The Relatively Good Book
B. J. Hutto & Will Williams on the Liberal Protestant Bible Translation
Editors’ Note: In order not to exclude atheists, agnostics, animists, and people of other non-Christian (yet equally valuable) beliefs from the open dialogue about the human situation and the universal value of all forms of life, the editors of the Liberal Protestant Version have discerned that the most productive way forward is to soften the potentially offensive word “God” by consistently placing it in quotation marks at its every occurrence. In future editions of the LPV, the editorial board may consider eliminating the problematic word altogether.
Additionally, on the title page, instead of printing “The Holy Bible,” which threatens to eclipse other equally enlightening sources of spiritual revelation, the board has, following a sensitive and thoughtful dialogue, decided to print, “The Sweet and Simple Story of Jesus and His Love.” We earnestly hope this creates a space for your personal self-empowerment.
This translation is dedicated to the nineteenth-century Scottish Old Testament scholar and theologian, W. Robertson Smith, who, when told that he had been accused of denying the divinity of Christ, responded by saying, “How can they accuse me of that? I’ve never denied the divinity of any man, let alone Jesus.”
John 1:1a: In the beginning was a Word of affirmation.
Romans 3:23: For all have tried their hardest and fallen short of their best potential.
Exodus 20:3: You shall have no other gods before me—I am no more or less worthy a god than any of them.
John 20:22: And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive moral autonomy.”
Mark 3:23: So Jesus called them and spoke to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? It’s not like he’s real, or anything.”
Psalm 37:40: God helps those who help themselves.
Luke 9:26: For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words is to be congratulated for not arrogantly shoving their religion down other people’s throats.
• Not a subscriber or wish to renew your subscription? Subscribe to Touchstone today for full online access. Over 30 years of publishing!
personal subscriptions
Purchase Print &
Online Subscription
Get six issues (one year) of Touchstone PLUS full online access including pdf downloads for only $39.95. That's only $3.34 per month!
Get a one-year full-access subscription to the Touchstone online archives including pdf downloads for only $19.95. That's only $1.66 per month!
gift subscriptions
GIVE Print &
Online Subscription
Give six issues (one year) of Touchstone PLUS full online access including pdf downloads for the reduced rate of $29.95. That's only $2.50 per month!
Transactions will be processed on a secure server.
bulk subscriptions
Order Touchstone subscriptions in bulk and save $10 per sub! Each subscription includes 6 issues of Touchstone plus full online access to touchstonemag.com—including archives, videos, and pdf downloads of recent issues for only $29.95 each! Great for churches or study groups.
kindle subscription
OR get a subscription to Touchstone to read on your Kindle for only $1.99 per month! (This option is KINDLE ONLY and does not include either print or online.)
Your subscription goes a long way to ensure that Touchstone is able to continue its mission of publishing quality Christian articles and commentary.
more on protestant from the online archives
30.5—Sept/Oct 2017
The Critical History Before, During & After Martin Luther by James Hitchcock
20.4—May 2007
A Short & Surprising History of Protestantism & Contraception by Allan C. Carlson
more from the online archives
32.4—July/August 2019
on Probability, Death & the Existence of God by Graeme Hunter
31.5—September/October 2018
on the Congregation as a Wilderness by Paul Gregory Alms
calling all readers
Please Donate
"There are magazines worth reading but few worth saving . . . Touchstone is just such a magazine."
—Alice von Hildebrand"Here we do not concede one square millimeter of territory to falsehood, folly, contemporary sentimentality, or fashion. We speak the truth, and let God be our judge. . . . Touchstone is the one committedly Christian conservative journal."
Support Touchstone
—Anthony Esolen, Touchstone senior editor
