For many years, fake “Dr.” Bob Gray, Sr. pastored the Longview Baptist Temple in Longview, Texas. After retiring, Gray handed off the franchise to his son. Longview Baptist, renamed Emmanuel Baptist Church, is an Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) church noted for its hyper-aggressive approach to evangelism. It is also known for its staunch defense of the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. According to the Grays, there is only one true, perfect, inerrant, infallible, inspired Bible, and that is the 1611 KJV. All other Bible translations are counterfeit, tools used by Satan to lead people astray (never mind the fact that the Grays use the 1769 version of the KJV, not the 1611).Several years ago, Bob Gray, Sr. posted the following graphic on his blog:
In Gray’s mind, Frank Logsdon’s repudiation of the New American Standard Bible is proof that modern translations of the Bible are counterfeits used by Satan to lead people astray. Logsdon’s story has been repeated countless times at IFB preacher’s meetings and conferences. But, here’s the problem . . . the story isn’t true. In fact, is a lie.
Years ago, the Lockman Foundation, the group that holds the copyright to the New American Standard Bible, released a statement about the Frank Logsdon story:
The Board of Directors of The Lockman Foundation launched the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE translation work in the late 1950s following the completion of the AMPLIFIED NEW TESTAMENT. Dr. S. Franklin Logsdon was acquainted with Dewey Lockman, president of The Lockman Foundation, prior to Mr. Lockman’s death in 1974. Mr. Logsdon was never a member of the Board of Directors, nor was he an employee of The Lockman Foundation. Mr. Logsdon had no authority to hire employees or translators for the Foundation, to set policy, to vote, to hold office, to incur expenses, etc. He cannot be considered “co-founder” of the NASB, nor part of The Lockman Foundation, nor part of the NASB translation team, nor did he write the forward of the NASB. According to our records, he was present at board meetings on two occasions — once to hear a travel report; and once to deliver an “inspirational thought.”
Mr. Logsdon last wrote to Mr. Lockman in fall of 1973 that he was moving to Florida. Mr. Lockman replied that he was surprised and saddened by his decision to leave the area. Mr. Lockman passed away in January of 1974, and no further correspondence was exchanged between Frank Logsdon and The Lockman Foundation. He resided in Florida until his passing some years ago.
The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God stands forever. Isaiah 40:8 (NASB)
The Lockman Foundation
This statement appears on James White’s Alpha and Omega Ministries website. Dr. Jay Wile, a young earth creationist, confirmed with the Lockman Foundation that the statement is theirs.
I let Gray, Sr. know that he is spreading a falsehood. As per his custom, he ignored me and continued to spread this lie. Gray deleted my comment from his blog.
This lie can also be found on AV 1611, Defend and Proclaim the Faith, Jack Chick, to name a few sources.
Bruce Gerencser, 66, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 45 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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Brings back a fond memory of my high school youth group’s unofficial slogan: “The King James Version is the sword of the Lord, but The Way is His rubber dagger.”
Why not simply give a url to a talk by S. Franklin Logsdon?
Frank Logsdon Repudiates the NASB
http://av1611.com/kjbp/articles/logsdon-repudiates-nasb.html
(You did give a url to av1611, but somehow missed the major one with the tape.)
The Lockman response is heavily word-parsed (a major skill of those contra the purity of the AV). So why don’t you just say directly, after listening to Logsdon, what specifically you are referring to here: “But, here’s the problem…the story isn’t true. In fact, is a lie.”
Please be sure to actually listen to Logsdon. If you need the most directly relevant spot, there are a couple, around 31:00 is one.
Thanks!
Steven Avery
Hi all. Have you actually LISTENED to the tape of Frank Logsdon talking about the NASB and the King James Bible? It is his own voice and was recorded when he gave this talk. Listen to it, and see if you think he was lying or not.
Frank Logsdon Repudiates the NASB
http://av1611.com/kjbp/articles/logsdon-repudiates-nasb.html
The lie is in reference to the claims referenced by the Lockman Foundation, not the fact that his view changed.
These articles about pastors shows me something: that many if not most of them were deliberately dishonest. Or the kindest interpretation is that they are willfully ignorant. I’m not sure that’s better.
All the claims from S. Franklin Logsdon were true. The Lockman Foundation used word-parsing trickery, and attacked some claims from those who had changed what Logsdon said.
Pure Bible Forum
S. Franklin Logsdon – the correction of a David Cloud error on his excellent testimony
https://purebibleforum.com/index.php?threads/s-franklin-logsdon-the-correction-of-a-david-cloud-error-on-his-excellent-testimony.218/#post-6574
Logsdon very clearly states that his involvement did not include any translation or any part in that side of things. When the liar Gray says Logsdon led the translation, he does so to manipulate the feelings of those unfortunate enough to hear his voice and so he can then trash the translation and say that even the guy who translated it finally repudiated it.
Good preaching is full of lies and its aim to create liars who are ‘saved’ from being simply human. Evangelical Christianity is perhaps most realistically viewed as a virus. It freeloads its way into the body and then claims it. It made me sick. It never saved me at all, nor did it allow me to tell the truth. It taught me to lie.
If I am remembering correctly, this use of the Logsdon quote first began with Gail Riplinger, or at least she makes it seem that way in her book, New Age Bible Versions. So many IFB men parrot her. Fundy pastors let this woman’s materials invade their churches and some have let her speak from their pultpits while they would yell any other woman away from their pulpits. Hypocrite.