Bibles.
Isn’t it ironic that something that’s so central to our faith can divide us?
The first Bible I ever read belonged to my great grandmother—a King James Version. I was about eight years old, and although I could read the words (and I was the best reader in my Sunday School class), I was never chosen to read the Bible story of the week out loud to the class. I soon worked out it was because while I could read all the words in the King James Bible, my classmates didn’t understand them.
I’ve had similar experiences as a Sunday School teacher in the years since, meeting children who could quote the King James chapter and verse, but didn’t actually know what the words meant. (One thought King James had written it himself.)
That, to me, isn’t enough. Sure, we need to able to read accurately. But we also need to be able to comprehend what we are reading. Otherwise, what is the point? We’re parroting, not learning.
That’s not to say we can’t learn anything from the King James Version. We’ve recently got a new pastor in church, and he preaches from the King James. We asked why. Simple: it’s the one he is most comfortable reading,because it’s the closest to his native language of Icelandic.
Our retired pastor reads from the Amplifed Version (I guess he likes the extra information). My Jewish Christian friend reads the Complete Jewish Bible. I prefer the New International Version (UK edition, because it uses “proper” spelling). I like the NIV because the vocabulary and meanings are contemporary—I don’t feel I have to translate them.
To see what I mean, read 1 Corinthians 13 in the King James and the NIV. I can see the link between love and charity. But charity in 2018 usually means a financial donation to a cause. The meaning of the word has changed.
