Anyone who engages in the Bible Versions debates will become familiar with the name of Peter S. Ruckman. Some elevate him as a demigod and others despise him as the devil. My opinion about him can be found here: The King James Bible and Peter Ruckman.
Because Ruckman is such a lightning rod, it has become a popular tactic to identify a King James Bible supporter as a “Ruckmanite.”[i]
What is a Ruckmanite?
Is there a standard definition that is useful and consistent when using the term “Ruckmanite”? Here are three explanations I found online, with one being very broad, and the other two relatively close.
- A Ruckmanite is one who follows the teachings (or most of the teachings) of Peter Ruckman and defend his divorces and cursing and such.
- A Ruckmanite is anyone who is King James Version Only.
- A Ruckmanite position is one that is hyper-dispensationalism (e.g., OT saints saved by works, etc.) and hyper-KJVOism (advanced revelation, KJV corrects the Greek and Hebrew, foreign language Bible should be translated from the KJV, etc.).[ii]
Valid or not, like the wording or not, these represent explanations that I found online. I think the term “Ruckmanite” gets used in all three of those ways. Based on the comments I have read in Facebook discussion groups and elsewhere, the terminology “Ruckmanite” is undefined (i.e., it has no standard and easily recognized meaning). It means anything and everything – whatever the person using it wants it to mean. It is not worth much other than as a pejorative. (It really fits the modern secular divide-and-conquer methodology.) Calling a KJV supporter a “Ruckmanite” is the equivalent of calling a person a racist, Nazi, and such like .The term is not very useful beyond that, and should be avoided.
Is there a proper, standard, and consistent way to define a “Ruckmanite”? What are your thoughts?
[ii] When Peter Ruckman speaks against hyper-dispensationalism, I think he means the view that starts the church mid-Acts or later. On the other hand, those using it in reference to Peter Ruckman are pointing out his teaching of different ways of salvation in different dispensations.
3 comments:
I think either option 1 or 3 have to be legitimate uses of the term, particularly #1 though. If you've bought the "seven-foot shelf", quote him uncritically in your preaching, evangelize for the Ruckman reference Bible, are amazed at his "new revelation" ideas, and defend him against all comers and at all costs, then you're a ruckmanite; a follower of the man.
Thanks, Adam. I agree. There are people who are clearly “all-in” followers of Peter Ruckman and they can legitimately be called Ruckmanites. I think the larger problem is that the term loses that meaning when it is used to smear KJB supporters generally.
Sorry, Adam. I was using my phone and didn’t realize that I was not logged in.
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