Have you ever had to deal with KJVO position in your local church then?

Fortunately, no. I think our denominational structure protects us a bit. We have a long list of translations (17, last time I counted) that are specifically authorized by our national church for reading in the Sunday liturgy. The King James is one of them, but only one, so if someone tried to restrict us to the KJV, we'd have the national church to back us up.

We also have, here and there, members who read Greek and/or who have studied textual criticism, and I think that gives us some protection as well.

To me the pastor just needs to have sit down with this person. Stating why using other translations are appropriate. If the newcomer can't deal with that then I guess they can find another church. Churches always have to make choices. The pastor has to weigh the version of the bible. With so many greek and hebrew helps, it seems hard to justify one translation. There are too, some translations that i would never use.

Yeah, Richard, I think that is good, what you are saying.

Also > since this is the "Christian Scriptures" place, let's get into some scriptures about this.

I feed on how our Apostle Peter says there is no other name for salvation >

"'Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.'" (Acts 4:12)

"King James" is not the name Jesus! Nor is Baptist or Catholic or Pentecostal or other names which can get treated with more attention and emotion, than the name of Jesus. There are ones putting very much attention into the name of King James, by the way. They can show much more strength of conviction and effort to promote the King James name, than they give to talking about Jesus and how Jesus is our example of how to be and how to love.

And, of course, others likewise can be mainly so busy with some other name, or with some belief that is controversial . . . not giving much more time to learning how to become and love like Jesus.

I was in a church where a guy started promoting the King James Bible; and I suspected that could help to turn people against it, because of how he was being pushy and self-righteously critical of ones who did not go along with him . . . it seemed to me. And he could get disruptive against other translations during a group.

I offered to him that the King James Bible is a perfectly good Bible,

but you need to get ***God's*** meaning of each thing you read.

It is not enough to get correct words of translation; we need accuracy of having the things which God's words are talking about. For example, only in the Holy Spirit can we have what God's word means by "love".

I have picked up very important things that I did not get from other translations. However, likewise, I have gotten good things from other translations. And there are people who are God's living version of His word > ones to whom God's word does say >

"you are an epistle of Christ," our Apostle Paul does say, in 2 Corinthians 3:3.

So, I would say part of getting the real meaning of God's word is to share with genuinely mature people who feed us their example . . . of how they are becoming conformed to the image of Jesus.

Plus, I am studying Spanish by means of Spanish Bibles and an interlinear Spanish-Greek Bible I just got.

And I pointed out to him, how the King James Bible has language which Americans do not speak. And there are King James pushers who do not believe in speaking in tongues which people do not understand . . . right? Yet they push a Bible in the King James language which people do not know.

And our Apostle Paul says he became all things to all people in order to reach people for Jesus. So, using a Bible with not-American English can be a way of not reaching people with the language they speak. I think Paul would speak the language of the people he was talking to.

In 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 we have >

"to the Jews I became as a Jew" > I think he would speak Hebrew with Jews.

"to those who are without law, as without law" > this would influence which language he used, in order to be "as" the non-Jews he is reaching to. I am guessing he knew Greek or had someone who could translate.

"to the weak I became as weak" > so, one might be weak in language and communication > certainly, you would not try to push the King James Bible on a person who can barely read American English.

He would get arguing with me and then stop talking with me if I started to make a point. So, I would advise him how Jesus guarantees that God will give us a mouth of wisdom that no one can gainsay or resist. And I would remind him that the King James Bible says this Luke 21:15.

And if I started to show something, he might just maneuver his way out of the conversation; but I would advise him that if he is right he does not have to use methods and trickery to lord it over me to control me >

"nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock." (1 Peter 5:3)

And we have >

"submitting to one another in the fear of God." (Epphesians 5:21)

So, when he tried to boss over me to make me listen and agree . . . I might point out that that was not communicating with mutual submission . . . "to one another".

And once I asked him if he was getting "rest for your souls" like Jesus guarantees us while we are obeying Him.

"'Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.'" (Matthew 11:29)

He said, "No."

So, then I advised him that he needed to make sure with God, see what God had him doing with rest for his soul. And in case he found that I am wrong, he should have nothing to do with me and make sure he was with people who were obvious good examples for him. And he would claim he couldn't find any real Christians; so I would coax him, that Jesus does not fail to have real sheep who hear His voice; and so, in case he was right, there was not excuse for him to not be able to find genuine Christians, since the King James Bible says > Isaiah 55:11 > that God's word will not fail to accomplish what God desires.

And, of course, he was not finding genuinely Christian loving people who were agreeing with him and going along with him. But he kept connecting with trouble people.

So, if your someone who came to your church is so promoting the King James Bible, I might want to know who are the person's mature and genuinely loving mentors?? And does the person spend much time with them, if any time, at all??

I know a pastor who is a King James person. But he reads other translations and accepts how visitors do use other Bibles. But he seems to be lacking in insight and he can argue why some verse is the right one, versus that of another translation, but he can not keep from disrupting me right while I am offering an explanation.

And that might go contrary to how the King James Bible says a man needs to be >

"swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath" (in James 19-20).

So, when I am offering someone something and they just shut me up, right while I am talking . . . this tells me something. And I might discuss this with a person.

And I think it can be wise to not get tricked into criticizing the King James Bible, in order to support another translation. God can give me what He has for me to get through the King James Version, if and while He pleases. But I get so much that words can't tell, with God and through His people.

I've never encountered anyone who's tought that outside the Internet. I think most people who pay attention to this stuff recognize that different translations have their strengths & weaknesses, & I think that is right. I do think the KJV is a very good translation, tho.

If anything, what I see is the push to more & more 'liberal' translations

DragonFox91 said:

I've never encountered anyone who's tought that outside the Internet. I think most people who pay attention to this stuff recognize that different translations have their strengths & weaknesses, & I think that is right. I do think the KJV is a very good translation, tho.

If anything, what I see is the push to more & more 'liberal' translations

Click to expand...

Certain denominations attract more of them than others. I think it's a misguided attempt at certainty and a natural evolution of doctrine like the verbal plenary inspiration and the sui generis nature of the Bible which already require counter-evidential faith regarding the Bible so why not go whole hog and pick a translation.

I'm not that high on the KJV since I learned more about the Greek and Hebrew. The register is just too high for the vernacular features of the original languages.

com7fy8 said:

And I pointed out to him, how the King James Bible has language which Americans do not speak. And there are King James pushers who do not believe in speaking in tongues which people do not understand . . . right? Yet they push a Bible in the King James language which people do not know.

Click to expand...

I'm not sympathetic to the KJVO position at all, but to offer a little pushback, it's not like King James English is difficult for a literate American to understand. Even granting that there are occasional obscure phrases or archaic uses of a word, it's miles away from a foreign language.

I’ve never experienced it personally but I’ve heard things along those lines in different groups and generally consider them legalistic but to each his own. I developed the practice of reading through a different translation every year. It broadens my perspective and allows me to meet people where they are. This year happens to be KJV and I’m contemplating the Dake for 2026.

~bella