The recent story of a KJV-only church burning non-KJV Bibles got me thinking about the three main views of how God inspired holy texts:
1. Islam. God spoke through his prophet Muhammad, in Arabic, and Muhammad transcribed God's words—in Arabic. Translation of the Quran into other languages is discouraged, because the Quran is only considered truly inspired and reliable in Arabic.
2. KJV-Only. Numerous authors penned the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments in Greek and Hebrew. However, it was not until 1,500 years later that God miraculously enabled King James' clerics to compile and translate manuscripts into an English Bible that is now the only truly inspired and inerrant version available.
3. Classical Evangelical. The Holy Spirit led authors to pen 66 books in Greek and Hebrew—the original manuscripts of which are inspired, inerrant and authoritative. We no longer have any of these original documents, but the thousands of copies of these manuscripts that we do have allow us to reliably translate God's Word into any language on earth.
Now, which of these two views are most similar?
3 comments:
"Now, which of these two views are most similar?"
Is that a trick question? I won't fall for it, you know. Everyone knows that both the Quran & The Message were inspired by dark forces. :-)
I find the KJV only people to be ultimately and ignorant racists. Suppose someone were to go to a place like China and win someone to Christ. Are to think that a Chinese person who converts to Christ can never fully comprehend the Gospel until he learns English and then and only then read the KJV?
I do have a funny story about this topic though from when I was a pastor in Oregon. There was a fellow AG pastor who believed in the KJV only, and when I asked if a person who read the original languages were able to absorb the same truths as one from the KJV his answer was “no”.
But then on the other side there are those who are just as rigid in "other" translations such as the NRSV who feel it is better because it makes God gender inclusive.
So in regards to the Bible, I think Homer sums it best when he says, "If there is one thing the Bible has taught us, which is nothing,..."
Interesting that you wrote this. I just had a vivid dream last night that I was in long and fruitless conversation with a bunch of KJV only church leaders. Fresh in my mind this morning--so when I read this I'm thinkng God might be saying something.
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