“Does God have a Controversy with the King James Bible?” ~ by H. Wayne Williams ~ 1997 (in response to James White)

Does God have a Controversy with the King James Bible? (or, does James White, et al., have a controversy with God’s Word???)

Dr. H. Wayne Williams (a pastor, teacher, & scholar of the Word of God) wrote this book (see link, below) as a rebuttal to James White’s book — “The King James Only Controversy” (originally published in 1995). Dr. Williams’ book was first printed in 1997, but has since fallen out of circulation. Now, (in 2024) Pastor Matt Furse (a student of Dr. Williams) has made Pastor Williams’ original book available, online, and he has added his own Footnotes and Appendices to the original book. After almost 30 years later, Pastor Furse in no way intends to change anything that Dr. Williams wrote, but rather his desire is to provide some additional commentary as a supplement that enhances Dr. Williams’ work, in these latter days. A few images/illustrations have been added, and the Footnotes and Appendices are high-lighted and noted.

Since the King James Bible is once again under attack by a new generation of “scholars”, Pastor Furse desires only to republish his pastor’s work, for the sake of educating a new generation of Bible-believers.

In keeping with Pastor Williams’ wishes— “This publication, like the King James Bible, is not copyrighted. Portions may be reproduced, if proper credit is given, and is not sold for profit by the person or persons reproducing it.”   —This online edition is NOT being sold for profit.

Click this link, to view the book, online ~ Does God have a Controversy with the King James Bible?

Preface

        Over the 50+ years of my life, I’ve been a member of several good churches, and I’ve had several good pastors. Some of these men were pastors of large churches, and/or founders of a Bible college. But, of all my local church pastors, Pastor H. Wayne Williams was the only pastor that I ever had, who would routinely welcome unfiltered Bible questions from his congregation, on Sunday and Wednesday nights. And, typically, whenever anyone asked him a question, he could give an immediate, convincing answer from the Word of God.

        It was impressive—not because he was trying to be impressive, but because he wanted to know what his people were thinking, understanding, and wrestling with. On a rare occasion, if he did not have an immediate answer, he would ask the questioner to give him a little time to study it out from the Word.

        Anyone who ever attended Liberty Baptist Tabernacle was aware that H. Wayne Williams knew his Bible. And, his Bible—was the King James Bible.

        So, it was no surprise to see the objection that arose in him when James White’s book, The King James Bible Controversy, came out in 1995. Even as a young man, I had ZERO interest in whatever James White, or others like him, had to say. I was not dissatisfied with my KJV, nor did I believe that It needed correcting—or, that It could be corrected. Thanks to the clear, Biblical teaching from Pastor Williams and other men like him, I have always been confident that the KJV was God’s preserved, infallible, inerrant Word, in English. I am ashamed for the “smarter” men out there, who are convinced that the KJV does need correcting. (“smarter”, as in, “sopho-more” = wise-fool.) Not only am I ashamed of these men, but I am appalled at the very notion that having now over 100 English translations of the Bible is somehow a “good thing”!  Even IF another English translation could be produced that would be equal to the KJV— how on earth can anyone think that this would be a “Godly” endeavor? There are 1,000’s of people groups around the world that have YET to have such a perfect translation of God’s Word, as we have already had for the past 400+ years! How dare any English-speaking person suggest that more time and money should be wasted on “perfecting” our English Bible, when so many others have yet to have even one good One!

        If I were an English-speaking missionary sent to a foreign land, where the locals spoke a language of which no quality Bible translation had ever been published— I would vehemently chastise these modern-day “English Bible correctors” for their waste of time and resources! …In fact, I will chastise them— SHAME on these “wise-fools”!

        Years ago, as a young man called to preach, I had asked Pastor H. Wayne Williams to give me a list of books that I could begin collecting for my own library. He wrote down several suggestions, and I still have that list—now tattered and faded from age. Yet, on it was not one book that would have ever led me to doubt the preservation, infallibility, nor inerrancy of God’s English Bible—the King James Authorized Version. Praise God, for a faithful, Biblical, local church pastor!

~ Matt Furse

(a simple preacher)