Wow! It's been over a month since my last post...what can I say, things have been busy. Anyhoo....... I've been having some fun lately watching/listening to some debates between King James Only advocates and normal people. In case you don't know about this subject, let me elucidate. There are some folks who don't just prefer the King James Bible (you know, the ones who think the English of the KJV just "sounds like the Bible"); rather, they actually believe that the King James Version is the only inspired translation of the Bible into English. In fact some of them believe that it is the only inspired, preserved word of God in any language. Let that sink in. The only version of the Bible that can truly be said to be "the Bible" is a version that was translated 400 years ago...according to some of these folks. To many of them, modern versions (NIV, ESV, CSB, and the like) are not only incomplete--they're actually perversions of Scripture that have been designed to lead the faithful astray. Well, it doesn't take long to see that some of these KJVO folks are not always the nicest people in the world. After all, if you're going to criticize other believers for using the wrong Bible, for being the wrong kind of Christians, you probably don't put a lot of value on being kind to other people. They often share groovy memes like this one: Wow, gotta love that wicked font! Really gets the point across. Or how about this classic from a Chick tract? (The late Jack Chick was a big KJV Only guy...) Notice how there's what looks to be a Catholic cardinal in that one? Well, I forgot to mention, many KJVOs are also rabidly anti-Catholic, and so they also promote the theory that the modern versions are part of a diabolical Roman Catholic plot, to lure Christians away from the "good ol' King James Bible." Of course! My favorite video to watch about this whole fascinating issue is this one from the 90s, a discussion on the John Ankerberg program: It's long, but boy, is it entertaining. (I know, I have a bizarre notion of what constitutes "entertainment"...)
Here's the thing, though: I love the King James Bible. I'm a big fan of Shakespeare, and I don't think there are two works more important to the English language than the King James Bible and the First Folio of Shakespeare's works. I have all kinds of different editions of the KJV in my collection, and I love to dig into the majestic sweep of its language. But when a KIVO like Sam Gipp (in the video above) says, without a hint of irony, that non-English speakers would need to learn English to experience the actual word of God, I think that's insane. Anyway, that's what I've been doing with my time lately. May write more on the subject later...
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