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Jerusalem Blade · #16 (**permalink**) 04-17-2009, 03:53 PM

Hello Ben,

No, James White didn't respond to the thread, which is ok with me as that leaves me free to minister, study and prepare sermons, care for my wife, etc. It takes a lot of time to engage in these text-critical discussions. No doubt he's busy as well, and having written books about the topic, lectured on it, and debated it, why should he deal with yet another contender?

I write on the topic to demonstrate that the King James Bible and the TR can be ably defended by lay persons without expertise in the original languages, as it is the understanding of the arguments and historical background that is key. The days are coming quickly when on many fronts the true church will be sorely attacked, and the text-critical attack, while not the most violent, will be the most crucial, as the Bible is the source of our strength and very life.

And the text-critical assault itself will have a number of fronts, the postmodern deconstruction of textual authority, unbelieving critics like Ehrman, Muslims discerning the vulnerable underbelly of versions with their differing variants, and of course the internecine warfare we are all too familiar with. I can defend against all these. But there are other fronts that will marshall against us.

It appears that in short order the constitutional right to free speech we take for granted we will be taken from us — as is already the case in Canada and parts of Europe — and this a development ordained by the Lord for the fiery refining of His church, which is increasingly becoming defiled. Much dross will be removed and the true church will be drastically smaller. As our testimony to the risen Lord, His sovereignty over the nations, and the Holy Spirit thereby reproving the world of sin, righteousness and judgment is not something negotiable with us, we shall run afoul the laws that prohibit such "hate speech", and the stand-up Christians and churches will be outlaws.

An historical reminder: as the infamous 1938 Kristallnacht (and the horrific events following) in Germany was triggered by the assassination of a German diplomat in Paris, Ernst vom Rath, by young Herschel Grynszpan, a German-born Polish Jew whose family had been severely mistreated by the Nazis, even so all it would take for a violent backlash against the entire Christian community here would be the violent acting out and attempted (or actual) assassination of a government official by one of our own. Already there are many gun-carrying hotheads in the Christian sector angered and alarmed by what they see is the selling out of the nation and subverting of the Constitution, and it wouldn’t take much for one of them to go over the edge. First the laws, then the violent act in reaction, and then an angry America unleashing its fury against an already hated minority.

It is by no means farfetched to envision such a thing. A modern day Dietrich Bonhoeffer wannabe...

So now the fronts expand to legal/penal, educational, psychological, cultural, etc. But as with Samson and his hair, our strength is the word of our God. How many will be able to stand against the text-critical fronts while the other fronts are heating up? And what about our children and grandchildren, and those we seek to bring to the Lord — will they be inoculated against the Faith by powerful text-critical assaults against the trustworthiness of their forebears' Bibles?

As I said, I can defend the Bible against all comers, but only one in its minute particulars. The other versions I will have to let go.

As we shall be pressed upon sorely, I will (as I do now) conduct my defense graciously, for important as the textual issue is, more important is our loving unity in the Spirit of our Savior. Genuine friendship is the cement that holds the living stones together in God's house. The foundation is the word of our Lord and His apostles, and the sound doctrine arising therefrom, but the solidity of the building in each generation will be the result of real friendships. So no internecine warfare on the Bible from me!. My friends may differ with me, and we differ graciously. In the days ahead, friendship and trust will be very important to us, so many will be our enemies.

The business of Christians will not be "as usual" — laid back and low key — no, for our testimony we will see ourselves in the Scriptures, those who overcame in great tribulation: "And they overcame [the accuser] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death." (Rev. 12:11)

Nor am I a Dr. Ben, but one schooled in the wilderness, as David.

Steve

The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Jerusalem Blade For This Useful Post:
JM (05-01-2009), larryjf (04-17-2009), Turtle (05-05-2009)