Friday, March 23, 2007

reason number 83295 that the King James just doesn't preach well today

Job 1:3

His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.

Can you see me preaching and reading this passage and getting to the part about she asses, and actually continuing without anybody snickering or producing a smart-alec response?

I can't.

"Next version please!"

12 comments:

  1. My wife has told me many times about an elementary school teacher of hers that would read to the class from the King James version and all the children would laugh when a passage including asses was read.

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  2. Knowing a couple from your congregation, I can't really see that happening...If you EVER do use that version please, please let me know so I can be witness to someone biting her tongue to refrain. PLEASE?????

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  3. [chant] PREACH IT! PREACH IT! PREACH IT! [/chant]

    Yeah!

    And I would snicker, that's for sure.

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  4. All of you, laugh if you will, BUT, I do read from the King James Version andother versions. I compare. Why would anyone want to snicker? There are many, many people who do read from the King James version. I would be careful about being too critical, people.

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  5. I may not be able to supress my own giggle...WHY? It is generally human instinct for most people to have to resist that need to giggle in serious times when such words are used.

    By the way, I didn't feel that anyone was mocking King James Version. I guess it is just hard to read into someone attempting humor when it is in type especially if they have lost their funny bone.

    But I suppose we shall consider ourselves warned. Laughter is not the best medicine in this case. It sounds like it could lead to a trip to the Emergency room...

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  6. No one's being critical that I can see, Jean. It says "she ass", which has the potential to mean something quite different in 21st century English than in 17th century English.

    You have to admit English taken some turns since 1611. You and I might know the original meaning of "ass", but most people under, say, 18 wouldn't immediately think of donkeys.

    But the language of the KJV in general certainly has a beauty about it.

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  7. My favorite verse is the one where Martha pleads with Jesus not to open up Lazarus's tomb, because "he stinketh."

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  8. This is directed at Becky and Ang. Reread your sarcastic comments,girls. Not nice. As for Marc, yes, I agree that the King James Version is dfinitely beautiful. Enough sais on that subject.

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  9. I really don't think they were being sarcastic, and I don't pick that up from their writing.

    and I don't think its a personal thing either.

    Some people can read it and understand it. Less and less I find myself able to do that.

    My point was that that use of language today simply is inappropriate, if we want to reach a generation with the gospel. It is the word of God, not the object of a culturally dated joke about she-asses.

    We can use better language to reach people today, and so we should.

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  10. It seems the difficulty is knowing how to be charitable and not distracted when the language of a particular biblical translation is from a different context. After all, some people still use the KJV. That seems to be the thrust of Jean's admonishment. Snickering at certain words within a revered book because of the incongruity is understandable, if slightly trivial. People can reserve judgement about the style of the KJV at first, right?

    However, Jean's second response did come across like the stereotype of an uptight, old-fashioned individual. Did she want to give that impression? Not only that, her second comment only criticized the women, which also makes it appear mildly catty, unintentionally or not. How does that encourage women to contribute anything significant? She needs to consider this.

    Anyways, on a lighter note about this, I submit:

    this episode of Mr. Deity.

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  11. I was not attemting sarcasm. I WAS being serious, for the most part. Granted, there may have been a bit of a snide comment in there; I want to be completely honest. However, the intent of my comment was mostly meant to honestly say that it is hard to read humor into someone's typing, especially if you are not familiar with that person.

    My sister and I have "miscommunications" in type and we have known each other all our lives.

    So, as I said, to be completely honest, I may have been slightly on guard in my comment but people's interpretation of type can be a misinterpretation of the writer.

    People have differing sense of humor just as they have differing sense of fashion. I wasn't being mean spirited just guarded by your comment and I am sorry for my response but not sorry for my opinion.

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  12. You know, there are days...

    I am generally not a man of offence, I try daily to be inoffensive, which is why I use deodorant.

    That desire to not offend is about there really being no reason to be offensive, to take things personally or to lash out to offend or hurt others

    If I can communicate something without being sharp or offensive, then I seek to do so. If there is sharp communication directed towards me, I will presume at first that I misread you or didn't understand you. I place the presumption initially upon myself, so that I will not accidentally hurt, if none was directed at me.

    I try to live out the language of the one i follow after, Jesus, the Christ. Who told me how to care for those who hurt me and what to do when they cause me pain.

    If there is going to be offence in my life, then let it be the offence of the demands of the one I follow after. The demands of the cross are offensive enough, they don't require me to be offensive either.

    This place has always been an extension of myself, and as such I don't seek to intentionally offend.

    The past day or two, some of you have left comments here in a good spirit with simple observations about the KJV. I appreciate your light-hearted comments, and don't feel any offence was implied in your comments.

    I regret that some of your comments were misunderstood and that offence was caused you. I'm saddened actually, and hope you don't take it personally. You are my friends.

    So, I think with that I'll close off the back and forth on "She-asses" which was where this thing began.

    If you have a problem with that, or you are hurt by my attitude, then send me an email and communicate.

    Otherwise, cause no offence, there's no need to really.
    If you are christians then love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

    If you are not christians then I apologize to you for this dust up. We really ought not to be an offence to you.

    Christ and his demands are offensive enough.

    night.

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