franklyn, associate publisher. “It’s the result of large-scale collaboration between opposites: scholars working with average readers; conservatives working with liberals; teens working with retirees; men working with women; many denominations and many ethnicities uniting to create a fresh translation using vivid natural language.”
The Common English Bible is supported by a multi-million dollar launch marketing campaign designed to increase awareness and drive consumers into stores. This broad-based promotion includes extensive sampling and giveaways, consumer print ads, consumer radio campaign, national publicity campaign, national tour, endorsements by Christian leaders, a robust social media campaign, in-store sales promotions, and more. Since August 2010 more than 200,000 copies of the Common English Bible New Testaments are in the hands of consumers.
The Common English Bible is the work of 120 biblical scholars from 24 denominations in American, African, Asian, European, and Latino communities, representing such academic institutions as Asbury Theological Seminary, Azusa Pacific University, Bethel Seminary, Denver Seminary, Fuller Theological Seminary, Princeton Theological Seminary, Seattle Pacific University, Wheaton College, Yale University, and many others. They translated the Bible into English directly from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts.
Additionally, more than 500 readers in 77 groups field-tested the translation. Every verse was read aloud in the reading groups, where potentially confusing passages were identified. The translators considered the groups' responses and, where necessary, reworked those passages to clarify in English their meaning from the original languages. More than 700 people worked jointly to bring the Common English Bible to fruition; and thanks to the Internet and today’s technology it was completed in less than four years.
Visit CommonEnglishBible.com to see comparison translations, learn about the translators, get free downloads, and more.
The Common English Bible is a denomination-neutral Bible sponsored by the Common English Bible Committee, an alliance of five publishers that serve the general market, as well as the Disciples of Christ (Chalice Press), Presbyterian Church (Westminster John Knox Press), Episcopal Church (Church Publishing Inc.), United Church of Christ (Pilgrim Press), and United Methodist Church (Abingdon Press).
To schedule an interview with Paul Franklyn, contact Diane Morrow, dmorrow@tbbmedia.com or 1.800.927.1517.
Above Photo: Paul Franklyn, associate publisher, reviews the first copies of the first print editions of the Common English Bible, as they arrived early from the printer in June.