Updated NIV Bible will debut amidst some controversy

The latest version of the NIV Bible will debut amidst some controversy over its updated, gender-inclusive language.

This has not stopped Zondervan from printing 1.9 million copies of the updated NIV Bible in the first run, up from the 1.4 million they had originally planned.

"This laydown of the NIV update is bigger than we imagined," said Chip Brown, senior vice president of Bibles for Zondervan. "A couple of retailers came in a little higher after seeing the marketing and products."

This is the first update of the NIV in 25 years, although there was a failed attempt to update in 2005 with the TNIV which was pulled from production in 2009 due to a fallout from the American evangelical community over its overt "gender inclusive" language.

There has been a mixed early reception of the new NIV from these critics, although many have promised to first read it carefully before weighing into the debate. Brown was clearly hopeful that there wouldn’t be the same storm of controversy with this translation.

"We're at a place in time where as long as people aren't being unbiblical with their translation, people can agree to disagree on the rendering of certain verses. That's just the way it goes," argued Brown.

"If you did your homework on other translations, the alternative is actually more heavier on gender neutrality than the NIV," he added.

Brown also said he was a firm believer that there is room for more than one translation in the market and hopes that the updated NIV will continue to hold the rank and respect of its predecessor, especially in seminaries.

The new NIV Bible is a good choice for those torn between "word-for-word" and "thought-for-thought" translations, according to Brown.

"The NIV straddles both those and looks at each verse and renders it in a way where it is close to the original manuscript as possible but ensures that it is in the English of the day," he asserted.

"I think that's probably why the NIV has the market share that it has. People love it. It sounds like the way they talk but it's pastor-recommended."

Japan’s worst disaster since WWII says PM

The earthquake and tsunami that rocked Japan on Friday is now estimated to have killed over 10,000 people, according to the police chief of Miyagi prefecture (state) on Sunday.

Reacting to this news Japan’s Prime Minister Naoto Kan said: "This is Japan's most severe crisis since the war ended 65 years ago."

Millions of Japanese have been without clean water, food and electricity since the tsunami struck with such devastating force, according to The Associated Press.

The Japanese government has announced that it has sent over 100,000 each of blankets, bottled water, and liters of gasoline in addition to instant cup noodles, rice balls, diapers and bread to the affected areas.

Amid this disaster, several Christian aid agencies are already providing emergency relief, with the Salvation Army Japan sending a team to the worst-affected city Sendai.

"We combat natural disasters with acts of God," the group, which has been operating in Japan since 1895, stated. "We are a part of Japan's communities and dedicated to their recovery."

World Vision are assessing the damage to identify the most urgent needs to survivors and has set aside an initial budget of $400,000 to provide care.

"Our prayers and that of the partnership are for the survivors as well as everyone impacted by the calamity," said Kenjiro Ban, World Vision's humanitarian and emergency affairs manager in Japan.

Meanwhile, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has offered prayers for the people of Japan.

Williams said: “The news of the horrific earthquake in Japan has shocked us all.

“We await further and more detailed news with apprehension, but I want to say immediately that our hearts and our prayers go out to all who have been affected and that we as a church will do what we can to offer practical as well as spiritual support at this time of great suffering and great anxiety for so many.”

(Image shows workers searching for survivors in the aftermath of Friday's disaster).

Pope 'deeply saddened' by Japan's double tragedy

In a telegram sent by the Pope to Japan's bishops, Benedict XVI said he was "deeply saddened" by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that devastated parts of Japan on Friday, with a death toll expected to be close to a 1,000 people.

The telegram read that the pope was "deeply saddened by the brutal and tragic consequences of the severe earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern coastal regions" of Japan.

Benedict assured all those who were affected by the disaster that he was "close (to them) in these difficult moments".

Prince of Wales celebrates King James anniversary with YouTube reading

2011 marks 400 years since the first ever edition of the King James Bible was completed in 1611, and as such has been declared a year of celebration by the King James Bible Trust.

The YouTube Bible is one of the ways this anniversary is being celebrated, and the King James Bible Trust is encouraging people of all ages and walks of life to read passages from the Bible while being filmed for YouTube. As a patron of the Trust, Prince Charles recently offered to participate in this reading.

The Prince of Wales read from John 14.1 - 14, a passage in which Jesus comforts his followers and tells them not to let their hearts be troubled.

His reading was recorded in the Chapel Royal of St James's Palace. Prince Charles will host a reception at Clarence house for members and supporters of the King James Bible Trust on March 17.

(You can access the Prince’s reading via the following link www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tjDdz-yRw4 - please note it is not clickable here, you will need to copy and paste into your phone’s browser).

Twitter leads the globe in prayers for Japan

Citizens from around the world immediately mobilised themselves to send out prayers and messages of support for the victims of the massive quake which struck Japan on Friday afternoon.

A massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake shook the east Asian country destroying buildings, roads, bridges and taking lives. Japan’s phone systems and a sizable amount of its power supply were also knocked out.

The quake triggered a massive Tsunami, reputed to be up to 10 metres high at points, which struck the coastline causing further devastation, including starting a fire at a nuclear plant. Japanese media are reporting a governmental declaration of a nuclear power emergency situation, which occurs if there is confirmation of radioactivity leaks from a nuclear power plant or a reactor cooling system breaks down.

Only hours after these terrible incidents, the hashtag #prayforjapan was first on Twitter's top trending topics worldwide.

"Praying for the people of Japan, especially my brother's girlfriends, father and family over there," said one tweet.

Another wrote, "Because they'd do the same for us, times like these, band together. God bless anyone affected by the earthquake."

Celebrities also joined in this call to pray for Japan via Twitter, with Black Eyed Peas man Will.i.am being one of the first to react, saying simply: "Pray for Japan" later adding that he is struggling to sleep with worry.

Hayley from Paramore also urged prayer in Tweeting: "Praying so hard for Japan right now. And also for Hawaii," as did Nicole Scherzinger who said, "My heart goes out to all those affected by the earthquake and subsequent tsunamis. Pls keep Japan in ur prayers. God bless and be with them."

Overall, Japan’s tweet-o-meter is currently extremely high with 1 200 tweets per minute reporting on the disaster, while Google has also posted a link to a Japanese person locator just as they did during the Haiti quake, for loved ones to find each other.

On a non-digital level, international aid groups such as Red Cross are already swinging into action to provide practical assistance to quake victims and their families.

(Image is the special Twibbon released by Twitter in response to the quake in Japan).

Cord blood stem cells preserve life of girl after brain tumour

A four-year-old girl has become the first person in Spain to recover from brain cancer with the aid of stem cells from her own umbilical cord blood, reports the Catholic News Agency.

The girl developed a rare form of brain cancer aged two, and an operation removed the majority of the tumour from her brain. She then underwent chemotherapy effectively reducing and eventually eliminating what was left of the tumour.

However, her blood system was destroyed by the aggressive final round of chemotherapy, thus requiring a transplant of cord blood stem cells. The stem cells assisted in accelerating the production of platelets, and restored her blood system to normal.

The procedure was carried out in by Dr. Luis Madero of the Department of Oncology and Hematology at the Nino Jesus Hospital in Madrid, who called her case unique in Spain.

“The use of stem cells to regenerate the blood system is an extended treatment for this form of cancer,” he said, before adding this was “the first time in our country, the stem cells came from a patient’s own umbilical cord, preserved from birth.”

“In recent years, transplants of cord blood stem cells have become increasingly common. In the case of siblings, these stem cells are the best therapeutic option that exists,” he added.

The little girl’s parents had stored the blood from her umbilical cord with a company called Crio-Cord and called it the “best investment” they ever made.

Guillermo Munoz, the head of Crio-Cord, said his organisation was “proud to have participated in Alba’s healing process.”

Munoz also said that cases like these confirm “that umbilical cord blood is an excellent source of stem cells. Being the youngest cells of their kind in the human body, they have great potential to cure.”

(Image taken from the site www.stemcellumbilicalcordblood.com).

Study finds that Christian leaders have vastly differing beliefs about the End Times

A recent poll undertaken among Christian leaders in the United States shows that beliefs vary greatly about the End Times.

A majority of these leaders, or 65%, follow an End Times theology called premillenialism which believes that Jesus Christ will return to earth and then reign with his followers for 1,000 years.

The poll found that 13% of those surveyed were amillennialists, in other words they believe that the non-literal millennial reign of Christ is happening now as Christ reigns at the right hand of the Father. Only 4% believe that Christ’s second coming will happen only after the 1,000-year period during which nations and peoples will be progressively converted to Christianity. This belief system is known as postmillennial theology.

17% of those surveyed felt they did not fit into any of these more established positions, and instead chose to identify with "other" end times theology.

However, one matter that most of these leaders agreed upon was that focusing on the specifics of the End Times is distracting to living faithfully in the present. Roy Taylor, a representative of the Presbyterian Church in America, stated this position best when he said, "As far as predicting the approximate time of Christ’s Second Advent is concerned, I have resigned from the Planning Committee and have joined the Welcoming Committee."