Many independent fundamental Baptist churches state that they are "King James Only". What does that mean? And why does LBC not claim this?

There are many sincere believers on both sides, who seek foremost to be faithful to God and jealously protect His Word. Sadly, the heated feelings surrounding the KJV Only debate have been divisive, and seem to do more damage to the body of Christ than good.

The King James translation of the Bible was not the first, nor the last translation of ancient texts into Engish. It had, however, been the dominant English version for over 200 years. The history of the KJV is too long to be told in this brief essay. The translators used the best Greek and Hebrew manuscripts then available -- often called colllectively the Textus Receptus. The style of English they used was more formal and becoming "old fashioned" even by 1611 standards. For many generations, the KJV was the only English version they had ever heard.

By the latter 1800s, people grew less comfortable with the archaic language of the KJV. They felt it was beginning to obscure God's Word. Various updated English translations have come along since then. The most common are the New American Standard Bible (NASB, 1960s) and New International Version (NIV, 1970s). The newer translations utilized ancient texts not yet discovered in 1611, referred to generally as the Alexandrian Texts. While these newer-found, but older, manuscripts were almost identical to those of the Textus Receptus, there were some variations. Other variations came from translation choices. That, too, is too large a topic to explore in this short essay.

For a great many people, the translation they prefer to use stems more from personal comfort than from scholarly issues. Many people like the more modern English of the NASB or NIV, feeling it makes God's Word more accessible, easier to understand. Others prefer the older language of the KJV, feeling it is more precise and more reverential.

At LBC, our members use many versions of the Bible in their personal studies. When studying the Bible as a group, such as in Sunday School, we refer to many versions in an effort to truly understand who was intended in the orginal autographs. We want to understand what God said, so we are careful to use context, compare scripture to scripture, and referring back to the Greek or Hebrew. Sometimes the NIV is a little more clear. Sometimes it's the KJV, etc.

You will hear people at LBC read from the King James, but you will also hear them reading from the NASB or NIV. You won't, however, hear us insist on exclusive use of any single English translation.

If you would like to know more about what God's Word says, we invite you to join us for adult Sunday School, to study His Word together. We also arrange for home Bible Studies. Either way, our goal is to better understand what He has to say.

If you have questions about the various translations, feel free to contact us. We'd be happy to answer any questions you might have. © 2007 Londonderry Baptist Church