“From Surface Conflict to Root Assumptions: Using Kwast’s Culture Model as a Theological Tool for Resolving Bible-Version Disputes in the Church”

Abstract

Bible-version disputes often appear to be arguments about wording, translation preference, or loyalty to a trusted edition. In 
congregational settings; however, the visible debate may be the outer layer of a deeper theological conflict involving assumptions about inspiration, preservation, authority, certainty, and trust. This article argues that Lloyd Kwast’s four-layer culture model can serve as a theological diagnostic tool for pastors, teachers, and church leaders seeking to address such conflicts faithfully. Although Kwast developed the model for mission and intercultural understanding, its shift from behaviour to values, beliefs, and worldview helps diagnose intrachurch theological disputes because doctrinal positions often function as meaning systems sustained by loyalties, fears, assumptions, and communal habits. Using KJV-onlyism as a case study, the article distinguishes the grateful use of the King James Version from the conscience-binding claim that a single English edition alone constitutes the preserved Word of God in English. It then tests KJVonly assumptions against Scripture’s witness to inspiration and preservation in 2 Timothy 3:16–17; 2 Peter 1:20–21; Luke 1:1–4; Jeremiah 36; Proverbs 25:1; and the New Testament’s use of the Septuagint. The study concludes with a Kwast-informed pastoral process that moves from diagnosis to discipleship. The aim is clarity with charity: to uphold biblical authority, correct false assumptions, and strengthen congregational unity through Scripture-centered formation.