Podcast Summary: Burn These Bible Translations?! A Pastor Explains | Live Free with Josh Howerton

Podcast: Live Free with Josh Howerton
Host: Lakepointe Church
Episode: 59
Date: January 19, 2026

Main Theme:

This episode digs deep into practical questions surrounding Bible reading: which translations to choose (and which to avoid entirely), how to build a regular Bible reading habit, choosing effective reading plans, approaching the Bible as a family, and helping children grow to love God’s word. Pastor Josh and his wife Jana Howerton offer candid, engaging, and occasionally fiery advice with memorable stories, theology deep-dives, and practical parenting wisdom.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Wrestling with Temptation and Bible Understanding

• Temptation Is Not Sin:
  • "Just because you wrestle with a desire to sin doesn't mean something's wrong. Actually, the fact that you're wrestling with it means something is right." (A, 00:00)
  • Temptation proves the Spirit’s presence; guilt over the mere presence of temptation is misplaced.
• Posture Over Translation:
  • "What will keep you from understanding the Bible most is not the translation in your lap, but the posture in your heart." (A, 00:15)

2. Theological Deep Dive – Temptation & Dominion Theology

• Satan’s Power and God's Sovereignty:
  • Satan is a real enemy but always under God’s control (“Martin Luther called Satan a dog on a leash.” – A, 09:33).
  • Multiple biblical examples (Job, Luke 4, Luke 22) show that Satan needs divine permission to tempt believers.
  • Jesus’ temptation mirrors the three core temptations all believers face: lust of the flesh (desire to feel), lust of the eyes (desire to have), and pride of life (desire to be).
    (Breakdown at 12:44–15:22)
• The Hook Analogy:
  • "Satan temptation is like the bait on a hook...he's a fisherman that's only got three lures—lust of flesh, lust of eyes, pride of life." (A, 15:21)
• Dominion Theology Explained:
  • Why did Jesus not correct Satan’s claim over the kingdoms of the world? (19:03–32:41)
    • Detailed explanation of dominion, original ownership by God, Adam & Eve’s loss, Satan’s reign, and Jesus as “Kinsman Redeemer” buying back dominion at the cross.
    • Thoughtful connection from Jeremiah 32, the Book of Revelation (chapter 5), and the Great Commission.
  • "Pull the Bible’s thread and you see: Dominion was God's, lost to Satan, redeemed at the cross, and given to the church." (A, 32:32)

3. Building a Bible Reading Habit

• Start Now, Don’t Wait:
  • “Don’t wait for a ‘less busy’ season; start now. Give God your first and your best. For me, that’s mornings.” (B, 34:01)
  • Practical Tips:
    • Go to sleep earlier to prioritize morning reading.
    • Start small (“Don’t despise small beginnings.” – B, 36:50).
    • Don’t check phone/social media before reading (“Don’t go digital before you get biblical.” – A, 42:01).
    • If you miss a day, just pick up with the current reading—don’t get bogged down.
  • Mom-Specific Advice:
    • Discipline kids and routines so parents (especially moms) can get alone time in the Word (39:13–42:00).

4. Bible Reading Plans: How to Choose & Use Them

• Which Plan? The One You’ll Do:
  • “Bible reading plans are like diets. What's the best? The one you’ll do.” (A, 44:05)
• Lakepointe Church Resources:
  • Daily chapter reading plans synchronized with sermons available via the church app (45:23).
• Higher Commitment Plans:
  • Robert Murray McShane Bible Reading Plan (theological, about 5 chapters/day).
  • The Bible Recap by Tara-Leigh Cobble (chronological, helpful for seeing context in Psalms/Acts, etc.).
  • Mix it up to grow your appetite for Scripture.

5. Studying the Bible as Individuals and Couples

• Do Josh & Jana Study Together?
  • “No—we each have our own rhythms, but at night we sometimes read a short devotional together.” (B, 53:39)
  • Encouragement for husbands to lead family prayer/devotionals, but “wives: don’t badger; enthusiasm works better than nagging.” (A, 54:07)
• Methods and Tools:
  • Use a good study Bible (ESV highly recommended).
  • Use commentaries (MacArthur, ESV Study Bible).
  • Pay attention to cross-references and footnotes (69:42).
  • “Read with a pen in hand.” (A, 62:03)
  • Use the SOAP method (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer) (A, 71:26).
  • Deepen understanding with Systematic Theology (Wayne Grudem), Epic of Eden (Sandra Richter), and lecture series by Tim Keller/Edmund Clowney.

6. Pushing Through Boredom or Dry Seasons

• Keep Planting Seeds of Faithfulness:
  • “When you keep reading in a wilderness season, you’re planting seeds of faithfulness; you'll reap a harvest.” (B, 58:36)
  • “Consistency beats intensity—more happens in your soul than you think.” (A, 60:39)
  • Change it up—work through new reading plans or study deeply in one book.
• Other Tips:
  • Pray for renewed hunger (“Restore me to the joy of my salvation…” – B, 64:16).
  • Confess sin if you sense a barrier.
  • Experiment with reading, studying, memorizing, meditating, praying, singing Scripture.

7. Instilling a Love for the Bible in Kids

• Modeling Matters:
  • “When they see parents who love the Word and are changed by God’s grace, that’s contagious.” (B, 77:24)
• Habitual Actions:
  • Nightly Bible reading using The Action Bible or age-appropriate versions—make it fun! (different “voices” for characters, etc.)
  • “Anytime your kids are interacting with the Bible, it needs to be fun.” (A, 80:24)
  • Family memorization (Psalm 1 prompted by Dad, 83:13).
  • Dinner routines: No eating till Mom sits, singing the doxology, conversational integration of Scripture.
  • Let kids pick new Bibles and pens for notes (make it an event!).
• Forming Christian Heroes:
  • Read Christian biographies and testimonies to teach kids whom to admire (89:25–91:59).
  • “Kids will imitate whoever they idolize; work to make sure they have the right heroes.” (A, 89:52)
  • Never criticize the church/pastors at home—respect breeds affection for faith.

Segment: Ranking Bible Translations (93:19–134:02)

Categories Explained (98:06+)

• Word-for-Word: Most literal; best for deep study (ESV, NASB, etc.)
• Thought-for-Thought (“Dynamic Equivalence”): Balanced; easier to read, still fairly accurate (NIV, CSB, NLT).
• Paraphrase: More reimagined, not direct translation (The Message, The Passion Translation).

Detailed Translation Reviews

HOT GARBAGE – Burn Them (93:48–98:06)

• New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witness “Bible”)
  • “Literally corrupted by Satan himself to demean Jesus…they went in and changed all the Bible verses that refer to Jesus as God.” (A, 94:48)
• Book of Mormon / Joseph Smith’s Translation
• Queen James Version: “Terrible, literally sacrilegious.” (A, 97:07)
• New Revised Standard Version, “woke” editions: “Remove stuff about God being father…” (A, 97:08)
• General Rule: If a “translation” fundamentally rewrites basic doctrine—throw it out.

Word-for-Word Translations

• NASB: “A very good word-for-word translation, favored by many scholars and ‘high church’ expositors. Not widely distributed due to a high royalty fee.” (A, 105:15)
• ESV: “My favorite for personal study; strong on New Testament, a little wooden in OT poetry/prophecy. Excellent Study Bible edition available.” (A, 131:54)
  • Recommended study Bibles: MacArthur, ESV Study Bible.
• KJV/NKJV:
  • “Decent but based on much later manuscripts; KJV-Only folks are weird. Also, Elizabethan English can make for unicorns and confusion.” (A, 106:06)
  • “God chose to reveal Scripture in street-level language (Koine Greek), so elevated language may hinder understanding.” (A, 108:03)
  • NKJV (popular with Pentecostals) is a minor update to KJV, but still relies on late manuscripts.

Thought-for-Thought Translations

• NIV: “Most widely read. My go-to for preaching as it’s what most people recognize. 1984 version highly regarded; recent versions incorporate some gender-neutral language.” (A, 113:49)
• NLT: “Hugely readable and highly recommended for new Christians or for daily reading. Not ‘woke’ in any problematic sense.” (A, 119:19)
  • “Great for difficult Old Testament passages or poetry.” (A, 120:42)
• CSB: “Solid Baptist-backed translation blending word-for-word and thought-for-thought.” (A, 128:05)

Paraphrase & Below

• The Message: “Not a translation—one scholar’s paraphrase. Can be helpful in poetry, but chapters/verses don’t line up and it’s not suitable for primary study.” (A, 121:35)
• The Passion Translation: “Not a translation—one guy (Brian Simmons) basically inserted a lot of his own theology; some editions almost 50% longer than the original! Use with extreme caution.” (A, 126:07)

Best Bible for You?

• “Which translation of the Bible is the best? The one you’ll read. It’s not about the book in your lap as much as the posture of your heart.” (A, 134:04)
• “Pick a good word-for-word for study (ESV, NASB), a thought-for-thought for readability (NIV, NLT, CSB), and rotate them year-to-year.” (A, summarized from full segment)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Martin Luther called Satan ‘a dog on a leash.’ I like it.” (A, 09:33)
• “Just because you wrestle with a desire to sin doesn't mean something's wrong. Actually, the fact that you're wrestling…means something is right.” (A, 00:00)
• “Bible reading plans are like diets. Which is best? The one you’ll do.” (A, 44:05)
• “Don’t go digital before you get biblical.” (A, 42:01)
• “If you want your kids to grow up hating the Bible and hating the church, just nitpick your pastor and church at home.” (A, 91:52)
• “What will keep you from understanding the Bible most is not the translation in your lap, but the posture in your heart.” (A, 00:15 & 134:04)
• “When your kids are interacting with the Bible, it needs to be fun.” (A, 80:24)
• “Unicorns in the King James? That’s just how Elizabethan English called wild oxen!” (A, 108:03)
• “At dinner, nobody’s allowed to eat till mom sits down—mom is the queen of the house and we honor mom in this house.” (A, 85:36)
• “Kids imitate who they idolize—give them the right heroes.” (A, 89:52)

Useful Timestamps

• Temptation & the Devil: 05:07–16:00
• Dominion Theology Deep Dive: 19:03–32:41
• Practical Habits for Bible Reading: 34:01–43:36
• Reading Plan Recommendations: 43:41–53:38
• Bible Study as a Couple/Family: 53:39–58:21
• When Reading Gets Boring: 58:36–65:04
• How to Study the Bible (Tools & Methods): 65:04–75:53
• Raising Kids Who Love Scripture: 77:16–93:19
• Ranking Bible Translations: 93:19–134:02
• Lightning Round: What’s the Best Bible? 134:02–135:30
• Closing Prayer: 135:36

Resource Recommendations

• Apps: Lakepointe app for daily reading, sermon guides, show notes.
• Study Bibles: ESV Study Bible, MacArthur Study Bible.
• Books:
  • Systematic Theology (Wayne Grudem)
  • Epic of Eden (Sandra Richter)
  • Devotionals: Spurgeon’s Morning & Evening, Note to Self (Joe Thorne)
• Bible Reading Plans: Robert Murray McShane, The Bible Recap (Tara-Leigh Cobble)
• Children’s Bibles: The Action Bible
• Lectures/Podcasts: Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World (Tim Keller/Edmund Clowney)

Tone & Final Thoughts

Down-to-earth, funny, direct, and passionate about the authority, clarity, and joy of the Bible. This episode is loaded with both deep theology and street-level practical tips–whether you’re a complete beginner, a parent, or a would-be Bible nerd.

Essential Takeaway:
Your heart posture matters more than your translation—but choose a reputable Bible, build the habit, rotate translations as you grow, and make the Word exciting for your kids. Be wary of corrupted "translations"—and above all, stay under the Bible's authority with joy.