In my article: Bethel: Modern English Bible versions are an obstacle to evangelisation and ammunition for unbelievers (bethel-sg.com), I have shown how modern English Bible versions are an obstacle to evangelisation and ammunition for unbelievers.
In the last few decades, many Evangelical churches in England have abandoned the Authorised Version (KJV), often citing the ‘old English of KJV too difficult to understand’ excuse. I have another two articles Bethel: Is the old English of KJV too difficult for modern readers? (bethel-sg.com) and Bethel: Why KJV readers do not read other versions while modern version readers do (bethel-sg.com) that prove that modern English speakers are able to understand the old English of KJV. Therefore, ‘old English of KJV too difficult to understand’ is in reality an unreasonable excuse.
If modern English versions such as the ESV and NIV really help in evangelisation, we should be seeing a massive and even exponential growth in attendance in the Evangelical churches that read them. In reality, this appears not to be the case.
While Evangelical churches are doing much better than the liberal Church of England and the Methodist Church (both of them suffering massive decline in church attendance), I think it is still fair to say that much of the growth of church attendance comes from immigrants who were already Evangelical Christians when they came to this country.
Therefore, in conclusion, modern versions have not helped in evangelisation nor improve church attendance.
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