The King James Bible, Mission Boards,
& Dean Burgon
Society Members
Missionary David C. Bennett, D. Min.
The purpose of being a DBS member is "To
defend the Traditional English Translation of the Bible - the King James
Version (or Authorized Version) as a true, faithful, and accurate
translation from the underlying original Texts which have been
providentially preserved for us, which Translation has no equal in our
time among all of the other English ‘Translations’."
The purpose of this paper is to help those Independent Baptist DBS
members who use mission boards know where at least the following seventeen
boards stand on the Bible version issue.
The following statements of belief on the Bible are taken directly from
the individual web site of the named mission organization.
Appalachian Independent Baptist Missions: "Standing Without Apology
for the A.V. 1611 King James Bible."
Association of Baptists for World Evangelism: "We believe the
Scriptures of the Old and New testaments as originally written were
God-breathed, both verbally and in every part."
Baptist Bible Fellowship "Of The Scriptures - We
believe that the Holy Bible was written by men supernaturally inspired;
that it has truth without any admixture of error for its matter; and
therefore is, and shall remain to the end of the age, the only complete
and final revelation of the will of God to man; the true center of
Christian union and the supreme standard by which all human conduct,
creeds, and opinions should be tried.
1. By "The Holy Bible" we mean that collection of sixty-six books, from
Genesis to Revelation, which, as originally written does not only contain
and convey the Word of God, but IS the very Word of God.
2. By "inspiration" we mean that the books of the Bible were written by
holy men of old, as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, in such a definite
way that their writings were supernaturally and verbally inspired and free
from error, as no other writings have ever been or ever will be inspired.
Psalm 19:7-11; 119:89,105,130,160; Proverbs 30:5-6; Isaiah 8:20; Luke
16:31; 24:25-27,44-45; John 5:39,45-47; 12:48; 17:17; Acts 1:16; 28:25;
Romans 3:4; 15:4; Ephesians 6:17; 2Timothy 3:16-17; 1Peter 1:23; 2Peter
1:19-21; Revelation 22:19"
BAPTIST HOME MISSIONS: "We believe the Bible is the inerrant Word
of God and the sole authority for faith and practice."
Baptist International Missions, Inc.: "The Inspiration of the Bible
– We believe the Bible is the verbally inspired Word of God. We
believe the writings of the Old and New Testaments are fully God-breathed
to the extent that the very words were chosen by God from the human
writers vocabulary so that the Bible is the very word of God, inerrant in
all its assertions and teachings. The Bible is therefore the only
infallible authority for both doctrine and life. Since this is true,
it is the special revelation of God to man and the only basis for true
Christian unity. (II Timothy 3:16-17; Matthew 5:18; Acts 1:16; Mark
12:36; II Peter 1:19-21; Hebrews 4:12; John 10:35;16:12,13;17:17)"
Bible Translations – "In the English speaking countries of the world,
our missionaries preach from the King James version of the Bible."
Baptist Missions to Forgotten Peoples, Inc.: "The Word of God
– We believe the Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God in its
entirety, written by men as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, and that
it is the sole authority for the Christian's faith and conduct. We believe
that the King James Version of the Bible (KJV) is the preserved Word of
God for the English-speaking people of the world. (Psalm 12:6-7, II Peter
1:20-21)"
Baptist World Mission: POSITION STATEMENT ON ISSUES OF THE
SCRIPTURES
I. ON THE KING JAMES VERSION
Recognizing that different convictions exist among us regarding Bible
texts and versions, we believe we should balance soul liberty with
Christian charity in these matters, and therefore, agree not to magnify
these differences. We believe we should leave such discussion and decision
to the privacy of individual conscience and the sovereign determination of
each local church. Though some men may use certain versions in the study,
we require the King James Version to be used by our missionaries in their
preaching in the United States. Also, we ask our preachers in our Baptist
World Mission meetings and conferences to use the King James Version. We
continue to believe that the King James Version is the Word of God in
English.*
II. ON BIBLE PRESERVATION
We believe God has promised in both the Old and New Testaments to
preserve His Word as given to us in the original Hebrew/Aramaic and Greek
texts (Psalm 12:6-7; 78:1-8; 119:89; 111; 152; 160; Isa. 30:8; 40:6-8;
Eccl. 3:14; Matt. 4:4; 5:17-18; 24:35; 28:20; Jn. 10:35; Col. 1:17; 1 Pet.
1:23-25; 2 Jn. 1:2; and elsewhere.) By His Providential care, we believe
God has kept His Word pure down through the ages as He promised, and we
reaffirm our belief in what our Baptist forefathers wrote in their London
Baptist Confession in 1677 and 1689. It states in part:
"The Old Testament in Hebrew, (which was the native language of the
people of God of old), and the New Testament Greek (which at the time of
the writing of it was most generally known to the nations) BEING
IMMEDIATELY INSPIRED BY GOD, AND BY HIS SINGULAR CARE AND PROVIDENCE KEPT
PURE IN ALL AGES, are therefore, AUTHENTICAL . . ."
Recognizing that different convictions exist among us regarding the
method and product of Bible preservation, we all believe that God has
indeed kept His promise and has preserved His Word in the original
language texts. We believe we should balance soul liberty with Christian
charity as to the method and product of Bible preservation, and therefore,
agree to respect different views. We believe we should leave such
discussion and decision to the privacy of individual conscience and the
sovereign determination of each local church.*
III. ON TRANSLATION WORK DONE BY BAPTIST WORLD
MISSION MISSIONARIES
Baptist World Mission missionaries must consult with and secure
permission from the BWM administration before they begin any Bible
translation project. No BWM missionary shall cooperate in any ecumenical
or New Evangelical Bible translation project. All completed translations
must have the approval of the BWM administration prior to publication and
distribution.
Unanimously adopted by the Board of Directors on April 16, 1996.
* Statements borrowed from those by the Independent Baptist
Fellowship and adapted to BWM use."
Continental Baptist Missions: "We Believe In...The verbal and
plenary inspiration of the Bible as given in the original manuscripts,
which constitute the inerrant Word of God in all matters in which it
speaks. 2 Tim. 3:16, 17; 2 Peter 1:19-21"
Fundamental Baptist World-Wide Mission: "We believe in the
Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as verbally and plenarily
inspired by God and without error in the original writings; that the Bible
is reliable in science, history, and every other matter it discusses; and
that the Bible is of supreme and final authority in faith and life. We
believe that the King James Version is the preserved Word of God for the
English-speaking people of today. It is the version used by our Mission
and missionaries. We diligently seek a true translation in the various
foreign languages in which we work."
Macedonia World Baptist Missions, Inc.: "The plenary, verbal,
Divine inspiration of Scripture, consisting only of the 39 Old Testament
and 27 New Testament books, in the original language, their consequent
inerrancy and infallibility, and as the Word of God, the supreme and final
authority in faith and life."
Open Door Baptist Missions: "We believe in the Holy Scriptures,
accepting fully the writing of the Old and New Testaments as the very Word
of God, verbally inspired in all parts in its original autographs, our
infallible and authoritative rule of faith and practice."
The Hope of Israel: "The Holy Scriptures - We believe the Holy
Scriptures (66 Books, apocrypha not included) of the Old and New
Testaments to be the only verbally plenary infallible inspired Word of
God; inerrant in the original writings, but providentially preserved in
its inspired state while maintaining infallibility and inerrancy in the
King James Bible. We believe that the King James Bible is the only Bible
in the English language that God would have us to use, preach ,teach,
study, and memorize from, because it is the God preserved translation of
the Masoretic Text and the Textus Receptus for the English speaking
people. The Bible teaches that the providentially preserved Holy
Scriptures are and shall remain the only complete unerring and unchanging
standard by which all human conduct, creeds and opinions should be tried.
(2 Tim. 3:16,17; 2 Peter 1:19-21; Matt. 5:18; John 16:12,13;
Ps.119:9,11,89; I Peter 1:23; Rom 15:4; Rev. 22:18-19; Is40:8; Matt.
24:35; Prov 30:5-7; Ps 12:6-7; Matt 4:4; Deut 4:2; John 10:35; Is 59:21)"
TABERNACLE BAPTIST MISSIONS INTERNATIONAL: "We believe in the
verbal, plenary inspiration and the infallibility of the Scripture (II
Tim, 3:15-17; II Pet. 1:19-21), We believe that the Word of God has been
divinely preserved without contradiction or error in the King James
Version for the English-speaking people (Psa. 112:6-7; 138:2; Mt. 5:18; Jn.
12:48)"
WORLD WIDE NEW TESTAMENT BAPTIST MISSIONS, INC.: "All
Board members, officers and missionaries of the Corporation shall
subscribe to the following statement of doctrine: A.
We
believe that the Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God.
We believe the Received Text (Textus Receptus) carries the full authority
of the Original Autographs which includes The King James Version and
translations in other languages that are accurately translated from the
Received Text (Textus Receptus). (II Peter 1: 19-2 1; II Timothy
3:15-17.)"
Wayfarer Ministries Baptist Mission:
"We believe that the
Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are verbally inspired of God, and
preserved in the KJV 1611. That the Scriptures are inerrant and are the
supreme and final authority."
Baptist Mid-Missions: "We believe that the sixty-six books
of the Old and New Testaments are verbally inspired of God and inerrant in
the original writing and that they are of supreme and final authority in
faith and life. (II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter1:19-21).
Working with BMM is Bibles International.
This is their Translation Policy: "Accepting the Bible as the very Word of God, given to us by
plenary-verbal inspiration, and totally without error in its original
manuscripts, the consultants and translators of Bibles International, a
ministry of Baptist Mid-Missions, base their work upon the divinely
preserved Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts, and seek the guidance and help
of God in achieving a good and accurate translation of His Word.
While many texts in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, and many versions in
English and other languages may be consulted, final decisions on textual
content are based on the Massoretic text of the Old Testament and the
Majority Text of the New Testament. Translations produced by Bibles
International express the very Word of God as literally as possible in the
receptor languages without distorting, adding to, or obscuring the meaning
of the original text."
In conclusion as a DBS member you should only support those
missionaries and those mission boards which stand where you do on the King
James Bible issue!
Your friend and brother, Missionary David C. Bennett, D. Min. - PO Box
1241, Dubbo, NSW 2830 Australia bennettatdubbo@aol.com
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