KJV Only, Rock Music and Other Rants

I work in a Christian bookstore. Most of the time I really like my job; it is a nice place to work. I encounter a variety of people each day, most of whom are Christians. Christians are an interesting group of people. Some tell me that I must be spirit-filled and speak in tongues (unknown languages), others are more reserved. Some like Southern Gospel music while others listen to rap, rock or alternative. Others make comments about the evil liquor store next door to us. Yes, really we are next door to a liquor store, personally I find it amusing. Of course, being a Christian bookstore we carry a variety of Bibles. For some this is a big problem. Some Christians believe that the King James Version is the only reliable Bible. For more on Bible translations read this. Personally, there are three I use the most: English Standard version (ESV), New Living Translation (NLT) and New International Version (NIV).

Well, today I had an encounter with a couple who were die-hard KJV-only. My first indication was when the man started loudly complaining that we only had a few real Bibles and the rest were junk. I quickly learned that the KJV was the only real Bible. I have finally found a good response to KJV only: Personally, I think nothing beats reading the Bible in the original Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic. I have found this usually catches the person off guard. I think many have never considered that the Bible was not originally written in English. The couple proceeded to trash other translations of the Bible as being just worthless books. I did point out that both the NASB and ESV were closer to the original language than the KJV. I even suggested they should try comparing the ESV or NASB with the Greek and Hebrew. This really seemed to shock the couple. The man was apparently not used to women who stood up to him or had any form of theological training. For the most part I tried to leave the couple alone or only talk about other merchandise. However, the couple could not resist throwing barbs at me about the KJV and as one last parting jab the woman begin slamming Christian rock music.

One of the things that struck me about the encounter was something the man said. The KJV had been the only Bible for years and there was no reason to change. There are many Christians that like things status quo. They are comfortable in their nice little church world. Things have worked for them for years and see know reason why they should ever change.

So why do churches/Christians need to change any way? First, I am not talking about changing the message of the Gospel but rather our methods. For starters, the church is quickly becoming irrelevant to an entire generation. I have read some articles recently about how 18-30 year-olds are leaving the church, because they believe it is no longer relevant to their lives. (See Is the Church Irrelevant for Today’s Society?) Instead of bickering over things like Bible translations, we as Christians should be more concerned about reaching non-Christians. In fact, fighting among Christians is a big turn off to those who are not believers.

Reflections on Horton Hears a Who

Monday night the Big Guy and I went to see Horton Hears a Who. I know you are probably thinking hey isn’t that a kid’s movie. Yes, it is and by the way there were only 4 other people in the theater all adults. It surprised me that The Big Guy wanted to see the movie. He wanted to see it because, it had a good approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Apparently, the rating a movie gets is important when he is selecting a movie to see. However, I have always been a Theodor Geisel aka Dr. Seuss fan and loved the book when I was a child. Educationally, I think Dr. Seuss books are great. The rhyming and language selection makes them great books for beginning readers.

Well, being a fan of the book and Dr. Seuss, I was all set for an enjoyable moving going experience. The theater wasn’t crowded so I had room to get comfortable. As a plus there were no screaming kids or talking people and the theater was almost empty. As I was enjoying the movie. I began to realize there are lot good things to be learned from this movie. Wait a minute this is supposed to be a kid’s movie, I want to be entertained not learn something. I have decided to share some of the things I gleaned from the movie.

The first one that caught my attention was Kangaroo’s reaction to Horton hearing an unseen voice. Her philosophy was if you can’t see it, feel it or touch it then; it doesn’t exist. This is the same approach many take with God because they cannot see God he must not exist. According to Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Think I will write more on this in another post.

Horton’s determination to do the right thing. It would have been much easier for Horton to just bow to Kangaroo’s wishes. Of course, that would have prevented much of his trials, of course cut the movie very short. Horton did not let what others thought, peer pressure, hardships or discouragement prevent him from doing the right thing.

The movie also provided a great example of mob psychology. The animals were quick to follow Kangaroo’s lead against Horton. When Horton was proved correct the tide of public opinion quickly turned against Kangaroo.

Of course one of the most important lessons learned from Horton is the value of people. “A person is a person no matter how small.” Too many times it is easy just to look at the outward appearance of a person and make a quick judgment based on that. All humans were created in the image of God and should be treated with respect and dignity. How many times do we take the time to actually get to know others before making a judgment about who or what we think they are?

A final lesson I learned from Horton is persistence. Horton was determined to complete his mission when faced with obstacles and peer pressure. He kept going even when it would have been easier to quit.

If you get a chance be sure to check out Horton Hears a Who. It is a great movie for children and adults. So if you are looking for an a good family movie or a great date night, Horton Hears a Who is the movie for you.