A few weeks ago a fundamentalist pastor I deeply respect told his congregation that the King James Version is an “impediment to many if not most of the Lord’s people in really understanding many passages of Scripture.” (I leave his name out only so as not to create trouble for him.) He said this despite the line I most often hear: “Oh, well, I grew up on the KJV so I can understand it.” I used to think that way myself.
So let’s get specific. Take my three-question open-book quiz! The book you may open is the KJV, no others. What do the following two phrases and a sentence mean? (And no looking at others comments until you’ve formulated your own!)
- We’ll start easy: “…he is able to succour them that are tempted” (Heb 2:18)
- “…not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh” (Col 2:23)
- “Fret not thyself in any wise to do evil” (Ps 37:8)
I love the English language. I read and write it for a living. But I have no idea what the second and third items mean in English (even though I helped multiple Wilds campers memorize the latter!).
Extra Anecdote
And here’s an anecdote I can’t resist passing along: my brother-in-law, when he was a little Awana clubber in Tennessee, asked his leader after memorizing Psalm 23, “If Jesus is our shepherd, why shall we not want Him?”