A Suggestion for one Sunday

Some of you are old enough to have grown up on the King James Version, and perhaps you even remember that it says somewhere that “I wot not what hath become of this Moses” or something like that. I grew up on the KJV and only gradually learned that Jesus himself (God too!) neither spoke English nor King James English.

You may know also then know that the KJV appeared in 1611 and that means 2011 is the 400th anniversary of the KJV. So, I’ve got a suggestion for churches:

Devote one Sunday in 2011 to the King James Bible. Or, devote one Sunday in 2011 to Translations. Or have a Saturday morning Institute on the KJV (and translations).

Or let’s throw this open: What do you think we should do about the KJV in our churches?

What do you do at your church about translations? Do you have classes on them? Discuss translation theories from the pulpit? What is being done to educate congregations about translations? Have translations been “politicized” at your church? in your denomination?

But, let me sing the KJV Sunday song for a minute. I recommend you read that Sunday from the KJV, and put the lectionary or sermon text on the screen and have everyone read it aloud.

Furthermore, I suggest you talk about how the KJV came into existence — it was a revision of The Bishops’ Bible (with an eye on other translations too). That you illustrate how the KJV has influenced English and literature. And you can use the opportunity to talk about translations, their theories, their impact — and in this case how difficult it was to get anyone to consider replacing it. (My youth pastor in high school told us we could read the NASB but we weren’t to bring them to church. It confused things, he observed, to have more than one translation in the room.) You could talk about textual criticism and missions. So many topics are connected to translations. You could talk about the NIV 2011.

Does anyone have plans for a KJV Sunday?

So where to begin? I have two book suggestions:

Gordon Campbell, Bible: The Story of the King James Version 1611-2011, is a beautifully written sketch of all the issues. And it’s witty too. Plenty of images and figures to illustrate what is being said. I just finished this book and it gets 5 stars from me.

Alister McGrath, Bible: The Story of the King James Version 1611-2011, is a few years older and explains more of the historical contexts of the KJV. A highlight of McGrath’s book is his sketch of the theological currents — Protestant vs. Catholic becoming more Puritan vs. Anglican — at work behind both the Geneva Bible and the KJV.

If you want more, there’s always David Norton’s brilliant works, but for now I would recommend two things:

Have a Sunday on the King James Bible.

Read a good book about the King James Bible.