King James Only Controversy, The: Can You Trust the Modern Translations? (Paperback)

~ James White (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Answering those who claim that only the King James Version is the Word of God, The King James Only Controversy examines allegations that modern translators conspired to corrupt Scripture and lead believers away from true Christian faith.

In a readable and responsible style, author James White traces the development of Bible translations old and new and investigates the differences between new versions and the Authorized Version of 1611.

Is your Bible translation reliable? Is it the real Bible?

"James White has given us a valuable resource that is understandable and dependable. Best of all, the book is spiritually edifying. That is especially refreshing, because much written on this subject is anything but edifying."

Dr. John MacArthur, Senior Pastor, Grace Community Church

"Sober, scholarly, courteous, and convincing."

Dr. J. I. Packer, Professor of Theology, Regent College

"The King James Only Controversy is scholarly and accurate, and its evaluation of opposing viewpoints fair. Anyone troubled by criticisms of English translations will find White trustworthy. I hope his book will be widely circulated. It will do much good."

Dr. Bruce Metzger, Professor of New Testament Emeritus, Princeton Theological Seminary

"This book should be read by all who are embroiled in the controversy."

Dr. D. A. Carson, Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

"A clear, compelling, and conclusive case co

About the Author

James R. White is the author of the popular The King James Only Controversy, The Roman Catholic Controversy, and Grieving: God's Path Back to Peace. He is the director of ministries for Alpha and Omega Ministries, a Christian apologetics ministry, and scholar-in-residence at Grand Canyon University. He holds an M.A. from Fuller Theological Seminary. He and his wife have two children and live in Arizona.

Product Details

• Paperback: 286 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House (April 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556615752
• ISBN-13: 978-1556615757
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (127 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #199,678 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 86 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, but one important point missing..., April 26, 2004

By	Coleman Yee (Singapore) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Every Christian who believes that the Bible is God's Word should read the first part of this book, whether they agree with the author's stance or not, or whether they are interested in the controversy or not, since it covers quite a bit of background information relating to the history and nature of New Testament translation, including its history, major translations, translators, and other key figures, information about the nature of the greek manuscripts, and so on.

Most of what I would comment about on this book has already been said, so I won't push the point much further.

However, I would like to add another point which James White seems to have overlooked in his book, I assume because of his lack of international/missionary experience:

I come from Singapore where not everyone is fluent in English, or even knows English, much less read English. For the ethnic Chinese who only reads and understands the Chinese language, the only Bible they can read would obviously be on that is translated to Chinese. Unfortunately (or fortunately?), none of the Chinese Bibles, as far as I know, are translated from the TR, and you cannot find a Chinese Bible translated from the King James version.

Now that's just the Bible in Chinese, where there are a few versions/translations. How about those other Bibles in languages where there's only ONE translation (mostly translated by UBS, and not translated from TR/KJV)?

Those who insist on KJV Only should perhaps remember that there's a whole world out there that does not and cannot understand English, much less KJV English. I supposed they are doomed, unless they learn English, KJV English.

That said, my opinion is that this is probably the best book on the subject. Read it, unless your mind is already made up (see those 1 star reviews).

72 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for those willing to think for themselves, March 1, 2000

By	Timotheus Josephus - See all my reviews

This book is as thorough as could be possible in presenting its case. Since some have overtly slandered the author (James White), let me tell you what this book does NOT do. It does not tell people that the King James Version (KJV) is evil or that it should not be used. There are numerous places where Mr. White recommends using various translations (including KJV) to ascertain the exact meaning of a particular Biblical passage. The purpose of this book is to refute those people who would claim that the KJV is the only true word of God. Let me say Mr. White goes above and beyond in proving his case. Unfortunately, most of those who disagree will not read this book with an open heart and mind.

White covers basic manuscript and textual issues. He then gives some excellent background info regarding the making of the KJV. He also covers the numerous passages that "KJV only" advocates use in their arguments. After reading this book, I can not fathom how anyone could believe that the KJV is the only valid Bible translation.

31 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A REAL EYE OPENER, June 1, 2006

By	K. Hartman "Warriorofelyon" (Hagerstown, MD.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I grew up in a KJV ONLY home. Went to KJV ONLY Curches and recently graduated from a KJV ONLY Bible College. I knew all along that somehting did not make sense about this position. The more research I did on my own the more and more I realized that the books used to back up the KJV ONLY position, were full of flat out lies. "New Age Versions" from G.A. Riplinger is a prime example. As I studied the Bible and began to hear more and more preachers using this version called the NASB (The MOST literal englsih translation by the way) I decided to buy one and compare it to Riplingers quotes of it in her book. I'm not sure what she quoted, but it definetly was NOT the NASB. NONE of her quotations matched...AT ALL!! This led me to start checking other primary sources including the writings of supposed "ALEXANDRIAN CULTISTS" Wescott and Hort, only to find they werequoted horribly out of context. To make a long story short, after doing MY OWN research I found that theKJV ONLY position could ONLY be backed up by lies, misleadings, misquotations, misinformation, and out right bias.

I say ALL THIS assomeone who grew up ONLY reading the KJV, and DEARLY loving it to this day! However, the fact is I desire accuracy over tradition, and that is why I read the NASB.

When I first looked into this book it BLEW ME AWAY with the amount of incredible info stored in such a short volume. All the research that took me LONG periods of time to accomplish was done, and categorized in this paperback. It was dead on correct too. If you want the kindest, fairest, and easiest to understand assesment of this great debate over Bible translations pick this book up. It DOES not bash the KJV, in fact the author actually PRAISES the KJV. So please, before barking out your opinion on this issue, from either side. KNOW YOUR FACTS!!! Pick this book up TODAY!!!