Jason BeDuhn

Jason David BeDuhn, Ph.D. is an historian of religion and culture, currently Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Northern Arizona University. He first gained brief national attention at the age of 18 when remarks he made in a speech to the high school graduating class of Rock Island, Illinois, sharply critical of oppressive attitudes towards youth by older generations of Americans, were widely reported in the American press. He defended his remarks in subsequent radio and television appearances by pointing to the historical contribution of youth to social idealism and cultural innovation. Pursuing the historical study of religion, he received his doctorate from Indiana University in 1995. He won the Best First Book Award from the American Academy of Religion in 2001 for his book "The Manichaean Body in Discipline and Ritual" (ISBN 0-8018-6270-1), notable for its analysis of religions as goal-oriented systems of practice rationalized within particular models of reality [http://www.aarweb.org/Programs/Awards/Book_Awards/default.asp] .

"Truth in Translation" book

He subsequently wrote "Truth in Translation: Accuracy and Bias in English Translations of the New Testament" (ISBN 0-7618-2556-8), which generated controversy when his analysis led him to conclude that the New Testament translations of the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (published by Jehovah's Witnesses) and the New American Bible (published by the American Catholic Church) were the most accurate and least biased. The translations examined in his book are: The King James Version, New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New American Bible, New American Standard Bible, Amplified Bible, Living Bible, Today's English Version, and the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. He had criticisms for every translation he reviewed, finding a consistent pattern of anachronistically imposing modern Christian views onto the biblical text.

He has also been active on the internet in discussions (two of which can be read online still) notably with evangelicals/trinitarians where he has argued against certain translations (not interpretations) often used by such in support of their belief that Jesus Christ is "God," maintaining that a wide variety of views about the nature and status of Christ were held by early Christians and are discernible in the Bible.

He was named a Guggenheim Fellow in 2004 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Guggenheim_Fellowships_awarded_in_2004] .