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Final Authority: A Christian's Guide to the King James Bible
This is an excellant and down-to-earth book in defense of the King James Bible. God's word is the final authority!
- GenresTheology
392 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1993
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 23, 2008
This is supposedly one of the "best" defenses of KJVOnlyism, however it fails as all other defenses. It amazes me how almost 400 years later people have ascribed something to this translation that the translators would not admint, perfection! The Textus Receptus and Byzantine Manuscripts have been proven to be faulty at certain points. In my mind a reasoned eclectic text as embodied in other trananslations works better. Perhaps, promoters of KJVOnlyism need to re-read the preface of the original 1611 KJV.
November 16, 2017
Some good truth and a lot of bad attitude.
January 31, 2021
This is a good resource to read and re-read which explains where the Authorized King James 'version' of the Bible came from, how it has come under fire, how it has perservered, and what seperates it from the other versions out there... all in one place. It does not assume a pre-conceived knowledge set on the part of the reader and it explains everything you need to understand.
November 24, 2017
Among some of the more scholarly defenses of KJV.
February 28, 2020
I was not a huge fan of his lines of reasoning. He attacked alot of character that didn't seem necessary to me.
January 9, 2022
KJV only conspiracy theories, but better than Gail Riplinger’s acrostic algebra.
June 25, 2022
Dr. Grady goes through all this research for a book of fables...nothing more!
November 25, 2025
Great case for FA of KJV! Lots of evidence! So very much information compiled in this book!
May 26, 2023
**I originally did not post this because I know it is a touchy subject for some but i recently discovered new information that made me realize it needed to be said otherwise it would be assumed I didn’t read this book.
After taking over a month to read this, and repeatedly wondering if I should quit and move on, I can honestly say this is one of the most mentally tasking books I have ever read. Aside from the following complaints, this book is just an extremely challenging read in general, not for the faint of heart.
The only people who would enjoy this are those who are so set in their ways regarding the KJVO approach that they already agree with this stance—an unreasonable and stubborn personality trait not worth arguing with. I would hardly describe this as “a Christian’s guide to the King James Bible” but more of a “reasons why I hate Catholics and westcott and hort.” In a style that can only be described as Pharisaism, the author mostly just describes the sins and shortcomings of the translators and other people while giving the impression that everyone who disagrees with him is going to hell.
This books trustworthiness is questionable from the use of the wrong verse in page 2 (quoting 1 kings 18:24, instead of 1 Kings 18:27) and furthermore, this authors character is questionable as he describes westcotts hobbies (gardening and sketching) as wimpy—an argument not even applicable to the book’s supposed content. These are just two examples among many pitfalls.
This book is chock full of insults and misusing quotes to make people appear as evil and malicious as possible. Though it’s possible there are elements to debate over between the Bible versions, the authors arguments are lost among all the other mumbo jumbo. (Literal quote: “now you know why “conservative” Catholics have always opposed abortion! What they really oppose is the killing of their own so they can one day outnumber and kill YOU!”—I mean, come on.) I guess I went into this wanting to hear more about why the King James Version is the best, not why the author hates everything else.
I started reading this because I have been going to a fundamentalist Baptist church for over a year, and I have never really agreed with their stance on the KJV. This book was recommended by the pastor to explain why they exclusively use the KJV. My attitude was “I don’t agree right now, but perhaps they have a good reason and I should be more aware.”
My stance regarding the KJV and other versions has not changed. To be clear, I don’t think there’s anything wrong to prefer the KJV (in fact, I’m presently using this version myself). What I think is wrong is to consider every other version to, more or less, be from Satan. Modern versions only help more people to understand difficult words and passages. It’s really that simple. You can dive into the background of the translators and find a sinful human nature (as with any human—even those who translated the KJV, despite the authors neglect to acknowledge this fact) but that doesn’t change the purpose of Bible translation.
Frankly, I find it close minded and bullheaded. And for lack of a better word, just a silly thing to die on a hill over. Furthermore, it has provoked concern regarding the character of fundamentalist leaders as a whole.
Though this app does not allow for zero stars, I would still give the one star for some interesting historical information, although, as biased as this book is it’s hard to tell how accurate any of this information is and I didn’t fact check every single thing in the book because i couldn’t spend more than the six weeks I already spent reading this. Time to move on!
After taking over a month to read this, and repeatedly wondering if I should quit and move on, I can honestly say this is one of the most mentally tasking books I have ever read. Aside from the following complaints, this book is just an extremely challenging read in general, not for the faint of heart.
The only people who would enjoy this are those who are so set in their ways regarding the KJVO approach that they already agree with this stance—an unreasonable and stubborn personality trait not worth arguing with. I would hardly describe this as “a Christian’s guide to the King James Bible” but more of a “reasons why I hate Catholics and westcott and hort.” In a style that can only be described as Pharisaism, the author mostly just describes the sins and shortcomings of the translators and other people while giving the impression that everyone who disagrees with him is going to hell.
This books trustworthiness is questionable from the use of the wrong verse in page 2 (quoting 1 kings 18:24, instead of 1 Kings 18:27) and furthermore, this authors character is questionable as he describes westcotts hobbies (gardening and sketching) as wimpy—an argument not even applicable to the book’s supposed content. These are just two examples among many pitfalls.
This book is chock full of insults and misusing quotes to make people appear as evil and malicious as possible. Though it’s possible there are elements to debate over between the Bible versions, the authors arguments are lost among all the other mumbo jumbo. (Literal quote: “now you know why “conservative” Catholics have always opposed abortion! What they really oppose is the killing of their own so they can one day outnumber and kill YOU!”—I mean, come on.) I guess I went into this wanting to hear more about why the King James Version is the best, not why the author hates everything else.
I started reading this because I have been going to a fundamentalist Baptist church for over a year, and I have never really agreed with their stance on the KJV. This book was recommended by the pastor to explain why they exclusively use the KJV. My attitude was “I don’t agree right now, but perhaps they have a good reason and I should be more aware.”
My stance regarding the KJV and other versions has not changed. To be clear, I don’t think there’s anything wrong to prefer the KJV (in fact, I’m presently using this version myself). What I think is wrong is to consider every other version to, more or less, be from Satan. Modern versions only help more people to understand difficult words and passages. It’s really that simple. You can dive into the background of the translators and find a sinful human nature (as with any human—even those who translated the KJV, despite the authors neglect to acknowledge this fact) but that doesn’t change the purpose of Bible translation.
Frankly, I find it close minded and bullheaded. And for lack of a better word, just a silly thing to die on a hill over. Furthermore, it has provoked concern regarding the character of fundamentalist leaders as a whole.
Though this app does not allow for zero stars, I would still give the one star for some interesting historical information, although, as biased as this book is it’s hard to tell how accurate any of this information is and I didn’t fact check every single thing in the book because i couldn’t spend more than the six weeks I already spent reading this. Time to move on!
May 23, 2020
My first copy of this book was a hardback purchased from the author at a book signing after hearing him preach/lecture at a Baptist Church in Waverly, Ohio. This was in 1994, if memory serves me. He was one of the nicest gentleman you could ever care to meet.
The book is a history lovers delight. If that history lover is a King James Bible believer, then he's hit pay dirt. Some of my favorite stories include his remarks about his personal evolution on the subject, his personal comments about Peter Ruckman, his re-telling of events like the Guy Fawkes affair ("Remember, Remember the 5th of November!") and his sense of humor.
If you're not IFB (Independent Fundamental Baptist) then some of this will be a bit vague to you. But there is enough in here that even if you're not IFB and not a KJV only believer, the history is factual and the facts are, too! So, you ought to enjoy this one even if you refuse to accept the conclusion.
The book is a history lovers delight. If that history lover is a King James Bible believer, then he's hit pay dirt. Some of my favorite stories include his remarks about his personal evolution on the subject, his personal comments about Peter Ruckman, his re-telling of events like the Guy Fawkes affair ("Remember, Remember the 5th of November!") and his sense of humor.
If you're not IFB (Independent Fundamental Baptist) then some of this will be a bit vague to you. But there is enough in here that even if you're not IFB and not a KJV only believer, the history is factual and the facts are, too! So, you ought to enjoy this one even if you refuse to accept the conclusion.
November 15, 2017
Information- 5 stars
Attitude of author- 1 star
Readability- 3 stars
Average star rating- 3 stars
I’m so glad I’m done with this book.
Attitude of author- 1 star
Readability- 3 stars
Average star rating- 3 stars
I’m so glad I’m done with this book.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews