The Bible Battle

What happens when the king of the King James Only movement squares off against a Catholic apologist who doesn’t apologize for his faith? Peter S. Ruckman styled himself a Fundamentalist, but most Fundamentalist writers disavowed him, partly for his singular beliefs but mostly for his acerbic personality. They thought he was usually wrong in his attitudes and approach, but they tended to agree with him when he went after the Catholic Church.

This lively public debate was held at a large Baptist church. Most listeners were on Ruckman’s side. For their benefit, he didn’t hesitate to thump his Bible, and he made wild claims about the Catholic religion, trying to prove his assertions by quoting Catholic sources. Did he succeed, or was the Fundamentalist king unhorsed by the Catholic knight?

Karl Keating is the author of Catholicism and Fundamentalism, Booked for Life: The Bibliographic Memoir of an Accidental Apologist, The New Geocentrists, the How to Fail at Hiking series, and other works. His avocations include backpacking, studying languages, and playing the baroque mandolino. His author website is karlkeating.com.