Biblical Tug-of-War

There has long been an extended and tired debate over who holds the copyright to translations of Biblical text.

The circular argument goes like this: Christians claim God wrote the Bible through human hands, and many different ones at that, so no one entity can claim ownership. The copyright holders' agree they didn't pen the text themselves - they claim copyright on the translation of the text. They say anyone is free to use the Bible as they see fit, but when their particular translation is used, their permission must be given. The thought behind this is that the company devoted resources, in the way of time and money, so the company deserves compensation. Both arguments seem to hold merit.

The most common translation users want to freely use is the NIV, copyright held by Zondervan. They can charge upwards of $10,000 for a license to reproduce their translation in digital format, in addition to the usual royalties charged on a per user basis. This can seriously hamper a ministry's ability to spread the Gospel.

So who wins? Can developers pull the "My Dad is bigger than you" argument and ignore the law in an effort to tell others about Jesus? I think the answer is yes, but the better question is "Should they?"

1. While the laws are worldly, so are the consequences. If you're a developer who ignores the laws, you must be fully willing to pay the price.
2. We're supposed to set an example. How does it look when we tell the world stealing is wrong, and then turn around and do the exact same thing?
3. Other freely available translations exist. This would be a totally different ballgame if we were being told we couldn't spread the Gospel at all, regardless of translation and format.

It was mentioned on the Churchforge forums that one possible solution is to simply ask. Now, I know that many of us have already done this, but what would happen if we all did it? And even if the copyright holders still refuse, it only encourages development with other translations. Success with these will demonstrate to the copyright holders the demand and usefulness of freely available Biblical translations. Their stance could change down the road.

So pray about it and respond proactively. Be an example to the world.

If you believe God trumps man, let Him do so.