Bible Question:
I had been raised up on the King James Version of the Bible - and was taught to believe every word was the truth - Now a new Preacher has taken over our Church and he is telling us that the King James Version of the Bible has so many errors and mistakes in the translation - now several of us have started questioning our salvation - just because of this mans comments - MY question is: Which Bible is really filled with truth and where could we obtain such a Bible - that is affordable and accessible for senior citizens? |
Bible Answer: Aggie2000, it would appear from a reading of the examples you have cited of your pastor's interpretation of these selected scriptural passages that the fault lies not in the alleged inaccuracy of the King James Bible but in the possibly unorthodox and heretical teaching of your pastor. You and your fellow worshipers in this congregation may have less cause to question the accuracy of the King James Bible and indeed the reality of your salvaton than you have to question the shepherd of your flock, your pastor. He may well be teaching error and using the King James Version as his scapegoat. Is he feeding the flock with the pure truth of the word of God or is he adulterating it by filtering it through the funnel of liberal theology? A pastor has as much responsibility, yes even more, as the man or woman in the pew to subject himself to the authority of Scripture and to preach and teach it faithfully, in season and out of season, and to handle it aright. As for the time-honored King James Bible, it has been accepted and respected by the brightest of scholars and the humblest of readers alike for its accuracy, its forthright speech, and its majestic and stirring poetry and prose that have blessed English-speaking peoples for nearly four centuries. The 'inaccuracies' that your pastor appears to be dedicated to prove are, for the most part, not inaccuracies at all. Although a few passages may strike the modern reader as inaccurate or obscure, they did not strike the readers in 1611 as being anything of the sort. English has undergone dynamic changes since 1611. Thus the modern reader who is unschooled in Jacobean-age English usage will need to equip himself with a certain degree of background knowledge in order to read the King James with fullest understanding and enjoyment. The effort, I would opine, is well worth it and will be vastly rewarded..... Again I say, apparently -- apparently, because I do not have anything that approaches a comprehensive knowledge of your pastor or your church -- the problems that you and others in your congregation are experiencing are not engendered by the King James Bible, but by your pastor whose exegesis of Scripture has little if anything to do with this fine translation. Please rest assured that in the Bible of your upbringing, the King James, the one that your mother may have read to you, you were getting and continue to get the truth, the genuine message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Moreover, you were getting it in a majestic rendering of English that has never been surpassed or likely ever will for its beauty and excellence. Of the KJV-only camp I truly am not, yet I maintain the high view of this version that should be accorded to it for the fine masterpiece it is. Finally, it is my prayer that the problems your congregation is having may be resolved and unity restored, all to the glory and honor of the King. --Hank |