Sacred Harp Conventions in old Alabama

While researching Sacred Harp singing in Alabama – particularly the work of W. M. Cooper in revising the Sacred Harp early in the 20th century – I have encountered numerous mentions of Sacred Harp conventions. A compiled list of of almost 60 conventions mentioned appears below, and at least one source in which each is given.  Conventions in the list are (or at least believed to be) those which solely used The Sacred Harp or one of its revisions. It is nevertheless possible that some allowed some other books at times. Some of these convention still exist and are well-known, while others are gone and forgotten. Any dates of origin below are those in the source document and are only as accurate as the person making the claim. This listing intends to preserve their names online for those who have no access to these newspapers. In some cases it is possible that some conventions are duplicates – for example, a convention may have changed its name. “Musical Convention” was the early common denominator, but as other books encroached on The Sacred Harp a convention might add “Sacred Harp” to its name to identify its textbook or to assert they adopted the exclusive use of it.

Alabama Sacred Harp Conventions.

• Aiken Musical Convention, The Ozark Banner-Advertiser, Ozark, Alabama, Thursday, September 28, 1893 - Page 3
• Ashville Sacred Harp Singing Convention, Southern Aegis, Ashville, Alabama, Wednesday, March 24, 1915 - Page 3
• Bear Creek Sacred Harp Singing Convention, Franklin County Times, Russellville, Alabama, Thursday, August 28, 1919 - Page 3 (org. circa 1898)
• B. F. White Sacred Harp Musical Association, The Ashland Progress, Ashland, Alabama, Friday, August 06, 1920 - Page 1 (also B. F. White Sacred Harp State Singing Convention; used J. L. White’s song book)
• Boiling Spring Musical Convention, People’s Party Advocate, Ashland, Alabama, Friday, September 08, 1893 - Page 3 (also Boiling Springs)
• Butler County Singing Convention, The Greenville Advocate, Greenville, Alabama, Wednesday, April 26, 1911 - Page 4
• Central Choctawhachie Musical Convention, The Times and News, Eufaula, Alabama, Thursday, November 07, 1895 - Page 2; The Abbeville Times, Abbeville, Alabama, Thursday, May 16, 1907 - Page 4
• Central Sacred Harp Singing Convention, The Florala News, Florala, Alabama, Thursday, September 13, 1917 - Page 1
• Chambers County Sacred Harp Singing Convention, The Alexander City Outlook, Alexander City, Alabama, Wednesday, August 07, 1918 - Page 1
• Chanehatchie Sacred Harp Musical Convention, The Times and News, Eufaula, Alabama, Thursday, November 08, 1906 - Page 3 (also Chaneehatchee, Chaneyhatchee, Chanyhatchie) possibly organized circa 1880
• Choctawhatchee Musical Convention, The Times and News, Eufaula, Alabama, Thursday, May 24, 1906 - Page 2
• Clayhatchie Musical Convention, The People’s Ledger, Enterprise, Alabama, Thursday, July 31, 1902 - Page 1
• Clear Creek Musical Convention, The Guntersville Democrat, Guntersville, Alabama, Thursday, August 16, 1900 - Page 3
• Cleburne County Sacred Harp Singing Convention, The Cleburne News, Heflin, Alabama, Thursday, August 05, 1920 - Page 3
• Coffee County Musical Convention, The Elba Clipper, Elba, Alabama, Friday, June 29, 1906 - Page 3 (used both books, “old” and “revised” Sacred Harp; The Elba Clipper, Thursday, June 22, 1905 - Page 1)
• Columbia Musical Convention, Dothan Home Journal, Dothan, Alabama, Tuesday, January 27, 1903 - Page 5
• Cotaco Singing Convention, The Tribune-Gazette, Cullman, Alabama, Saturday, July 27, 1901 - Page 1
• County Line Singing Convention, The Troy Messenger, Troy, Alabama, Wednesday, August 28, 1907 - Page 8
• Covington County Sacred Harp Singing Convention, The Andalusia Star, Andalusia, Alabama, Tuesday, August 28, 1917 - Page 4
• East Alabama Musical Convention, South Western Baptist, Tuskegee, Alabama, Thursday, October 28, 1858 - Page 1; South Western Baptist, October 24, 1861 - Page 2 (name varies and may have originally been an extension of the Southern Musical Convention of Georgia)
• Elmore County Sacred Harp Singing Convention, The Weekly Herald, Wetumpka, Alabama, Thursday, June 25, 1914 - Page 3
• Enterprise District Musical Convention, The Ozark Tribune, Ozark, Alabama, Tuesday, August 30, 1904 - Page 4 (org. 1904)
• Escambia Musical Convention (at Mortimer, Alabama), The Pine Belt News, Brewton, Alabama, Thursday, July 22, 1915 - Page 1 (org. circa 1907)
• Etowah Sacred Harp Singing Convention, The Gadsden Times-News, Gadsden, Alabama, Friday, July 30, 1909 - Page 4 (also Etowah County)
• Fayette and Lamar County Sacred Harp Musical Convention, The Marion County News, Hamilton, Alabama, Thursday, July 26, 1923 - Page 1
• Hillabee Singing Convention, The Andalusia Star, Andalusia, Alabama, Tuesday, August 28, 1917 - Page 4 (org. circa 1873)
• Houston County Musical Convention, Dothan Eagle, Dothan, Alabama, Friday, August 08, 1913 - Page 1
• Jay Bird Sacred Harp Singing Convention, The Guntersville Democrat, Guntersville, Alabama, Thursday, June 30, 1910 - Page 3
• Jefferson County Sacred Harp Singing Convention, The Gadsden Daily Times-News, Gadsden, Alabama, Saturday, August 03, 1907 - Page 2
• Macedonia Singing Convention (Bullock County), Union Springs Herald, Union Springs, Alabama, Wednesday, July 22, 1885 - Page 3
• Marshall County Sacred Harp Singing Convention, The Guntersville Advertiser, Guntersville, Alabama, Tuesday, August 14, 1917 - Page 3
• Middle Creek Musical Convention, Southern Star, Newton, Alabama, Wednesday, September 13, 1922 - Page 3
• Mt. Pisgah Singing Society, The LaFayette Sun, LaFayette, Alabama, Wednesday, July 26, 1911 - Page 1
• Newton Musical Convention, Southern Star, Newton, Alabama, Wednesday, October 04, 1916 - Page 2
• Pigeon Creek Musical Convention, The Greenville Advocate, Greenville, Alabama, Wednesday, July 22, 1908 - Page 4
• Pike County Sacred Harp Singing Convention, The Troy Messenger, Troy, Alabama, Wednesday, November 10, 1909 - Page 5
• Pilgrim’s Home Musical Convention, Dothan Eagle, Dothan, Alabama, Friday, October 31, 1913 - Page 6
• Randolph County Sacred Harp Singing Convention, The Roanoke Leader, Roanoke, Alabama, Wednesday, June 06, 1917 - Page 1
• Redan Union Sacred Harp Singing Society, The Cullman Tribune, Cullman, Alabama, Thursday, June 03, 1915 - Page 6
• Rock Creek Mountain Home Sacred Harp Singing Convention, The Tribune-Gazette, Cullman, Alabama, Saturday, August 10, 1901 - Page 1
• Sand Mountain Sacred Harp Singing Convention, The Gadsden Daily Times-News, Gadsden, Alabama, Saturday, August 03, 1912 - Page 1
• Shiloh Singing Convention, The Monroe Journal, Claiborne, Alabama, Thursday, April 13, 1893 - Page 3
• Skirum Creek Sacred Harp Singing Convention, The Boaz Leader, Boaz, Alabama, Thursday, July 27, 1916 - Page 2
• Southeastern Sacred Harp Musical Convention, The Ozark Banner-Advertiser, Ozark, Alabama, Thursday, September 28, 1893 - Page 3; The Troy Messenger, Troy, Alabama, Wednesday, September 18, 1907 - Page 5 (also Southeast Alabama, South Eastern, Southeastern Alabama)
• Southern Harmony Musical Convention, Abbeville Herald, Abbeville, Alabama, Thursday, June 28, 1923 - Page 1 [i]
• State Musical Convention, The Lamar Democrat, Vernon, Alabama, Wednesday, July 06, 1910 - Page 5
• St. Clair County Sacred Harp Semi-Annual Singing Convention, Southern Aegis, Ashville, Alabama, Wednesday, July 05, 1916 - Page 3
• Sweetwater Musical Convention, Crenshaw County News, Luverne, Alabama, Thursday, April 21, 1921 - Page 5 (also Alabama Sweetwater, Sweet Water) org. circa 1862
• Talladega County Sacred Harp Singing Convention, The Ashland Progress, Ashland, Alabama, Friday, August 20, 1915 - Page 1
• Union Singing Convention of DeKalb County, The Fort Payne Journal, Fort Payne, Alabama, Wednesday, August 05, 1903 - Page 1 (The Fort Payne Journal, Wednesday, May 03, 1905 - Page 1)
• Union Singing Convention of the 4th District, The Greenville Advocate, Greenville, Alabama, Wednesday, June 18, 1890 - Page 3
• Valley Grove Sacred Harp Singing Convention, The Cullman Tribune, Cullman, Alabama, Thursday, August 25, 1910 - Page 7
• Walker County Sacred Harp Singing Convention, Mountain Eagle, Jasper, Alabama, Wednesday, July 18, 1917 - Page 1
• Warrior River Sacred Harp Singing Convention, The Southern Democrat, Oneonta, Alabama, Thursday, July 30, 1914 - Page 1 (organized 1874, The Southern Democrat, Thursday, March 14, 1907 - Page 4)
• West Cullman Singing Convention, The Tribune-Gazette, Cullman, Alabama, Saturday, July 27, 1901 - Page 1

Honorable mention

• Chilton County Singing Convention Number 3, The Union-Banner, Clanton, Alabama, Thursday, May 11, 1911 - Page 1 (Sacred Harp and Christian Harmony)
• The Macedonia 4th of July singing was organized by John S. Terry and others in 1872; Union Springs Herald, Union Springs, Alabama Wednesday, July 09, 1913 - Page 1

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[i] Southern Harmony Musical Convention, despite its name, was a Sacred Harp convention (see also Abbeville Herald, Abbeville, Alabama, Thursday, July 01, 1920 - Page 8).

Things I thought of

...or so I think.

After being created by the Borden’s Company, Elsie the Cow and Elmer the Bull soon became ‘legend dairy’.

Biblical norms have not changed. Society cannot figure out what to do with the sexual promiscuity to which they have consented and promoted.

Daylight Savings Time is bi-annual psychological warfare of the United States government against its people.

Our identity defines our activity. Our activity determines our attire.

Politics is shady business. And usually it’s the politicians blocking the light.

Religion without Jesus is like a manure pile; it stinks mightily until it finally dries up!

Sometimes we dismiss substantial portions of Scripture that do not fit our theology. More likely we should dismiss substantial portions of our theology that do not fit Scripture!

Western pulpits need to make their move from pathetic to prophetic.

Who says there is just one elephant in the room?

You don’t always get the gig you applied for. Deal with it!

Some more Baptist books

Stray selections on Baptist history, randomly gleaned from the World Wide Web

• A History of the Cape Fear Conference of Original Free Will Baptists: 1855-2010, by Gary F. Barefoot, Alan K. Lamm, Michael R. Pelt, Ricky J. Warren
• A History of the Sandy Creek Baptist Association: From Its Organization in A.D. 1758, to A.D. 1858, by George W. Purefoy
• A Memoir of Abner W. Clopton, by Jeremiah Bell Jeter
• Articles of Faith and Practice of the Regular Baptist Church in Welland, C.W. (Ontario), by Welland Regular Baptist Church
• Baptist Churches in Alabama: Clay, Randolph, Talladega and Tallapoosa Counties, by Wayne Ray
• Baptist History of the North Pacific Coast: With Special Reference to Western Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska, by John Clapp Baker
• Bethel Baptist Church (New Carlisle, Ohio) History, 1822-1972, by Jean Harris
• Biographical History of Primitive or Old School Baptist Ministers of the United States, by Reden Herbert Pittman
• Condensed History of the Old School Miami Baptist Association of Ohio, by William Dodd
• History of Atkinson Missionary Baptist Church, 1903-1977 (NC), by Dora Ludlam Corbett
• History of Baptist Churches in Maryland connected with the Maryland Baptist Union Association, by John F. Weishampel
• History of Franklin Association of United Baptists, by William Pinckney Throgmorton
• History of the Baptist Church at Stoke Green, Ipswich, compiled from authentic records (England), by Sarah Johnson Everett
• History of the Illinois River Baptist Association, and of Its Churches, by Gilbert Stephen Bailey
• History of the North Carolina Chowan Baptist Association, 1806-1881, by James Almerius Delke
• History of the South Fork Baptist Association (NC), by William Alexander Graham
• Isaac McCoy: Early Indian Missions, by Walter Newton Wyeth
• John Jasper, the Unmatched Negro Philosopher and Preacher, by William Eldridge Hatcher
• Lectures on Baptist History, by William R. Williams
• Memoir of the late Rev. Lemuel Covell, Missionary to the Tuscarora Indians and the Province of Upper Canada, by Deidamia Brown
• Memorials of the Late Elder William Curry King: Brief History of Bush Arbor Church (NC), by Donald E. Smith, William Curry King
• The American Baptist Year-book, 1883, by American Baptist Publication Society
• The Baptist History of South Dakota, by T. M. Shanafelt
• The Early Trails of the Baptists: a History of the Strawberry Baptist Association 1776-1976 by 200th Anniversary Committee
• The History of Ballard's Bridge Baptist Church (NC), by Ballard's Bridge Baptist Church
• The Life and Services of Rev. John E. Dawson, D. D., by Mrs. A. P. Hill, Atlanta, GA: Franklin Steam Printing House, 1872
• The Life, Conversion, Preaching, Travels, and Sufferings of Elias Smith, by Elias Smith
• The Life of Elder Abel Thornton, late of Johnston, R.I. A preacher in the Free-Will Baptist Connexion, by Abel Thornton
• The Story of Early Baptist History in California, by Osgood Church Wheeler
• Virginia Baptist Ministers, by James Barnett Taylor and George Braxton Taylor

All Nations Grieves Reported Death, and other links

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

• All Nations Grieves Reported Death of ‘Humble, Courageous’ Missionary on Remote Indian Ocean Island -- "Leaders, members and friends of All Nations (www.allnations.us), an international Christian missions training and sending organization, are mourning the reported death of one of its missionaries, 27-year-old John Allen Chau of Vancouver, Wash., U.S.A."
• A Summary of Inmillennialism -- "The existing prophetic models—historic premillennialism, dispensational premillennialism, postmillennialism, and amillennialism—are inadequate. They do not explain the Bible’s entire prophetic message."
• Biblical Epistemology -- "Truth is that which corresponds to the mind of God."
• Does Everyone Have a Guardian Angel? -- "Some of the ancient fathers, schoolmen, and papists, hold the affirmative, for which they produce these arguments."
• Focus on Texas: Abandoned Buildings -- "Once vital parts of the community, abandoned buildings now stand quietly as we go about our daily lives. Amidst the ruin there is beauty, as the surrounding landscape slowly takes over."
• Jonah Goldberg: Political parties can no longer harness their bases -- "As odd as it sounds, political parties in democracies have an important anti-democratic function. Traditionally, the parties shaped the choices put to voters."
• On the Place of Evidence in Presuppositional Apologetics -- "I am not formally trained in epistemology, and therefore I rely on what the Bible reveals about the nature of knowledge and how we come to obtain it."
• Pastors in peril: Can power rewire their brains? -- "...leaders lose mental capacities – most notably for reading other people – that were essential to their rise'."
• Preacher, Study the Text—But Also Study Your People -- "A preacher who studies the text but not his people is missing out on clearer application and more nuanced communication."
• The most remote tribe in the world — untouched and uncontacted -- "In 1967, the Indian government began a series of “Contact Expeditions” to the island, under anthropological guidance. They wanted to establish contact with the tribes in the archipelago. Spoiler alert: it didn’t turn out so well."
• The Sins Behind the Sin of Pornography -- "We cannot choke out weeds without also killing their seeds, without treating the soil in which they take root, and without limiting the fertilizers we use to feed them."
• Three Critiques of Authorized that Bear Weight with Me -- "Let’s not make an “only-not-King-James” tribe to compete against the “KJV-Only” tribe."
• Why Does the World Need the Church? -- "Christians whose light shines in public places should prefer the language of morality to that of utility, that they ought to self-consciously speak of “right and wrong” whenever possible."
• 5 Signs Your Church Might Be Heading toward Progressive Christianity -- "Several years ago, my husband and I began attending a local Evangelical, non-denominational church, and we loved it...Sadly, the church started going off the rails theologically, and after about a year and a half, we made the difficult decision to leave."

Hypotheses on Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

My fragments on fragments: Below are a few facts compiled awhile back, for which I have not had time to follow up. At this point I do not remember much of what I originally wrote (a little) and what is merely collected (most). I will go ahead and post this, and perhaps you can find minor usefulness in it somewhere.

According to Wikipedia, “The documentary hypothesis (DH) is one of three models used to explain the origins and composition of the first five books of the Bible…”[i] This hypothesis posits “four sources, each originally a separate and independent book (a ‘document’), joined together at various points in time by a series of editors (‘redactors’).”

The four sources claimed (with posited dating) are:[ii]

• The Yahwist source (J), written circa 800 BC.
• The Elohist source (E), written circa 700 BC.
• The Deuteronomist source (D), written circa 600 BC.
• The Priestly source (P), written circa 400 BC.

The supplementary hypothesis claims the Torah or Pentateuch is a single core document supplemented by fragments taken from many sources.

The fragmentary hypothesis claims it is a collection of small fragments.

The Wiseman hypothesis, sometimes called the tablet theory, is a theory of the authorship and composition of the Book of Genesis which suggests that Moses compiled Genesis from tablets handed down through Abraham and the other patriarchs.

The documentary hypothesis removes authorship of the Pentateuch from Moses, who died probably 700 or so years before the earliest so-called source. This is in clear contrast to the Bible itself and Jesus himself, both of which assume Mosaic authorship.

“The medieval sage Maimonides (c.1135-1204) enshrined this in his Thirteen Principles of Faith (a summary of the required beliefs of Judaism), the 8th of which states: ‘I believe with perfect faith that the entire Torah presently in our possession is the one given to Moses’.”

Some use the record of the death of Moses in the last chapter of Deuteronomy to “prove” that he did not write the Pentateuch. Yet, many biblicists have no problem accepting this as supplemented by Joshua. Martin Luther similarly concluded that the description of Moses’ death was by Joshua – but believed that the question itself was of no great importance. (See The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible, Volume 4, 2010, for example.)

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[i] The five books are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, called collectively the Torah or Pentateuch.

[ii] The Documentary Hypothesis is also known as the JEDP Theory.

The intolerance of tolerance

Jews Want To Add Trigger Warnings To The Bible and Koran Now

Jewish leaders are calling for new editions of the Bible and Koran to carry warning messages which highlight anti-Semitic passages in the holy texts...

Among the policies mentioned in the document was the idea of warning messages in holy texts, a topic discussed in a chapter entitled ‘recommendations regarding Religious Groups and Institutions’...

Translations of the New Testament, the Qur’an and other Christian or Muslim literatures need marginal glosses, and introductions that emphasize continuity with Jewish heritage of both Christianity and Islam and warn readers about antisemitic passages in them.

If you hang out with fools, and other quotes

The posting of quotes by human authors does not constitute agreement with either the quotes or their sources. (I try to confirm the sources that I give, but may miss on occasion; please verify when possible.)

"If you hang out with fools it won’t be long till you become one." -- Tony Evans

"Nothing’s perfect; good enough is good enough." -- Heard

"The preaching of the word of God is the word of God." -- Heinrich Bullinger

"A church was never meant to be an isolated huddle of people who think they are better than other people. A church is supposed to be a people who in the power of God are a light in a darkened world." -- John Wylie

"When the flesh is satisfied it is hard to pray with cheerfulness or to devote oneself to a life of service which calls for much self-renunciation." -- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"Take heed what you receive for truth—examine it well and compare and weigh it with other Scriptures of truth before you receive it." -- John Robinson

"The greatest responsibility in America is not in the White House but in the church house." -- Michael McClary

"A sincere attitude of gratitude is a beatitude for secured altitudes." -- Israelmore Ayivor

"Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving." -- W. T. Purkiser

"Mary was a nobody from a nothing town in the middle of nowhere." -- Zach Van Dyke

"Nobody is a nobody." -- Zach Van Dyke

"The resurrection of Christ defines reality." -- Joni Eareckson Tada

The Lord is life

As the sun not only has light and heat, but is light itself and heat itself, so the blessed Lord not only grants life, but he himself is what he grants. As a fountain not only gives water, but is itself all water, so Christ not only gives what he is, but is all that he gives. Not only, therefore, is he the “resurrection,” centring in himself everything, both for time and eternity, which resurrection contains and resurrection implies, but he is “the life,” being in himself a fountain of life, out of which he gives from his own fulness to the members of his mystical body.

J. C. Philpot (1802 – 1869)

Jesus Paid It All

Jesus Paid It All[i] is one of the “standard” songs I grew up singing in church. It exalts all salvation in the death of Jesus Christ. According to John Julian (Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II, 1907) this hymn was “written on the fly-leaf of the New Lute of Zion, in the choir of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Baltimore, in the spring of 1865.” Elvina Mable Reynolds Hall is the author of this hymn.[ii] She first married Richard Hall, and was a widow at the time she wrote the hymn. He died in 1859. She later married Thomas Myers, a Methodist minister, 1885. The hymn was published in Ira D. Sankey’s Sacred Songs and Solos in 1878 (No. 855), and the five stanzas below are from that source.[iii]

John T. Grape wrote the tune, All to Christ. He was a member, steward, and choir director of the Monument Street Methodist Church in Baltimore. He was also choir director at the Hartford Avenue Methodist Church later.

1. I hear the Savior say,
“Thy strength indeed is small,
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.”

Refrain:
Jesus paid it all—

All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain;
He washed it white as snow.

2. Lord, now indeed I find
Thy power and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots
And melt the heart of stone.

3. For nothing good have I
Whereby Thy grace to claim—

I’ll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calvary’s Lamb.

4. When from my dying bed

My ransomed soul shall rise,

Then “Jesus paid it all!”

Shall rend the vaulted skies.

5. And when, before the throne,
I stand in Him complete,
“Jesus died my soul to save,”
My lips shall still repeat.

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[i] The song is also known as I Hear the Saviour Say and Christ All and in All.

[ii] IndependentBaptist.com tells this Story Behind The Hymn.

[iii] But perhaps earlier in other sources. The first occasion may have been in Sabbath Carols: A New Collection of Music and Hymns by Theodore E. Perkins in 1868, where it was called Fullness in Christ.

What Our Father Does Is Well

While reading the following hymn, I thought it went well with Habakkuk 3:17-18, then later noticed that text with it in Hymns Ancient and Modern. (Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.)

1. What our Father does is well;
Blessèd truth His children tell!
Though He send, for plenty, want,
Though the harvest-store be scant,
Yet we rest upon His love,
Seeking better things above.

2. What our Father does is well;
Shall the willful heart rebel?
If a blessing He withhold
In the field, or in the fold,
Is it not Himself to be
All our store eternally?

3. What our Father does is well;
Though He sadden hill and dell,
Upward yet our praises rise
For the strength His Word supplies;
He has called us sons of God,
Can we murmur at His rod?

4. What our Father does is well;
May the thought within us dwell;
Though no milk nor honey flow
In our barren Canaan now,
God can save us in our need,
God can bless us, God can feed.

5. Therefore unto Him we raise
Hymns of glory, songs of praise;
To the Father, and the Son,
And the Spirit, Three in One,
Honor, might, and glory be
Now, and through eternity.

Benjamin Schmolck, 1720. Written in German and translated to English by Henry W. Baker (Hymns Ancient and Modern, 1861).

More evil, and other quotes

The posting of quotes by human authors does not constitute agreement with either the quotes or their sources. (I try to confirm the sources that I give, but may miss on occasion; please verify when possible.)

"There is more evil in sin than in outward trouble in the world; more evil in sin than in all the miseries and torments of hell itself." -- Jeremiah Burroughs

"Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into light." -- Helen Keller

"There are two things that bother us about death – its certainty and its uncertainty." -- Allen Reed

"Thank God for medical breakthroughs that save little lives. But in our world, an ethical breakthrough would save even more." -- John Stonestreet

"Since well before 1787, liberty has been understood as freedom from government action, not entitlement to government benefits." -- Clarence Thomas

"Our Constitution—like the Declaration of Independence before it—was predicated on a simple truth: One’s liberty, not to mention one’s dignity, was something to be shielded from—not provided by—the State." -- Clarence Thomas

"Watch your words. Keep them warm and sweet. You may have to eat them." -- Adrian Rogers

"The nature of worship determines the proper mode of its expression. As it is an act of the heart, it should be expressed in the language of the heart." -- Baron Stow and Samuel F. Smith, The Psalmist, Preface, 1844

"It is idle to talk always of the alternative of reason and faith. Reason is itself a matter of faith. It is an act of faith to assert that our thoughts have any relation to reality at all." -- G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy

"You can't have a productive society if you only have baby-makers and not baby-raisers." -- Tony Evans

In every thing give thanks

1 Thessalonians 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

What – Give thanks

Thanksgiving or giving thanks is an act of gratitude, an acknowledgment or celebration of goodness of God.[i] In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 the Greek word for “give thanks” is εὐχαριστεῖτε, which means to be grateful, be thankful, and is the same word associated with the giving of thanks in the Lord’s supper (see Matthew 26:27, e.g.).[ii] Thanks may be expressed in prayer, in songs of praise, in writing, in conversation, and many other ways.

When – In every thing

Giving thanks “in every thing” embraces a broad spectrum of things. Some items for which we see thanksgiving in the Bible include, what we eat, the ministry of the word, spiritual fellowship, and our spiritual inheritance. Giving thanks “in every thing” recognizes God’s providence, predestination, and preservation in every facet of our lives. We often more quickly accept the “good” and not the “evil” (Cf. Job 1:20-22, Job 2:10). Giving thanks “in every thing” embraces God as the God of all, and the giver and sustainer of all things. Ephesians 5:20 - giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. See also Philippians 4:11.

Why – This is the will of God

The construction of the statement allows us to see that “things” are the will of God and “thanks” is the will of God. Nothing happens outside the will of God, and it is God’s will that we be thankful – thankful for the things that amaze us as so obviously good, thankful for the things that we could “take or leave,” and thankful for the things we cannot possibly understand how they could ever work together for good. Truly God is good!

Almighty Father, heav’nly King!

Who rules the world above;

Accept the tribute children bring,

Of gratitude and love.

To Thee, each morning, when we rise,

Our early vows we pay;

And ere the night hath closed our eyes,

We thank Thee for the day.

(The Sacred Harp, 2012 Cooper Edition, page 140)

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[i] We can also give thanks to people, but the sense here (and generally in the Bible) is to give thanks to God.

[ii] This association with giving of thanks is why the word “Eucharist” evolved as a designation for the Lord’s supper.

Does not apply

James MacDonald,[i] leader of Harvest Bible Chapel, in need of bringing a lawsuit, has revisited the text of 1 Corinthians 6 to find that it does not apply to his case. How often the Bible does not apply when we wish it to not mess up or mess with what we want to do!

• James MacDonald Sues Harvest Bible Chapel Critics for Libel – “Pastor James MacDonald and Harvest Bible Chapel filed a lawsuit this month against two ex-members and former Moody Radio host Julie Roys, accusing them of spreading false information about the Chicago-area megachurch’s financial health and leadership.”
• James MacDonald: Why Suing Is Sometimes the Biblical Choice – “1 Corinthians 6:1-9 does not apply to every situation.”

Throughout church history, cultural happenings have forced a more carefully nuanced consideration of biblical application.

Many of us remember the near unanimous evangelical stance on divorce prior to the 1970s, when most churches held strictly to “no divorce, no remarriage.” Then with the rise in divorce rates and a few high visibility Christian leaders getting divorced, all were pushed back into the Scripture for a view that considered all biblical teaching on the subject.

In the meantime, by assuming the right to influence our church while refusing to listen to the authority of our church leaders, they forfeit the protection given to brothers in 1 Corinthians 6. According to Matthew 18:17 their refusing to “hear the church” requires that they be related to as non-believers, as “gentiles and tax collectors.”

We should constantly study the Word of God as God guides us into it and reveals it unto it. We should be doubly cautious when culture or conditions change and we suddenly find the Bible does not apply – whether it be divorce & remarriage, same sex marriage, lawsuits, or a dozen other things that are not convenient in the current circumstances.

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[i] This is the same James MacDonald who a few years ago told us Congregational Government is from Satan, but has since joined the Southern Baptist Convention, whose Baptist Faith and Message tells us “Each congregation operates under the Lordship of Christ through democratic processes.” It appears MacDonald may have quietly removed this diatribe from his blog. Perhaps his desire to join the Convention created a reason it also does not apply.

Divided by Jesus

Exodus 8:23 And I will put a division between my people and thy people...

Luke 12:51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:

We often speak of the unity Jesus brings while failing to speak of the division.

There was division over who Jesus was.
John 7: 40-43 Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet. Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was? So there was a division among the people because of him.

There was division over what Jesus did.
John 9: 15-16 Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see. Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.

There was division over what Jesus said.
John 10:17-19 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings.