In his introduction entitled "The King James Only Doctrine is a New Idea," James D. Price wrote:
"In 1972, I began teaching in the seminary of Tennessee Temple University, Chattanooga, Tennessee" (King James Onlyism:
A New Sect, p. 3).
James D. Price wrote:
"It was not until the early 1970's, after I began to teach, that I first heard of the King James Only Idea" (p.4).
James D. Price wrote:
"The first mention of this new doctrine came from some students of Peter Ruckman, and then from his own writings.
Investigation revealed that this idea could be traced to the works of Edward F. Hills and Jasper James Ray, publications written in the 1950's.
However, these authors do not seem to have had much influence until their torch was picked up by Peter Ruckman and David Otis Fuller" (p. 4).
Not helping close in on origins, but the following quote by a UK pastor (Alan J. Macgregor, Reformed Baptist, Glasgow) might help along the road of current American and English terminology.
Seems the term evolved from some who said, "I use the King James Version ONLY!", & it may well have begun as a term of derision, as it's so-obviously false. From that, the acronym "KJVO" evolved. And, depending on the context of a given usage, it can still be a term of derision or ridicule.
What I coined, & have often used are the terms "the KJVO myth", as the doctrine fits the definition of a myth, that is, a widely-held, but false, idea-and the term "Freedom Reader" for those such as myself who feel free to use ANY legitimate Bible translation, old or new.
Logos, you earlier mentioned a dude I had many a heated discussion with-Dr. Herb "Hreb" Evans. (He spread more "stuff' than a vegetable farmer!) I don't know if he's still living or not; I've not seen any hooey from him for awhile.
That is why the KJVO really dislike you, as they can always just accuse us who do advocate for the CT and modern versions as being biased and ignorant, yet they cannot use that against you!
Dr. Price taught at Temple Baptist Seminary in the 1970's, and was my Hebrew prof there in the fall of 1976. Sometime during my undergrad years (graduated in 1976), Dr. Roberson, the pastor of Highland Park Baptist church) and president of the schools there, said from the chapel pulpit that we would tolerate no more discussions about Bible versions in the dorms. However, neither then nor at any time in the 1970's did I ever hear the term "King James Only." After seeing your post, I looked in his book (copyright 2006), but couldn't find any place where he talked about when the term was first used.
In the Preface of his book, "The
King
James
Only
controversy
has
been
raging
now
for
over
three
decades.
I
first heard
of
it
in
the early
1970s, shortly
after
I
came to Chattanooga,
TN, . . .
Before my time, but I had read about it in my research. In November 1952, Martin Luther Hux, pastor of Temple Baptist Church of Rocky Mount, North Carolina, shocked many by announcing his intentions to burn a copy of the Revised Standard Bible. (“Rocky Mount Bible-Burning Set Tonight,” Asheville Citizen-Times, Sunday, November 30, 1952, p. 1) Others followed suit, and “One straw in the wind of public reaction was the adoption by the city council of Crestview, Fla., of an ordinance prohibiting the burning of the Revised Standard Version...which prescribed a $500 fine or 90 days in jail...” (“Fundamentalists in Bitter Attack Upon Revised Standard Version of the Bible,” Decatur Sunday Herald and Review, Sunday, February 1, 1953, p. 39)
In North Carolina, the Rocky Mount Ministerial Association declared that none of their members had any sympathy for and part in the Bible burning episode of Hux. (“Ministers Deplore Burning Of New Bible By Local Pastor,” Rocky Mount Telegram, Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Wednesday, December 3, 1952, p. 1B). According to a history of Temple Baptist Church published in The (Nashville/Rocky Mount) Graphic October 16, 1987, Hux actually only burned “…a page from Isaiah, chapter 7, verse 14…” There likely many more threats of burning the RSV than actual burning.
Immaterial to the question of the origin of the term “King James Only.”
In continuing my search, I found the following attribution of the origin of the term -- the academic staff of Bob Jones University.
This is in The 1611 Holy Bible versus Malcolm Bowden. At the moment, I do not know how reliable this is, or even who is the writer. He does not cite any writing, unfortunately.
I doubt this one, especially since he didn't cite a source. I was at BJU 50 years ago, 1970-1972, and never heard the term. Nobody was arguing about the KJV at that time. As I said on my timeline thread, I think the movement started in 1970. So there wasn't a name for it at that time.