I have been trying to stir up a little controversy by linking to peoples posts on the ESV that are in any way critical. I have been encouraged by the way people have then come back so graciously and said "O no, we didnt mean to be critical!". I actually would love this blog to be a focus for a while of genuine robust debate about the translation- I am no sychophant to Crossway although I am impressed enough with the version to allow my blog to be almost taken over by the ESV for what will be about three weeks. By the end of that point, even I will have tired of speaking on the ESV and normal service will resume!

What encourages me is that increasingly there are strong voices arrising in the blogosphere who have different perspectives on a lot of issues but are willing to interact with each other and do so graciously.

David Warnock is one of those voices. He asks whether I meant to flatter or punish him and my answer is neither as I genuinely like his blog. Here was my comment to him in reply.

I love your grace and I wish that some of the conservative evangelicals who write comments on my blog would learn such grace. I didnt mean to offend in any of my comments re your blogging. I am genuinely glad that someone like you can come in and graciously put the other side of the argument. The ESV has not been accepted by everyone, and to explore the reasons for that is helpful.

In terms of the fairer sex, I think you are a little hard on the ESV. Their page on gender states that they are trying to translate the bible on its own terms on this issue. Also, there were women on the advisory committee- Mrs. Joni Eareckson Tada, Mrs. Susan Schaeffer Macaulay, Lady Elizabeth Catherwood, and finally Dr. Dorothy Kelley Patterson who is described as "Assistant Professor of Women�s Studies, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary"

Oddly, considering your reservations, Crossway are also the team responsible for the Good News Bible which you seem to accept more readily (I must say I think that the GNB has more to offer than some think)

UPDATE
In fact I got it wrong! Good News Bible has NOTHING to do with Crossway- sorry!