Early in the 1970’s, my wife and I had the privilege to hear Dr. Henry Morris in a debate on the University of Knoxville Campus in Tennessee. At that time, I knew very little about the scientist who believed in a Creationist position. What a blessing it was to hear Dr. Morris and Dr. Gish. The Institute for Creation Research published an article by Dr. Morris entitled Should Creationists Abandon The King James Version? Sadly, many of the creationists’ ministries today have done exactly that. Of the fifty-plus King James Bible translators who were godly men, believed in the infallible, inspired, authority of Scripture, and were proficient in the biblical languages, they were also familiar with the great body of manuscripts, plus previous translations.

(Use the KJB Hall of Faith Bible Memory and Study Cards to learn more about the Translators. - pictured right )

Dr. Morris writes about the various positions and arguments concerning the manuscript debates. He discusses the King James text, and the differences in the new versions. Dr. Morris, in his article, gives the background on the Masoretic, and the Textus Receptus upon which the King James is based. Then he spends time giving the background on the Westcott and Hort alterations. By the way, it’s interesting to read about the evolutionists and skeptical influences of men like Westcott, Hort, Nestle, and Aland. These are the men that are behind the influence of modern day Bible versions --new versions based on manuscripts that had to be fixed by men who do not even whole-heartedly believe the book they are proposing to translate.

Dr. Morris concludes his article by saying, “After studying, teaching, and loving the Bible for over 55 years, that Christians—especially creationists!—need to hang on to their old King James Bibles as long as they live. God has uniquely blessed its use in the great revivals, in the world-wide missionary movement, and in the personal lives of believers, more so than He has with all the rest of the versions put together, and ‘By their fruits ye shall know them’ (Matthew 7:20).”

“It is the most beautiful, the most powerful and (I strongly believe) the most reliable of any that we have or ever will have, until Christ returns.”

If you are going to embrace a new Bible translation, which one is the best? Among pastors and churches, as well as creationists, who are adding new Bible versions, have done so creating confusion with a multiple collection of Bible translations. Dr. Morris makes it crystal clear in asking the question, “Which new translation? This is not a new question....Even if one really feels that he ought to switch to a modern translation, how can he decide which, if any, is really the inspired Word of God? I personally have perused in some depth at least twenty of them. For a long time, the ‘official’ version used in each Bible believing church was the King James, with the others used occasionally for reference study by teachers and pastors. Now, however, confusion reigns. Congregational reading is no longer possible, and Scripture memorization, which has been an incalculable blessing in my own Christian life, is almost a lost art these days.

“And what about our belief in verbal inspiration. If its only the ‘thought’ that counts, then the words are flexible, and we can adjust them to make them convey any thought we prefer. Exact thoughts require precise words.”

God is not the author of confusion.