What also troubles me, however, are the changes that weren’t made in the new version. According to General Editor Wayne Grudem, a major motive that led to the first version of this “essentially literal” (word-for-word) translation was the “gender-neutral” language he found in other translations—specifically the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), but also found in other popular translations such as Today’s New International Version (TNIV) and the New Living Translation (NLT). At one point, I had a conversation about it all with a friend. Perhaps not a great idea to talk about the thing that was making me spitting mad while I was still feeling spitting mad. But there you go. I think he found my level of anger and indignation slightly alarming. If someone were to come up to you, for example, and say that Adam and Eve is a blatant example of sexism, you could easily point out that God made Eve after determining “it is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him” ( Gen. 2:18). Not to be a servant to him, but someone who is comparableto him, at the same level.

Timothy 2] begins by stating that “men should pray” (and the word used here for men is andras, a gendered word that refers only to males) and then says “women should dress themselves modestly and decently” (vv. 8–9). So men are to pray, and women are to dress modestly. That’s quite a contrast. But there’s more: “Let a woman learn in silence and full submission. I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to be silent” (vv. 11–12). The author’s rationale: “For Adam was formed first, then Eve, and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor” (vv. 13–14). According to this text, women were to be silent in worship gatherings (and men were certainly not told to be silent), and the rationale for this mandate is that woman (Eve) was created second and sinned first. And the final blow is this: A woman “will be saved” (the future tense of the standard word for “be saved,” “be given salvation”) “through childbirth if she remains in faith and love and sanctification with modesty” (1 Timothy 2:15).

WATCH: 5 Verses on Strength for When You Feel Weak

Mary Magdalene:Talk about being a woman among men. She was part of the twelve disciples with Jesus, following Him as He went from town to town sharing the gospel with everyone. What Mary might be most recognized in the Bible for is being the first to see the empty tomb of Jesus on the third day, sharing with the disciples that His body was gone. When asked the question, "What is your stance on the issue of the role of women in Church?" the Archbishop was essentially given two options: to offend a lot of people, or to deviate from the Bible. That he chose the former, in the full awareness of the "outrage" and indignation it would inevitably provoke is something for which I can only respect him.

A Canadian friend of ours won the prize for the most embarrassing gaffe. After her interview for a new job and on hearing the good news that she was hired, she asked her proper English male employer, “Is it alright if I wear pants to work?” She was puzzled by his awkward reply and only later discovered to her chagrin what had been lost in translation. In Britishese, “pants” refers to underwear. Our friend had just asked her boss if it was permissible to wear underwear on the job! In the New Testament, there is a telling little sentence in John 4.27 that sheds light on just how radical the Bible is in affirming women. The disciples come across Jesus during His conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, and we are told they ‘were surprised to find Him talking with a woman.’ Jesus goes against these cultural trends time and time again. In making these final changes, the Crossway Board of Directors and the Translation Oversight Committee thus affirm that their highest responsibility is to ‘guard the deposit entrusted to you’ (1 Timothy 6:20)—to guard and preserve the very words of God as translated in the ESV Bible.”Crossway recently released the 2016 and final edition of the English Standard Version (ESV). After edits to 29 out of more than 31,000 verses, they declared the 2016 version to be “the Permanent Text of the ESV Bible.” Their statement goes on to assert,

Letha Scanzoni and Nancy Hardesty, All We’re Meant to Be: A Biblical Approach to Women’s Liberation (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1974), p. 56.

2. Emphasize that Salvation Is Offered Equally to All People

She has made even undergarments and proceeded to sell [them], and belts she has given to the tradesmen. If you disagree with something the an author said, consider framing your response as, “I hear you as saying _________. Am I understanding you correctly? If so, here’s w