The Clear Word

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The Clear Word
Full name:	The Clear Word
Language:	English
Complete Bible published:	1994
Author(s):	Jack Blanco
Textual Basis:	?
Translation type:	100% paraphrase rate, Contemporary
Version Revised:	1996
Publisher:	Review and Herald Publishing Association
Genesis 1:1-3
This earth began by an act of God. He created the heavens and the earth. The earth was only a mass of created matter floating in space, covered with a vapor garment. Everything was dark. Then the Holy Spirit hovered over the vapor, and God said, "Let there be light." And everything was bathed in light.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son to come here and die, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life.

The Clear Word, originally published in March 1994 as the Clear Word Bible, is an English paraphrased version and Bible commentary. It was written as a personal devotional exercise by Dr Jack Blanco, former professor at Southern Adventist University, to be an additional study tool and and devotional alongside the Bible. The paraphrase was initially published by the Southern College Press of Southern Adventist University; it is now being published by the Review and Herald Publishing Association, which is owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Blanco did not intend for his devotional paraphrase to be used as a reader's sole source for Biblical knowledge. He simply was trying to share the knowledge he gained through the years and to put the Bible in language which could be understood by the typical reader. It should also be noted that Blanco has donated all the proceeds to the Southern Adventist University Theology Department worthy student fund, thus he received no great compensation for the sales of the paraphrase.

The Clear Word is not officially endorsed by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, however, similar to other paraphrased Bibles, it has garnished criticism. It is printed in chapter-and-verse format, two columns to the page.

1 Reception
2 Controversy and Criticism
3 External Links
4 References
5 Notes
6 See also

[edit] Reception

The Bible in English +/-
Old English (pre-1066)
Middle English (1066-1500)
Early Modern English (1500-1800)
Modern Christian (1800-)
Modern Jewish (1853-)
Miscellaneous

It has been reported that the The Clear Word has gained wide use within some Adventist circles. It was endorsed by the former President of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Pastor Robert Folkenberg. It was also advertised on more than one occasion in the official Adventist magazine, Adventist Review.^[1]

[edit] Controversy and Criticism

Critics of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, in general, have stated that The Clear Word distorts the meaning of the biblical text to support Adventist teachings.^[2]^[3] For example, they state that Daniel 8:13-14 has been translated such that the Adventist doctrine of the investigative judgment is explicit.

"How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled—the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, and the surrender of the sanctuary and of the host that will be trampled underfoot?" He said to me, "It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated." (New International Version)

"How long will God allow the little horn to try to take God's place? How much longer will God let it continue to pervert the truth about Himself and the sanctuary in heaven and allow it to persecute His people?" "After two thousand, three hundred Prophetic days (or, two thousand three hundred Years), God will step in, proclaim the truth about Himself, and restore the ministry of the sanctuary in heaven to its rightful place. This is when the judgment will begin, of which the cleansing of the earthly sanctuary was a type." (Clear Word Bible)

David Newman, editor of Ministry magazine[1] wrote a letter expressing concerns about The Clear Word (June 28, 1994).^[4]

In response to criticism, the South Pacific Division of the church released the following statement:

The Clear Word Bible is not produced, nor endorsed by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, but is the private enterprise of an individual. The Adventist Church does not use the Clear Word edition, which includes passages from Ellen G. White’s writings, for its worship services and Bible studies around the world, but quotes from well known and well accepted Bible translations in the various languages. In the English language for example, the church uses the King James Version, the Revised Standard Version, the New American Bible, the New International Version, and others

– Australasian Conference Association Limited^[5]