The TNIV translation updated the beloved NIV with up-to-date language and readability. What I did not realize pertained to an issue called "Gender Neutral Controversy" or "Inclusive Language Debate". To put simply (as I possibly can and still do justice to the issue), the translators took words such as 'men' and replaced with 'men and women', or even echoed in the change of 'brothers' into 'brothers and sisters'. HERE is an article from Dr. Craig Blomberg that addresses inclusive language (short article).
If you are from the southern United States, the Biblical term 'men' or 'brothers' could be translated "y'all".
I am truly not doing the debate justice, but understand that the controversy centers around adding "and women" as well as "and sisters" in which the literal word-for-word translation does not state. Yet, the idiomatic term could possibly include men and women, brothers and sisters.
Another issue in the beginning was that terminology for God was made gender neutral. This was quickly squelched as not true of the TNIV.
If you want more to read as well as a lot more detail (more than you ever want), the following two books present the two sides of the controversial debate:
Against Gender Neutral For Gender Neutral
Is Gender-Neutral language a concern for you?
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