What is a Ruckmanite?

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?

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[i] -ite is a suffix of nouns denoting especially persons associated with a place, tribe, leader, doctrine, system, etc. (for example, Campbellite; Canaanite; Hittite; Israelite).
[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.

Preconceived ideas

I like crossword puzzles. I try to complete one every day. It's supposed to keep the brain stimulated, but I'm not sure how much it does this. My mind is like a steel trap -- an old one, that is, rusty and hard to open! But I don't work them because it stimulates the mind. I work them because I enjoy doing so.

Sometimes I misread puzzle clues, and once in awhile I misunderstand them. Last night's 40 across clue was "on the shelves". The answer was a six-letter word that I knew would start with "U". My preconception for some reason or another was that "on the shelves" referred to books. Didn't say that, but that was what immediately came to my mind. So I kept thinking U N R E A D -- except that wouldn't work with other answers I was seeing. When I had enough surrounding answers to know the answer -- U N S O L D -- then I also understood the meaning of the clue. It wasn't about books on shelves (which wouldn't have to be "unread", by the way) but about merchandise on shelves.

It is easy for our preconceived ideas to get in the way and to give us wrong answers (and wrong actions). It is always good when we can move from a preconception back to reality and truth. Don't let preconceived ideas keep you from learning the truth. Find the truth and let it change your preconceived ideas. The truth will set you free.