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3 Reasons You Shouldn’t Read the King James Bible

July 11, 2012 — 31 Comments

Without fail! It happens every time I talk about bible translations. Someone approaches me and says they’ve heard that the King James Version is the most accurate translation around.

I’m sorry. It’s not.

I know its the version your family read, you’re church read and the one you’ve studied, memorized and cherish.
I know its the most widely distributed translation in English.
I know it was accurate for its time.

But it’s really time you shelve the King James Version and pick a new translation! Here’s why.

1. The KJV is not based on the most accurate manuscripts.

If you read the KJV you’re reading things the Biblical authors DID NOT WRITE. It’s not that it’s translators were in some secret conspiracy to deceive the masses. They weren’t. They were working with the best copies they had at the time. But these copies had errors – errors which entered the text over 1400 years of hand copying hand copies.

The vast majority of these errors were small and unintentional. If you’ve ever tried copying a lengthy handwritten document you may have experienced some of the following.

errors caused by sight.
errors caused by hearing and transcription.
errors caused by lapses in memory.

But some copyists intentionally changed the text – a fact that later copiers could not rectify because all they had was the copy in front of them. It’s similar to the errors created and passed on in the game of telephone. The famous 4th century Bible translator Jerome said,

They write down not what they find but what they think is the meaning, and while they attempt to rectify the errors of others, they merely expose their own.

These copyists made

spelling and grammar changes
harmonistic alterations
factual corrections
conflations
and even support for certain doctrines

The later is clearly evident in 1 John 1:7 where the King James reads,

For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

It’s great proof text for the trinity. The problem is that no church writer quoted it when the doctrine of the trinity was being hammered out in the 3rd and 4th century. The reason is that not one manuscript contained these words until the late middle ages. It’s an insertion and not at all what John wrote.

And it’s not the only one.

2. The KJV is not the language we speak today.

The King James Version may sound poetic but it’s not easily understood by the vast majority of modern English speakers. And it’s not just because of the thees and thous. You may have heard some of these words. But can you tell me what they mean?

abjects, afore, agone, amerce, artificer, bethink, bewray, botch, bray, by and by, caul, chargeable, concupiscenece, coping, cotes, cumbered, dissimulation, doleful, durst, emerods, fan, felloe, firkin, froward, gainsay, grisled, holden, holpen, ignominy, lade, lees, lucre, minish, mote, paps, paradventure, platted, quick, remission, requite, shambles, sheepcote, slow bellies, superfluous, thitherward, twain, unction, wimples, wont

OK, I’m sure you could get close to their meaning if you read them in context. But are you sure its the right meaning and not just a faulty guess?

You can learn a lot about the English language from reading the King James Version. But is that the point of reading the Bible? To broaden our vocabulary? I don’t think so.

The dedication to the King James version is the same love Catholics have for language of Latin. It’s traditional. It’s what we’ve always done. But stop and ask yourself does it still work? Is it helpful? Or are the people in the pews just hearing someone speak in tongues (1 Corinthians 14:19).

3. There are better versions available!

It’s perfectly acceptable to read the King James Version IF nothing better is available. I’ve often read it when it was the only Bible I could find. But that’s not often the case today! There are two other translations, the NASB and the ESV which are based upon more accurate manuscripts and that use the King James Word-For-Word method of translation. While the New KJV attempts to modernize some of the KJV’s language it still does not address the underlying manuscript issues.

What do you think?

In Bible, Devotions

The Three Types of Bibles

July 9, 2012 — 2 Comments

I’ll never forget sweet Grandma Lydia’s awkward pause as she read 1 Samuel 20:30 from the Living Bible.

“Saul boiled with rage. “You son of a b…

You could see that she didn’t know what to do. She stood there in front of our Sunday School class, a blush spreading across her cheeks.

“Come on,” I said with a smile. “If it’s in the Bible its OK to say.”

She never read it. God bless her!

I like to open discussions of translation with this particular rendering of scripture. It’s ear-opening to say the least.

It certainly amused me, finding as I did in my daily devotions at the age of 17. I approached my youth pastor the next Sunday, handed him my bible and said, “God gave me 1 Samuel 20:30 as a word for you” :0.

Don’t worry. He eventually forgave me.

Such an out-of-place word causes us to wonder about the differences between Bible versions. What makes a good translation? Is there one better than the other?

What do you want most in a translation? Every time I ask my students this question it comes down to these two issues:

Accuracy: we want a translation that is faithful to the original language.
Clarity: we want a translation that is easy to read and understand.

The problem for translators, however, is that these two desires are not easy to meet with equity. Accuracy and clarity are like two sides of a scale, focus too much on one and the other side gets out of balance.

Words in one language, for instance, don’t have the same range of meaning that they do in another. In John 3:3 for instance, Jesus tells Nicodimus, “no one can see the Kingdom of God unless they are born anothen.” The word anothen means a “second time” but it also means “from above.” No English word possesses this range of meaning. Any single word used in translation will at least partially obscure its meaning.

Likewise, the ordering of words in translation can upset the balance of accuracy and clarity. We say, “This is my friend.” We don’t say, “Friend my this is.” But in Hebrew and Greek the later construction is quite natural and reveals a great deal about the the meaning of the sentence. We know that stressing different words changes the implication of a sentence.

This is my friend. Neutral
This is my friend. As opposed to someone else’s friend.
This is my friend. As opposed to my enemy or something else.

The free ordering of words in Hebrew and Greek reveal the stress on any given word. It tells us what ideas are more important and what ideas are less. Reordering the words so they make sense in English without losing meaning can be difficult.

Finding the right balance between accuracy and clarity is the reason we find so many versions today. To this end, Bible translations break down into three groups, each representing a particular method.

Word-For-Word translations (a.k.a formal equivalence): The translator tries to find the nearest equivalent words and to place them in as close a corresponding order to the original text as possible. The NASB, ESV, KJV and NKJV follow this translation method.

Thought-For-Thought translations (a.k.a. dynamic equivalence): The translator attempts to grasp the meaning of the sentence or phrase and to translate that meaning in whatever words or phrases that are deemed most useful. The NIV, TNIV, NET and the NLT follow this more modern method.

Transliterations: These “translators” follow a Thought-For-Thought method but begin with a Word-For-Word translation instead of the Greek text. They are twice removed from the original language. Like a copy of a copy they are interpretations on top of translations. The Message and the Living Bible are the more popular representations of this group.

A Word-For-Word translation of 1 Samuel 20:30 reads,

Then Saul’s anger burned against Jonathan and he said to him, ‘You son of a perverse rebellious woman!’ (NASB)

Though it may not be a Word-For-Word rendering, I think the Living Bible rendering captures Saul’s thought quite nicely.

What do you think?

In Bible, Devotions

Nine Lessons I Learned from My Dad

June 18, 2012 — 12 Comments

Among those who I know personally, I don’t know anyone more successful than my dad. Over the course of his life, he’s spoken to over 3 million teens and lead countless people to the Lord. I’ve learned some valuable lessons from watching him. Here are nine.

1. Ministry is sacrifice

I can’t tell you how many Christmas’ were interrupted by hurting people calling my dad to talk. And he always talked with them. I may not have liked it at the time but I learned a valuable lesson. People are worth more than presents.

2. It’s okay to be crazy

My dad has the rare gift of walking up to complete strangers and making them laugh. I learned that if you take the first move, most people aren’t annoyed or offended but rather pleasantly surprised.

3. Recycle your stories with every new audience. They only get better.

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard my dad speak. The cool thing about being an evangelist is that no one ever gets tired of hearing the stories you tell. You can use them with each new audience. And they get even better the more times you practice them on an audience

In 9th grade I went to Arizona with him. He was scheduled to speak at three different high schools in Phoenix. Before one assembly he was invited to speak at a luncheon of veteran teachers. The morning of the event I asked him what he was going to speak on. He said, “I don’t know.” Without preparing he walked into that room and within thirty minutes there wasn’t a dry eye among them. Wow! While its true he didn’t have a specific outline, he always takes his treasure trove of well tested stories and weaves them into a compelling message – whatever the circumstance.

4. Reach peoples kids and they will never stop repaying you.

This is huge. The most important thing in parents lives are their kids. And sadly most parents just feel like they can’t communicate to their children during the teenage years. My dad has had the rare ability to effortlessly connect with teenagers. And adults love him for it. It matters to parents that we invest in their kids. And my dad in his ministry has only continued to reap the rewards.

5. You don’t need to be perfect to be successful

Of course I’ve watched my dad from a position that few have. When I was younger people would always come up to me and ask, “what’s it like being Mike Miller’s son?” I told them it felt a lot like gas. Just kidding. The question always caught me by surprise. I imagine it’s like asking a fish what it feels like to live underwater. I never knew any other way. But I knew having him as a dad was special because the question implied that they were someone jealous of my position. But from my vantage point, I recognize that not everything my dad touches turns to gold. He’s made mistakes. But the mistakes have never destroyed him. “God doesn’t care how many times you fall,” he would tell me, “He cares how many times you get back up.”

6. If you don’t feel good – fake it.

My dad has suffered from debilitating migraines since he was a child. It’s not the best thing to suffer from when you’re scheduled to speak. But speak he does. I’ve watched him over and over again climb out of bed in a darkened room and go to work. No one knows that he’s hurting. No one know’s that he’s in pain. They laugh. They cry. And they ask him to do it all again. When it’s over, he returns home and crawls back into bed. He’s shown me what it takes to be a leader.

7. Dream big. Take risks. They don’t all pay off, but some do.

My dad’s by nature a dreamer – a visionary. He’s got ideas for everything. Putting those dreams into practice, however, hasn’t always worked out so well. He created a video called “Stop the Nightmare” to help parents protect there children from the danger of sexual predators. But the video didn’t sell. He created a trivia game with a large cash prize. But people didn’t buy the game. But he also had this crazy idea of talking to teens about suicide and depression. Who wants to listen to that? His seminar, “Dare to Live”, however, opened the door for him to speak to three million teens.

8. Don’t sweat your big defeats

My Dad lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in a land deal. He’d worked for years creating that nest egg. And in a few short months, it all disappeared. I was struck by how well he handled it. Such a loss would have made me want to curl up into a ball and never try anything again. But he shrugged it off. That’s what taking risks is all about. Sometimes they pay off and sometimes they don’t. You can’t let the failures drag you down because the next one might just pay off.

9. Always give an altar call!

A few years ago my Dad brought his ministry team to Woodland High School. For more than six months he had tried to get in that school. But for several reasons it didn’t go over too well. Finally, on the Saturday of Easter weekend, they setup in the school gymnasium to engage more than three hundred students with the message of Jesus Christ. Being Easter weekend, many churches were reluctant to spend the extra time needed to support the event. But it happened. And at the end my dad gave an invitation to receiveJesus as Lord and savior. Many kids came forward, among them were two freshman, a boy and a girl. Three days later they were killed in accident.

Every time is the right time to share the gospel. I’m seen him do it at funerals and baby dedications. Always give an altar call. You never know if its going to be the last chance you get.

In Life

5 Life Lessons I Learned from my Mom’s Musical

June 12, 2012 — 2 Comments

In 1984 my mom wrote a children’s musical entilted “The Lord Shepherd and His Sheep Shed.” While I don’t remember all that went into making it (I was just 7 at the time) I do know the end result had a profound impact on my life. Here are 5 life lessons I learned from my mom and her musical.

1. The Lord Is MY Shepherd

He stood on a hill as the sky grew dark behind him. His voice it rose like the dawn. And he sang the words that would fight all my battles. His ways became my ways when he sange me his song.

My older sister, Heidi, sang those words on the recorded album. Perhaps it’s just me but my eyes are welling up with tears even now as I write the lyrics. The Shepherd my mom introduced me to is the Shepherd I love today.

The story of the Sheep Shed is based on David’s Shepherd psalm (Ps. 23), Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:1-7), and His words in John 10. As a child, the Bible was just words on a page but the Sheep Shed was alive. It was in it that encountered the Shepherd who takes his sheep out to pasture, calls and counts each by name, and who rescues them from harm.

2. I’m a part of His fold

We are the sheep we are the sheep of the sheep shed. No wolves are scattering this fold. For he’s protecting he’s providing and in Him we are confiding. He’s the Lord and we’re the sheep of the sheep shed.

“We are the sheep.” That’s key. Through her muscial, my mom taught me that I’m not the only one the Shepherd cares about. While I may be loved, He’s just as concerned about others. I may be important but I’m not more important. The life the Shepherd has called me to is never to be lived alone.

3. Life is found in following Him.

“Follow on. Follow on to where he leads me. Everywhere he leads me I will go.”

Life with the Shepherd isn’t fixed. There are times to go and times to stay. Knowing when and where to go is simply a matter of following Him.

4. The grass isn’t greener on the other side.

I want to wander off into the night. It’s teeling me to come and see the lights. The stars and moon will shine and I will walk along just free tom my emotions – the ruler of my own destination.

“You’ll be sorry.” Those words still echo in me. Willie is a sheep who wants to visit places beyond those the Shepherd provides. He runs away because he doesn’t trust that the Shepherd has given the best places for him to enjoy. I’ve sometimes wondered if other places are better than the ones to which He has taken me. It’s in those times that I’m gently reminded of the warning given to Willie.

5. If I stray He’ll find and carry me home.

At the end of the play, the Shepherd finds Willie with a broken leg and hunted by a wolf. The Shepherd shouts and causes the wolf to flee. Picking the contrite sheep up in His arms, The Shepherd sings him this song.

Of I’ll tell you you’re a young lamb with thickets in your fleece. You wandered in a different way towards grass you thought was green. But now you’ve found you’re all alone stuck out in the freezin’ cold. But I am telling you my lamb. I want you for My own. Can’t you see that I love you just be my sheep. Eat and drink of the good things that I give. My sheep have not many masters but one, one Shepherd. Know Me and be My sheep.

Mom, I know the Sheep Shed didn’t become the commerical success you hoped it’d be. But the song you first heard the Shephed sing, you sang to me. His ways became my ways as you sang me His song. And the song goes on. I’m singing it to your grandchildren now.

If you would llike a free copy of the Lord Shepherd and His Sheep Shed to share with your children please send me an email at logosmadeflesh@gmail.com.

In Bible, Life alegory, christianity, parable of the lost sheep, psalms 23, religion, spirituality

Won’t We Get Bored in Heaven?

June 7, 2012 — 2 Comments

Won’t heaven be a drag?

Think about it. Our greatest amusements are found in the struggle for supremacy and survival. Reading a novel, watching a movie, playing sports, riding a roller coaster. In each we find the greater the struggle the greater the thrill. Without conflict would a movie or sporting event be as great? Isn’t the excitment of a roller coaster the exhilaration of overcoming your fear?

No wonder the world delights in the thought of hell more than heaven. The nonchristian pictures heaven as sitting on a cloud strumming a harp. I remember one episode of the Simpsons where Homer pictures himself lying on a cloud that looks much like a hospital bed. He raises and lowers the cloud repeatedly. “Cloud goes up, cloud goes down” he says.

Contrast that with the worlds understanding of hell. For them of course hell isn’t the place of torment the bible describes. It’s the party place. It’s a place of all the exhilarating vices we find here on earth.

I’m sad to say the church hasn’t done much to conteract this perception. If you ask the average Christian what will heaven be like they’ll probably say worshipping God before his throne continuously throughout all eternity. Certainly there’s excitement in this. But for all eternity? I don’t know about you but even I occasionally get board singing in church.

So what’s the thrill of heaven? How should we respond to a world that scorns the notion of a perfect world?

We need to recognize that the thrill of heaven is the same thrill we experience when we watch a great movie, read a good book, watch an incredible game, or ride the scariest of rides. No I’m not saying there will be pain, suffering or conflict in Heaven. I’m saying pain, suffering and conflict aren’t the actual source of our amusement.

The greatest stories are nothing more than a riddle in narrative form. What’s going to happen next? Will the guy get the girl? How will he or she survive? Will the team make another touchdown? The questions compel us to turn a page or sit through another commercial.

Discovery, not conflict, is the basis of our enjoyment.

And what does God have to offer us more than discovery? Heaven is the grand unveiling of all the mysteries and questions of life. It’s the throne of He who is the creator of mystery and riddle.

Hell by contrast, is a place of the unanswered question. It’s the place where questions never find a resolution.

Have you ever had a question you thought you knew but the answer simply alluded you? There’s nothing more frustrating than that situation. Hell is that but on a more tormented scale. It nags and frustrates and never comes to an end.

In Culture, Life

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