Excellent Book by James White On What Is Wrong With The KJV Only Movement

The King James Only Controversy: Can You Trust the Modern Translations? by James R. White
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I first told friends on Facebook that I was beginning this book in order to learn more about this thing called King James Version Onlyism, I was met with various responses. Most warned me that the book was totally one-sided jand that James White went so far as to attack the King James Bible itself. Others said that it was obvious that he hated the KJV and wanted only to destroy its credibility.

I found the first thing to be somewhat true and the second to be totally false. On the one hand, White most definitely goes after the King James Onlyists with the same ardour that they attack everyone who would dare to use any other translation of the Bible or worse, be involved in actually translating the Bible from the original languages into modern English. On the other hand, not only does he not attack the KJV, but he is very complimentary of it and even praises it on more than one occasion. He does, however, point in many many places where modern versions are superior to the KJV and other places where the KJV completely misses the boat translation wise.

I can recommend this book to anyone who might have encountered this KJV Only Controversy whether in their own lives (I have a cousin who is KJVO) or experienced in some other way such as online (as I have on Facebook). James White does an excellent job of representing both sides of the argument and explaining the fallacies and double standards and circular reasonings of those caught up in the KJVO movement. I will admit to having a love for the King James Bible but it is nowhere close to the only translation that I use. In fact, it is number three on my list after the New King James Version and the New Living Translation in that order. I own something like 120 + Bibles either in physical Bibles or electronic versions in multiple languages. Most of them I can’t read because I only speak English, but if I ever learn to read those languages, I’ve got them.

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