GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., May, 2005 —The TNIV Bible translation is eighth in Bible market share at all Mardel stores for April and March, according to Zondervan, the world’s leading Bible publisher, and Mardel Christian & Educational Supply, a Christian retail chain with 19 locations in 6 states. The full TNIV Bible—Old and New Testaments—released in February 2005.

“Mardel’s stores are each carrying the full line of TNIV Bibles and the results speak for themselves,” said Paul Caminiti, vice president and publisher of Bibles at Zondervan. “Most Bible translations take years to gain a foothold, but after only three months, the TNIV is already in the top ten in market share at Mardel. It’s clear they understand that the TNIV is a great translation done by the same world-class translation committee that translated the NIV, and that this translation is meeting a need and appealing to 18- to 34-year-olds.”  

"The early success of the TNIV is very encouraging to us," said Dylan Hillhouse, Bibly buyer for Mardel.  "We feel the TNIV fills a need in the market, and we're excited to see a new generation reading and interacting with the Word of God in a fresh way."

The TNIV is built on the heritage of the NIV—the most read, most trusted modern English translation in the world—and features updated language to make the Bible more readable for today’s younger generation. Translated by the same conservative evangelical committee that translated the NIV, the TNIV is garnering positive reviews by some of the top scholars, writers, music artists, and ministry leaders in the world, including D. A. Carson, Lee Strobel, Bill Hybels, Darrell Bock, John Stott, Warren Wiersbe, Ted Haggard, the newsboys, Philip Yancey, John Ortberg, Richard Mouw, and many others.

The TNIV is also receiving positive reviews from some of the leading youth and outreach organizations in the world, including the Willow Creek Association, Outreach, Inc., InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Youth Specialties, and many others. But perhaps the most telling reviews have come from 18- to 34-year-olds themselves. In a 2004 Harris Interactive poll, 77 percent of all 18- to 34-year-olds surveyed preferred the TNIV to the NIV and 72 percent found the TNIV more readable.

 *Bible Translation Market Share for March and April 2005

1. NIV

1. 2. KJV
2. 3. NKJV
3. 4. NLT
4. 5. The Message
5. 6. NASB
6. 7. NCV
7. 8. TNIV
8. 9. ESV
9. 10. HCSB

* Reflects cumulative Bible sales at all Mardel stores for March and April 2005