Bethel Church has stopped selling The Passion Translation of the Bible amid concerns over allegations that parts of the controversial translation were plagiarised from other versions.
The influential California megachurch said it was pausing sales while reviews of the translation are carried out.
“As a leadership team we have been in discussions regarding concerns around The Passion Translation,” Bethel said in a statement.
“We understand reviews are underway by skilled organizations and recognize these will take some time. Until we have additional clarity, we are pausing the sale of The Passion Translation in our stores.”
Bethel had previously sold a special edition of The Passion Translation (TPT) featuring a 16-page foreword by its senior leader, Bill Johnson, who has also regularly used and endorsed the version while preaching.
The edition has now been removed from the church's online bookstore.
The decision follows reporting by The Roys Report earlier this year detailing allegations from Texas pastor David Fish that portions of TPT had been copied from existing Bible translations and paraphrases.
Fish has been examining the work of TPT's lead translator, Brian Simmons, and claims to have identified hundreds of instances where material closely resembles other versions.
According to The Roys Report, Fish found more than 300 alleged examples in the Gospel of Luke alone. In another biblical book he examined, Fish estimated that around 20 per cent of the text appeared to have been taken from other translations, including a loose paraphrase.
He has also raised questions about Simmons' treatment of the original languages, including instances in which identical Greek passages are rendered differently and references to Aramaic sources which Fish claims do not exist.
Neither Simmons nor BroadStreet Publishing, which publishes The Passion Translation, has publicly responded to the plagiarism allegations, according to The Roys Report.
TPT has proved commercially successful, with BroadStreet previously announcing that its 2020 edition of the New Testament had surpassed one million copies sold.
Questions have also been raised over the scholarly review behind the translation.
YouVersion, which makes TPT available through its popular Bible app, currently says the translation is undergoing an "expanded review process".
The Passion Translation's website has previously described its editorial process as involving a “rigorous review” by “reputed scholars”.
However, Rick Wadholm Jr, a former professor of Old Testament at Assemblies of God Theological Seminary and Evangel University who worked as a paid consultant on the translation, previously disputed that characterisation in comments to The Roys Report.
Wadholm said he provided notes and feedback on a draft of Simmons' work, but understood these to be suggestions which Simmons was under no obligation to adopt. He did not formally endorse the translation.
Bethel has not said whether its decision to suspend sales will remain in place after the review is completed.
Johnson's endorsement of The Passion Translation also remains on the translation's official website.
