Dr. Kenneth Taylor, Creator of 'The Living Bible' Dies

Ken Taylor, creator of "The Living Bible," which sought to make scriptures more accessible to a broader audience by paraphrasing the King James Version of the Bible, has died. Taylor, 88, the founder of Tyndale House Publishers, a leading Christian publishing house, died last Friday at his Wheaton, Ill., home, a statement from the company said, the Associated Press (AP) reported. No cause of death was announced.

"The Living Bible" (TLB) was born out of Taylor's desire for his 10 children to understand God's Word, so he began to reword specific passages of the King James Version in simple, easy-to-understand English, Assist News Service (ANS) reported. In 1962, Taylor finished his paraphrase of the New Testament epistles, which he called "Living Letters."

However, he published the book privately when he could not interest publishers in it. The complete TLB was published in 1972, became a best seller after evangelist Billy Graham offered it as a premium on his TV broadcasts and has sold more than 40 million copies to date, the AP reported. Profits from TLB go to a foundation that supports mission work, Tyndale House said.

"Making Scripture accessible for all people was my father's passion," said his son and current Tyndale House president Mark Taylor in a news release, ANS reported. "Many, many people have told him, 'I became a Christian when I read "The Living Bible,"' or 'My first Bible was the green padded 'Living Bible.'' Even at 88 years old, his enthusiasm and fervor for his work never waned."

Taylor founded Tyndale House in 1962, naming the company after the 16th-century Christian reformer William Tyndale, who was burned at the stake for translating the Bible into English.

Taylor was president of Tyndale House until 1984, when he turned the operation of the company over to Mark. He was chairman of the board from 1984 until his death. Tyndale House publishes the popular "Left Behind" apocalyptic novels.