DR. BELL’S FLIP FLOP

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April 12, 2000 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - Dr. Rodney Bell, President of the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship, has gone full circle in his position on the book From the Mind of God to the Mind of Man. He told his staff a few days ago that he did not endorse it and that his endorsement was printed on the book cover without his permission. I reported this as it was stated to me by two men who heard it firsthand. For some reason, though, Dr. Bell did not like the publication of his retraction. He has retracted his retraction, has sided with those who promote modern textual criticism, and is now calling King James Bible defenders extremists. I almost regret getting involved with this sorry mess, but since I already am involved I want to publish his latest statement. I view Dr. Bell’s flip flop with sadness. He is pretending that I and the thousands of men who believe like me, that the Received Text is the preserved Word of God and that the KJV is an accurate translation thereof, are some sort of "KJV-Only extremists." The problem with this is that he knows very well that we don’t believe anything about the KJV that he himself has not said that he believes and that HIS OWN SCHOOL TEACHES. If I am a "KJV-only extremist," so is Dr. Rodney Bell. The difference is that I am not willing to stand by and see the KJV and its underlying text undermined with the heresy of modern textual criticism. Dr. Bell says that he wants to foster charity among the brethren. So do I, and I challenge him or anyone else to show where I and others who believe like I do on the Bible version issue have been uncharitable to anyone. I can say before the Lord that I love Dr. Bell and I praise the Lord for everything the Lord has done through him in this needy world. I have no intention of being uncharitable to Dr. Bell or to anyone else. I respect many men who do not believe exactly like I do in the matter of Bible versions, and I have fellowship with a number of men in that category. This does not mean, though, that I cannot speak out and defend my views and engage those I believe are undermining those views. The Bible does not instruct me to ignore the truth because of love; it tells me to preach the truth in love. I am as convinced that modern textual criticism is heresy as I am that the Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God, and I must preach these things if I am to be faithful to the calling that God has given me. If the preaching of the truth causes division, that is the price that must be paid. There are many things worse than division, and one of those is compromise. I thought we fundamental Baptists understood these matters, but I see that this is not necessarily the case when it comes to the issue of Bible texts and versions.

My dear friends, this issue is not going to go away. The debate over the Received Text-Critical Text has been going on for two centuries, and and those of us who have convictions about this matter are not going to shut up just because we are slanderously called extremists, divisive, uncharitable, Ruckmanites, or whatever. This issue is about the Bible, which is the very foundation of everything we Christians do. It is a foundational, not a tertiary, issue.

Following is Dr. Bell’s pitiful announcement:

______________________________________

April 10, 2000

GENERAL RELEASE FROM OFFICE OF DR. ROD BELL

Pastor, Tabernacle Baptist Church

President, Tabernacle Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary

President, Fundamental Baptist Fellowship

Many have received word from David Cloud and others regarding the statement: F.B.F. PRESIDENT WITHDRAWS ENDORSEMENT OF MIND OF GOD BOOK.

The following is a series of events which have taken place in the last year and has intensified in the last few days.

Several months ago, the publisher of the book, From the Mind of God to the Mind of Man, had put my name and statement, as President of Tabernacle Baptist Bible College, on the back cover without my consent or the consent of the committee. This was a marketing ploy by the publisher to use my name for marketing purposes. My objection was not with the committee, but with the publisher for misrepresenting my name. The publisher apologized for this action and complied with my request to remove my name and statement from the back cover before a second printing.

This last week in our regular staff meeting, I relayed to my staff what had transpired with the book. One of our staff members who is a doctoral candidate and administrative assistant took it upon himself to be the spokesman for me as president of the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship and board member of Bob Jones University. He wrote to Dr. Cloud and used inflammatory statements which were extreme and critical in nature. The staff member has been severely reprimanded for this unauthorized action and has since apologized. I have accepted his apology. Dr. Cloud’s e-mail message has gone across America and the world. It was as if someone had thrown a piece of raw meat to the extremist, KJV Only crowd, saying that Dr. Bell is now off the fence. There has been rejoicing that I have finally taken my stand and moved into their camp. Of course, not a word of this is so. I have never moved and will not move my position.

‘On the Authorized Version: Recognizing that different convictions exist among us regarding Bible texts and versions, we believe we should balance soul liberty with Christian charity in these matters, and therefore, agree not to magnify these differences. We believe we should leave such discussion and decision to the privacy of individual conscience and the sovereign determination of each local church. Though some men may use certain versions in the study for reference, etc., we require the Authorized Version to be used by our students and missionaries in their preaching in the United States. Also, we continue to believe that the Authorized Version is the Word of God in English. We oppose all forms of Ruckmanism.

"Recognizing that different convictions exist among us regarding the method and product of Bible preservation, we all believe that God has indeed kept His promise and has preserved His Word in the original language texts. We believe we should balance soul liberty with Christian charity as to the method and product of Bible preservation and therefore, agree to respect different views. We believe we should leave such discussion and decision to the privacy of individual conscience and the sovereign determination of each local church. We will not make a particular translation or method of preservation a test of fellowship."

(Taken from "Statement by Tabernacle Baptist Ministries on Issues of the Scriptures")

I have since made the decision to leave my name and statement on the book, From the Mind of God to the Mind of Man. I believe in what the committee is trying to do, and I want to go on record stating that. I applaud the committee which tried to reduce the controversy among fundamental brethren. By leaving my name on the book, I feel we are taking the club out of the hand of the extremist KJV-Only crowd. I will do everything I can to foster charity among the brethren and take a balanced position. We will not make a particular translation or method of preservation a test of fellowship.

If you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them for you.

Rod Bell, Sr.
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See also--
"F.B.F.'s Strange Statement on Bible Versions"
"F.B.F. Committed to Modern Versions"