Living Bible Creator Dies

The creator of "The Living Bible" has died.

   Kenneth Taylor, also the founder of Tyndale House Publishers, died June 10 at his Wheaton, Ill. home. He was 88.

   Taylor's "Living Bible" translation helped millions of people discover they could read and understand Scripture.

   "Making Scripture accessible for all people was my father's passion," said his son and current Tyndale President Mark Taylor in a news release. "Many, many people have told him, ‘I became a Christian when I read ‘The Living Bible,'' or ‘My first Bible was the green padded ‘Living Bible.'' Even at 88 years old, his enthusiasm and fervor for his work never waned."

   One contributor to an Internet site commemorating Taylor wrote (www.kennethntaylor.com/read.asp), "I had never read the Bible, and someone suggested I buy the new "Living Bible." I cannot tell you what a sacrifice spending $9.95 for the Bible really was. Oh, we were so poor. But once I started reading, I read things that I had never read before. Jesus knew how many hairs were on my head, and he told me not to worry about what I was going to wear or what I was going to feed my family! That was in 1973, and I learned that Jesus loved me enough to die for me! Wow! I prayed the sinner's prayer several times (just to make sure I got it right!). Today I can praise the Lord for not only saving me but my entire family! All because I could read the Bible and understand it! Today I am rich (in the Lord)!"

   Another contributor to the same site wrote about Taylor, "Ken's joy came in pouring himself into his work. At 88 years old, he was still coming to the office working full time until just two months ago. It wasn't work to him; it was his calling. And because of his work on the "Living Bible," "The New Living Translation," and numerous books, the impact of his work will not stop with his death because these products will continue to touch hearts for generations to come."

   "The Living Bible" was born out of Taylor's desire for his ten children to understand God's Word. He found the King James Version of the Bible -- the most commonly used translation at the time – very difficult for his young children to understand.

   Taylor began to reword specific passages in simple language, easy enough for even his youngest child to understand. He finished his paraphrase of the New Testament epistles, which he called "Living Letters," in 1962. However, he was unable to interest a publisher in the project. As a result, Taylor and his wife Margaret decided to self-publish 2,000 copies of "Living Letters."

   Taylor named his new company Tyndale House Publishers, after William Tyndale, the 16th century reformer who was burned at the stake for translating the Bible into English. In its early days, according to a news release, Tyndale House was literally a kitchen-table operation. Tyndale's older daughters typed his manuscripts, Margaret typed invoices and mailing labels, and the younger children stuffed envelopes and packed books ordered by bookstores.

   As Taylor continued to paraphrase the rest of the Scriptures, orders for "Living Letters" trickled in. But when evangelist Billy Graham began to use Taylor's work as a premium for his television broadcasts, demand for the books took off.

   In 1967, Tyndale published the "Living New Testament" and in 1971 released the complete "Living Bible." According to Tyndale, it became the best-selling book in the United States for the next three years, after which "Publisher's Weekly" decided not to allow Bibles to compete with "regular books" for a place on the best-seller list.

   To date "The Living Bible" has sold more than 40 million copies. It has also been distributed internationally, with portions or entire Bibles available in more than 100 languages.

   According to a news release, Taylor and his wife committed from the start to deposit all profits from "The Living Bible" into a charitable trust, insisting that the Bible's royalties be donated to Tyndale House Foundation. The Foundation supports mission projects around the world, and continues to promote Taylor's vision of making the Bible available to everyone.

   In addition to founding Tyndale House (best known recently as the publisher of the "Left Behind" series), Taylor also authored a number of children's books that included "The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes, and "My First Bible in Pictures."

   Taylor was born on May 8, 1917, in Portland, Ore., to George and Charlotte Huff Taylor. Taylor developed a solid faith in Christ and a deep respect for the Bible at a very young age. According to a news release, Taylor graduated from Wheaton College in 1938, attended Dallas Theological Seminary for three years, and graduated from Northern Baptist Seminary in 1944.

   Taylor, who spent 65 years in the publishing industry, began his career as editor of HIS magazine and later served as director of Moody Press in Chicago.

   Taylor was president of Tyndale House Publishers until 1984, when he turned over the reins of the company to his son Mark. He continued to serve as chairman of the board from 1984 until his death.

   Taylor is survived by his wife, Margaret, ten children, 28 grandchildren, and 22 great-grandchildren.

   For additional information go to www.kennethntaylor.com

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