A recent commenter in the Textus Receptus Academy Facebook group made a bold claim, writing that “Bruce D. Cummons [in The Foundation and Authority of the Word of God, p. 50, rlv] has inadvertently highlighted the idolatry of KJVO in defending it when he says ‘I believe the KJV is God’s Word in the English language.’ Using the capital letter ‘W’ is reserved as a reference to Jesus. By saying God’s Word as opposed to God’s word is the way of elevating scripture above Jesus.”
The charges of “King James Idolatry” get really old and tiresome, considering godly men and women have been using this Bible over 400 years – even more tiresome when built on silly arguments like this. This creates a legalistic and unrealistic standard that is not consistent with godly usage, that has differed at different times and by different Christian authors. Additionally, capitalization in the English language itself has not always followed a consistent standard.
Using the capital letter “W” in reference to God’s word in the Scriptures is not evidence of idolatry. It is evidence of various understandings of the proper usage of capitalization in the English language. If the capital “W” is the standard of accusing someone of idolatry, then John R. Rice was an idolater. John Rice is well-known for being opposed to the “King James Only” position. Yet throughout his work Our God-Breathed Book: the Bible (Sword of the Lord Publishers, 1969, pp. 22-23) Rice uses the capital letter “W” in reference to God’s word in the Bible.
I do not believe either John R. Rice or Bruce D. Cummons or others who respectfully capitalize Word in reference to the Bible are idolaters. (At the least, such a sketchy accusation does not prove they are!!)
That said, I think there is a benefit of writers consistently using the small letter “w” when writing about the Bible as the word of God, and using the capital letter “W” when writing about Jesus as the Word of God. This makes our thoughts and typography clearer by distinguishing the two. I believe (though I could have missed some instances) that this will prove consistent with the typography used in the English Bible. Those who do not follow my advice will not be labeled idolaters for not doing so!
- Revelation 1:2 ...John: who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
- Revelation 19:13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
2 comments:
I like the label you assigned to this topic: "Really weird stuff"! The word "tiresome" is very apt for the kind of argument you were critiquing.
For what it's worth, I also would prefer that "word" in lowercase be used for referring to the Bible, and "Word" with an uppercase first letter be used for referring to our Lord Jesus. Just seems consistent. I've noticed that some folks have seemingly switched to the capital "Word" for the Bible. I think it's a reaction against those who deny the preservation of God's word. Oh, well, let's not quibble over that.
In thinking about the quoted commentator's allegation, I wonder this. Let's suppose the opposite of idolatry is blasphemy (for the sake of argument). If someone accidentally types "god" or "lord" when the reference is to the Creator, might that person be guilty of inadvertent blasphemy? …
E. T. Chapman
Good thoughts, Brother. I appreciate it.
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