KJVO advocate, Peter Ruckman dead at 94
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How do you respond to the death of a professing Christian who did such incalculable damage?
Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.
Few men in modern times have divided the Body of Christ more than Peter Ruckman. His teachings are responsible for making a cult known as KJVOnlyism.
One time we had a missionary candidate come to our church from Pensacola Bible Institute (and not PCC like the pastor thought). That was an experience I’ll never forget! No one makes that mistake twice… :)
Andy
Ruckman’s strange teaching was not restricted to KJVO.
Among the things I heard:
-At the rapture there will be piles of blood and skin left behind because “flesh and blood” cannot inherit the kingdom of God
-When we get to heaven we’ll all be 33 year-old males because “we shall be like Him”
-OT saints were saved by keeping the Law and, after the rapture, obedience to the Law will again be the condition of salvation
"Some things are of that nature as to make one's fancy chuckle, while his heart doth ache." John Bunyan
I thought SI had a policy of not allowing comments on obituary notices?
Maranatha!
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
[Don Johnson]I thought SI had a policy of not allowing comments on obituary notices?
Rarely observed:
- I about said “OK for heretics” but that’s snarky
- Also: This filing is not a true Obit (I’ll be looking for it)
- Frequently posters comment on how much they appreciated so and so OR how person impacted life, et cetera
Conclusion: Let the moderators be the moderators and move on
Thanks
The biggest question of course is “whose husband will he be in the resurrection?”
In honor of Dr. Ruckman let me encourage all of you to have an NIV for your Old Testament……an NASB for your New Testament……and a KJV for your Apocrypha!
Straight Ahead!
jt
Dr. Joel Tetreau serves as Senior Pastor, Southeast Valley Bible Church (sevbc.org); Regional Coordinator for IBL West (iblministry.com), Board Member & friend for several different ministries;
[Ron Bean]Ruckman’s strange teaching was not restricted to KJVO.
Among the things I heard:
-At the rapture there will be piles of blood and skin left behind because “flesh and blood” cannot inherit the kingdom of God
-When we get to heaven we’ll all be 33 year-old males because “we shall be like Him”
-OT saints were saved by keeping the Law and, after the rapture, obedience to the Law will again be the condition of salvation
And, don’t forget, he predicted the rapture would occur in the 1990s (if I remember correctly, October 1996).
Ruckman was a very interesting artist. I understand he did the covers for all his books. Here are some gems:
- The Mythological Septuagint. I particularly like the guy with the glasses and cigar.
- King James Onlyism vs. Scholarship Onlyism. Notice the lion is eating the NIV, and appears to be crushing F.F. Bruce’s skull.
- The Christian Liar’s Library. Note that James White is there, along with Bruce Metzger and Kurt Aland!
- The Death of Biblical Doctrine. The KJV 1611 has been crucified, and is bleeding out.
- The Simplicity of Salvation. Note that repentance is not mentioned.
- The Two Raptures? Really, two!?
Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.
[Jim]Don Johnson wrote:
I thought SI had a policy of not allowing comments on obituary notices?
Rarely observed:
- I about said “OK for heretics” but that’s snarky
- Also: This filing is not a true Obit (I’ll be looking for it)
- Frequently posters comment on how much they appreciated so and so OR how person impacted life, et cetera
Conclusion: Let the moderators be the moderators and move on
Thanks
I looked it up, context here. It appears to have been changed somewhat from what I remember, but this is what it says:
C. Do not engage in rude or other un-Christlike conduct, including …
5. posting criticism, speculation, etc. in threads about persons recently deceased
I am no fan of Ruckman, but I’ll be interested to see if the moderators actually follow their own policy on this one.
Maranatha!
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
I present more interesting bookcover artwork by Peter Ruckman:
- Hyper-Calvinism: The man in the picture is portrayed as a bunny-rabbit, lovingly inhaling the aroma of five tulips … get it?
- The Path of the Second Advent: Jesus seems to be standing in the midst of a great river. A sword is being explosively propelled from his mouth like a bullet from a gun, and is carving a path through the waters with fire. Interesting …
- Satan’s Masterpiece - The New ASV: An Indian man sits in worship before a fire, out of which a dark and demonic force (complete with malevolent, glowing eyes) arises, holding a Bible.
- The Mark of the Beast: A weird picture adorns the front, sort of a hybrid between a leopard and a man. A demon lurks in the background.
- How to Teach the Bible. This is perhaps the best one. A simple plaque which reads, “Holy Bible A.V.” is framed on the wall behind a teacher. The teacher himself is surrounded by stacks of books which represent apostasy. BJU is specifically mentioned, along with creeds, Greek text, D.A. Waite, grammars, commentaries, word studies, and fundamentalists.
Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.
[TylerR]How do you respond to the death of a professing Christian who did such incalculable damage?
Understand that they have a family that is grieving, and remember that Christ at the end of the day is supreme over man’s misdirection. As an individual who has a grandfather who was also at the center of this movement and who is nearing the last days of his life, I continue to be immensely grateful for some of the good that he did do, while at the same time grateful for the Grace of God, and how God used his teaching (both good and bad) in my life. While I may not understand how or why my grandfather or others taught what they taught, I do continue to learn in many ways.
Don,
Because, as Jim pointed out, this policy is rarely necessary, I wasn’t remembering it when this filing was posted. I guess I’d have to agree that we should either honor it, or change the policy.
To others:
Please refrain from commenting on this thread at the moment. I think it’s pretty safe to say that almost no one here at SI would have been considered a fan of Ruckman or his theology. However, let’s refrain from walking over his grave for a bit.
Dave Barnhart
http://store.kjv1611.org/funeral-information/
In Memory Of
Dr. Peter Sturges RuckmanBorn: November 19, 1921
Saved: March 14, 1949
Died: April 21, 2016Funeral Information:
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Visitation: 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Service: 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.Services To Be Held At:
Bible Baptist Church
1173 JoJo Road, Pensacola FL 32514
Click Here for MapGraveside Following At:
Barrancas National Cemetery
1 Cemetery Road, Pensacola FL 32508
Click Here for MapEastern Gate Memorial Funeral Home will be handling the arrangements.
1985 West 9 Mile Road, Pensacola FL 32534Flowers can be delivered to:
Eastern Gate Memorial Home on Monday or Bible Baptist Church on Tuesday.
Any questions regarding delivery, contact Eastern Gate Memorial Home at (850) 479-9223.Donations can be mailed to Bible Baptist Church (designate Dr. Ruckman Memorial Fund on check). All money will go towards the Prison Ministry and Missions.
*Out of respect to the family and church, visitors with children under the age of 3 will be accompanied to a separate room to view the service from monitors.
*No recording devices of any kind will be allowed at the funeral and graveside services. The funeral will be available from the Bookstore at a later date.
http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Peter…
Peter Sturges Ruckman
November 19, 1921 – April 21, 2016
Matthew 25:21
“His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”
Dr. Ruckman is survived by his wife Pamela Ruckman, married 27 years, Pensacola, FL; and ten children; Diana Walker, Alabama; Priscilla and Michael Thornton, Pensacola, FL; David Ruckman, Pensacola, FL; Mike and Lynette Ruckman, Pensacola, FL; Peter Jr. and Heidi Ruckman, Chicago, IL; Jeremy and Valerie Huggins, Wichita, KS; Bryan Huggins, Ft. Walton Beach, FL; Michael and Lydia Huggins, Pensacola, FL; Laura Ruckman; Rachel Ruckman; 18 grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren.
He is preceded in death by John Hamilton Ruckman, father; Mary Armstrong-Ruckman, mother; Marion Ruckman, sister; and John Ruckman, brother.
Peter Sturges Ruckman was born physically on November 19, 1921, to John and Mary Ruckman in Wilmington, Delaware. At a young age the family moved to Topeka, Kansas, where he grew up while going back to Wilmington during the summertime. He had a brother, Johnny, and a sister, Marion. Coming from a long line of military men, he followed in their footsteps by enlisting in the Army and served in World War II as a DI in hand-to-hand combat in the Philippines and spent time in Japan monitoring the radio broadcasts at Radio Tokyo. But at the age of 29 years old, he enlisted in a different Army. A spiritual Army.
On March 14, 1949, Dr. Ruckman signed up in the Lord’s Army by accepting Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior at the radio station in Pensacola, Florida. He was lead to the Lord by a Baptist preacher, Bro. Hugh Pyle. At one time he wanted to be a “30 year man” and retire from the Army. He now has done over two “30 year hitches” in the Lord’s Army, the “right” Army. Through the 67 years he has served the Lord, his vision and his burden was to reach lost souls for Jesus Christ and to teach people that we have a Bible that is perfect and infallible, that you can hold in your hands – the Authorized King James 1611 Version. He had a burden especially to reach young men for Christ and get them rooted and grounded in the Word of God so they would be equipped to defend that Book against the agnostic scholars who try to rob you of your faith in your King James Bible. From this desire, Pensacola Bible Institute was started. It continues today from Dr. Ruckman prayerfully and wisely choosing a man, Brian Donovan, to train and equip to carry on the work of the school and church after he has gone on to Glory.
Dr. Ruckman had pastored for well over 50 years; including a church in Bay Minette, AL, Brent Baptist Church, and Bible Baptist Church in Pensacola since 1973. He also was the Founder and President of Pensacola Bible Institute which was started in September of 1965.
Dr. Ruckman was a man of many talents. He was a Preacher, Teacher, Street Preacher, Artist, Writer, played the tuba and the harmonica, had studied the Oriental religions, studied martial arts – Taekwondo and Aikido, and started playing hockey as a goalie at 68 years old with his last game being on his 84th birthday. He also played racquetball, enjoyed mullet fishing, was an avid reader, liked to garden and had a small “truck farm” as he called it, and was still swimming “laps” with a snorkel at 93. He had a profound knowledge of the Scripture and its correlation with History. God gave him a special gift to be able to tie in world events and History to the Bible.
And, then, of course, he dearly loved “kids” and “dogs” (especially German Shepherds!). He loved to have them running all around the place. He loved to see them play and laugh. His special treat was to give the kids gummy bears at each service. And if he ran out (to moms’ horror), he would give them strawberry Twizzlers – or – chocolate!
One of the things dearest to Dr. Ruckman’s heart was his burden and love for doing the Prison Ministry. He looked forward to each time he had an opportunity to go into the jails and minister to the men and women there, especially the yearly 2-week long summer “junkets.” That was his “Christmas.”
Words cannot express the appreciation and gratitude for all the love, support, friendship and prayers of so many saints through all the years; some for many years and some just a few. Through many dangers, toils, and snares he has already come. After a fall in 2015 and many months of declining health, he is now at HOME with his Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
God gave him a “Full Cup.”
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