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Peter Ruckman

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Peter Sturges Ruckman (born November 19, 1921), is an independent Baptist minister, teacher, writer, and founder of the Pensacola Bible Institute, an unaccredited school in Pensacola, Florida. He is best known for his controversial stance regarding Biblical translation, specifically his assertion that the King James Version constititutes "advanced revelation" and is the only acceptable translation for English speakers.

Biography

Ruckman is the son of Col. John Hamilton Ruckman and the grandson of General John Wilson Ruckman. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Kansas State University. He obtained his Masters from the University of Alabama and Doctorate from the unaccredited Bob Jones University. He was also a personal friend of the founder of the latter institution, Bob Jones Sr. He is now a frequent critic of his alma mater due to its approval of other Bible versions.

Ruckman's early career included serving in the US Army as a combat instructor, and playing as a drummer in a dance band. He began studying for the ministry following his religious conversion on March 14, 1949 at age 27. His ministry has included street preaching, mission hall superintendent, chalk-talk artist, traveling evangelist, church founder, pastor, and author.

Ruckman is the pastor of Bible Baptist Church in Pensacola, and his writings and recorded sermons are published by the Bible Baptist Bookstore. He is known for drawing large Biblical scenes in chalk and pastels, often during his preaching and has also contributed portraits to the "Christian Hall of Fame" in Canton Ohio. His sermons are broadcast by Christian Video Ministries.

A prominent defender of the King-James-Only Movement, Ruckman reportedly believes that the King James Version of the Bible ("KJV") provides "advanced revelation" in English beyond that discernable in the underlying Textus Receptus Greek text. He also claims that the KJV is more authoritative than the modern scholarly opinions as to the true content and meaning of the many variously available Hebrew Old Testament texts and Greek New Testament texts. For Ruckman, the KJV represents the "final authority" and divinely "preserved" word in English that settles the modern disputes and questions as to the meaning and content of the now missing "original autograph" manuscripts.

Ruckman has been married three times, the first two marriages ending in divorce when his wives deserted him. However he expresses a firm belief in marital vows.

Pensacola Bible Institute

Ruckman founded Pensacola Bible Institute (PBI) in 1965 citing disagreements with other institutions (including Bob Jones University) with regard to Biblical translations. To remain independent of outside influence[citation needed], Pensacola Bible Institute is not accredited by any agency recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation or the US Department of Education.[1] Since it is unaccredited by these bodies, it cannot receive any government funding, which includes participating in the student loan program. The school has no website.

Controversy and criticism

Ruckman's position is strongly opposed by supporters of biblical inerrancy, including the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy and at odds with modern scholarly study of the texts. Many KJV-Only follower's views are not represented by Ruckman's position.

It is argued that "there is nothing 'Authorized' about either Luther's Bible or the King James" because "Erasmus and the KJV translators had to sit down and decide what would be in and what would be out of their text"[1]. His position has also been criticized as being directly contradicted by the original Preface of the KJV. [2]

Among Ruckman's more controversial doctrines are his belief that only males can enter heaven, and that for a woman to enter, she must first be converted into a male; that anyone with facial hair cannot enter heaven; and that anyone with long hair (below the collar) cannot enter heaven.

Ruckmanism

The pejorative term Ruckmanism has been coined to describe Ruckman's beliefs on the preservation of Scripture, and those with similar beliefs are often erroneously labeled Ruckmanites [3].

The Ruckmanite views are not to be confused with variants within the "King-James-Only Movement," such as those like Edward F. Hills, D.A. Waite, and those of the Textus Receptus or Majority Text movement, with Wilbur Pickering and Zane Hodges. Of these variants, Ruckman claims the KJV translation itself is "scripture" and is inspired by God in a similar fashion that the original Greek and Hebrew words were inspired. This belief is generally considered among the most extreme viewpoints within the King-James-Only Movement, and is sometimes used to mischaracterise the KJV movement as a whole. The Trinitarian Bible Society, for example, among many others who call themselves "KJV-Only," assert that the KJV is the best English Bible version available, but deny it has the status of "scripture" in its own right. Some of those who claim that one's salvation is dependent on using the KJV have falsely been called "Ruckmanites," although Ruckman rejects this teaching.

One of the controversies made by Ruckman is his approach to those who "criticize" the KJV. He calls such people who value other translations as sissies, heretics, stupid, and professional liars. One example comes from his book, The Christian Handbook of Biblical Scholarship concerning the scholar Spiros Zodhiates. He says, "The man is a liar. His name is Spiros Zodhiates, and he is a good, godly, dedicated, Premillenial, seperated LIAR." (page 151 of his book). He calls the former president of Bob Jones University a worse liar than Adolf Hitler (page 153). Most of his books, including his commentary collection called the Bible Believers Commentary Series, contain constant ascerbic language against other brothers in Christ who simply have a varying opinion on the translation issue.

  1. ^ see christianseparatist.org
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