We trust you can see it is not a simple issue
- We (as do most other publishers) follow the Chicago Manual of Style and The Christian Writers Manual of Style. Neither recommends this practice.
- Other highly respected Christian authors have made a similar decision, so we are not alone. (Max Lucado made a statement online of this decision.)
- Since The Passion Translation is being distributed internationally, we sought to consider other audiences in this decision. Capitalization of deity pronouns is much less of an issue outside the US and in many cases is not desired.
- Once you start, it’s very easy to get lost in all the words that should be capitalized due to a direct or indirect reference to God or any spiritually significant person, place, or thing.
This explanation may not be satisfactory to some, but we want readers to know this decision was made after much thought and prayer. We also trust that this heart-level translation of the Bible will deepen your passion for God as you experience God’s passionate heart for you.
Martin Luther (in the sixteenth century) had a feel for this intimacy also, choosing to refer to God (in his German translation of the Bible) with the informal/intimate personal pronoun du, which is normally reserved for family and closest friends
The writers of the
Whenever you see LORD in all caps, you know that the Hebrew word YHWH is behind it
The Bible: We believe the Bible is the only inspired, infallible, authoritative Word of God, inerrant in its original manuscripts, communicating exactly what God desired to communicate to us about himself and his redemptive plan for humankind. The
Trinitarian God: We believe that there is one God, eternally existing in three persons and in one essential unity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Deut. 6:4; Mt. ; Jn. )
Jesus Christ: We believe in the full deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, eternally begotten of the Father and of one being with the Father, who is coequal in power, glory, authority, and dominion with the Godhead; his virgin birth by the power of the Holy Spirit, taking upon himself the flesh and blood of full humanity; his sinless life, who was himself tempted in every way just as we are, yet conquered sin; his miracles, displaying his power and authority over creation while offering a foretaste of the kingdom of God; his vicarious and substitutionary-atoning death through the shedding of his blood on the cross for the forgiveness of sins; his bodily resurrection from the dead after three days as foretold in the Scriptures, the firstfruits of a great resurrection harvest of those who have died; his ascension to the right hand of the Father, where he sits in full glory and power, having all things placed in subjection under his feet by the Father; and his bodily return in power and glory. (Jn. 1:1, 14; Lk. 2:1–21; Acts 2:22–36; Heb. 1:1–4; Heb. 2:9–15; Heb. 4:4–5:2; Gal. 4:4; Phil. 2:5–10; Col. 1:13–20; Col. 2:8–12; Jn. 19–20; Acts 1:9–11; Rev. 20:1–6)