Books in Review: Authorized

​When I found the documentary Authorized for free online, I was quite curious. While I did not grow up reading the King James Version, it’s hard to deny the impact it has had on English-speaking Christianity and the English-speaking culture as we know it today. I found the documentary to be both insightful and entertaining, balancing humor with practical information about the changes in the English language that have caused much of the language in the KJV to fall out of the vernacular. While I usually be at least partially hesitant about using the KJV in my personal Bible study, I believe that between the document, the book, and the work on his YouTube channel, I now have the tools I need to use the KJV to help me better understand God’s Word. I was also appreciative of the work he had done for Logos, which was the Bible study software I was introduced to in college. If you have found yourself believing that the King James Version is the only Bible a Christian should us or you have avoided using it because you can’t understand it, I highly recommend that you check out this book to give you the perspective you need to use it the right way ~ Bethel

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For many English-speaking Christians today, there is an ongoing battle for which Bible translation is the best. For a few hundred years, the King James Version was the one translation that ruled them all. When other translations started to come out in the last century, a war began between those who wanted to use newer translations and those who were convinced that the KJV is the only acceptable English translation of the Bible. Similar with the fractions that came with Protestantism, some Christians have allowed themselves to be divided based on their preferred translation, with KJV-onlyist often being the most vocal and passionate. It makes us ask the question: is the King James Version a useful Bible translation for our world today?

​In his book Authorized, Dr. Mark Ward addressed both the benefits of using the King James Version while also addressing concerns about whether this version is intelligible enough for contemporary audiences. While Ward acknowledges that there have been great benefits for several generations of the church to have one primary Bible translation, he also explains the problems that have accumulated over time because the KJV translated God’s Words in a version of English that is not used anymore. Some of the words in the KJV are dead words, but many more have become “false friends,” which are words that we still use today but had a different meaning when they were written. Many of these false friends have led to either misinterpretation of the text or readers completely missing the point because the passage doesn’t make sense. These problems, Ward argues, are unnecessary hurdles when there are acceptable modern equivalents that would help them understand if these words were retranslated. He explains that, based on 1 Corinthians 14, for a person to be edified or encouraged by God’s Word, they have to understand God’s Word. So instead of using one translation exclusively that may limit intelligibility, it could become one tool among many translations you should use to help you better understand God’s Word.

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​This book is insightful and engaging on an important topic and is one that I recommend to any Christian, no matter where you are on the KJV spectrum. Get you copy today.

Teen Rating. While I am not sure how many teens would be interested in this topic, I believe this book could be a great resource for a teen that either grew up reading the KJV or wants to know more about choosing a Bible translation. I recommend it for those 16 or older.

Personal Rating. A great, eye-opening resource on an important topic. I look forward to reading other books by Mark Ward in the future.

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Interested in purchasing this title? If you purchase it from Amazon using the link below, Abiding Grace Ministries will receive a small commission from the purchase at no cost to you.

Purchase Authorized: https://amzn.to/4nXtj55​ 

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Other Resources by this Author

​Authorized Documentary – I was originally introduced to this book by a documentary produced by Faithlife. If you don’t feel you have the time to read this book, this 45-minute documentary will give you the core ideas of the book in engaging and sometimes humorous ways. It is available for free on YouTube and RedeemTV.

​Audiobook – I used the audiobook for this title and really enjoyed it. Some parts of the books were engaging and amusing when he was doing accents to differentiate certain quotations. There is also a great appendix exclusive to the audiobook that address some of the criticisms some KJV-onlyist have had to his work.

Ward on Words – While he finally decided to conclude his work on addressing KJV-onlyism, Mark Ward’s YouTube channel, Ward on Words, has quite a collection of work that extends the word he began in this book, including a series where he addressed a total of 150 false friends in the King James Version. He has now shifted his work to focusing more generally on Bible translations, but anyone who is interested in such topics would benefit from checking out these videos.