The Portuguese Bible and
Fundamentalist Inconsistency in Missions
The Dean Burgon Society's
2004 Annual Meeting
Heritage Baptist University, Greenwood, IN
July 15, 2004.
Lt. Col. Ret. (Brazil) José Pedro Monteiro de
Almeida, M.Div. Candidate
(Note: This is part of Clélia Dorta de Almeida,
unpublished thesis for her Master of Biblical Studies degree - used by
permission)
Maryland Baptist Bible College and Seminary
1. Introduction
The inconsistency and misinformation about the Bible text in the
Mission field is overwhelming. In Brazil, one of the largest mission
fields in the world, many fundamentalist missionaries are adopting the
wrong position on the Bible issue and using a wrong Bible translation
based on the Critical Text. The sad inconsistency, therefore, is that many
of them raise their support from good King James Bible churches, even
though they think they have the right to use a corrupt Bible in a foreign
language. The people think they are supporting a solid King James Bible
missionary, but little do they know that after stepping off the airplane,
the missionary adopts a false text under the protection of his supporters’
ignorance. That’s not honest! That’s hypocrisy.
What are their explanations when confronted? Let us briefly examine 10
excuses taken from actual conversations:
2. The Excuses
Excuse # 1
"We just have the Critical text based Bible. I need a Bible to preach
from!"
Answer:
Start a Bible translation yourself! Don’t use the corrupt Bible! Don’t
support the United Bible Societies! In Brazil this excuse is a LIE!
Excuse # 2
"The field council is using it"
Answer:
There is no such thing as "field council" in the Bible. Fundamentalist
missionaries are supposed to give account to their independent, Bible
(KJB) Believing sending churches not to "field councils".
Excuse # 3
"The people do not want to change…" (Baptist Mid-Missions)
Answer:
So what? Is the missionary supposed to surrender himself to the
laziness of the people? Teach them! Run the show! The tail is swinging the
dog here! Shame on him! That’s the very doctrine of Laodicea (laodikeia):
Re. 2:14 laos: people; dike: judgment, opinion. (Hybels & Warren wicked
philosophies!) Change for the better: personal testimony in 2 churches
versus changes for the worse: NVI adopted by many apostates Regular
Baptists in Brazil...
Excuse # 4
"The TR based Bible is too difficult to read…" (Baptist Mid-Missions)
Answer:
That’s the same LIE they spread about the King James Bible in English
speaking countries, parroting it in the mission field. If the King James
Bible is easier to read (average=5.6 grade level) NO ONE has an excuse in
any other language! Let us be reminded that the leadership of this mission
agency is totally sold to the Bob Jones misinformations and apostasies.
Excuse # 5
"Some people only talk about it…" (Baptist Mid-Missions)
Answer:
If you use a corrupt Bible, that’s the only thing I am going to talk
about with you! We are not "only" talking about it, we are talking about
The Word of God! Let us not take it lightly.
Excuse # 6
"This issue does not bring glory to God…" (Baptist Mid-Missions)
Answer:
What about using a corrupt Bible, which perverts thousands of the words
of God? Does it bring glory to Him? Maybe the statement should be reworded
like this: This issue does not bring glory to my mission agency which
changed its position about the text and surrendered to the Westcott and
Hort lies and to the diabolical method of dynamic equivalence. The
omissions of two thousand and eight hundred plus words from the New
Testament bring glory to God? Do the omissions of the name of God in
Genesis chapter one, bring glory to God?
Excuse # 7
"This issue brings division…"
Answer:
That’s completely true! The apostates brought division with this new
Greek text of 1881 and the Neo-Fundamentalists brought this issue up,
dividing Fundamentalism in the middle! It is better to divide because of
truth than to be united in error! "Who is on the Lord’s side?" Ex. 33:26
Excuse # 8
"The Bible translated from the Critical Text is better than the Bible
translated from the Received text…"
Answer:
It is far better a bad translation from the right text, than a good
translation from the wrong text. Actually, the better the translation from
the wrong text, the worse the results. It will be more faithful to a
heretical text! That’s why we need pastor-teachers: To explain and to give
proper interpretation from the pulpit.
Excuse # 9
"The new Christians don’t understand this issue…"
Answer:
That’s completely true! They don’t understand because some double
minded missionaries are not teaching them, afraid they find out they are
being lied to! How can you teach them you are giving them a corrupt Bible!
Most of them are completely ignorant of the issue because the Critical
Text missionaries don’t even mention it.
Excuse # 10
"I am not aware of a ‘Bible Issue’ here in our part of Brazil" (Baptist
World Mission, Apr. 2004)
Answer:
That’s the first time in history that Satan was denied access to a
geographical area! This issue is not only in English speaking countries.
It is everywhere. If you are involved in Missions using the King James
Bible, does not solve all of your problems!
3. The Solution
The Fundamental churches and Mission Agencies should ask the Missionary
what kind of Bible he is going to use in that country before taking him
for support, knowing what Bible in that country is from the Received Text.
The right question for the missionary is:
"Is this Bible, translated from the RECEIVED TEXT?"
Examples of Bibles from the Received Text:
French: Ostervald 1744 Bearing Precious Seed;
German: Luther 1534 Not Copyrighted;
Italian: Diodati 1607 Not Copyrighted;
Portuguese: Almeida Corrigida Fiel 1995 Trinitarian Bible Society
Brazil;
Spanish: Reina-Valera 1865 Bearing Precious Seed;
Reina-Velera 1602-R
Important note: The Reina Valera 1960 by the American Bible Societies
is a corrupt Bible and should never be used by fundamentalists.
Back to the question:
"Is this Bible, translated from the RECEIVED TEXT?" If the missionary
change his position he should be required to immediately inform the Bible
Believing church and ask to be dropped.
"The Bible issue is the most important issue in Missions"
Let us not support the spreading of corrupt seed. Let us not support
them that are "handling the word of God deceitfully" (2Co. 4:2)
If they want to do that, that is their business, but not with my money!
No more excuses !!!
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