Fulfilling Herman Otten's Agenda Is Much Easier by Not Following His Example

This is Luther's brilliant paraphrase of Paul's statement to the Galatians. Does this also apply to Biblical paraphrases that add a work to manufacture UOJ? The New NIV does this.

Christian News editor Herman Otten had all kinds of admonitions for me in his issue featuring The Faith of Jesus: Against the Faithless Lutherans.

The Plastic Text War
I should join the war over the plastic text of the Bible, Pastor Otten says.

The last time I used any of the modern Bibles was 1992, when I left the Wisconsin Abusive Sect and the old, classic NIV of 1984. I was still using the NIV software when a member of Trinity in Bridgeton gave me a KJV Bible program. After that, I always used the KJV in writing.

I noticed that the New KJV had some problems. Once I saw how the readings varied from one New KJV to another (same verse!). I was using two different New KJV Bibles in New Ulm and Nicollet.

I also noted with irritation that the New KJV had Jesus urging the apostles to "make disciples" in the Great Commission. As Little Ichabod observed, that turned a Gospel admonition into Law - an observation that drove David Koenig (CLC sic) nuts. Koenig also did his drama queen act over "jumping on that like a hobo on a hotdog." Afterwards, I laughed that the two statements of mine that got highlighted were borrowed from LI and the mysterious 29A.

Starting in Phoenix, 1998, I used the KJV in all worship services.

There is no war over the KJV text, which is the traditional one.

As I recall, William F. Beck of Beck Bible (AAT) fame was very interested in the New Testament text. Beck (AAT) became Good News for Modern Man under the guidance of Otten's buddy with two wives, his own building, and copious Schwan grants. When that blew up, the eventual outcome was another "translation."

I suspect people were playing around with the New Testament text at that time, but I lost interest and lost track. The Beck Bible effort shows that everyone has a pet Bible, and that takes away from the unity of expression, memorization, and church lectionaries.

Real literature is meant to be read out loud. The great writers of England assumed that their works would be read to others. How it sounded in formal readings mattered. Gibbon worked on his style until it reached that classic sound that says The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.

The KJV has that great meter and sound, careful attention paid to how most people would know its contents - hearing it read in church. Faith comes by hearing the Gospel, and that matters most of all with the greatest language (besides German) being used for the Word of God.

How can anyone memorize the Beatitudes in the KJV, New RSV, various feminist Bibles, various Beck editions, and the no longer existing NIV of 84 or the New NIV of today?

How happy are they who... That is so lame, dumb, and nonsensical, compared to Blessed are they...

The Missouri Synod seems to have moved from the classic (ironic used of the term) NIV to the ESV, which is the Calvinist edition of the RSV, which came from the National Council of Communist Churches in the USA (shortened to National Council of Churches, USA).

WELS is definitely in the bag for the New NIV, which is by default their official living paraphrase of the Word of God. I pity the fools who study the Scriptures from that rotten pot of Nida meddling, erasing, and additions. Their DPs are known for never departing from the party line, but one asked, "Where does this stop?"

Lutheran synodical leaders - from ELCA to the mini-micro groups - are in bed with Nida's corpse, dying with their dead hero. They are so good at plotting together. Why not plot to use the KJV family as the only possible choices for synodical studies, Bibles in the catalogue, congregational reading, etc?

That would be a start.

Here the pope-king is carried by his slaves, as if he were a god. Luther is a bit hard on those who separate faith from justification.

The Plan To Restore the Word of God, Even in ELCA

Secondly, once they have their Thrivent grants in place, they would move toward two choices, and two only.

1. The KJV
2. The 21st Century KJV

They could do that. Look at how far they have gone, working together with ELCA, toward women's and gay ordination. Readers, both goals  are all but accomplished. It's like the PhD student who has successfully defended his dissertation. He only needs to rent his cap and gown and get his diploma.

Long ago, the LCA launched its effort to make translations as varied and pickable as anyone wanted. One lectionary series (Jubilate, I think) had three readings from three translations each week. How fun for the whole family - Mom, Dad, kids; or Mom, Mom, kids; or Dad, Dad, kids!

Once the Nida family of idiomatic - or - dynamic equivalency paraphrases was accepted as the only way to publish the Word of God, the loosey-goosey exegesis followed.

The KJV21 simply translates some of the more obscure words in the old KJV (which is slightly modernized compared to the original plagiarized from Tyndale).

I only use the KJV, so I look up the Greek or perchance the modern renderings of an exotic word in the KJV. WELS pastors express horror about "throwing the baby out with the bathwater," which they did in getting rid of the KJV. But they are far too happy to toss out the KJV baby--and all modern versions of it--with the bathwater of antique words.



KJV21

The best way to judge this translation is to look at key passages, corrupted by the moderns, and judge how closely the KJV21 follows the KJV (which follows Tyndale following Luther).

From their website -

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Part One

	KJV	KJ21®
Ezra 9:3	...and sat down astonied.	....and sat down stunned.
Ps 140:5	...they have set gins for me.	...they have set traps for me.
Pr 23:16	Yea, my reins shall rejoice,...	...yea, my inmost being shall rejoice.
Mt 17:12	...Elias is come already, and they...have done unto him whatsoever they listed.	...Elijah is come already and they...have done unto him whatsoever they pleased.
Mk 9:6	For he wist not what to say;...	For he knew not what to say...
1 Cor 9:7	Who goeth a warfare any time at his owncharges?	Who goeth to war at any time at his ownexpense?
Php 2:1	If there be...any bowels and mercies,...	If there be...any tenderness and mercies,...

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Part Two

	KJ21®	Contemporary Versions
Gen 1:28	"Be fruitful and multiply, andreplenish the earth, and subdue it;...	NIV "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. NRSV "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it;... NKJ "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it;... TEV "Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth and bring it under their control.
	In the KJ21® the text focuses on mankind's duty to restore to the earth what is being consumed, rather than merely to take possession of the earth.
1 Sam 8:5	"Now make us a king to judge us,...	NIV "...now appoint a king to lead us,... NRSV "...appoint for us, then, a king to governus,... TEV "...appoint a king to rule over us,...
	In the KJ21® the elders of Israel reflect the Biblical view of the government as a judge, rather than as a ruler.
Pr 11:16	...and strong men retain riches	NIV ..but ruthless men gain only wealth. NRSV ...but the aggressive gain riches. NKJ ..But ruthless men retain riches. REB ...a bold man gets only a fortune.
	In neither the KJ21® nor the KJV does the writer/poet manifest any bias against the accumulation of wealth.
Ecl 9:9	Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest...	REB Enjoy life with a woman you love...
	In the KJ21® the preacher recognizes the unique and blessed status of traditional marriage, together with its joyful potential.
Isa 7:14	Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son...	NRSV Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son... REB A young woman is with child, and she will give birth to a son... TEV ...a young woman who is pregnant will have a son...
	Isaiah, in the KJ21® and KJV, cites as a sign that a virgin shall conceive, truly an astonishing miracle.
Mt 6:13	...lead us not into temptation,...	NRSV ...do not bring us to the time of trial,... REB ...do not put us to the test,...
	In the KJ21® Christ's petition to the Lord is for deliverance from the temptation of sin, rather than deliverance from misfortune.
Mk 5:30	And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that virtue had gone out of Him,...	NIV At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. NKJ And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him,...
	In the KJ21® St. Mark says that Christ's healing qualities come from virtue, rather than from power.
Rom 16:1	I commend unto you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church...	NRSV ...a deacon of the church... REB ...a minister of the church...
	In the KJ21® St. Paul does not hesitate to ascribe the glory and honor of servanthood to a woman (servanthood being the highest calling of all men and women).
1 Cor 13:1	Though I speak with the tongues ofmen and of angels, but have notcharity,...	NRSV If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love,... NKJ Though I speak with the tongues of menand of angels, but have not love,... REB I may speak in tongues of men or of angels, but if I have no love,...
	In the KJ21® St. Paul uses the term charity rather than love, charity being more specific in connoting selfless benevolence and a disinclination to ascribe evil to others.