DefendingChrist.com Blog

A North Carolina pastor hosted a halloween book burning, yesterday, in which books by authors such as Billy Graham and Mother Teresa were burned along with non KJV translations of the Bible. I find this to be an odd way to get his message across.

I’m an evidentialist. So, when someone makes statements about the KJV being the only “preserved, inspired, inerrant, infallible word of God…for English-speaking people,” I’m looking for evidence, not a bonfire. The book burning seems like it would be counter productive to his cause. Seems like the people he’s trying to convince will just see him as a nutcase, and the publishers of the “satanic books” would make more money, because copies that have already been sold are no longer available, so people will have to buy new copies from the publisher if they want one.

The other problem I have with this is the basic premise. I don’t believe the King James translation of the Bible to be the most accurate translation of the Bible. I have no objections with the people who prefer the language of the KJV because it sounds more poetic, or because they think it gives more reverence to God. My objection is with the people who think it is more accurate than more recent translations that used better manuscript evidence.

So, I have a few questions for the KJV only people:

1. 1. Which King James translation? The truth is, the KJV has had many revisions over the years, including three in 1611 when it was first translated. Apparently, the first printing of the translation had some silly mistakes including the use of “Thou shalt” instead of “Thou shalt not” in one of the ten commandments.
2. 2. Why do you disagree with the translators of the KJV, who conceded that theirs was not a perfect translation, and encouraged the use of a variety of translations?
3. 3. What evidence do you have that the KJV is the most accurate translation of the most preserved form of the original writings, and what do you think of the earlier manuscripts that were found in Qumran in 1947?

I encourage any KJV only person to respond in the comments section. I also welcome questions and comments directed at KJV only people, but please keep it civil. If anyone can convince me, I am willing to change my position. Until then, I will only use KJV when I’m talking to someone who is 300 years old or older.

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