A New Message From the Author
It is only four years since the first edition of this book was published, so why another edition so soon? That’s a very good question—and there is a good answer.
There is one major reason for this second, revised edition. It relates to the fact that this present year, 2011, marks the 400th anniversary of a very significant event—the first publication of the Authorised Version of the Bible, known in many parts of the world as the King James Version.
As pointed out later in one of the new chapters in this edition, the Authorised or King James Version of the Bible has influenced the entire English-speaking world for four centuries, and in much more than matters of faith and religious belief. No other book has played such a major role in the development of Western civilisation. It almost beggars belief that when that civilisation is under threat more than at any other time in the past four centuries, we seem willing to turn our backs on the one book that virtually brought our culture into existence. It is an attitude of almost unbelievable folly, born largely from willing ignorance.
Throughout 2011, hundreds of special events will be held in many parts of the world to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the King James Authorised Version. A special website dedicated to this anniversary lists the projects and events planned to mark this important anniversary. They include conferences, lectures, sculpture, drama, film, books and the publication of a special 400th anniversary edition of the King James Authorised Version by the Bible Society in the United Kingdom, which includes a foreword by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales.
This second edition of Can We Still Believe the Bible?—revised throughout and with two additional new chapters—has also been written to mark that significant event, for in reality the celebration of the Authorised Version is also the celebration of the Bible itself, in whatever language or version. At least, that is the underlying message of this book. It is a remarkable opportunity to underline the importance of the Bible to our way of life and to the values we hold as civilised people. It is a chance to emphasise again, at a time when the credibility of the Bible is frequently questioned, that the Bible is credible and its message is crucial to our identity, wellbeing and future.
The original Can We Still Believe the Bible? has been carefully revised throughout, with significant revision to chapters 3, 5 and 8 (originally chapters 2, 4 and 6). The most significant difference from the first edition, however, is the inclusion of two entirely new chapters: Chapter 2, “The Book that Changed the World,” which outlines briefly the fascinating story of the English Bible up to 1611; and Chapter 7, “The Genius of Genesis,” which tackles the credibility of Genesis, a book of the Bible that frequently comes under attack in our time. The bottom line here is that if we can’t believe Genesis, we can’t believe the Bible as a whole.
I believe they are both important to our understanding of the Bible and the crucial place it has had and still deserves in our culture—and in our personal lives and belief systems. Of course, you would expect me to say that, so I must ask you to read these two chapters carefully and thoughtfully for yourself, along with the other chapters that make up this book. Then you will understand more readily why the 400th anniversary of the Authorised King James Version is such a significant milestone in our collective history.
The foreword to the 400th anniversary edition of the King James Authorised Version by The Prince of Wales should be read in its entirety. It emphasises a number of important points. Prince Charles reminds us that the Authorised Version “became a benchmark of civilisation . . . part of the very architecture of our culture.” He goes on to point out that “the survival of civilised values . . . depends on the corresponding survival in our hearts . . . of the sacred,” in this instance the influence of the Authorised Version of the Bible, also known for centuries as simply “The Holy Bible.” And finally, he emphasises that the “Bible preserves a tradition which we ignore at our peril.”
Many of these observations are explored in the various chapters that follow, since they apply in a wider sense to the Bible in any language or version. Of course, this book is broader than that, exploring many aspects of the Bible and attempting to deal with issues many people face when they begin to think about the Bible and its relevance to our modern world.
One further point should be emphasised for those picking up this book for the first time. In the Preface to the original edition, it was explained that while the book had been initially intended for young people of senior high school and undergraduate age, it soon became apparent that its contents and the questions it addressed would be of interest to older people as well. This is exactly how it turned out. It has already been translated into other languages, including Spanish, now the world’s third most widely-used language. This wider orientation of the book is even more true of this edition, especially in view of the additional chapters. And this relates well to the Bible itself—a book for all people of all ages and walks of life, for such is the testimony of history.
So the book you are holding in your hand has been written to draw attention to the immense significance of the Bible in our history, to its importance to life today and to the fact, or facts, that make it possible for us to believe it with as much integrity and conviction as our forefathers have during the past 400 years. Hopefully, it may prove for all who read it the timeless truth of the Bible’s own claim, “The entrance of Your words gives light” (Psalm 119:130, NKJV).
Bryan W Ball
Martinsville, NSW
January 20011