The King James Only Controversy: Can You Trust the Modern Translations?

I grew up in a KJV ONLY home. Went to KJV ONLY Curches and recently graduated from a KJV ONLY Bible College. I knew all along that somehting did not make sense about this position. The more research I did on my own the more and more I realized that the books used to back up the KJV ONLY position, were full of flat out lies. "New Age Versions" from G.A. Riplinger is a prime example. As I studied the Bible and began to hear more and more preachers using this version called the NASB (The MOST literal englsih translation by the way) I decided to buy one and compare it to Riplingers quotes of it in her book. I'm not sure what she quoted, but it definetly was NOT the NASB. NONE of her quotations matched...AT ALL!! This led me to start checking other primary sources including the writings of supposed "ALEXANDRIAN CULTISTS" Wescott and Hort, only to find they werequoted horribly out of context. To make a long story short, after doing MY OWN research I found that theKJV ONLY position could ONLY be backed up by lies, misleadings, misquotations, misinformation, and out right bias. I say ALL THIS assomeone who grew up ONLY reading the KJV, and DEARLY loving it to this day! However, the fact is I desire accuracy over tradition, and that is why I read the NASB. When I first looked into this book it BLEW ME AWAY with the amount of incredible info stored in such a short volume. All the research that took me LONG periods of time to accomplish was done, and categorized in this paperback. It was dead on correct too. If you want the kindest, fairest, and easiest to understand assesment of this great debate over Bible translations pick this book up. It DOES not bash the KJV, in fact the author actually PRAISES the KJV. So please, before barking out your opinion on this issue, from either side. KNOW YOUR FACTS!!! Pick this book up TODAY!!!

Let's face it, the KJVO debate is deeply intertwined with the history and making of the English Bible. When you begin to talk about the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, the Textus Receptus, and etc., it get's complicated in a hurry. White does a very thorough job of explaining the manuscript families, what textual criticism actually is, and other translational issues. While textual criticism is criticized by the KJVO camp, many people do not know that Erasmus, who is responsible for the TR, engaged in textual criticism, as did the KJV translators. Once you've been exposed to this and other information contained in "The King James Only Controversy," you can sort out many of the KJVO arguments with relative ease. White does a service to the body of Christ by staying professional and calm throughout this book. Many pro KJVO arguments are examined in a fair and Christian way. The question about whether the newer versions water down the deity of Christ is really covered well. He also gives a pretty in depth look at just about any disputed verse that you would be likely to have a question about. Once you have read this book, you will be well equipped to carry on a dialogue about this sometimes emotional topic. If you want to buy only one book on this topic, this is the one!

First of all, to my utter shame, I must admit that several years ago, I myself was an avid KJV Only person. I purchased Gail Riplinger's book: "New Age Translations" and was totally convinced that Satan was the author of a grand conspiracy to undermine and eradicate God's Word from the face of the earth. I meticulously went through the book and highlighted changes, deletions and additions as well as supposed testimonies by those who worked on the NASB and NIV translations. I then gave this book to my associate pastor and then to several of my friends in an emotionally charged attempt to "open their eyes" to the "evils" of the modern translations. I made snide remarks directed toward people who did not carry a KJV as I taught my adult Sunday school class. I told people that the letters "NIV" really should be understood as an acronym for "Non - Inspired - Version." I only wish that my associate pastor had been more straightforward with me about the depth of foolishness into which I had descended. I pray continually that God will forgive him for allowing me to wallow in such abject ignorance and I have asked God to forgive me for participating is such flagrant idolatry. On the other hand I thank God from the very depths of my soul that He has seen fit to liberate me from this ridiculous and baseless tradition. Interestingly, it was not James White's book that set me free; it was God Himself. Allow me explain. I had long been aware that the original autographs were written in Hebrew and Greek, but I was totally ignorant about the process of textual transmission. Nevertheless, I asked myself the question, why should the KJV be the standard by which all others are judged when it itself is a translation? My conclusion was that this was absolutely illogical and foolish. Shouldn't the KJV be measured against the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts from which they were taken? After all isn't the goal of any translation to render the original text into another language as accurately as possible? And how do we determine if a particular translation is as accurate as possible? By comparing it to back to the manuscripts from which it was taken! However, I was so staunchly KJV Only, that I pushed this problem to the back of my mind. But God would not allow me forget it altogether. Time and time again, He brought it to my mind and finally, I could push it to the back no longer. I had to deal with it. I was, however, still unwilling to give up my beloved KJV Only position and I tried desperately to find a way around this problem. The only way I could come up with was to say that God had "re-inspired" His Word through the translation process of the KJV of 1611 and therefore that the original manuscripts were no longer necessary. But I realized that this was purely a baseless fabrication that I had created in a desperate attempt to cling to my beloved KJV Only position. However, more and more, God was convincing me of the utter folly of this fabricated ideology un

This book is as thorough as could be possible in presenting its case. Since some have overtly slandered the author (James White), let me tell you what this book does NOT do. It does not tell people that the King James Version (KJV) is evil or that it should not be used. There are numerous places where Mr. White recommends using various translations (including KJV) to ascertain the exact meaning of a particular Biblical passage. The purpose of this book is to refute those people who would claim that the KJV is the only true word of God. Let me say Mr. White goes above and beyond in proving his case. Unfortunately, most of those who disagree will not read this book with an open heart and mind. White covers basic manuscript and textual issues. He then gives some excellent background info regarding the making of the KJV. He also covers the numerous passages that "KJV only" advocates use in their arguments. After reading this book, I can not fathom how anyone could believe that the KJV is the only valid Bible translation.

As a biblical scholar, I commend James White for his careful and accurate scholarship. Don't be misled by some of the negative reviews, as well-intended as they may be. James has done his homework well, and he has NOT retaliated against those who differ with him.Many of my ministry colleagues use the King James Version as their primary Bible, and I memorized more than 4,000 verses from the KJV within the first two years of being saved. Hence, my argument is not with the use of the King James but with what James rightly calls King James Onlyism. Living in Pensacola, close to the headquarters of Peter Ruckman, I can testify to two things: 1) His church members are zealous and outspoken about Jesus, completely unashamed. They should be commended for this! 2) They can be downright nasty to the point of using foul language if you challenge them on King James issues -- even with a gentle spirit.The record needed to be set right, and the pseudo-scholarship of the Gail Riplinger's exposed. I have seen many churches deeply hurt by these errors, and James White is to be thanked for taking the issues on in a forthright, irenic, and scholarly fashion.