Three new books...

...by father and son, Peter Van Kleeck Sr. and Jr.

An Eschatological Grounding for a Standard Sacred Text: Exploring the Dynamic Interrelation of the Eternal Word, the Eternal State, and Eternal Life

• “This study is theological in nature, designed to provide an exegetically grounded, presuppositional template—through both direct teaching and theological inference—by which empirical evidence may be either validated or disqualified.” 

Canonicity: Why the Bible Has 66 Books (A Study Guide)

• “Designed as Sunday School curriculum for High School through all adult classes, seminars, and family devotions, the Study Guide builds a strong, historically proven, theological case for the collation of the canon of Scripture. The material presented lays the foundation for defense of the Christian Faith and the King James Bible.”

The 30 Best Arguments Against King James Version Onlyism

• “In short, 30 Arguments sets out to answer the best or most prevailing 30 or so arguments against the Textus Receptus and/or King James Version position. It is a short and approachable work that tries to get at the heart of our opponent’s objections while providing an answer suited to the objection.”

The writing culture of early Christians

How the First Christians Challenge Us to Be Bible Readers

According to Glenn Paauw, there about 14,000 examples preserved of ancient Roman papyrus letters. He says the average length of such letters was about 87 words.  “Even the more literary letters of someone like Cicero ranged only from 22 to 2,530 words.” This is a distinct contrast to Christian theological letters. Paul’s shortest preserved letter is the letter to Philemon. It has 339 words in Greek (TR, 429 in KJV). The letter to the church in Rome has over 7,000 words!

“…the use of letters in ancient Rome, which were common enough, yet almost always very short. In contrast, the early Christian letters were lengthy, seeking to provide whole congregations with a significant amount of instruction and teaching. Ordinary papyrus letters averaged about 87 words (we have about 14,000 examples preserved). Even the more literary letters of someone like Cicero ranged only from 22 to 2,530 words. In comparison, Paul’s shortest preserved letter, Philemon, is 395 words in Greek and his longer ones are off the charts (Romans is over 7,000 words…”

We should not anachronistically read our experience back into the Bible. We live in a day when every Christian family member likely has a Bible – even the youngest grandchildren who are yet too young to read. It was not like that in prior times. However, some have turned this around into an ahistorical world didn’t have books, even a Bible. That is a false understanding or expectation as well.

• Have ye not read (Matthew 12:3, 5: 19:4; 22:31; Mark 12:10, 26; Luke 6:3)
• And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. (Ecclesiastes 12:12)
• …a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, 28 was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. (Acts 8:27-28)
• Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. (Acts 19:19)
• The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments. (2 Timothy 4:13)
• These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. (Acts 17:11)

Another related writing: Paul and First-Century Letter Writing

Editions and printings of Our Authorized Bible Vindicated

For better or worse, Our Authorized Bible Vindicated by Benjamin George Wilkinson is something of a lightning rod in the Bible versions debate. Wilkinson, Dean of Theology at Washington Missionary College, wrote this defense of the Authorized (or King James) Bible in 1930 due to the denominational promotion of the American Standard Version of the Bible amongst the Seventh-day Adventists. Because of the place it holds in the Bible versions debates (though not always accurately and honestly portrayed), I thought it worthwhile to try to gather a list of editions and printings of Our Authorized Bible Vindicated. This is a start, based on two books I have, what is listed at WorldCat.org, and printings for sale or otherwise mentioned online. I decided to also include electronic versions I found. If you know of additions or corrections, please let me know.

First edition

No publisher listed. Washington, District of Columbia, June 1930. 258 pages

Reprints
Bible For Today, Collinswood, New Jersey 1984
Burnside Press, Sydney, Australia 1979-1985?

Leaves of Autumn, Payson, Arizona (paperback) 1982, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1996. 258 pages

TEACH Services, [retypeset] Brushton, New York (paperback) 2006, 2014. 158 pages

Part 2 in Which Bible, by David Otis Fuller [retypeset] (paperback) 1970, et al. pp. 174-318

Online
At 4eAnge.com
At Internet Archive
At SabdaMedia.Org
From TemCat.com (archived)

Baptists, Baptism, pro and con

Some anti-Baptist writings online

• A question in Baptist history: whether the Anabaptists in England practiced immersion before the year 1641?, William Heth Whitsitt (1841-1911). Louisville, KY: Chas T. Dearing, 1896
• The Dippers dipt, or, The Anabaptists Duck’d and Plung’d over head and ears, at a Disputation in Southwark, Daniel Featley (1583-1645), London: N.B. and Richard Royston, 1647

Some pro-Baptist writings online

• A Treatise of Baptism: wherein that of Believers and that of Infants is examined by the Scriptures, Henry D’Anvers (1622-1687). London: Francis Smith, 1674
• Antichrist Unmasked in two treatises. The first, an answer unto two pædobaptists, Dan. Featly, D.D. and Stephen Marshall, B.D. the arguments for childrens baptisme opened, and answered. The second, The man of sinne discovered in doctrine; the root and foundation of Antichrist laid open, Henry Denne (ca. 1606-1660). London: n.p., 1645
• The Man of Sinne Discovered, Whom the Lord shall destroy with the brightnesse of His Comming. The Root and Foundation of Antihrist layd open in Doctrine (Volume 2), Henry Denne (ca. 1606-1660). London: n.p., 1645

Some baptism, Baptist-related disputations online

• A contention for truth: in two several publique disputations. Before thousands of people, at Clement Dane Church, without Temple Barre: upon the 19 of Nevemb. [sic] last: and upon the 26 of the same moneth. Betweene Mr Gunning of the one part, and Mr Denne on the other. Concerning the baptisme of infants; whether lawful, or unlawful, Peter Gunning, Henry Denne. London: Printed by J. Moxon, for Francis Smith, 1658

Glossary of old book terms

Words that may come up in discussions of books, especially old books.

• Advance copy: a copy of a book usually sent to reviewers prior to publication, may be in a different format and may or may not be bound.
• Binding: the method of holding pages or sheets together; may be simply stapled or sewn, or sewn and enclosed in wrappers; most often refers to a “hard” binding or covers.
• Book formats.

Folio (fo, 2^o): the format of a book, when two leaves (four pages when printed on both sides) were printed on a sheet so that it could be folded once, collated with other folded sheets and bound, the format was “folio” (two leaves). Each leaf of a folio book thus represents one-half the size of the original sheet. More than 13 inches tall.
Quarto (4to, 4^o): the format of a book, when four leaves (eight pages) were printed on the same size sheet, which would later be folded twice, the format of the resultant volume was a “quarto” (four leaves). Each leaf of a quarto book thus represents one-fourth the size of the original sheet. Approximately 10 to 13 inches tall; average 12 inches.
Octavo (8vo, 8^o): the format of a book, when eight leaves (16 pages) were printed on the same size sheet, which would later be folded and the format of the resultant volume was an “octavo” (eight leaves). Each leaf of an octavo book thus represents one-eighth the size of the original sheet. Approximately 8 to 10 inches tall; average 9 inches.
Duodecimo (12mo, 12^o): the format of a book, when twelve leaves (24 pages) were printed on the same size sheet, which would later be folded and the format of the resultant volume was an “duodecimo” (twelve leaves). Each leaf of a duodecimo book thus represents one-twelfth the size of the original sheet. Approximately 7 to 8 inches tall; average 7.5 inches.
Sextodecimo (16mo, 16^o): the format of a book, when sixteen leaves (32 pages) were printed on the same size sheet, which would later be folded and the format of the resultant volume was an “sextodecimo” (16 leaves). Each leaf of a sextodecimo book thus represents one-sixteenth the size of the original sheet. Approximately 6 to 7 inches tall; average 6.5 inches. 
Other: there are smaller and larger books, e.g., many miniatures are 64mo.

• Broadside: a printing which occurs on a single sheet of paper and only on one side – the verso (other side) is blank; when printed on both sides, the sheet is called a “broadsheet.”
• Edition: includes the copies of a book or other printed material which originate from the same plates or setting of type. If 500 copies of a book are printed on May 5 and 300 copies are printed from the same substantially unchanged plates on July 10, all 800 copies are considered part of the same edition. Compare “printing” below.
• Flyleaf: a blank leaf (or leaves) inserted during the binding process between the free end paper and the beginning or end of the printed pages.
• Frontispiece: an illustration or plate inserted immediately in front of the title page, with the illustration facing the title page (often abbreviated as frontis.).
• Imprint: used as a noun, it refers to the publication data located at the base of a title page, usually includes the city of publication, name of the publisher (sometimes the printer), and the year of publication. Imprint is sometimes used to refer to a printed piece from a certain location or period of time.
• Issue: a portion of an edition printed or published deliberately by the printer or publisher in a distinct form differing from the rest of the printing (such a paper, binding, format, etc.). Compare “state.” [The distinction between “issue” and “state” is that “issue” relates to changes done on purpose by the publisher and intentionally treated as a separate unit.]
• Leaf (and leaves): refers to the smallest, standard physical unit of paper in a printed piece.
• n.d.: an abbreviation meaning that “no date” of publication is provided in the imprint.
• n.p.: an abbreviation meaning that “no place” of publication provided in the imprint.
• Printing: the copies of a book or other printed material which originate from the same press run or from the same plates or setting of type at one time. In the example given for “Edition” (see above), the 500 copies are the first printing and the 300 copies comprise the second printing. In the 19th century some publishers labeled later printings as if they were later editions, i.e., a second printing might be called a “second edition” on the copyright page.
• Recto: the front or right-hand side of a leaf; in the case of an open book the page on the right, with the page on the left being the verso.
• Spine (also called “shelfback” and “backstrip”): the back portion of a book’s binding which is visible when a book is shelved in a bookcase; the portion which is attached at the joints to the front and rear covers.
• State: a portion of a printing with changes such as minor alterations to the text either intentional or accidental; copies on different paper without intention of creating a separate issue, etc. Compare “issue.” [The distinction between “issue” and “state” is that “issue” relates to changes done on purpose by the publisher and intentionally treated as a separate unit.]
• Verso: the reverse or left-hand side, especially used in reference to a leaf which has a recto and verso side; in an open book the recto is the right-hand page and the verso is the left-hand page.

Fuller reprints Mauro

King James Detractors complain ad nauseum that David Otis Fuller reprints material from the book of Seventh-day Adventist Benjamin George Wilkinson. And it is true that he did, however inadvisable it may have been. These pointer-outers usually do not mention at all, or at least downplay, that Fuller reprints material of many other writers besides Wilkinson: Bishop, Hills, Hoskier, Martin, Wilson, and others in Which Bible (1970); Burgon, Gaussen, Philpot, and Which Version by Philip Mauro in True or False (1973); Brake, Burgon, Hills, and others in Counterfeit or Genuine (1975). Obviously, Doug Kutilek and those of his ilk know this but do not feel they can make enough hay using these other names. So, mum’s the word.

Philip Mauro wrote Which Version: Authorized or Revised six years before Wilkinson wrote Our Authorized Bible Vindicated. He was part of the orbit that created the famous “Fundamentals” series of books in the early 1900s. He condemned the Revised Version and supported the King James Bible. How many times have you heard the King James Detractors mention this fact? Few to none, I suspect.

2023 Books

According to Library Thing, as of 12/23/2023 I had added these 26 books to my library catalog in 2023.

1. The Greek New Testament, Textus Receptus, Reader’s Edition
2. Arminian Baptists: A Biographical History of Free Will Baptists
3. Compact Reference Bible, Snap Flap Edition (KJV, Black Leatherflex)
4. Common Usage Dictionary: Spanish-English, English-Spanish (Living Language)
5. Tributaries: Journal of the Alabama Folklife Association (No. 14, 2020)
6. Virgil O. Stamps’ Radio Song Album, Virgil Oliver Stamps
7. Our Authorized Bible Vindicated
8. Our Authorized Bible: Answers to Objections
9. Thomas Clark of Canterbury (1775-1859)
10. The Little Baptist by James M. Martin
11. Modern Bible Translations Unmasked
12. Remove Not the Ancient Landmark: the Case against the Revised Version 1881
13. Between Two Rivers: a History of Wells, Texas
14. A History of Three Ghost Towns of East Texas Near the Cherokee and Angelina County Line
15. Authorised New Testament and Revised Contrasted
16. A Brief Examination of the New Revised Standard Version
17. Antigodlin Stories of the Sacred Harp
18. Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels
19. Translating the Bible: From William Tyndale to King James
20. Anchor Bible Map Book: Bible Maps and Helps
21. Understanding the Times - Volume Three. Perilous Times: Deep Truths for Shallow Waters
22. Following the Footprints: a Condensed Look from the Past to the Present, New Salem Baptist Church 1858-2006
23. The Dorean Principle: A Biblical Response to the Commercialization of Christianity
24. History of London Baptist Church, New London, Texas: Volumes I & II 1856-2006
25. Historical Markers Rusk County, Texas
26. The Life of Henry Ainsworth, With Tributes by the Governor Master William Bradford (Together with a few Psalms from the Ainsworth Psalter)

Almost all of these are print books, except one, I think. I purchased most of them, though some were donated to me. Two or three were furnished freely, without charge.

If there might be one above all the others that I would recommend you read this next year, it is The Dorean Principle, by Conley Owens. I will post a review of it, available HERE on January 16.

Copyright of Our Authorized Bible Vindicated

On occasion I have run across statements online that Our Authorized Bible Vindicated by Benjamin G. Wilkinson was only copyrighted in England, but not in the United States.[i] This is not correct. It was copyrighted in England and the United States. I expect this may be a misreading of the copyright page of the original book.

1930 copyright page (Photo courtesy and by permission of Matthew Rose)

Catalogue of Copyright Entries, Part 1, Group 1, Books
Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1931, page 975

---

[i] When I looked back to find and cite such a comment, I did not find anything. Perhaps this is just a comment I have heard made in discussion forums and groups rather than in print.

Editions of “Which Bible” by David Otis Fuller

Introduction

This piece was incited by charges that David Otis Fuller plagiarized Benjamin Wilkinson’s book Our Authorized Bible Vindicated – that it is a “well-known fact” that David O. Fuller “lifted it word for word with no citation.”[i] Is that true? I think not.

Over the years I have heard complaints about Fuller, a Regular Baptist pastor, including the writings of a Seventh-Day Adventist in his book Which Bible. It is true that the author of Our Authorized Bible Vindicated, Benjamin George Wilkinson, was a Seventh-Day Adventist. Additionally, his material makes up close to half of the material in Which Bible? In my opinion, regardless of the worth of Wilkinson’s writing, Fuller made a mistake by including it. It has given his opponents a frayed thread to pull – and pull and pull and pull! But did Fuller plagiarize Wilkinson’s work? No!

What Kutilek wrote

J. J. Ray used Wilkinson’s material, without attribution, in his book God Wrote Only One Bible. Doug Kutilek (no friend of either Wilkinson or Fuller) wrote “The Unlearned Men: The True Genealogy and Genesis of King-James-Version-Onlyism” to excoriate Wilkinson, Ray, and Fuller. He stated that J. J. Ray “heavily plagiarized, without note or acknowledgement, Wilkinson’s book.” On the other hand, he only complained that Fuller in 1970 issued Which Bible? and included Wilkinson’s work “with some editing, first to conceal from view Wilkinson’s cult affiliation, and second, to correct some of the worst of his errors.” If Fuller had plagiarized Wilkinson, that would have made great fodder for Kutilek’s article. He would have left no stone unturned.Yet, he never mentioned it.

What the editions say

My copy of Which Bible is a 1984 reprint of the 1975 Fifth Edition. It attributes “Our Authorized Bible Vindicated” to Benjamin G. Wilkinson – both in the “Contents” and on pages 174-175. Since I had no access to earlier editions, the indicter of Fuller refuged in the claim that it “may have been corrected in reprints, but the fact remains” it was originally unattributed to Wilkinson by Fuller.

In the absence of having earlier editions – particularly the original 1970 book – I hit on the idea of checking WorldCat library catalog. If the records on WorldCat are accurate, when Fuller originally compiled and printed Which Bible in 1970, he verily credited Our Authorized Bible Vindicated to Benjamin Wilkinson. No plagiarism. Here are the records on editions 1, 2, and 3 based on WorldCat. I have the 5th edition, so that is based on my own research. The 4th edition is not presently represented on WorldCat.[ii]

According to these records, the 1970 book has 231 pages, 1971 (2nd) has 282 pages, and 1972 (3rd) has 318 pages. The 1975 (5th) has 350 pages. This expansion is the addition of three indices after page 318. Regarding the page numbers, there are also 7 unnumbered pages in the 1975 5th edition books that I checked, one a 1978 printing and on a 1984 printing. 

First Edition, 1970

Which Bible? David Otis Fuller, editor. Grand Rapids MI: Institute for Biblical Textual Studies, Grand Rapids MI, ©1970

viii, 231 pages 21 cm

Contents:

The “why?” of this book, by D.O. Fuller. -- The Greek text of the King James version, by Z.C. Hodges. -- The learned men, by T.H. Brown. -- The magnificent Burgon, doughty champion and defender of the Byzantine text, by E.F. Hills. -- In defense of the textus receptus, selections by D.O. Fuller. -- The Codex Vaticanus and its allies, by H.C. Hoskier. -- The incomparable Wilson: the man who mastered forty-five languages and dialects, by H.W. Coray. -- About the author of Our authorized Bible vindicated, by D.O. Fuller. -- Our authorized Bible vindicated, by B.G. Wilkinson (p. 87-231).

Ouachita Baptist University Riley-Hickingbotham Library

(According WorldCat.org, there is also a 1970 printing of this book credited to Grand Rapids International Publications, Grand Rapids, Michigan.)

Second Edition, 1971

Which Bible? 2nd Edition, revised and enlarged, David Otis Fuller, editor. Grand Rapids, MI: Grand Rapids International Publications, ©1971.

viii, 282 pages 21 cm

Contents:

Why this book? / David Otis Fuller -- The learned men / Terence H. Brown -- The Greek text of the King James Version / Zane C. Hodges -- The incomparable Wilson : the man who mastered forty-five languages and dialects / Henry W. Coray -- The magnificent Burgon, Doughty champion and defender of the Byzantine text / Edward F. Hills -- In defense of the Textus Receptus / David Otis Fuller -- The Codex Vaticanus and its allies / Herman C. Hoskier -- About the author of “Our Authorized Bible Vindicated” / David Otis Fuller -- Our Authorized Bible vindicated / Benjamin C. Wilkinson -- The principle and tendency of the revision examined / George Sayles Bishop -- The Bible and modern criticism / Sir Robert Anderson -- A critical examination of the Westcott-Hort textual theory / Alfred Martin.

Criswell College, Wallace Library

Third Edition, 1972

Which Bible? 3rd Edition, revised and enlarged, David Otis Fuller, editor. Grand Rapids, MI: Grand Rapids International Publications, ©1972.

viii, 318 pages 21 cm

Contents:

The “why?” of this book / by D.O. Fuller -- The Greek text of the King James version / by Z.C. Hodges -- The learned men / by T.H. Brown -- The magnificent Burgon, doughty champion and defender of the Byzantine text / by E.F. Hills -- In defense of the textus receptus, selections / by D.O. Fuller -- The Codex Vaticanus and its allies / by H.C. Hoskier -- The incomparable Wilson : the man who mastered forty-five languages and dialects / by H.W. Coray -- About the author of Our authorized Bible vindicated / by D.O. Fuller -- Our authorized Bible vindicated / by B.G. Wilkinson.

Dallas Theological Seminary Mosher and Turpin Libraries

Fourth Edition, 1974

Which Bible? Fourth Edition, David Otis Fuller, editor. 1974

No information

Fifth Edition, 1975

Which Bible? Fifth Edition, David Otis Fuller, editor. Grand Rapids MI: Grand Rapids International Publications, ©1970 (with alphabetical, scriptural, and chronological indexes by Thomas R. Steinbach)

[vii] 350 pages 21 cm

Contents:

Books by David Otis Fuller [unpaged 1] Cover page [unpaged 2] Copyright and catalog information [unpaged 3] Dedication [unpaged 4] Acknowledgements [unpaged 5] Contents [unpaged 6-7] Why This Book, David Otis Fuller [1-12] -- The Learned Men, Terence H. Brown [13-24] -- The Greek Text of the King James Version, Zane C. Hodges [25-38] -- The Incomparable Wilson: the Man Who Mastered Forty-Five Languages and Dialects, Henry W. Coray [39-48] -- Is Higher Criticism Scholarly? Robert Dick Wilson [49-85] -- The Magnificent Burgon, Doughty Champion and Defender of the Byzantine Text, Edward F. Hills [86-105] -- The Principle and Tendency of the Revision Examined, George Sayles Bishop [106-117] -- The Bible and Modern Criticism, Sir Robert Anderson [118-122] -- In Defense of the Textus Receptus, selections by David Otis Fuller [123-133] -- The Codex Vaticanus and Its Allies, Herman C. Hoskier [134-143] -- A Critical Examination of the Westcott-Hort Textual Theory, Alfred Martin [144-173] -- About the Author of “Our Authorized Bible Vindicated,” David Otis Fuller [174-175] -- Our Authorized Bible Vindicated, Benjamin C. (sic) Wilkinson [176-318] – Appendix [319]: Alphabetical Index [321-341] Scripture Index [342] Chronological Index [343-350]

Robert Vaughn, Personal Library

Conclusion

However widespread or confined this “well-known fact” may be, I hope this article will help bust it as a “Christian Urban Myth.”[iii]

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[i] To plagiarize means to reproduce something without attribution, to pass it off as own’s one. At one least one author, R. L. Hymers, Jr., put the charge in writing. “David Otis Fuller…excerpted page after page from Wilkinson, the Seventh Day Adventist author, without giving him any credit.”
[ii] Or if it is, I missed it. I suspect the 1974 4th edition might just be a “printing” (i.e., without any substantial changed) rather than an “edition.” The copyrights page does not list a copyright for the year 1974.
[iii] Interestingly, this bit of information about Fuller’s book floats around the internet. “‘Note: Robert Kregel of Kregel Publications personally told me that Fuller begged him to publish his book but did not inform Kregel that it contained the writings of an Adventist.’ - Bob L. Ross, Director, Pilgrim Publications.” I don’t think Kregel or Ross are lying, but there is something off about this. Perhaps some kind of misunderstanding? So far, I have found no editions of Which Bible that claim or list Kregel Publications as the publisher. Perhaps they printed the book for Fuller, but, if so, worked only as hired to print rather than as a publisher.

About an author

 

Katharine Adams, author, 1922

Katharine Adams wrote several books for young people, but it appears that biographical information about her is not readily available. My daughter asked me if I could find out who she was. I found her, and am posting about her to make the information available to others.

Katharine Adams was born in Elmira, Chemung County, New York, January 18, 1885. She was the daughter of Edward Legrand Adams and Kate Lynn Atwater. Katharine was raised abroad for several years, and she incorporates these places in her novels. Mr. Edward Adams served as American Consul in Stockholm, Sweden (circa 1902-1909), Dublin, Ireland (circa 1909-1915), and Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada (circa 1921-1923).[i]

On June 1, 1926, at Strathmont, the home of Mrs. Jacob Sloat Fassett in Elmira, New York, Katharine Adams married Percy Alexander Walker of Dublin, Ireland.[ii] She died October 17, 1969 in London, England. Her obituary lists one daughter, Sally Caroline Walker. Katharine and Percy are buried at the Woodlawn Cemetery in Elmira, Chemung County, New York. So are her parents and her daughter.

Some people have confused the author Katharine Adams (1885-1969) of New York, USA with Katharine Adams (1862-1952) the famous British bookbinder. They are not the same person.

One newspaper reported that “Miss Adams has a remarkable faculty for getting atmosphere into her stories” and has “won the esteem of distinguished critics in the handling of the plot in the mystery pervading the old Swedish castle.”[iii] According to The MacMillan Company, her publisher, by 1926 she had garnered “a large audience” of readers.[iv]

Elmira Star-Gazette, Thursday, May 27, 1926, p. 13

Books by Katharine Adams (Published mostly, if not all, by the Macmillan Company, New York/London) include:

• Mehitable, 1920
• Mid-Summer: a Story for Boys and Girls, 1921
• Wisp: a Girl of Dublin, 1922
• Red Caps and Lilies, 1924
• The Silver Tarn, 1924
• Toto and the Gift, 1926
• Mid-Winter, 1927
• Thistle Inn, 1930
• Blackthorn, 1931

[In some cases the date given may be a second or third publishing. This needs to checked more closely.]

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[i] Elmira Star-Gazette, Monday, June 11, 1923, p. 13; 1921 Census of Canada; Ireland Census, 1911; Katharine Adams Passport Application, July 8, 1922.
[ii] Elmira Star-Gazette, Tuesday, June 1, 1926, p. 5; New York marriage records on Ancestry.com.
[iii] Brooklyn Life, Saturday, May 17, 1924, p. 27.
[iv] Elmira Star-Gazette, Thursday, May 27, 1926, p. 13.

Let’s Get Biblical, and other book notices & reviews

The posting of book, film, or other reviews does not constitute endorsement of the products, reviews, or sites that are linked.

• A Review of Rabbi Tovia Singer’s Let’s Get Biblical -- “Singer uses two strategies in order to undermine Christian claims that Jesus is the fulfillment of Old Testament historical messianic prophecies.”
• Book Review: Greek for Life -- “What makes the book so helpful and engaging is the conversational style of the writing and how the authors demonstrate that they understand the real reasons why people fail to keep their Greek.”
• Book Review: Men and Women in the Church -- “Now, despite these concerns, I think DeYoung has offered a fine primer on the topic from a complementarian perspective.”
• Book Review: On Worship, by H. B. Charles -- “Charles excels when emphasizing how worship exists for God. ‘The legitimacy of worship is based on the worthiness of the object,’ he argues.”
• The Book of Acts in its First Century Setting. Volume 2. Graeco-Roman Setting -- “This collection of essays makes accessible to scholars and students a wealth of background information to the book of Acts, some of which has only become available in recent years.”
• The Lost Sermons of C. H. Spurgeon, Volume VII -- “There was no way to put three notebooks’ worth of material into Volume VII (even if it is massive) without a major departure from the format of the first six volumes...Notebooks 7-9, which make up Volume VII, contain 467 handwritten pages.”
• The Problem With New Age Bible Versions -- “New Age Bible Versions is extensively documented, but the documentation is extremely unreliable. A great many references that I attempted to check were not accurate.”

Poking The Bear

The well-known internet apologist Dr. James R. White has unwittingly given a fine recommendation for Then He Poked The Bear. In his debate with Peter Van Kleeck, White said that the book Then He Poked The Bear was “The most skeptical attack upon any critical approach to the New Testament I’ve ever seen in my life, ever.” I am skeptical of the critical approach to the New Testament that tells us we cannot be sure whether the New Testament (or even the Old Testament) has been providentially preserved down to us and that we have all the words of God today. So any approach that is most skeptical of that approach sounds good to me! With this “glowing endorsement” James White gave for the book, I couldn’t help but order it. You should too.

The book is available on Kindle and is now also in print. Scroll down till you see Then He Poked The Bear: A Dozen or So Arguments Against Modern Textual Criticism and Its Fruits by Peter Van Kleeck Jr.

Why I Left the Contemporary Christian Music, other books and book reviews

The posting of reviews does not constitute endorsement of the products or reviews that are linked.

• Book Review - Baptist Foundations -- “This book provides me with a resource that is able to provide that accessibility across the board, from a Baptist perspective, and introduce the reader to other key areas as well.”
• Book Review: Dan Lucarini, Why I Left the Contemporary Christian Music Movement: Confessions of a Former Worship Leader -- “This book is written by a self-described former ‘foot soldier’ in the movement to drive traditional churches to accept contemporary Christian music (CCM) in their worship.”
• Book Review: Person of Interest by J. Warner Wallace -- “...though Person of Interest highlights various aspects where Jesus has significantly impacted world history, it also, at several places, overstates what it is able to accomplish — as such, it leaves the reader feeling underwhelmed.”
• Person of Interest, A Book Review -- “I highly recommend this book to those looking at Christianity for the first time, recently converted believers, and anyone looking to learn more about Christ and culture.”
• Book Review: Saints, Suffers, and Sinners, by Michael Emlet -- “Michael Emlet’s new book, Saints, Sufferers and Sinners, adopts this apostolic paradigm and equips the church to walk alongside brothers and sisters in all of life’s difficulties.”
• Mark Ward “Authorized: The Use & Misuse of the KJV” Reviewed by Taylor DeSoto -- “...it seems that Ward, who grew up reading the KJV, even as a child, had no issues reading and even speaking it. He was taught to read the KJV growing up, and therefore he could read the KJV growing up. This anecdote is devastating to the narrative presented as the introduction continues.”
• Review: Strength for the Day, Wisdom for the Way, by Robert Sorenson -- “The book is well written. It is substantive, but not overly technical. You will learn from each page. It will challenge you. It is sound theologically. You will grow.”
• Review: The Power Broker, by Robert Caro -- “Robert Caro is fascinated by power. He has given his life to exploring how it is gained and kept.”
• The Baptist Story - A Review -- “There has been a need for a new textbook on Baptist History for some time. Leon McBeth’s book, The Baptist Heritage had its day, but his presentation of Baptists was slanted toward his perspective on a number of issues.”
• The Baptist Story, Reviewed by Jason Duesing -- “The Baptist Story is a conscious attempt to provide an accessible and helpful text for introducing students and readers to the story of the Baptists in history — and I cannot commend it highly enough.”
• Vance Publications website -- “Vance Publications publishes the 35 books written by Laurence M. Vance (such as The Making of the King James Bible—New Testament) and 170 titles in the Classic Reprints series (such as Immersion Essential to Christian Baptism by John A. Broadus).”
• Why I Preach from the Received Text: An Anthology of Essays by Reformed Ministers (coming soon) -- “With a resounding chorus of unique voices from a variety of Reformed denominations, its compelling essays demonstrate that we have every reason to trust the traditional text, and that using it is neither unreasonable nor obscurantist.”
• WM 238: Review - Lanier Panel Discussion on Manuscripts -- “Jeff Riddle reviews a text critical panel discussion held at Lanier Theological Library, Houston, Texas.”
• WM 239: Book Discussion: Why I Preach From The Received Text -- “Why I Preach from the Received Text seeks to stimulate, revive, confirm, and defend intelligent and effective usage of the traditional text of the Word of God.”
• WM 240: Review: Ancient Christian Commentary on Mark -- “Jeff Riddle reviews a book in the Ancient Christian Commentary series edited by Thomas C. Oden.”

Recent book finds

I recently happened across these at Archive.org.

• Eastern European Baptist History: New Perspectives, by Sharyl Corrado; Toivo Pilli, editors. Czech Republic: International Baptist Theological Seminary of the European Baptist Federation, 2007
• Hebraisms in the Authorized Version of the Bible, by William Rosenau, Baltimore, MD: The Friedenwald Company, 1903
• Historical Vindications: a Discourse on the Province and Uses of Baptist History, by Sewall Sylvester Cutting. Boston, MA: Gould and Lincoln, 1859
• Indiana Baptist History, 1798-1908, by William Taylor Stott. Franklin, IN: W. T. Stott, 1908
• Lectures on Baptist History, by William R. Williams. Philadelphia, PA: American Baptist Publication Society, 1877
• Memory and Hope: Strands of Canadian Baptist History, by David T. Priestley, editor. Waterloo, Ontario: Published for the Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion, 1996
• R. C. Buckner’s Life of Faith and Works, Comprising the Story of the Career of the Preacher, Editor, Presiding Officer, Philanthropist, and Founder of Buckner Orphans Home, by James Britton Cranfill and James Lafayette Walker. Dallas, TX: Buckner Orphans Home, 1915
• The Baptist History of South Dakota, by Thomas Miles Shanafelt. Sioux Falls, SD: South Dakota Baptist Convention, 1899
• The Gospel Ship (Baptist Hymns & White Spirituals From The Southern Mountains), by New World Records (NW 294), 1977 (Samples)
• The New Testament of our Lord Iesus Christ: translated out of Greeke by Theod. Beza, by Beza, Joachim Camerarius, Pierre Loyseleur de Villiers, Laurence Tomson, and Franciscus Junius the Elder. London: Deputies of Christopher Barker, Printer to the Queenes most Excellent Majestie, 1599
• The Small Sects in America: an Authentic Study of Almost 300 Little-Known Religious Groups, by Elmer Talmage Clark. New York, NY: Abingdon Press, 1949
• Theodore Beza: the Counsellor of the French Reformation, 1519-1605, by Henry Martyn Baird, New York, NY: Burt Franklin, 1899/1970

Why Read Books by Baptist Authors?

“One of the most surprising things about 21st century Baptists is how few books they read by authors of their own denominational background,” writes Baptist pastor Ben Stratton.

Brother Ben Stratton is pastor of the Farmington Baptist Church, in Farmington, Kentucky. He put together a brochure for the J. H. Spencer Historical Society titled “Why Read Books by Baptist Authors?” He answers the question with three reasons. 

• 1. To Learn About Our Rich Baptist Heritage.
• 2. To Avoid the Pitfalls of Protestant and Pedobaptist Theology.
• 3. To Grow in Your Understanding of Sound Doctrine.

He mentions several web sites as book sources.

• Baptist Global Mission
• Baptist Standard Bearer
• Bryan Station Baptist Church
• Challenge Press
• Local Church Bible Publishers
• Particular Baptist Press
• Solid Christian Books
• Solid Ground Christian Books

To Ben’s list I add the following comments. This list is (I think) primarily concerned with print works that can be ordered online. Another source for print works is Sprinkle Publications. Sprinkle’s books are not Baptist titles only – in fact, a lot of U.S. history is available from them. However, you can find there the rare gem, Concise History of the Ketocton Baptist Association & Life of James Ireland by William Fristoe, and other Baptist books. I mention this specifically because it is my understanding that since Pastor Lloyd Sprinkle died that they will be selling off their inventory.

In addition to purchasing print books, if you don’t mind reading online, you can look to places such as Google Books and Archive.org for scans of old books. You will need an idea for whom you are looking, or perhaps search generically for something like “Baptist books,” or use more specific terms such as “Texas Baptist history.” Ben mentions many names in “Why Read Books by Baptist Authors.” Some are well known, and others not so much. B. H. Carroll, J. M. Pendleton, C. D. Cole, J. B. Moody, Andrew Fuller, A. H. Strong, John A. Broadus, J. R. Graves, Charles H. Spurgeon, Alexander Maclaren, T. T. Eaton, H. Boyce Taylor, George Truett, William Carey, George Liele, Isaac McCoy, Isaac Backus, John Clarke, John Leland, T. T. Martin, Shubal Stearns, R. H. Boyd, John Jasper, William J. Simmons, Andrew Bryan, Ben Bogard, William Cathcart, John Gill, John T. Christian, J. W. Porter, and Charles T. Walker. And that does not even begin to exhaust the Baptist authors or subjects available (in some cases you may only find books about some of the people, as opposed to books by them). Nash Publications has several book files online, such as Ivimey’s History of English Baptists, Purefoy’s History of the Sandy Creek Baptist Association, and Ecclesia, the Church, by B. H. Carroll. And don’t forget the voluminous Baptist History Homepage, already a wealth of material which is added to regularly.

I second Ben’s motion that Baptists ought to read Baptist books. Getting plenty of “Vitamin B” is good for Baptists. Ben is not saying you can’t read other works. He succinctly writes, “This is not to say that Baptists cannot learn from the works of Protestant and Pedobaptist authors. However, any reading of these men must be balanced with a steady diet of old Baptist authors.” Some Baptists seem to be ashamed of their Baptist forefathers. Perhaps that is why each time they look in the mirror they look more and more like Pedobaptists. As Ben also notes, you can “eat the watermelon and spit out the seeds” – or as we often say around here, “eat the meat and spit out the bones.” Good idea. Just remember, if you don’t spit out the Pedobaptist bones, you’re liable to choke on them! 😊

Two short books I’ve read

A few comments, not exactly book reviews. Both of the books are relatively short easy reads that can be consumed and enjoyed in one sitting.

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Pilgrims of the Prairie: Pioneer Ukrainian Baptists in North Dakota by Andrew Dubovy, translated by Marie Halun Bloch (Dickinson, ND: Ukrainian Cultural Institute, 1983, 86 pages).[i] Pilgrims of the Prairie can be purchased from the Ukrainian Cultural Institute Gift Shop, 1221 W. Villard St. Dickinson, ND 58601. Phone 701-483-1486. uci@ndsupernet.com [ii]

Pilgrims of the Prairie tells the story of Ukrainian Baptists who refuged in America to escape persecution from the Russian government and the Russian Orthodox Church. The author came to the US with his parents when he was about 14 years. He originally wrote the manuscript in Russian.[iii] It was translated into the Ukrainian language and published in 1957 as Na batʹkivshchyni i na chuz︠h︡yni: z istoriï ukraïnsʹkykh pioneriv u Nort Dakoti (In Fatherland and Stranger’s Land: a History of Ukrainian Pioneers in North Dakota).[iv] The translator added an “Introduction” and footnotes.

The book primarily relates the story of those Ukrainian Baptists who settled a colony roughly 40 miles long and 15 miles wide in the area of McHenry, McLean, and Sheridan counties in North Dakota. Dubovoy relates their struggles in the new land, with nature, shysters, and more (including their confusion with the German and American Baptists). He tells of their religion, though he does not go in depth into their theology. One striking account to me is the following:

“Liudwig Novak, an old man of seventy-five or eighty years, tall, with a beard white as snow…always walked with a big staff and carried a Russian edition of the Bible in a sack on his back. It was big, weighing nearly twenty pounds, and bound in thick leather covers. He never parted from it. People used to ask him, ‘What do you have in that sack, Grandad?’

“And he would answer, ‘Life and death.’” (p. 52)

Translator Bloch writes, “…the book…testifies to the excellence of a people who, though through force of circumstances largely uneducated, yet had the courage to stand up under persecution and to make efforts to better their lot, even to leaving their native place for the fearful unknown” (p. xii).

Recommended. If you like Baptist history, and especially the stories of it that we seldom encounter, you will enjoy this book.

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A Christian’s Pocket Guide to How God Preserved the Bible by Richard Brash, (Ross–shire, Scotland, UK: Christian Focus, 2019, 96 pages). The book is part of the Christian Focus Pocket Guides Series, which they describe as “A series of short, easy to read guides offering an introduction to key concepts and people, that are important to the Christian faith.”[v] It can be ordered via Christian Focus, Amazon, and the usual suspects.

Jeff Riddle’s review of Brash’s “Ad Fontes!—The Concept of the ‘Originals’ of Scripture in Seventeenth Century Reformed Orthodoxy” (Westminster Journal of Theology 81 2019: 123-139) first drew my attention to Richard Brash. Later I ran across Brash’s YouTube video, How God Preserved the Bible. A Christian’s Pocket Guide… is well written, and well prepared for the beginner’s level. It intends to address the gap of teaching between the inspiration and illumination of Scripture (pp. 1-2). The tone of the book is not brash, but careful and mediating. Brash represents a mix of one who accepts the ideas of modern textual criticism, yet approvingly addresses the providential preservation of the Scriptures as a doctrine taught in the Bible (pp. 14-19).[vi] Brash asserts that the nature and purpose of inspiration demands preservation (p. 76). However, he eradicates the essence of his argument by reducing that preservation to the ordinary level of all things that are preserved.[vii] He accepts that preservation simply means that all of the biblical manuscripts that exist have been preserved, and that the word of God is contained somewhere within the muddle (his word) of the totality of them (p. 50).

As the book is obviously an introduction for beginners, I found it troubling that Metzger’s and Ehrman’s The Text of the New Testament is one of the few books to which Brash sends his readers for further reading.

Not recommended for beginners—will steer them wrong. Those who are already knowledgeable of the subject can benefit from the book, however.

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[i] Andrew Karpovich Dubovoy (spelled Dubovoy on his tombstone; possibly Dubovyĭ in Ukrainian). This book is published by and is available from the Ukrainian Cultural Institute. North Dakota Ukrainians organized UCI in 1980, to preserve and highlight the Ukrainian culture of North Dakota.  They partner with Dickinson State University in Dickinson, North Dakota.
[ii] It does not appear that the book can be ordered directly online.
[iii] Dubovoy was taught the Russian language in school in Russia, and he wrote more comfortably in Russian than Ukrainian (p. xi).
[iv] In 1983, Marie Halun Bloch translated it for the benefit of English readers.
[v] Christian Focus Publications describes themselves as conservative, evangelical, non–denominational, and reformed with the caveat that not all their authors call themselves reformed… “We are committed to the historic foundations of the faith, the inerrancy of Scripture in its original manuscripts…”
[vi] It is becoming a steady drumbeat for modern evangelical textual critics to deny that the Bible teaches a doctrine of preservation of the written words of God. For example, see Interview with Dan Wallace. “…I am not convinced that the Bible speaks of its own preservation. That doctrine was first introduced in the Westminster Confession, but it is not something that can be found in scripture.”
[vii] There is a sense in which everything that is exists by God’s preservation (Hebrews 1:3). In that sense, God has preserved The Quran by Muhammad ibn Abdullah, La Bible enfin expliquée (The Bible finally explained) by Monsieur de Voltaire, Mein Kampf  by Der Führer Adolf Hitler, as well as every other writing in existence. It is a historical reality that all the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts that exist—whether good or bad—have been preserved. If that is all we mean by the preservation of Scripture, it becomes meaningless in any useful or beneficial theological sense. I refuse to believe God is no more concerned with pure words he directly inspired than he is with Mein Kampf. To be fair, Brash believes “God…guides his church so that she can always hear the divine words she needs…” (p. 50).