In the latest issue of Christian History, Issue 80 (Vol. XXII, No.4, p. 42) is an article about one of the greatest writers of the early Christian Church, Augustine.  It does mention a critical error, however:
"Unfortunately, Augustine's Greek was not very good either, and he struggled with the biblical text.  Sometimes he got it wrong, as in Romans 5:12, which he translated to say that the human race sinned in Adam, and not merely because of Adam.  Augustine took the verse to mean that every human being was spiritually present in Adam himself, and therefore directly responsible for Adam's sin, whereas the apostle Paul was merely saying that, as a result of Adam's sin, death came into the world and we have all suffered as a result.  The mistranslation had an unfortunate effect on Augustine's doctrine of original sin, making it harsher than it should have been and leading some modern critics to reject it altogether.  It just goes to show how important a correct understanding of the text can be!"

Translating it right is of utmost importance.

There is always a danger of 'word studies' that critics bring up, that is, the tendency for one to get the text to say whatever the interpreter wants the text to say.  It is the Amplified Bible approach, in which you pick your favorite translation. ...

Andy Fleming recently published a thoughtful study to help disciples grow deeper in their faith. 

You can access it by clicking this link to the LA Church Web Site.

UCD does not necessarily support all of the conclusions of this article.  However, it is a very good assessment of the questions involved in understanding the Scriptural qualifications of an elder.  Please read, study the Scriptures and comment. 

To address the author, please send your messages to:  sawhill@uga.edu

In recent days there have been a number of papers composed regarding the issue of Elders' qualifications, and I have generally been impressed with the objectiveness and clarity of the studies.  I will not attempt to recreate those papers, but will reference them where necessary.  My concern is that as a body of believers we must come to an understanding that creates unity and clarity in the process of determining our leaders.  This unity cannot be based upon external papers and arguments, but must be based on the clarity and truthfulness of scripture.  Our studies and papers can only point the way to finding that unity within the scriptures. ...