There is No “King James Bible Controversy”

For forty-one years I have been preaching and actively defending God’s perfect Bible, the King James Bible. There have been many books written both denigrating and defending this noble Book. Preachers have parted company over it. King James advocates have called its critics, “apostates,” “Bible-correctors” and other names.

Opponents of the King James Bible have called Bible believers, “cultists,” “Ruckmanites” and a few other choice names. It sure sounds like a controversy, doesn’t it? But I am here to tell you that there is no “King James Bible Controversy.” What we are actually witnessing is the “No Perfect Bible Controversy.” Why do I say this?

If tomorrow all of the King James Bible advocates stood up and said, “We are changing our ways. We no longer believe the King James Bible is perfect. In fact, we agree 100% with our former opponents that the King James Bible is riddled with errors.” there would be a massive “Amen!” from all those who oppose us today. They would say things like, “It’s about time you came to your senses,” or “It’s good to see you’ve left the Ruckman cult,” or other “encouraging” words.

But! then, right after we made that statement we said, “The reason we no longer believe the King James Bible is the perfect word of God is because we now believe the New International Version is the perfect word of God.”
As soon as our anti-King James opponents heard that, they would rend their clothes, cast dust in the air and cry, “They’re still crazy!” Overnight all the anti-King James Bible critics would become anti-New International Version critics.

Why would this happen? Because their opposition isn’t to the concept that the King James Bible is the perfect word of God. Their opposition is actually to the concept that there is a perfect Bible anywhere on the planet. They don’t simply hate the King James Bible, that’s not it at all. What they hate is the thought that there is a perfect Bible anywhere, no matter which version it might be.

Why this fear and hatred for the concept of a perfect Bible? Because they cannot humble themselves enough to be in subjection to any book, even the Bible. Any “bible!” They have a spirit that is very similar to that of evolutionists.

There are two kinds of evolutionists. There is the air-headed high school graduate who believes in evolution because he trusted his science teacher and his science teacher took advantage of that trust and sold him on evolution regardless of the fact that it is still an unproven theory. Show this kid the lack of evidence for evolution and he can be corrected. This is a head problem, not a heart problem.

The second group of evolutionists is the “Movers & Shakers” of evolutionary teaching. They have seen the “fossil record” and they know that in no way does it prove the theory of evolution. They support the theory for a completely different reason. Somewhere along the line, they figured, “Well, of course, evolution is true. Because if evolution isn’t true then the Bible is true. If the Bible is true then; I’m a wicked sinner, I’m going to answer to God for my actions and I’m going to die and go to H…ah…I believe in evolution!” It isn’t the proof of evolution these people support, it is an alternative to the fact of Divine creation. His is a heart problem, not a head problem.
Just as there are two kinds of evolutionists there are also two kinds of “Bible Correctors.” There are the Bible college graduates who trusted their professors and had their professors take advantage of that trust and convince them that there was no perfect Bible on earth. Show this sincere, but deceived, young man the facts and he can be corrected. His is a head problem, not a heart problem.

The second group of Bible Correctors is the “Movers & Shakers” of modern Textual Criticism. They have seen the manuscript evidence and they know there is no way to prove the Critical Text of Alexandria, Egypt, is superior to the Textus Receptus. They reject the King James Bible for a completely different reason. Somewhere along the line, they figured, “Well, of course, there’s no perfect Bible on earth. Because if there was then; I’m going to answer to God for not reading it, for violating it, for pretending I didn’t know there was an absolute authority. I’m going to answer to God for my actions and …ah… there is no perfect Bible!” His is a heart problem, not a head problem.
Therefore, although all the artillery has been aimed at the King James Bible and its proponents, neither it nor they are the problem to modern Bible Correctors. The problem is that most of the “Movers & Shakers” of modern Christianity are agnostics at heart and reject the concept that there could even be a perfect Bible anywhere on earth.

But, don’t believe me! Go ask one. Say this to an opponent of the King James Bible, “If tomorrow all the King James Bible believers recanted their belief and said it wasn’t perfect, would that be good?” They will acknowledge that that would be a wonderful occurrence indeed. Then add, “Those King James folks said they threw out their King James Bibles because they had come to realize that it’s actually the New International Version that is the perfect Word of God without error. What do you think of that?” See what they say!

Their hatred isn’t for us. It isn’t for a king who was a better man than all of them. It isn’t even for the Bible that bears his name. Their hatred is for the concept that there could actually be a perfect Bible on earth. Their hatred is actually directed at the One who put a perfect Bible on this earth and forced them into such a tight spot!
If you don’t believe me then ask an opponent of the King James Bible if they would accept the teaching that the NIV, or the ESV, or the TEV or any modern translation was the word-perfect “Word of God” instead of the King James Bible.