Battle of the Bibles - Present Truth

The laity were still not impressed. Lagging behind and failing to celebrate the
interconfessional exploits of their adventurous administrators, they would soon be made
to see what was good for them.
The coup de grace came in 1985 in the form of "The Seventh-day Adventist
Hymnal". This is the first time that the contents of any hymn book has received the
imprimatur of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists by the incorporation of
its name in the title.
After voting for this hymnal, mostly sight unseen, church members were in for a
real shock. Aside from some hymns that were distinctly Roman Catholic in sentiment
and even liturgy, it contained an extensive section of Scriptures for corporate reading as
well as a smaller section for corporate prayers and canticles - a new and radical
departure for an historically conservative Protestant church.
In view of the craven desire of the church leadership to promote modern
versions, it should not be surprising to find that the Hymnal Committee and the hierarchy
which supported them, took this opportunity to coerce Adventist congregations into
mouthing Scriptures which they had hitherto rejected and ignored. Members were
shocked to find that this hymnal slighted their beloved King James Bible by practically
ignoring it! Out of some 224 Scripture Readings and prayers intended for corporate
worship, taken from eight Bible versions, the KJV was relegated to a very poor seventh
place in frequency of use. It was utilised fourteen times only!
The Roman Catholic Jerusalem Bible came in second place being used thirtyeight
times - nearly three times more than the KJV! The New International Version
topped the list, being used sixty-eight times! One reading, No 852, purporting to be a
rendition of Psalm 63:1-5 is nothing more than an anonymous paraphrase!
Indicative of the Roman influence behind the selection of these readings is the
use of liturgical terminology which this hymnbook has introduced to Adventist worship.
No 833, taken from Isaiah 6 carries the label: "The Sanctus "; No 835 from Luke 1, titled:
"The Song of Mary" carries the notation, "Commonly called The Magnificat "; and No
836, also from Luke 1, is "Commonly called the Benedictus". All three are New King
James Version renditions. No 837, a rendition of a portion of Luke 2 from the Jerusalem
Bible, is "Commonly called The Nunc Dimittis ".
The few times the King James Version is used is when very well known and oft
repeated texts are quoted. Presumably, the Selection Committee was afraid of offending
reader's sensibilities by trying to rephrase ingrained memory verses. If so, the
Committee failed the test of consistency by quoting John 3:16 from the Jerusalem Bible
(No 782). And again, in No 730, they destroyed a beautiful message which announces
God's comprehensive plan of salvation for all mankind by quoting Luke 2:14 from the
NIV. This rendition promotes a selective type of gospel with which the Roman Church
undoubtedly agrees - "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom
His favour rests".
Another reading selected from the NIV ("Zondervan", 1978) which not only
carries overtones of Catholicism, but is positively preposterous, is to be found in No 756.
Here, David is made to say in Psalm 51:5: "Surely I have been a sinner from birth and
sinful from the time my mother conceived me". It is on this assumption that all babies are
born sinners that Rome hastens to baptise as soon as possible after birth. But this
rendition goes further; all are sinners from the moment of conception! But, by the time
the SDA Hymnal was published in 1985 the publishers of the New International Version
had seen fit to delete this outrage: "and in sin did my mother conceive me" ("Zondervan",
1984).
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