MORE SCOFIELD’S FOLLIES
Some time ago I wrote an article on Scofield’s abuse of Acts 8:37. Scofield thought that the presence of water is sufficient reason for getting baptized and suggested that we ignore what God’s inspired word has to say about it. I had a Methodist minister in an apostate abomination known as Asbury Methodist sprinkle water on my head when I was a baby. I got my head wet, but I do not even remember the event. How on earth did I get saved by getting my head wet in a church when I don’t even remember it happening? I certainly did not get saved until many years after that event, but apparently Scofield would have thought that it was sufficient that I got soaked. This was bad enough, but Scofield did not stop with Acts 8:37. In 1 John 5:7 he gave us the note: “It is generally agreed that v.7 has no real authority, and has been inserted.” Yes, it is generally agreed – by heretics and apostates who follow the clumsiest and worst texts. Numerous other verses affirm the divinity of Christ, yet snakes like Scofield attack it anyway, and he does so by siding with men who admitted that they did not believe that the Bible should be taken literally. Their hope is that the average dupe will not notice the other verses that confirm the Trinity.
In his introduction for 2 Thessalonians Scofield dares to correct God’s word by suggesting that the KJV mistranslated 2 Thessalonians 2:2: “The theme of Second Thessalonians is, unfortunately, obscured by a mistranslation in the A.V. (KJV) of 2:2 where “day of Christ is at hand” See [1Co 1:8] should be, “day of the Lord is now present” (See [Isa 2:12], ref).” He makes the same arrogant statement in regard to 1 Corinthians 1:8 in a footnote: “A.V. has “day of Christ,” #2Th 2:2 incorrectly, for “day of the Lord” Scofield deviously casts doubt on Mark 16:9-20 by the following footnote: “The passage from verse 9 to the end is not found in the two most ancient manuscripts, the Sinaitic and Vatican, and others have found it with partial omissions and variations. But it is quoted by Iranaeus and Hippolytus in the second or third century.”
In other words it is up to us to decide whether or not to pay attention to these twelve verses, or we can throw out whichever sections we like. What do we base this freedom to correct God’s word upon? We base it upon two corrupt manuscripts with thousands of errors and omissions, including the omission of entire books. We base it upon a text found in a garbage can, and one hidden in the basement of a whorehouse. None of these should be surprising since Scofield was quite open in his contempt for the text behind the New Testament and his admiration for the devil-conjuring, Darwin-believing, Marx-loving Bible scoffers that gave us the New Age Bible versions that have spread apostasy, heresy, worldliness, confusion, and low standards to the contemporary church. In his introduction to his 1909 edition, which is reprinted in later 1917 editions, he is quite open about his love for these devilish workers of iniquity.
“The discovery of the Sinaitic MS. and the labours in the field of textual criticism of such scholars as Griesbach, Lachmann, Tischendorf, Tregelles, Winer, Alford, and Wescott and Hort, have cleared the Greek textus receptus of minor inaccuracies, while confirming in a remarkable degree the general accuracy of the Authorized Version of that text. Such emendations of the text as scholarship demands have been placed in the margins of this edition, which therefore combines the dignity, the high religious value, the tender associations of the past, the literary beauty of the and remarkable general accuracy of the Authorized Version, with the results of the best textual scholarship.”
Minor inaccuracies? General accuracy of the Authorized Version of the text? Do these words belong in a Bible that is promoted by alleged KJV-Only Bible-believers? What is truly amazing is that there are churches that claim to be King James Only that promote and even sell this abomination. What is even more unbelievable is that there are some pastors and evangelists that actually preach against Westcott and Hort’s perverted text who promote and sell Scofield’s Westcott and Hort-promoting Bibles even after Scofield’s notes are pointed out to them! I suspect that the Scofield Bible’s promotion of the gap theory foolishness is the real reason that certain alleged KJV-Only preachers will ignore the fact that Scofield includes notes that spit on God’s word. Apparently forcing the Bible to fit false science is more important to them than their desire to defend the text against perversions and omissions. Even more confusing is the fact that there are alleged KJV-Only churches that speak out against the gap theory, but still promote Scofield’s Bible. This would be like having Alcoholics Anonymous selling a bartender’s guide to making mixed drinks, or like PETA promoting and selling books on fur trapping and wildlife cookery. The only difference is that no AA or PETA leader would be that silly. We have to go into the modern church of America to find that kind of silliness.
John Hinton, Ph.D.
Bible Restoration Ministry
A ministry seeking the translating and reprinting of KJV equivalent
Bibles in all the languages of the world.