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The Peter Van Kleeck/James White Debate on the Textus Receptus Being Equal to the New Testament Autographa
I’m happy to say that the biblical and historical position on the preservation of scripture is making headway across the world. Today people refer to this viewpoint or doctrine by different names, including providential preservation view, standard sacred text view, confessional bibliology view, verbal plenary preservation view, and the perfection preservation of scripture view. I think some even use a different label than those. Over twenty years ago now, our church published Thou Shalt Keep Them: A Biblical Theology of the Perfect Preservation of Scripture to provide an exposition of this position from scripture.
About a month or so ago, Chris Arnzen of Iron Sharpens Iron Radio contacted me to debate James White in Pennsylvania. I was glad he asked. This debate, I told him, I wanted to do, would probably do it, but I wasn’t sure if his date would work out for me. I asked him a follow-up about the costs of lodging and travel The next day he told me he needed to know right away so he asked Peter Van Kleeck, who agreed to the debate. I believe it was God’s will. I still want to debate White and wish I could have then, but I was happy that Van Kleeck would be the man to do it.
Along with his dad, Peter Van Kleeck Sr. (Brother Van Kleeck is Jr.), he helps the cause of this doctrine online and many various ways. Several men right now are writing excellent material to read along with what Thomas Ross and I write here and then in our book on preservation. I believe Van Kleeck easily won the debate against James White. I watched it all and have not been able to make the time to critique what occurred, but I don’t want to keep waiting to post the debate, which is right below here.
Every one of the primary defenders of this doctrine, who have contributed much to the defense of the biblical and historical doctrine, would probably do a little bit different in his approach, strategy, or tactics. James White did not answer Van Kleeck’s arguments. His arguments stood and since he took the affirmative, he won. I’m not going to say anymore except that I wish to include below this paragraph the takeaway of Jeff Riddle over the debate. What he said was so close to what I would have said or written about the debate that it could be identical. I don’t think I need to write more than what he said. I might say or write more in the future, but this is good for now.
After having completed this post, I began to listen to the Van Kleecks, dad and son, analyze the debate, starting and stopping and commenting. It is a very helpful exercise, so I’m going to include their videos so far here. They so far have spent two parts on Dr. Van Kleeck’s opening statement and then two parts on White’s opening. Here they are in order.
A Movement Back to the Scriptural and Historical Belief of the Means of the Preservation of Scripture and God’s Sovereignty over His Written Words
In 2003 our church published, Thou Shalt Keep Them, a Biblical Theology of the Perfect Preservation of Scripture (if you prefer Amazon, then here). When you might read the reviews, it reflects the good reviews. The bad ones are because of someone who hates the position or got the kindle edition, which is not a great format of the book. The book focuses on the crux of the issue on versions, that is, what does the Bible teach about its own preservation?
If God says He will preserve His Word, then believers will expect that to come true. They believe what God said He would do. God always does what He says He will do. That issue starts and ends there. Being a believer means believing scripture about scripture.
Our church planned to write a second book that would flesh out the practical ramifications of what God said. It would probably add some further teaching on preservation not found in the first book. The first one did not cover every single preservation passage, especially leaving out Isaiah 59:21 and Revelation 22:18-19. Those two need covering too. Also the second would likely include a chapter on the testimony of the Holy Spirit to Scripture.
To start, someone should ask, “What does the Bible teach about preservation of scripture?” Then, “what does God promise that He will preserve?” After that, “how does God say that He will preserve His Word? Put in another way, “What is the means by which God said He would preserve His Word?”
Most evangelicals and fundamentalists say the Bible is silent on how it is preserved. This matters. It is major. Our book, Thou Shalt Keep Them, explains the means of preservation. God says how. No one answered this point in Thou Shalt Keep Them. I understand. No critical text or multiple version person has an answer.
Our blog here gives you an index with all the articles written on the preservation of scripture and associated doctrines up until about two years ago, when I finished that index. Besides the book we wrote, it is a one stop shop on many different facets of the issue.
Thomas Ross includes a section at faithsaves.net on the preservation of scripture. He wrote many posts here on that doctrine too (see those with “T” next to them). He also produced a video course on the the doctrine of preservation and related doctrines.
I did not start a received text movement. Jesus did that. However, I have been at the forefront of a recent one. You will see Thomas Ross and I with our own heading in a Wikipedia article, titled, “Verbal Plenary Preservation.” Websites with our view mention our book (here, here). Men quote the book on the subject (here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here). Oxford Handbook of the Bible quotes Thou Shalt Keep Them.
The received text movement continues to grow under the following names or titles: Traditional Text, Ecclesiastical Text, Standard Sacred Text, and Confessional Bibliology. I agree with these positions and the men who propagate them. You can now find sites with reading and materials from these, such as Confessional Bibliology, Standard Sacred Text, Text and Translation, and Trinitarian Bible Society. Jeff Riddle writes regularly on this doctrine at Stylos and makes video presentations or podcasts at his Word Magazine youtube site. You can find articles at YoungTextlessandReformed and its podcast. Also see textusreceptus.com.
The biblical and historical position moves forward in various evangelical denominations, including the Unaffiliated and Independent Baptists, certain Southern Baptists, Bible Churches, Free, Orthodox, and Bible Presbyterians, Reformed Baptists, and Free Churches. I’m sure there are more. Feel free to inform me. England has many defenders of the scriptural and historical position on preservation, many in the fellowship of Peter Masters and Metropolitan Tabernacle.
I write, “God’s Sovereignty Over His Words,” because this represents Protestant and Baptist Confessions of Faith. If God keeps believers in salvation, He surely can and will keep His Words. The former proceeds from the latter.
Some new books have been written in the last few years. I would hope to read some or all of these as soon as possible. I’ve read the following book by Milne on kindle. Peter Van Kleeck writes at the Standard Sacred Text website above. I hope these men will think themselves free to refer to Thomas Ross and I by name. We should strengthen one another on this doctrine.
2017
Has the Bible been kept pure? The Westminster Confession of Faith and the providential preservation of Scripture, by Garnet Howard Milne
2021
A Philosophical Grounding for a Standard Sacred Text: Leveraging Reformed Epistemology in the Quest for a Standard English Version of the Bible, by Peter Van Kleeck, Jr.
An Exegetical Grounding For A Standard Sacred Text: Toward the Formulation of a Systematic Theology of Providential Preservation, by Peter Van Kleeck, Sr.
2022
A Theological Grounding for a Standard Sacred Text: An Apologetic Bibliology in Favor of the Authorized Version, by Peter Van Kleeck, Sr. and Jr.
Why I Preach from the Received Text: An Anthology of Essays by Reformed Ministers
You have much to read and think about. These resources will provide much to understand and take the biblical and historical position on the preservation of scripture against the attack by modern textual criticism. Let us keep the momentum going for the glory of the Lord.
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