I have been interested lately in a piece of Baptist history that is often assumed but rarely documented. That is the history of “King James Onlyism” (KJVO) among the Baptists. Perhaps it is not documented because it is largely missing. I have not found it in writings from men like John Gill, Charles Spurgeon, John Broadus, TP Simmons, etc….And so I thought to look at the old copies of the Baptist Examiner. I found that John R. Gilpin was certainly not KJVO – he quoted from the Revised Version for clarification or even to correct the KJV. After his death, it depended on who the editor was whether there would be any KJVO articles or not. In fact, I found this article, written while Milburn Cockrell was the editor in 1979. I am pasting a link to it here, not looking for a debate but my point is two fold.
1. The KJVO movement among Baptists is new – within maybe the last 50 years by my research.
2. Good and Godly men have differed on it within those 50 years and IT SEEMS TO ME – there was more liberty granted early on to differ. That liberty does not exist much anymore (on one side).
I have a wide fellowship – some KJVO and some who are not KJVO, but I can assure you I know of no Baptist alive today who is anti-KJV. To suggest otherwise is simply to sow division and to slander. These brethren who are not KJVO welcome the KJV in their pulpits and preach the KJV in other pulpits depending on where they are.
Earnestly contending for the faith does not include a 400 year old English Bible Version. There is no reason to cut fellowship from good sound men simply because the cover of their Bible has different letters than yours… The sooner we all realize this, the better.
Here’s the Baptist Examiner link, the article is called “The King James Version.”
http://mpbcohio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/19791215.pdf
Notice Brother Milburn Cockrell printed this at the end of 1979, but there was no backlash, no divisions, and no controversy about it.