Rippin you gonna respond or what?
He probably won't respond. I mean, think about it. He often criticizes Leland Ryken for not being a Bible translator yet writing about it. At least Ryken has a Ph.D. in a language (English, I believe), making him far more a linguist than Rippon. Also, Ryken served as style expert on the ESV, so at least he has actually worked on a translation. Rippon is in the same boat (with many holes
) as Ryken, since he has admitted on the BB (years ago) that he doesn't know any other language than English, and has never worked on a translation. I'd say that Ryken is far more of an authority then Rippon, but you'll not catch Rippon admitting that.
So, if Rippon were to answers you honestly, he must admit the above. Furthermore, if he admits the above, it is tacit admittance that all of his knowledge is second hand, compared to Ryken who he criticizes, who has at least worked on a translation.
For the record,
Translating Truth, which I recommended above as representing the essentially literal method, has 4 scholars as authors besides Ryken. One of those is Vern Poythress, one of the leading linguists among evangelicals. I highly recommend his great work on language,
In the Beginning Was the Word. This book uniquely approaches language from trinitarianism.