Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 6
Drew brings up Brian Simmons and the Passion Translation claim of “downloads” from Jesus and an angel named “Passion”; how does this kind of authority claim challenge the early church assumption that the faith is “once delivered” and publicly accountable, and what should a church do when “new insight” cannot be tested by normal means?
Another way to ask: The Passion Translation story includes “downloads” from Jesus and an angel named “Passion.” How does that kind of claim challenge the idea that the faith was already given to the church and should be publicly tested, and what should a church do if “new insight” can’t be checked?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
The transcript suggests “downloads” claims create a new, private channel of authority that can bypass public testing, Scripture, and scholarly accountability, effectively offering “new messages… beyond the apostolic tradition.” When insight cannot be tested, the church should treat it as an alarm, evaluate it against Scripture, and refuse to grant it “translation” or authoritative status.
- Drew: Simmons claimed he “went up to heaven… Jesus said… ‘downloads’… to give you this translation.”
- Drew: this reflects a hallmark: “circumvent scripture itself and find some new exciting message… beyond the apostolic tradition.”
- Joel: Passion “adds a lot of his thoughts,” inserting movement “buzzwords… all over the place,” not present in other translations.
- Joel: the title came from an “angel named Passion,” tied to claimed supernatural endorsement.
- They recommend public evaluation: Mike Winger’s “Passion Project” includes “Bible translators and scholars” reviewing it.