Recategorizing “KJV Only”

In categorizing the views that people hold about which Bible version or versions to use, some have primarily created categories of so-called “King James Onlyism.” This, in fact, seems to be the focus while ignoring other possibilities (see, for example, the categories of Bob Griffin and James White, John Ankerberg and John Weldon, and Bob Teachout).

Awhile back, I posted on the Baptist Board about denominations other than Baptist who held some form of a “King James Only” view. One commenter objected that some of the groups were not truly “King James Only,” according to his view of “King James Only.” His objection was irrelevant in relation to the purpose of the thread, as well as what I explained in the opening post. Nevertheless, I did then and do still agree that there are problems that need to be addressed in the generally accepted categorizations. I suggested that it would be good for folks with different views on the Bible version issue to work together and come up with something better. Lord willing, I intend to embark on a few posts exploring that possibility. Expressly, such re-categorization should be for education and illumination, rather than polemic purposes.

As a refresher, I paste below the categorizations of Bob Griffin and James White (essentially the same categorization). Men who do not hold any “King James Only” position developed these. In the past this was what was available. I thought they were acceptable, but have concluded that they actually contribute to the confusion we have surrounding the issue. They serve more for polemic purposes than educational ones.

Bob Griffin’s list

• KJVO #1 “I PREFER THE KJV”
• KJVO #2 “I BELIEVE THE UNDERLYING GREEK/HEBREW TEXT OF THE KJV IS BEST”
• KJVO #3 “I BELIEVE IN THE RECEIVED TEXT ONLY”
• KJVO #4 “I BELIEVE THE KING JAMES IS INSPIRED”
• KJVO #5 “I BELIEVE THE KJV IS NEW REVELATION”

James White’s list

• Group #1 “I Like the KJV Best”
• Group #2 “The Textual Argument”
• Group #3 “Received Text Only”
• Group #4 “The Inspired KJV Group”
• Group #5 “The KJV as New Revelation”