April 11, 2014
Pastor Joel Beeke, through RHB, Promoting Modern Bible Translations, Corrupt Teachers, and the UBS
“Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” 1 Corinthians 4:2
On the Lord’s Day morning of February 9, 2014, I preached a message titled “Will the Steward Be Found Faithful?” I hope it was a faithful exposition of that text. Included in the message were some practical examples of a much needed warning sounded in the closing portion of the message. The great number of books sold by Reformation Heritage Books which are written by unfaithful ministers and teachers was one of the practical examples I used, after speaking about the width and breadth of a minister’s responsibility to Christ and His church. I used RHB in the context of Pastor Joel Beeke being the founder and editorial director of that ministry or business. After all, this widely influential man is a steward of the Lord’s household of faith, as are all ministers of Christ. The audio of the full sermon can be found here. The written transcript of just the last portion containing the information I just mentioned can be found here.
Rev. Ivan Foster and I have done what we could over the past almost two years to sound a warning concerning the ministry practices of Dr. Beeke, including but certainly far from limited to the corrupt ministers and teachers his RHB promotes (A Heartfelt Warning Concerning the Deep and Open Ministry Compromises of Dr. Joel Beeke). Of course, a great many of those unsound, unfaithful teachers use modern Bible translations, including in their books which are merchandised by RHB to the body of Christ. This is bad enough in itself, but neither Mr. Foster nor I have thought that Dr. Beeke’s RHB would boldly sell to the Lord’s blood-bought people a modern Bible translation! It turns out we were wrong. RHB has been selling the corrupt ESV “Bible”—in fact, two different editions of the ESV.
http://www.heritagebooks.org/products/esv-literary-study-bible-limited-quantity.html
http://www.heritagebooks.org/products/esv-single-column-legacy-bible-limited-quantity.html
Apparently, the ESVs at RHB are not selling too briskly because they are currently on sale at a reduced price. I suppose some supporter of Dr. Beeke may well seize on this as a sign of his faithfulness. After all, perhaps RHB is liquidating their stock of the ESV. Believe me, in the past couple of years, Mr. Foster and I have heard it all! At this point, no irrational, Scripture-denying excuse in defense of Dr. Beeke’s unfaithfulness in ministry or no personal insult hurled our way would surprise us. But, why has RHB been selling the ESV in the first place? And if Pastor Beeke has been convinced he was in error to provide ESV Bibles to members of the body of Christ, true repentance would be to destroy the stock which RHB has on hand, not make it more attractive at a reduced price.
And as long as I am on this issue of RHB and corrupt Bible translations, there are two other RHB offerings I may as well mention. For $60, Christians can purchase The Epistle of James: The New International Greek Testament Commentary (http://www.heritagebooks.org/the-epistle-of-james-the-new-international-greek-testament-commentary). The RHB promotion of this book states that it is part of “a series based on the UBS Greek New Testament.” UBS stands for the United Bible Societies, which, briefly put, is deeply ecumenical and deeply involved in the corruption of the word of God. The UBS Greek New Testament is the corrupt Critical Greek Text, not the Textus Receptus which is the Greek text the Lord gave and has preserved inerrant.
Peter Davids, the author of the book RHB is offering, is an ordained minister and currently a visiting professor of Christianity at Houston Baptist University. Among Dr. Davids’s accomplishments, as described on the HBU website, are: “He has also been part of several Bible translations projects (including The New Living Translation, The Voice, and The Common English Bible)” (http://www.hbu.edu/Choosing-HBU/Academics/Colleges-Schools/School-of-Christian-Thought/Departments/School-of-Theology/Faculty/Peter-Davids.aspx). This is not a man or a book or a series or a Greek New Testament or a Bible society that should be in any way promoted to Christians for their growth in spiritual knowledge and wisdom—quite the contrary! Yet Dr. Beeke, through his RHB, is doing just that.
The next RHB offering I would make mention of is The New American Commentary: Judges, Ruth by Daniel L. Block (http://www.heritagebooks.org/products/the-new-american-commentary-judges-ruth.html). This book is a “commentary based on the New International Version” which has “the NIV text printed in the body of the commentary” and “genuinely focuses on what the text says.” I would not think it is necessary to comment on what an unfaithful and dangerous thing it is for RHB to promote and sell this book to the body of Christ. Nevertheless, the RHB promotion of it declares, “Pastors and Bible teachers will be grateful for this resource for years to come.” Are we supposed to be grateful to Dr. Beeke and RHB then that ministers and teachers of the Lord’s church are so deeply influenced by such a God-dishonoring, Scripture-perverting book?
For those who may not be aware of the facts concerning the ESV and the NIV, I provide these links to well documented articles at the Trinitarian Bible Society:
“The English Standard Version” http://www.tbsbibles.org/pdf_information/139-1.pdf
“New International Version: What today's Christian needs to know about the NIV” http://www.tbsbibles.org/articles/new-international-version-what-todays-christian-needs-to-know-about-the-niv-1
My sole motive in sharing the information I have in this short message is simply a great concern for the honor of Christ my Savior and the good of His blood-bought flock. As a minister of Christ, I am only seeking to be found faithful. “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10).
Sincerely,
Ralph Ovadal
Rev. Ivan Foster and I have done what we could over the past almost two years to sound a warning concerning the ministry practices of Dr. Beeke, including but certainly far from limited to the corrupt ministers and teachers his RHB promotes (A Heartfelt Warning Concerning the Deep and Open Ministry Compromises of Dr. Joel Beeke). Of course, a great many of those unsound, unfaithful teachers use modern Bible translations, including in their books which are merchandised by RHB to the body of Christ. This is bad enough in itself, but neither Mr. Foster nor I have thought that Dr. Beeke’s RHB would boldly sell to the Lord’s blood-bought people a modern Bible translation! It turns out we were wrong. RHB has been selling the corrupt ESV “Bible”—in fact, two different editions of the ESV.
http://www.heritagebooks.org/products/esv-literary-study-bible-limited-quantity.html
http://www.heritagebooks.org/products/esv-single-column-legacy-bible-limited-quantity.html
Apparently, the ESVs at RHB are not selling too briskly because they are currently on sale at a reduced price. I suppose some supporter of Dr. Beeke may well seize on this as a sign of his faithfulness. After all, perhaps RHB is liquidating their stock of the ESV. Believe me, in the past couple of years, Mr. Foster and I have heard it all! At this point, no irrational, Scripture-denying excuse in defense of Dr. Beeke’s unfaithfulness in ministry or no personal insult hurled our way would surprise us. But, why has RHB been selling the ESV in the first place? And if Pastor Beeke has been convinced he was in error to provide ESV Bibles to members of the body of Christ, true repentance would be to destroy the stock which RHB has on hand, not make it more attractive at a reduced price.
And as long as I am on this issue of RHB and corrupt Bible translations, there are two other RHB offerings I may as well mention. For $60, Christians can purchase The Epistle of James: The New International Greek Testament Commentary (http://www.heritagebooks.org/the-epistle-of-james-the-new-international-greek-testament-commentary). The RHB promotion of this book states that it is part of “a series based on the UBS Greek New Testament.” UBS stands for the United Bible Societies, which, briefly put, is deeply ecumenical and deeply involved in the corruption of the word of God. The UBS Greek New Testament is the corrupt Critical Greek Text, not the Textus Receptus which is the Greek text the Lord gave and has preserved inerrant.
Peter Davids, the author of the book RHB is offering, is an ordained minister and currently a visiting professor of Christianity at Houston Baptist University. Among Dr. Davids’s accomplishments, as described on the HBU website, are: “He has also been part of several Bible translations projects (including The New Living Translation, The Voice, and The Common English Bible)” (http://www.hbu.edu/Choosing-HBU/Academics/Colleges-Schools/School-of-Christian-Thought/Departments/School-of-Theology/Faculty/Peter-Davids.aspx). This is not a man or a book or a series or a Greek New Testament or a Bible society that should be in any way promoted to Christians for their growth in spiritual knowledge and wisdom—quite the contrary! Yet Dr. Beeke, through his RHB, is doing just that.
The next RHB offering I would make mention of is The New American Commentary: Judges, Ruth by Daniel L. Block (http://www.heritagebooks.org/products/the-new-american-commentary-judges-ruth.html). This book is a “commentary based on the New International Version” which has “the NIV text printed in the body of the commentary” and “genuinely focuses on what the text says.” I would not think it is necessary to comment on what an unfaithful and dangerous thing it is for RHB to promote and sell this book to the body of Christ. Nevertheless, the RHB promotion of it declares, “Pastors and Bible teachers will be grateful for this resource for years to come.” Are we supposed to be grateful to Dr. Beeke and RHB then that ministers and teachers of the Lord’s church are so deeply influenced by such a God-dishonoring, Scripture-perverting book?
For those who may not be aware of the facts concerning the ESV and the NIV, I provide these links to well documented articles at the Trinitarian Bible Society:
“The English Standard Version” http://www.tbsbibles.org/pdf_information/139-1.pdf
“New International Version: What today's Christian needs to know about the NIV” http://www.tbsbibles.org/articles/new-international-version-what-todays-christian-needs-to-know-about-the-niv-1
My sole motive in sharing the information I have in this short message is simply a great concern for the honor of Christ my Savior and the good of His blood-bought flock. As a minister of Christ, I am only seeking to be found faithful. “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10).
Sincerely,
Ralph Ovadal