Changing the Language We Speak

Some who do not believe my premise that the Rural Black Church is dying, express every now and then a concern about our communities. For in many communities, there are no opportunities for our young but even worse, there are few if any youth in our churches. I feel this is the case because there are some things that need to change. I might be accused of sacrilege, however, I am going to say it. We must let go of the King James Version of the Bible. Surely, the language is beautiful and many of us have committed the verses to memory, but the King James Version of the Bible speaks in a language that we no longer speak. Why do we hold on? It was the Bible that we were exposed to when we first engaged Christianity in this land. It was the only Bible that we knew existed for years. We were impressed by preachers who could eloquently read the words. The inscription, The Authorized Version of the Bible; the caption, translated out of the original tongues; and the words of Jesus written in red, gave authority to those who insisted on its use. Even though few would admit it, most of the things we do in the Rural Black Church are done out of imitating those who came before us. And do we ever take the time to question those traditions? Several things about the King James Version. It was not translated out of the original tongues, it was translated from Latin. For anyone who knows anything about translation, some meaning is lost whenever something is translated from one language to another. The King James Version, therefore, lost some of its meaning when the Bible was translated from Hebrew and Greek into Latin. More meaning was lost when it was translated from Latin into English. We also now know that there are older Biblical text available now that were not available when the text were translated into Latin. Other things people never talk about, mainly that in the preface to the King James Version, the translators encouraged the readers to update the language regularly. Up until the introduction of the New King James Version, which some people still don't accept, many in the Rural Black Church refused to embrace the newer translations that were done in the tradition of the King James Version. I have to conclude asking the question, is the use of the King James Version more about us than spreading the Gospel? One of my most prized possessions is the King James Version of the Bible given to me by my mother and father for Christmas in 1956. It, however, is in much better condition than most of the Bibles that I have purchased since 1990. Why? Because I can understand these modern translations. Some words in the King James Bible, I still do not understand. When you look at your congregation, how many are not reading at the 12th-grade level or lower? You must be reading at the 12th-grade level in order to understand the King James Version. I asked the questions because, how many fail to come to Bible Study or Sunday school because they have difficulty reading the words? How many times have you listened to people struggle as they try to read scripture in worship? How many people are not reading the Bible at all, because they don't read and speak the language? Let's talk about this. My concerns are sincere. We have lost a generation. We cannot stand to lose more.

Comments

  1. UnknownFebruary 26, 2018 at 7:01 PM

    we must let go of a lot of things. I feel the current traditional model of 9:30/11 AM services is outdated and must change.. Sunday School, while a beloved way of doing Christian Education must either be reconstructed or abolished . Worship must be offered at non traditional times such as Fridays and Saturdays.. and include ways to use social media include the use of streaming. Some Rural churches, in order to survive may need to look at combining/merging

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownFebruary 26, 2018 at 7:01 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  3. RXREVFebruary 28, 2018 at 2:55 AM

    At New Hope Fellowship, we have our own belief statements. One of those statements clearly points out that we respect all versions of the Bible as God's Word. I preached from the Common English Bible, my wife preaches from the New Living Translations, and my other associate preaches from the King James Version.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Way We Treat Women

This has been something that I have been meaning to right on for some time. And now with the recent removal of the president of a major Southern Baptist Seminary for statements he made about females, and the advice he gave to one in an abusive relationship, I knew it was the right time to address this issue. For many of our traditions and beliefs stem from we learned from our ancestors, many of whom worshipped in the master's church and were taught the same. As I look at the "me-too" movement and how so many have been caught up in its web, I have to wonder, how many men of faith, or men who grew up in Christians families felt that they had the right to do things that were not of God to women because of the way women have been treated in the church. Many of the ways that men look at women come from our interpretation of scripture, starting with the two creation stories. Many men overlook the first creation story where God said, let us make humankind in our image. Or as a...
Read more

Where are the youth in the Rural Black Church

That is a statement I hear so many times. However, have we ever considered how youth have been treated historically in the Rural Black Church. In my research, so many times I saw it stated, anything considered entertainment or even recreation for youth was to be avoided. All I need to do is look at some of my personal experiences growing up, and as a pastor, to understand why so many children are no longer in church. I was very active in the church as I grew up. I attended Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, Methodist Youth Fellowship, was a member of the Children's Choir and I was an Altar Boy. One day when I got home from school, my mother shared a letter she had received from one of our fellow church members. The member was scolding my mother for allowing me to come to Sunday School with candy. To this day, I never understood her point. But think of the effect that would have on other parents and their children. Fast forward a few years later. I had completed college and was...
Read more