Read part 1 here
Read part 2 here
Read part 3 here
Read part 4 here
Read part 5 here
Read part 6 here
Read part 7 here
Read part 8 here
Read part 9 here
______________________________________________
Some Closing Thoughts
After reviewing all this data, we must confront the elephant
in the room: the motives of the persons who originally put these
posts together and started circulating them. While only God and the individuals
involved in the creation of these memes and articles know what was in their
hearts, we can make some educated deductions based on the fruit they have borne.
Let me make one thing clear: I am not talking here about
the motives of the people who have shared and circulated these alerts out of a
heartfelt concern and love for God and His word. Most people sharing these
alerts don't know all of the information I have presented over the past nine
articles. They simply see something that grabs their attention using alarmist
language, look at the few cherry-picked examples that allegedly support the
claims being made, and then share or forward it without looking deeper or
asking someone who has more knowledge in this area (such as a pastor or even a
friend who is a Bible nerd). As I stated in the first post in this series, they
have a zeal for God, but they lack knowledge. The purpose of this series is not
to condemn these brothers and sisters, but rather to fill in the gaps in their
knowledge.
With regard to the originators of these types of articles, in
the very best case— giving them the maximum benefit of the doubt—they are
simply ignorant of the facts, and need to do more study and research before
trying to teach others (James 3:1 could be applied here).
Or worse, they know these facts, but willingly choose to ignore
them, preferring to bear false witness against brothers and sisters in Christ who
have dedicated their lives to the study and translation of the Scriptures. And the
last time I checked, bearing false witness is a pretty serious thing. The
creators of these memes use alarming language that implies there is some kind
of conspiracy or plot to alter and undermine God’s word in order to goad
well-meaning people—who don’t know the facts, or don’t know how to find them
out—into helping spread lies.
Now, if someone has actually taken the time to do reading
and research—learning about textual
criticism, the text families behind the Textus Receptus and the critical/eclectic
texts, and translation theory, and has at least a basic knowledge of biblical language
issues—and still believes the Textus Receptus is a superior base text, I
can respect their opinion, because it is an informed opinion. They
actually have some knowledge of the issues involved. But the originators
of these “warnings” do not provide any research or documentation beyond leading
statements in alarmist language that is formulated to direct people toward the
conclusion they want them to reach, and to incite them to spread the false
information to as many people as possible, because the concern is so “urgent.”
In the extreme worst case, the people who initiate these
false reports are intentionally spreading false information just to stir up
trouble. (I’m writing this in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I have
seen many “exposé” articles on social media that have so many obviously wrong “facts”
in them that the only logical conclusion is that someone is producing the most
outlandish theories they can come up with just to see how far and fast they
will spread before someone checks the facts.)
In one of the places I saw this false information about
modern translations shared, someone commented, “They will find a way to justify
these changes, but this is just another way Satan uses to deceive.” In my
opinion, the real Satanic deception going on here is perpetrated by the
originators of these false posts. They are stirring up strife among believers,
and Proverbs 6:16–19 says that one of the seven things God hates (in addition
to “a lying tongue,” which they are also guilty of) is “he that soweth discord
among brethren” (KJV), or as the NIV puts it, “a person who stirs up conflict
in the community.” The Bible says that Satan is a liar and the father of lies
(John 8:44). Since we have established that this “warning” is full of
falsehood, is it unreasonable to conclude that its origins are diabolical? What
would please Satan more than to trick believers into fighting one another
rather than doing the work of the Great Commission, all while believing they
are defending the truth?
So, now that you know “the rest of the story” and the truth
about the claims in this “very critical alert,” if you have in the past shared
one of these posts, you should own up to it. Don’t simply delete it from your
social media feed. Make a new post (or a comment on the original post where you
shared it) admitting that you were taken in by—and helped to spread—false
information. Share the truth about the matter with people. Repentance from
spreading falsehood involves not only ceasing to spread lies, but replacing
those lies with the truth.
I don’t really care if you share my articles
or not to teach people the truth about this—I’m not out to gain traffic for my
blog. Feel free instead to share my friend Carmen Imes’ series (links below)
that she wrote in 2015 about this same meme (I discovered her articles on this
after I was already halfway into writing my own series—if I had found it
earlier, I would probably have simply pointed people there to start with).
In our final installment, I will provide a set of links to other resources on this topic, for those who wish to pursue it further.
Dr. Carmen Imes’ series "Does the New NIV Distort the Scriptures?";
Read part 1 here
Read part 2 here
Read part 3 here
Read part 4 here
Read part 5 here
Read part 6 here
Read part 7 here
Read part 8 here
Read part 9 here
Read part 2 here
Read part 3 here
Read part 4 here
Read part 5 here
Read part 6 here
Read part 7 here
Read part 8 here
Read part 9 here
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