Buyer beware! Their goods were rejected for centuries by those who revered the Bible. Their manuscripts, roots and renderings were dumped in trash cans and disposed of in garbage heaps where they belonged. Sadly, Rummagers have climbed and burrowed into those reeking deposits of waste and pulled out what they could salvage, and have presented it to the world as "the better manuscripts," and "better translations," etc. 

Just who are the Rummagers? 

Most Rummagers are rank modernists, liberals and outright infidels. You find them in Ivy League "Divinity schools," among the "Jesus Fellows," who have denied over eighty percent of the words of Jesus as being authentic.  

(Jesus Fellows? Have you noticed how so many unsavory groups take on names that are designed to make you think they are friends of those people and ideas which they are attacking? For example, People for the American Way are determined to destroy the American way.) 

Jehovah's Witness and Mormon "scholars" are prominent Rummagers, as are Roman Catholic theologians. 

Astoundingly, a growing number of those who call themselves fundamentalists and Bible conservatives have joined ranks with Jehovah's Witnesses, Harvard theologians and the like, and proudly and arrogantly march side by side with them, jauntily waving the somewhat mildewed ensign of the Rummagers. 

Since our readers are largely Bible believers who consider themselves fundamental, conservative, or evangelical, we are most concerned with helping them, and will so write in terms familiar to them. The Ivy League, Jesus Fellows and the like are not likely to read this book. If any should, we say, "Welcome to the other side of the story."  

If you are a Rummager, Please be not offended 

In trying to help his readers be fully aware of the problems as he deeply believes them to be, the author will not always portray the opposing views in a flattering light. That is because he is convinced that Christians must see the dangers, damages, and weaknesses; and because he believes the absurdities of the Westcott-Hort position must be shown as he believes they are; and, further, because he has no doubt that the Westcott-Hort position is the grand-master of a master plan to destroy the Bible.  

However, nothing is meant to be personal. He is dealing with the total issue, and the total community of what he calls Rummagers. You, though part of that community, he views as a disagreeing friend. 

If, in spite of this, you are offended, he welcomes you to call him, backwoods, ignorant, a Southern redneck, or any of the other terms so often used of those of his persuasion. After all, he is certainly Southern, loves the backwoods, and sunburns rather easily. He agrees not to be offended by your caricature of him, if you will agree not to be offended by his sometimes unflattering portrayal of the total community of Rummagers.  

In fact, he will not be offended even if some Rummagers call him numerous colorful names, while choosing to be offended themselves. 

Rendering the original languages 

This is a term referring to a Rummager - sometimes even a misguided KJV 1611 man - trying to translate a word or phrase or passage directly from Greek or Hebrew, rather than trusting what the Bible - the KJV 1611 - says.  

There are many problems with doing that. Among those problems is that the Greek or Hebrew text they are using is almost always very corrupt and filled with errors because it is based on the Alexandrian school of texts, and the works of the infidels, Westcott and Hort, both described below. One cannot make good apple butter with rotten apples. Another problem is that the "renderer" is vastly underqualified compared to the team of mighty scholars who translated the KJV. When one "renders the original language," he is like the village dolt instructing Galileo in astronomy, Madonna instructing the woman of Proverbs 31:10 ff in virtue, Daffy Duck telling Pavarotti how to sing, the town drunk telling Peter and Paul how to preach, a draft dodger telling the Marines how to fight. (Actually, here in 1996, we do have a draft dodger telling the Marines how to fight - he's in the White House.)