Is a pastor qualified to declare who is and isn’t saved, including men who lived four centuries ago?Is your pastor qualified to declare who is and isn’t saved, including men who lived four centuries ago? Pastor Benny Abante’s viral statements about the King James Version, the Greek word ekklesia, and the Anabaptists contain some important truths, some partial truths, and some significant errors. This article examines each claim fairly and honestly: what he got wrong, what he got partially right, and what he got right. You can download the scholarly paper or listen to the companion podcast episode on Spotify if you prefer to listen rather than read at the end of the post.
Manuscripts, Misinformation, and the Myth of the “1,800-Year Bible”
I scrolled past a confident-sounding Facebook post the other day. It claimed Christians read the Byzantine text for 1,800 years, until Westcott and Hort arrived and “fixed” it. It sounded neat and convincing. The villains were clear. The history, the logic, and the evidence do not survive even a few minutes of scrutiny, and that matters. If you care about the truth, it is worth examining the evidence for yourself. Read more.