Scratch the surface of anyone mocking “KJV Onlyism” and you’ll find they’re shilling their own “onlyism.” The KJV to me is beautiful, sheer poetry. If there are those who struggle with the ornate and sometimes difficult language that’s verging upon archaic, well, there are other perfectly fine translations in more modern English. But, to me they fall flat.
I like the KJV for formal readings of scripture, such as weddings. Almost everyone memorizes or reads the 23rd psalm in the KJV. However, I think people who are studying the Bible need to use something else. The Bible is difficult enough for many to understand without grappling with English from the time of Shakespeare. I have many different versions and like to compare them.
Scratch the surface of anyone mocking “KJV Onlyism” and you’ll find they’re shilling their own “onlyism.”
I was having a converstaion regarding some of the religious dogmatism I’ve come across in the rural bible belt (In a southern gospel band I’m exposed to the teaching and conversations in a LOT of the small various baptist sects down here). The guy I was having a conversation with was the music director in a large church in Louisville. He said his experience, since attending this large church with a lot of members that are professors at a nearby Christian college is as follows: Regarding peripheral Christian doctrines and teachings, he’s found that the more someone knows of the history and bible teaching on the subject, the less “married” they are to their opinion.
He nailed the experience I’ve had in those little churches, some quite vividly negative. It’s like arguing gun control with David Hogg.
The KJV to me is beautiful, sheer poetry. If there are those who struggle with the ornate and sometimes difficult language that’s verging upon archaic, well, there are other perfectly fine translations in more modern English. But, to me they fall flat.
I prefer the “modern English” versions for the same reason a German would prefer a German language version. It’s the language I know. I don’t have to add another layer of difficulty when attempting to understand what I’m reading. I’m not a fan of making things intentionally difficult.
Our church has a by-law in its Constitution that KJV is to be the text used for Sunday School quarterly’s and by the pastor. Otherwise members are left to their own volition as to which version they want to use. And the by-law is enforced by the deacon body on the Sunday School/VBS materials and the pastor. The rest of the congregation carries various versions of the Bible which are out there, but most are KJV.
It has nothing to do with an adoration of archaic phraseology for many (myself included).
It has to do with (Frankfurt School) Higher Criticism, and the subversive elevation of Westcott-Hort over the Received Text.
The original languages are the source text.
You can’t use KJV to go back and correct the Hebrew/Aramaic/Greek.
KJV is a good translation but not perfect. No translation can be perfect.