The King James Bible and Biblical Illiteracy in the United States
Between 1604 and 1611, fifty-seven of the most educated men in England translated the Bible so that not only could people have a personal copy, but so that it could be easily read and understood. The king ordered a new translation to be made that would satisfy the two religious sects: the bishops and the Puritans. Therefore, the language of the King James Bible was translated as the undisputed translation to appease the religious ideas of the two sects while being faithful to the oldest Hebrew and Greek sources known at the time.
The King James version was also translated to make it easy to read and flow smoothly as you read. When read aloud, the words sound majestic and ornate. Today, after 400 years, the words sound very different from today’s English speech: in England, the United States, and other English-speaking countries.
Even after 400 years, many people love this translation so much that they believe it is the only Bible that should be read. This is the idea of ”King James soloists” who believe many misconceptions about it and its superiority over all other translations. But until 1769, the KJV was printed so many times because it contained many spelling and punctuation problems, even though it was the main Bible that English-speaking people read.
Among most American Christians, the KJV is one of the most popular English Bibles. Unfortunately, due to its outdated language, it has contributed to illiteracy. Since many buy it, that doesn’t mean they read it. It is surprising that Christians have not abandoned it due to many unstable meanings through its words, expressions, and grammatical structure. Gail Riplinger, an advocate for the King James Version Onlyist movement, claims that the youngest age a person can read and understand is a fifth grader. (Evangelical Outreach website). If a father wants to teach his son to read the Bible, for example, in third or fourth grade, he would not use the King James Bible. But many doubt Riplinger’s theory. Many call it a “fraud” because of hundreds of “incomprehensible” words and many sentences in the KJV that no longer exist. (“Evangelical Outreach”, “kjvterms”).
In general, today’s Protestant and Evangelical Christians do not read the Bible because most churches have become “apostate” which means they are straying from God’s Word in the Holy Bible. This is a spiritual problem that has seriously evolved, especially over the past two decades. Most pastors and their congregation turn to the King James Version because it is well established and cannot be disputed as it is the oldest Bible in wide use. Researchers George Gallup and Jim Castelli put the problem into perspective in a 2004 article written on the “Christian Headlines” website: “Americans revere the Bible, but, by and large, they don’t read it. And why not read it, They have become a nation of Biblical illiterates.” (“The Scandal of Bible Illiteracy,” June 24, 2004).
Most churches use entertainment to attract “followers.” Instead of learning the Gospel from the Bible, encompassed by the New Testament, people prefer to engage in some secular activity, because for them, church is boring. So these “churches” no longer welcome God. Apostasy from the church is one facet of our brutalized society. Fewer people read God’s Word in the Bible.
The larger problem of growing biblical illiteracy in the United States is not just spiritual but illiteracy itself. It has actually been going up for quite some time. Most people graduate from high school, but the highest rates for people with college degrees are between 35-48%. (The Worldatlas website). For those who get a higher degree, the majority is 14-28% (Worldatlas). But since 1990, fewer kids have been learning as much as before, and more teens have dropped out of high school. The cost of college tuition has increased so much that many people don’t even attend. So, people know less; fewer know how to read. How are they supposed to read the KJV or any other bible for that matter?
Many people affiliated with churches are missionaries living in foreign countries to preach the gospel of Christianity. How are natives who may know little English supposed to read the Bible in their 400 year old English? They would have to be highly educated, fluent in English.
Although many love the King James Version for appreciating its older English form, I think it is one of the worst Bible translations. Christians should probably read a more recently translated version, such as the ESV, NIV, ASV, or even the New King James Version. One of the best modern translations of the New Testament is “Good News for Modern Man.” All of these are faithful translations. The KJV has been around for a long time and everyone who reads it will make sure that it will always be in print.