Capitalization became trendy when lots of Nouns were being Capitalized for Emphasis (a trend which rightly disturbed grammarians). I also review Christian novels at www.christianreads.blogspot.com. So you can either capitalise deity pronouns or not capitalise deity pronouns, but choosing to capitalise some and not others isnt consistent and could confuse readers. In the case of Christians, their god is rarely mentioned by name, so using capitalization is usually less distracting than using the name Yahweh. Capitalization Rules For Titles. For example King James Bible, Gideons Bible or Hebrews Bible. Randy Alcorn (@randyalcorn) is the author of over sixtybooks and the founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries. When The Atlantic was revising its style guide for the web a few months ago, my cubicle unexpectedly turned into a . The purpose is to respect the name of God and avoid writing it (the name is sacred and if its not written it cannot be destructed by man later). After all, we capitalize God and Satan, yet only one deserves our honour. But I may very well may be wrong. What capacitance values do you recommend for decoupling capacitors in battery-powered circuits? That mans assistance was a godsend yesterday. They are not capitalized in the Greek text of the Scriptures. Some Bible translations capitalize pronouns referring to God, while others do not. As a broad generalization, CMOS is more commonly used for fiction, and AP is more common in journalism. Religions and religious movements (e.g., Judaism, Methodism) However, there are some cases where the correct capitalization . 'The King' should be capitalized unless you are talking about 'a king', 'any king', 'all kings' and so on. It is neither right nor wrong to capitalize or not capitalize pronouns that refer to God. YES, I BELIEVE (HYMN) LYRICS. Capitalizing pronouns that refer to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is a way of honoring God and showing esteem. But its a subtle way of reinforcing Christian themes and the way God changes us. This is pretty common among atheists. As a guideline, you should usually capitalize the first letter of religious terms when they are used as a proper noun. Thats worth thinking aboutno one wants to their work to be considered dated or irrelevant. This question has recently been raised in one of the (many) Facebook groups Im a member of. Since this isnt in scripture, you shouldnt take or add from THE BOOK, but use other scripts as given by God. With that in mind, it follows that God is not offended if we do not capitalize pronouns that refer to Him. Why does Jesus turn to the Father to forgive in Luke 23:34? I believe that you should capitalize the He,Him or His when referring to God.That is out of respect. The inconsistency stood out. This still leaves it permissible in English and through typed word, although some people prefer not to write the name of God. Why do we need to capitalize the word God? Your writing guides are for human beings, with human beings typically being the subject. I capitalize when referencing God (I.e, He, His, Maker, etc.) Not even the Bibles are consistent about capitalizing the pronouns. This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Somewhere along the line I picked up the habit of capitalizing He, His, Him, etc. Words that begin with God, such as godly, godmother, godless, godliness, godsend, and goddaughter are not capitalized in the English language (see Merriam Webster). Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. The Kingdom awaits! The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". It only takes a minute to sign up. I don't do that for anyone else. What does the Bible say about capitalization? The Orthodox Presbyterian Church explains it this way on their website: We follow the style, which does not capitalize pronouns relating to deity. It's the same for my church body. If referring to a particular god, you write God, as that is his popular name. When you use the name of God in vain, it is also capitalized. Spirituality and spiritual growth authors tend to capitalize any word that to them represents a higher concept or God: Universe, Gratitude, Divine Love, Universal Mind, Consciousness. You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings. The same rule applies to the name of a music group. In Hebrew, there was no such thing as upper-case and lower-case letters. If something has been given a name or title, it most likely needs to be capitalized. I don't think He minds. Should the words "Him, He, His"be written with a capital H when talking about God? Religious references, please capitalize God, Jesus, Lord, Father, Holy Spirit, Savior, Heaven, Hell, Bible and the Word (as in the Word of God) and all pronouns referring to God including Him and His. Remember, if a word refers to God, it must be capitalized! Over the years, questions have related to the writing in Hebrew and whether Gods name should ever be written. Continue doing so. I only promote those products and services I have personally investigated or used, and which I believe deliver value. I hardly ever write the word, so no. How can I change a sentence based upon input to a command? To first recognize when to capitalize the word god, students of the language first need to know the basics of capitalization. September 17, 2012. Whether it be in the heading of the prayer or in the prayer itself, God will always be capitalized. It appears this isn't a formal requirement, but I am not the only one to do it. Many Christian publishers use CWMS, either alone or in conjunction with another style guide such as CMOS. Therefore, Bible should be capitalized. But now I see it both ways. Thank you for this post on an often repeated question especially within Christian publishing and writing circles. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. . The monotheistic god of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam is the same and is referred to as God, the name. It does not store any personal data. In the same way, to suppose on this basis that the Holy Spirit is a person to be referred to as "he" or "him" is incorrect. This is a formal name, and thus a proper noun, and it deserves to be capitalized. I agree, but its the publishers choice. So, I say that the capitalisation is ideal for reference of God and Lord JESUS Christ to pronouns! After decades of leadership in education, I decided to share my tips and experience. What is the meaning of Christian worship. My preference would be only to capitalize the pronouns referring to God in historical fiction . Capitalize titles that appear before names, but not after names. But unless that's something you are writing about, you're more likely to confuse your readers than edify them. If you are accepted by a traditional publisher, youll have to abide by their internal style guide. Should all pronouns referring to God be capitalized? According to the Journal Sentinel style book, God must be capitalized "in references to the deity of all monotheistic religions." The lowercase "god" is only used in reference . 2023 Grammarist, a Found First Marketing company. The number of distinct words in a sentence. 7 Do we capitalize the the in the Bible? (ESV) The Christian Writers Manual of Style says (p145): Thats another vote for telling us what people do. Of course, I would never agree to Christ or God not being capitalized. I continued to do it for years but it created inconsistencies since I would capitalize pronouns of deity, then quote Scripture that didnt. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again. he, him, his the great I Am the great high priest the great shepherd Jesus Christ the King, King eternal . But I appreciate the post and I hope to see you all one day. Moreover, it is the style followed by the New International Version (NIV) and English Standard Version (ESV),as well as by our denominational magazineNew Horizons. This remains a common practice among people of faith, but it is by no means obligatory. For example, office supplies are expected to be consumed in the near future, so they are charged to expense at once. 1.) I'm VERY scared! I believe inconsistency occurs when we go off course from its original plan. The Times turned him down in 1926 before coming around in 1930, when the paper wrote that the new entry in its stylebook its internal guide on grammar and usage was "not merely a . You always capitalize Bible when referring to a proper noun including the various versions of both the Christian and Jewish Bibles. Yes, the major style guides prefer that personal pronouns referring to God are not capitalized.But they also allow for author (or publisher) preference. If you capitalize pronouns that refer to God to show reverence for His name, fantastic! It can get a bit complicated the way I'm choosing . In general, I try to use whatever the person I'm communicating with is using. He was with God in the beginning" ( John 1:1-2 ). Better is to pick a convention and stick to it. Yes, the major style guides prefer that personal pronouns referring to God are not capitalized. Aethelwine ( 42964) "Great Answer" ( 2 ) Flag as . On 2/10/2014 at 1:51 PM, ayin jade said: I use capital H. Some versions of the bible use it. Language is dynamic, not static. And he said, "Here I am." Then he said, "Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." And he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.Exodus 3:4-6 Required fields are marked *, By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. Randy Alcorn (@randyalcorn) is the author of over sixtybooks and the founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries. Christianity Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for committed Christians, experts in Christianity and those interested in learning more. Im thinking about this because the use of whom has come up several times recently in the editing of my blog posts and book manuscripts. The inconsistency stood out. February 10, 2014 in General Discussion. I don't think there's a biblical or doctrinal mandate in any direction, for most. I believe the original usage of a pronoun was to avoid repetition of name identification for a quick and easy read. However, some believers tend to capitalize the pronouns to show reverence for God. Many atheists use a lowercase 'g' while Jews, Christians, and Muslims always capitalize the G. Who is right? It is a matter of personal conviction, preference, and context. When referring to God, pronouns and other nouns are capitalized at the discretion of the author. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". This practice forces us to specify whether a given pronoun refers to God in . In the original languages of the Bible, capitalizing pronouns referring to God was not an issue. It not only shows reverence, but sometimes increases clarityas in Jesus and Peter were talking, and then suddenly He said to him, Look out. But where its not possible, i.e. I argue the same for capitalizing the New Earthif we capitalize New England, why not the redeemed creation that Scripture calls the New Earth? You always capitalize Bible when referring to a proper noun including the various versions of both the Christian and Jewish Bibles . Thats another vote for lowercasing deity pronouns unless the author prefers capitalization. I continued to do it for years but it created inconsistencies since I would capitalize pronouns of deity, then quote Scripture that didnt. Over the years Ive been asked my opinion about authors using pen names. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Of course, I would never agree to Christ or God not being capitalized. Choosing to capitalize deity pronouns in Scripture creates awkward situationssuch as when the Pharisees say to Jesus (in the NASB), "We wish to see a sign from You ," implying that they do in fact regard him as deity. Other references or alternative names of God are also capitalized. @curiousdannii Are you my high school English Teacher back to haunt me? I wrote a Christian book and am over half-way done with my second. Of course, I would never agree to Christ or God not being capitalized. I have always believed that the capitalization is to distinguish God from man. God's name is above all names, and should be referenced to show that. When God inspired the human authors of Scripture to write His Word, He did not lead them to give any special attention to pronouns that refer to Him. Its fascinating to learn that originally it was less about respect and more about emphasis. If you capitalize pronouns that refer to God to make it more clear who is being referred to, great! My concern would be in two areas: intent and effect. Other references or alternative names of God are also capitalized. Why aren't pronouns referring to God capitalized in some Bibles?