Yes, Doug, I am a genealogist

“A half truth masquerading as the whole truth becomes a complete untruth.” -- J. I. Packer

Last week, in contrast to Jonathan Burris, I mentioned that I have found non- and anti- KJV controversialists who are open, honest, and sincere.[i] I find others who are stuck playing one string on their banjoes and can pluck no other! In some cases, they may be willingly ignorant, determined to debate (regardless), and even deceivers & being deceived.

The Gary Hudson-Doug Kutilek-Rick Norton team of contenders seem to fit that description. They have lit on their “true truth,” found the one string they can pluck, and will not be dislodged from it regardless of the evidence. In “The TRUE Genealogy & Genesis of ‘KJV–Onlyism,’” Doug Kutilek writes:

In the realm of King-James-Version-Onlyism, just such a genealogy of error can be easily traced. All writers who embrace the KJV-only position have derived their views ultimately from Seventh-day Adventist missionary, theology professor and college president, Benjamin G. Wilkinson (died 1968), through one of two or three of his spiritual descendants.

They have determined to dismiss “King James Only” theology and history out of hand by foisting on it a genealogy error. Doug Kutilek and others have made a cottage industry out of it.

Find someone who believed only the King James Bible was the word of God before Benjamin Wilkinson? “Dismissed! They can’t be KJVO because that does not fit our pre-determined genealogical scheme.” If my Baptist ancestors never heard of Benjamin Wilkinson, J. J. Ray, Fuller, or Ruckman, but believed their King James Bibles represented the inspired word of God? “Dismissed! This can’t be so, because we have already set the parameters and drawn the lines.” There is no reasoning with these guys. They will not be budged by any kind of evidence. How do we know? We’ve tried, and they still won’t move.[ii] 

The H-K-N team excels in hypocrisy. When olden King James Bible supporters say they could accept some changes in the KJV, this team then erases them from the line of “KJV Only” supporters. However, when contemporary King James Bible supporters say they could accept some changes in the KJV, this team charges that these are lying and are still to be considered “KJV Only.”

These are:

• Deceivers, Deceiving, Being Deceived?
• Woefully Willfully Ignorant?
• Dogmatically Dead-Set to Debate?
• Quibblers Qualified in Quibbling?

“A half truth masquerading as the whole truth becomes a complete untruth.” -- J. I. Packer

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[i] When I first became acquainted with him, I thought Mark Ward fit in that category. Continued interactions with him make me doubt it.
[ii] 1. One of Rick Norton’s perennial lines is that Archbishop Richard Bancroft (or another prelate or somebody) altered “robbers of temples” in Acts 19:37 to make it say “robbers of churches.” He can find one old 1671 quote to that effect; inflate the claim with dozens of others with no evidence other than the first claim; ignore the fact that that translation previously appeared in the translations of Tyndale, Coverdale, Matthew, Taverner, the Great Bible, and the Bishop’s Bible; ignore the fact that the King James translators used “churchrobber” in 2 Maccabees 4:42, clearly in reference to the temple; and then just keep repeating the claim ad infinitum. 2. Plenty of Pre-Wilkinsonian historical evidence has been provided of the existence of supporters of the exclusive use of the King James Bible as the word of God. It seems to be dismissed out of hand because they simply cannot be KJVO. For a few samples, see HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Congregational psalm-singing

I do not advocate exclusive psalmody (that all our worship songs must be based on the Psalms), and I am unsure of whether the author of these words, Alistair Roberts, does or does not. However, I think much of what Roberts says about psalm-singing in the excerpt below is a great corrective to what American church singing has devolved into, a performance-based consumer-oriented mess that steals the songs from the congregation. (And unfortunately, many congregations “love to have it so.”)

“Too often, modern worshipers treat worship as if it were something chiefly to be consumed by them as individuals (leading to a great concern that church music styles cater to their more general tastes in music consumption). Yet worship is not chiefly to be consumed quasi-passively, but to be an act. In the purposeful and practiced act of singing psalms together, we joyfully and lovingly present our hearts and our assemblies to God and we take his word into us. Because it is an act of worship, we should want to take time to learn how to do it well. Typically greater delight will follow.

“A huge obstacle to good psalm-singing is the ingrained passivity that comes with a lifetime of being consumers of music. Great psalm-singing is entirely achievable, but we must approach worship more as an act of making music before the Lord, demanding practice and effort.

“Indeed, the more the church’s music is driven by the musical tastes of religious consumers, the more divided it will be. The corporate act of making music has a power to unite that exceeds the unity produced by the convergence of private tastes in its consumption. Congregational psalm-singing is a form of expression of God’s Word by which, within the body of Christ, we address each other and by which Christ’s word and his Spirit indwell us (Colossians 3:16; Ephesians 5:18-21). As we do it, the body can become self-aware in a new way. As we don’t merely sing along with performers at the front, but sing in unison or in harmony as a congregation, we take fuller ownership of the words that God has given us as our own joyful and purposeful expression and also receive those words from the lips of our neighbours.”

[Note: I do advocate that we need to sing more of the Psalms. Our singing is sadly lacking if we do not do so.]

Eternal honour be to him

HYMN CCCCXV.

Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us. 1 John. iii. 16.

1. Eternal honour be to him,
Who saved us by his blood!
His love shall be our joyful theme,
The boundless love of God.

2. But few would die to save a friend,
He died to save his foes;
His love no measure has, nor end,
’Tis such as no man knows.

3. No words can tell its depth or height,
No love can equal his;
The love of God is infinite,
Like God himself it is.

4. No sacrifice appeared too great,
The love of God to prove;
And thence we learn to estimate
The greatness of his love.

5. Yet all we know is, that his love
Exceeds all others far;
How far, not all the hosts above
Are able to declare.

6. But what we know makes wealth and fame,
And pleasure seem but loss;
And renders dear the glorious name
Of him who bore the cross.

Hymnwriter Thomas Kelly (1769–1855) was a Church of Ireland clergyman from his ordination in 1792 to 1803. Relations between Kelly and the church had been strained, and in 1803 he formally broke with this church. He did not seek to form a new denomination, but the people who followed him were often dubbed “Kellyites.” His evangelical views were influenced by Rowland Hill, William Romaine, John Walker, and the Haldane brothers. Kelly was a prolific hymn writer, producing over 700 hymns. Kelly’s hymns were published in A Collection of Psalms and Hymns (1802), Hymns on Various Passages of Scripture (1804), and Hymns of Thomas Kelly, Never Before Published (1815). “Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious” is possibly his best-known and most printed hymn. “Blessed fountain, full of grace” appears on pages 366-367 of Hymns on Various Passages of Scripture (Fifth Edition, Thomas Kelly, Dublin: Martin Keene, 1820). This hymn is written in Common Meter, and might be paired with most any good Common Meter tune. Primrose would make a good selection, in my opinion.

Some folk want enough, and other quotes

The posting of quotes of 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 if possible.)

“Some folk want enough Jesus to bless their plans, but not change their plans.” -- Kevin Lake

“A selfish person is all about self and not about the Saviour.” -- Johnnie Johnson

“You grow when the word of God means more to you than the words of people.” -- Unknown

“Children have a much better chance of growing up if their parents have done so first.” -- Susan Peters

Referring to Matthew 16:18, Charles Spurgeon stated, “The wine of Romanism is not to be pressed out of this cluster.”

“Until sin be bitter, Christ will not be sweet.” -- Thomas Watson

“Among the first steps toward happiness and success are the church steps.” -- Unknown

“We bring so little glory to Christ, because we seek so much of our own” -- Octavius Winslow

“Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself, but because it contradicts them.” -- E. Paul Hovey

“Bitterness borrowed from yesterday always bankrupts tomorrow.” -- Ian Simkins

“Gay marriage isn’t marriage.” -- Charles E. Hamilton Jr.

“Fallen man is totally depraved, utterly corrupt, spiritually dead, and without desire or ability to even acknowledge, let alone change, what he is.” -- Don Fortner

“Preach the word whether it fills up a room or clears it out.” -- Charles E. Hamilton Jr.

“A few more nights, then everlasting day! A little more pain, then endless pleasure! Just a few more sleepless nights, then eternal rest! Just a little more trouble, then everlasting ease! Just a little more dying, then eternal life!” -- Don Fortner

“False doctrine set to music has always been one of the Devil’s favorite ways of inculcating untruths in the ears and hearts of people who sing them.” -- Chad Bird

“Affliction is often the forerunner of blessing.” -- Daniel Goodman

Old bluster and bluff

Reading Greek.

I ran across these comments that I had saved from a Facebook group. Several years ago, a preacher named Jonathan Burris – who had “disembarked” from the use of only the King James Bible and had been “dislodged” from his church – joined the Facebook group and hit the ground running. He “knew all” and “told all.” Burris usually wrote in superlatives. He claimed to meet all comers and answer all questions, but I found “a few” he would not answer. Here is one. After touting his Greek skills, he would not answer whether he could actually read Greek with comprehension. He snuggled back in a safe position of “if someone will debate me I will prove that I can.” A simple answer was not simple enough, because the answer was probably simply, “no.” Here was our conversation.

Robert Lee Vaughn: “Btw, Jonathan Burris, you may have missed my earlier question. When you were suggesting doing live videos, I asked if would you do a live video in which you read and then giving the meaning of a reading from the Greek, that you would not know what it is until handed to you live. What do you think? Thanks.”

Jonathan Burris: “Robert Lee Vaughn, if you are curious if I can truly read Biblical Greek or not, I would love to have a KJVO debate me and during cross-examination, my opponent could ask me to read and parse a random portion of text from either the Greek NT or the Septuagint. Someone should debate me if they think I am bluffing.”

Robert Lee Vaughn: “Jonathan Burris, so that is a ‘no’ to my question? I am curious whether you read Greek or ‘read’ Greek. Thanks. https://danielstreett.com/2011/09/08/what-does-it-mean-to-read-greek/”

Jonathan Burris: “Robert Lee Vaughn, would you like to do a live, in-person, moderated debate with me and find out? During cross-examination, you can ask me to read and parse a random portion of the Greek NT or the Septuagint. If you don’t think I can read and understand Koine Greek, call my bluff.

“Else, let’s put this to bed and present a coherent argument for us to discuss. Or, just move on and have a good weekend.”

Robert Lee Vaughn: “I do my ‘debating’ on paper and electronic media. I am old and a slow plodder, and never was a quick thinker anyway. Plus I don’t have the face for visual media! Additionally, I don’t really see why you can’t answer the question without having a debate. Do you read it with comprehension like you do your native language, or you ‘slosh through it’ like Bart Ehrman said in an address he made at Loyola Marymount University in 2013? ‘Today when somebody is highly skilled in Greek, like Jeff Siker and me, we’re considered highly skilled – that means we can kind of slosh our way through a Greek text if we have a good dictionary sitting next to us.’

“By the way, I have ‘called your bluff.’ I have asked for a straight answer and so far you won’t give it, for some reason.

Since I saved these remarks for some reason, I decided to go ahead and post them here and get them out of the queue. I found many interlocutors on the non-KJV side to be open, honest, and sincere. Jonathan B. was not one of them. If you run across him, keep one eye and both ears open.

Safe at last

Safe at last, Acts 27:41-44

Verse 41: The mariners ran the ship aground at a place where two seas met. The suggests land such as a sandbar where the creek dumped into the sea, with deeper water on either side, i.e., “where two seas met.” The front of the ship stuck aground and would not move. The back of the ship was battered by the waves and broken apart.

Verse 42: A new problem arises, as the soldiers think it is wisdom to just kill the prisoners. That way they will not have to worry about any of them escaping, while they are trying to save their own lives. For discussion of the responsibility of guards for prisoners, see comments at Acts 12:19 and Acts 16:17. God spared all the occupants of the ship for Paul’s sake. The centurion desired to save all the prisoners for Paul’s sake.

Verses 43-44: The centurion in charge, intending to save Paul, would not allow it. He kept his soldiers from killing the prisoners. He commanded those who could swim to jump into the sea and get to land that way. Those who could not swim clung to the wreckage, boards and broken pieces of the ship and thus made their way to land as well. “And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land,” just as Paul had prophesied. “all safe” as God promised Paul, there would be no loss of life. Of all 276 people, God who promised none would be lost, lost none. 276 were alive in the ship. 276 made it to land alive. What God had promised, he was able also to perform, Romans 4:21.

Green line suggesting possibilities concerning the voyage

Baptists and Baptism Lite

“Baptism has been secularized; God, for all intents and purposes, is shuffled to the sidelines. The entire focus is on what those being baptized are doing. They are taking a step of obedience to God, and they are publicly professing their faith. But what, if anything, was God, who we know best in Jesus Christ, doing? Was God involved at all? Was God even present? If so, how, and what was he doing? Did baptism do anything? Or is baptism a matter that is entirely human, without any significant divine involvement?” Mark G. McKim, The Secularization of Baptism: How Baptists Took God out of Baptism, and How to Fix the Problem, Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2025

“The ordinances are a crucial part of what makes a church a church. When rightly understood, they present to the eye and the mouth a sensible gospel—a gospel that can be felt, seen, and tasted.” Josh Manley in “Who Should Administer the Ordinances?”

How singularly strange that many of the churches identified as “Baptist” possess an anemic and ambiguous view (and practice) of their most defining characteristic, baptism of believers by immersion!

It is theologically important. The Bible is our rule of faith and practice, and therefore the source of instruction on the meaning and practice of baptism. Baptism should follow the Bible, not modern secular philosophy. Baptism of the believer is important, but the God of the baptism of believers is the most important focus of biblical truth. Cf. Romans 11:36; 1 Peter 5:11; Revelation 4:11.

It is practically important. If the God of all the universe, who commanded baptism, is not involved in each baptism, then we become weak and sickly in the importance we place on it. Many modern Baptists try to “de-stress” baptism as much as possible – it doesn’t matter, it is not that important, it is okay for a believer to go through life unbaptized, and such like. This is ridiculous! Many professing Baptists live by a secular and deistic pattern, as if God has little involvement in the day-to-day matters of their lives. Acts 8:37-39; 1 Peter 3:21; Hebrews 8:5.

It is relationally important. The right heart, the right response, the right sincerity that moves the believers to identify initially, objectively, and publicly with their redeeming Lord. The heart of the matter should dwell in unity, with the Lord of the baptism and in the mode of baptism. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism. Cf. John 4:24; Ephesians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 3:1-3.

In The Secularization of Baptism, McKim theorizes and demonstrates that “four factors led to the symbolic-only position becoming dominant. These were suspicion, in reaction to Roman Catholicism, of the idea of God revealing himself through the physical; the influence of the Enlightenment (and ‘embarrassment’ with claims that God could be acting in the world today); reaction against the Oxford Movement; and reaction against the understanding of baptism advocated by the Disciples of Christ (‘Campbellites’).”

Let me be clear. We Baptists believe that baptism is symbolic rather than salvific. I believe there is a bad tendency among some to go into a kind of sacramentalism on this issue. However, the it-is-only-a-symbol-and-does-not-matter-much is not the true Baptist position. Consider historically that the early American Baptist language on baptism was so strong that many of them initially mistook Alexander Campbell to be saying the same things they were. (Boy, were we fooled!) I fear that often modern Baptists just find it easier to adopt the it-is-only-a-symbol-and-does-not-matter-much attitude rather than do the hard work of carving out the middle position where the Bible stands. It is easy, and it fits the spirit of the age. And it is or can be hard work to explain it correctly. If you veer too far one way, it sounds like salvific sacramentalism. If you veer too far the other way, it sounds like anything, everything, and (mostly) nothing! It leads to many of the errors of modern day Baptists, from careless (e.g., not carefully requiring a sound profession of faith) to indiscreet (e.g., fire engine baptisteries and water slide baptisms). May God help us seek the old paths and walk therein.

Romans 6:3-6 ;Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

The chiasm of human life

The chiasm of human life: 

“We are first children to our parents, then parents to our children, then parents to our parents, and finally children to our children.” -- Unknown

Hymn of Joy

1. Joyful, joyful, we adore thee,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flow’rs before thee,
Praising thee their sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day!

2. All thy works with joy surround thee,
Earth and heav’n reflect thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around thee,
Centre of unbroken praise:
Field and forest, vale and mountain,
Blooming meadow, flashing sea,
 Chanting bird and flowing fountain,
Call us to rejoice in thee.

3. Thou art giving and forgiving,
Ever blessing, ever blest,
Well-spring of the joy of living,
Ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our brother,—
All who live in love are thine:
Teach us how to love each other,
Lift us to the joy divine.

4. Mortals join the mighty chorus,
Which the morning stars began;
Father-love is reigning o’er us,
Brother-love binds man to man.
Ever singing, march we onward,
Victors in the midst of strife;
Joyful music lifts us sunward
In the triumph song of life.

This hymn was first published in 1911 in The Poems of Henry Van Dyke (Henry Van Dyke, New York, NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1911, pp. 332-333). It is titled “Hymn of Joy,” with the note “To the Music of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.” It is situated in the section “Songs of Hearth and Altar.” Later that year (1911) it was published in The (Presbyterian) Hymnal (No. 115).[i] There it is titled His Fatherhood and Love. The arrangement of the music by Beethoven is by the English organist and composer Edward Hodges (1796-1867).

There is a slight discrepancy as to when the hymn was written. In The Poems of Henry Van Dyke it is dated 1908, while The Hymnal dates it to 1907.

Henry Jackson Van Dyke, Jr. was born November 10, 1852 in Pennsylvania, the son of Henry Jackson Van Dyke, Sr. and Henrietta Ashmead. His father was a notable Presbyterian minister, and Henry Jr. also became a Presbyterian minister. He graduated from Princeton University and Princeton Seminary, and taught at Princeton University. He married Ellen Reid in 1881. In 1879 he was ordained, and pastored at the Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City from 1883-1900. Prior to World War I, he served as an ambassador to Holland and Luxembourg, appointed by President Woodrow Wilson.

Henry Van Dyke died April 10, 1933 at age 80. He and his wife are buried at the Princeton Cemetery in Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey.

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[i] The Hymnal, Published in 1895 and Revised in 1911 by Authority of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, Philadelphia, PA: The Presbyterian Board of Publication and Sabbath-School Work, 1911.

In other words, a to voluble

• acrimony, noun. Sharpness, harshness, or bitterness of nature, speech, of disposition.
• ataractic, adjective. Able to calm or tranquillize.
• avarice, noun. Insatiable greed for riches; inordinate, miserly desire to gain and hoard wealth.
• bier, noun. A stand on which a corpse or the coffin is placed before burial; such a stand together with the corpse or coffin.
• blather, noun. Foolish, voluble talk.
• blatherskite, noun. A person given to blather; a person full of incessant, empty talk.
• boscage (also, boskage), noun. A mass of trees or shrubs; wood, grove, or thicket.
• curio, noun. Any unusual article, object of art, etc., valued as a curiosity.
• ephemera, noun. Items designed to be useful or important for only a short time, especially pamphlets, notices, tickets, etc.
• fissiparous, adjective. Tending to break or split up into parts; divisive.
• fulgurate, verb. To emit flashes of lightning; to flash or dart like lightning.
• matrimony, noun. The state of being married; marriage; the rites or ceremony of marriage.
• mondegreen, noun. A form of error arising from mishearing a spoken or sung phrase.
• moue, noun. A pouting grimace.
• nothingburger, noun. (Slang) A thing that is less consequential or important than originally suspected; a person or thing of little or no importance; a dud.
• numismatics, noun. The study or collection of coins, paper currency, and medals.
• Palladian, adjective. Of or relating to the goddess Athena (Pallas); pertaining to wisdom, knowledge, or study.
• postprandial, adjective. After a meal, especially after dinner (e.g. postprandial nap; postprandial lounging).
• scofflaw, noun. A contemptuous law violator; a person who flouts the law.
• skiddoo, verb. (Informal) To go away; get out (probably a variant of skedaddle).
• titian, noun. A bright auburn color, tinted with gold.
• tristful, adjective. Sad, sorrowful, gloomy, melancholy.
• voluble, adjective. Characterized by a ready and continuous flow of words; talkative.

He Is Mine And I Am His

I love the song He Is Mine And I Am His by G. T. Speer. Maybe it is just me, but I have always felt it was a good combination of “old school” and “new school” styles.

A recent mention of this song by a friend brought to mind an incident that happened in the 1980s. This was at what we Texans call a “little book” singing (“new book” for some others). We had a Saturday night singing that rotated between several churches. One night we were at an old church called ____ ____. Most of the singing was class/congregational, though “specials” were allowed. A large group from “off summers” were present. (Not far off, but only peripherally connected to the churches that hosted the singing rotation; somebody was kin to somebody at ____ ____.) At some point fairly early in the singing, a person from that group was called by the chair to lead a song. Afterward, that person (not the chair) called another of their people to come up and sing, and then they did this again, and again, and again… This went on probably 15 or 20 minutes, or perhaps the discomfort of the situation made it seem longer than it was. THE singing had become THEIR singing. The chair did not want to be the “bad guy” and put a stop to this, but finally he sensed (and felt) enough discontent in the class that he finally told them, “One more, and that’s all.” They got mad and went outside. They stayed around outside for a good while, vocally complaining about how they had been “mistreated” (even though they were the ones who had infiltrated and changed the format of the singing). I had the grand good fortune of being the next leader called to follow all this disorder!! I led He Is Mine And I Am His.

1. God’s amazing grace, sent down from heaven,
Rescued me from death and from shame;
Opened up my eyes and brought salvation,
Now I’m his, praise his holy name!

2. ’Tis so sweet to know I have Jesus with me,
He will keep me from sin and from strife;
He delivered me from condemnation,
Now I have eternal life!

Chorus:
Now I know (I know) that he is mine (he’s mine)
And I’m his (I’m his forever),
He is leading (leading) me along life’s way (along life’s way);
He’ll be holding (holding) to my hand (my hand)
When I cross death’s river (crossing death’s river),
He will take (he’ll take) the sting of death away (death’s sting away).

Acts 27:33-38

Thankfulness, sustenance, and good cheer, 33-38

Verse 33: As daytime approached, Paul encouraged everyone to eat something. They had been fasting fourteen days. This likely was to a great extent of necessity, that is, in the struggle with the storm having neither luxury to prepare or consume. However, it is likely that at least some had a modicum of religion and fasted also in humility and despair before their gods, in hopes of deliverance. For fasting in time of trouble and sorrow, see II Samuel 1:12; 12:16; II Chronicles 20:3; Nehemiah 1:4; 9:1; Esther 4:16; Joel 1:13-15; Jonah 3:5.

Verses 34-35: Paul asked them to eat, considering (1) this is for your health, and (3) in gratitude “for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.” The very hairs of our heads are numbered and known by God (Matthew 10:30; Luke 12:7). God promised the shipmen and passengers they would not lose one of them (Cf. Luke 21:18). They would be delivered. Paul took some bread “and gave thanks to God” over it, for all to see and hear. He began to eat of it.

To the church in Thessalonica, Paul wrote, “In every thing give thanks…” (I Thessalonians 5:18). Acts 27 records a case of Paul’s thankfulness “in every thing,” a time of great danger in a storm at sea. In this case, the thankfulness was based in God’s future promise over their present circumstances. In every thing giving thanks includes looking backward in the past, looking around in the present, and looking forward to the future.

Verses 36-37: Some men are leaders in times of peace; some men are leaders in times of war. Here, Paul rises to leadership in time of crisis. The actions and advice of Paul lifted their spirits and dispelled the gloom. Then they “were they all of good cheer,” and they also began to eat. The total number of persons on the ship “two hundred threescore and sixteen souls,” that is, 276 people.

Verse 38: The 276 people on board eat what they consider to be enough, then lighten the ship one final time as they are about to make their run for safety. They cast the wheat they had kept into the sea.

What is a Ruckmanite?

Anyone who engages in the Bible Versions debates will become familiar with the name of Peter S. Ruckman. Some elevate him as a demigod and others despise him as the devil. My opinion about him can be found here: The King James Bible and Peter Ruckman.

Because Ruckman is such a lightning rod, it has become a popular tactic to identify a King James Bible supporter as a “Ruckmanite.”[i]

What is a Ruckmanite?

Is there a standard definition that is useful and consistent when using the term “Ruckmanite”? Here are three explanations I found online, with one being very broad, and the other two relatively close.

• A Ruckmanite is one who follows the teachings (or most of the teachings) of Peter Ruckman and defend his divorces and cursing and such.
• A Ruckmanite is anyone who is King James Version Only.
• A Ruckmanite position is one that is hyper-dispensationalism (e.g., OT saints saved by works, etc.) and hyper-KJVOism (advanced revelation, KJV corrects the Greek and Hebrew, foreign language Bible should be translated from the KJV, etc.).[ii]

Valid or not, like the wording or not, these represent explanations that I found online. I think the term “Ruckmanite” gets used in all three of those ways. Based on the comments I have read in Facebook discussion groups and elsewhere, the terminology “Ruckmanite” is undefined (i.e., it has no standard and easily recognized meaning). It means anything and everything – whatever the person using it wants it to mean. It is not worth much other than as a pejorative. (It really fits the modern secular divide-and-conquer methodology.) Calling a KJV supporter a “Ruckmanite” is the equivalent of calling a person a racist, Nazi, and such like .The term is not very useful beyond that, and should be avoided.

Is there a proper, standard, and consistent way to define a “Ruckmanite”? What are your thoughts?

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[i] -ite is a suffix of nouns denoting especially persons associated with a place, tribe, leader, doctrine, system, etc. (for example, Campbellite; Canaanite; Hittite; Israelite).
[ii] When Peter Ruckman speaks against hyper-dispensationalism, I think he means the view that starts the church mid-Acts or later. On the other hand, those using it in reference to Peter Ruckman are pointing out his teaching of different ways of salvation in different dispensations.

The Authority of Scripture

“There can be no doubt whatsoever that all the troubles in the church today, and most of the troubles in the world, are due to a departure from the authority of the Bible. And, alas, it was the church herself that led in the so-called Higher Criticism that came from Germany just over a hundred years ago. Human philosophy took the place of revelation, man’s opinions were exalted and church leaders talked about ‘the advance of knowledge and science’, and ‘the assured results’ of such knowledge. The Bible then became a book just like any other book, out-of-date in certain respects, wrong in other respects, and so on. It was no longer a book on which you could rely implicitly.”

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Authority of Scripture

The Last Judgment

The hymn below by Isaac Watts is titled “The Last Judgment,” 15 stanzas derived from thoughts on judgment in Psalm 50. This version of Psalm 50 is labeled in The Psalms of David to be sung “To the old proper Tune.” It is meter 10.10.10.10.11.11. This, in contrast to another versification that is to be sung “To a new Tune.” That one is meter 10s. (6 lines).

At the Third Ireland Sacred Harp Convention, a group sings the solfege syllables and then the first stanza by Watts. With his tune Pennsylvania, Jeremiah Ingalls captures some of the spectacle, suspense, and solemnity of Watts’s poetry on the last judgment.

1. The God of glory sends his summons forth,
Calls the south nations and awakes the north;
From east to west the sovereign orders spread,
Through distant worlds and regions of the dead:
The trumpet sounds; hell trembles; heav’n rejoices
Lift up your heads, ye saints, with cheerful voices.

2. No more shall atheists mock his long delay;
His vengeance sleeps no more; behold the day:
Behold, the Judge descends; his guards are nigh;
Tempests and fire attend him down the sky.
When God appears, all nature shall adore him;
While sinners tremble, saints rejoice before him.

3. “Heav’n, earth, and hell, draw near; let all things come
To hear my justice, and the sinner’s doom;
But gather first my saints,” the Judge commands,
“Bring them, ye angels, from their distant lands.”
When Christ returns, wake every cheerful passion
And shout, ye saints; he comes for your salvation.

4. “Behold, my cov’nant stands for ever good,
Sealed by th’ eternal Sacrifice in blood,
And signed with all their names; the Greek, the Jew,
That paid the ancient worship or the new.”
There’s no distinction here; join all your voices,
And raise your heads, ye saints, for heav’n rejoices.

5. “Here,” saith the Lord, “ye angels, spread their thrones
And near me seat my fav’rites and my sons:
Come, my redeem’d, possess the joys prepared
Ere time began; ’tis your divine reward.”
When Christ returns, wake every cheerful passion;
And shout, ye saints; he comes for your salvation

Pause the First.

6. “I am the Saviour, I th’ Almighty God,
I am the Judge: ye heav’ns, proclaim abroad
My just eternal sentence, and declare
Those awful truths that sinners dread to hear.”
When God appears, all nature shall adore him;
While sinners tremble, saints rejoice before him.

7. “Stand forth, thou bold blasphemer, and profane,
Now feel my wrath, nor call my threat’nings vain:
Thou hypocrite, once dressed in saints’ attire,
I doom the painted hypocrite to fire.”
Judgment proceeds; hell trembles; heav’n rejoices;
Lift up your heads, ye saints, with cheerful voices.

8. “Not for the want of goats or bullocks slain
Do I condemn thee; bulls and goats are vain
Without the flame of love; in vain the store
Of brutal off’rings, that were mine before.”
Earth is the Lord’s, all nature shall adore him;
While sinners tremble, saints rejoice before him.

9. “If I were hungry, would I ask thee food?
When did I thirst, or drink thy bullocks’ blood?
Mine are the tamer beasts and savage breed,
Flocks, herds, and fields and forests where they feed.”
All is the Lord’s, he rules the wide creation;
Gives sinners vengeance, and the saints salvation.

10. “Can I be flatter’d with thy cringing bows,
Thy solemn chatt’rings and fantastic vows?
Are my eyes charmed thy vestments to behold,
Glaring in gems, and gay in woven gold?”
God is the Judge of hearts, no fair disguises
Can screen the guilty when his vengeance rises.

Pause the Second.

11. “Unthinking wretch! how couldst thou hope to please
A God, a Spirit, with such toys as these,
While, with my grace and statutes on thy tongue,
Thou lov’st deceit, and dost thy brother wrong?”
Judgment proceeds; hell trembles; heav’n rejoices;
Lift up your heads, ye saints, with cheerful voices.

12. “In vain to pious forms thy zeal pretends;
Thieves and adulterers are thy chosen friends;
While the false flatt’rer at my altar waits,
His hardened soul divine instruction hates.”
God is the Judge of hearts, no fair disguises
Can screen the guilty when his vengeance rises.

13. “Silent I waited with long-suff’ring love;
But didst thou hope that I should ne’er reprove?
And cherish such an impious thought within,
That the All-Holy would indulge thy sin?”
See, God appears; all nature joins t’ adore him;
Judgment proceeds, and sinners fall before him.

14. “Behold my terrors now; my thunders roll,
And thy own crimes affright thy guilty soul;
Now like a lion shall my vengeance tear
Thy bleeding heart, and no deliv’rer near.”
Judgment concludes; hell trembles; heav’n rejoices;
Lift up your heads, ye saints, with cheerful voices.

Ephiphomena.[i]

15. Sinners, awake betimes; ye fools, be wise;
Awake before this dreadful morning rise;
Change your vain thoughts, your crooked works amend,
Fly to the Saviour, make the Judge your friend:
Then join the saints, wake every cheerful passion;
When Christ returns, he comes for your salvation.

Concerning Psalm 50, Watts made several paraphrases. The first follows the Psalm more closely and is divided into three parts, in Common Meter. He also wrote another version of the third part in Long Meter. Following these, he has two versions of “The Last Judgment” (the first with 9 stanzas and the second with 15) of which he says, “I have taken occasion from this Psalm to represent the Last Judgment.” He also affixes the following explanations, which apply to stanzas 3, 6, and 7 in the first version, but to stanzas 4, 9, 10, and 11 in the version that appears here.

“All the saints have made a Covenant with God by Sacrifices (as in the Text) and as it were set their Names to God’s Covenant of Grace, ratified by the Sacrifice of Christ of eternal virtue; Tho’ the Jews did it in the antient Forms of Worship, and the Gentiles in the New.”

“As the Jewish Formal Worshippers contented themselves with Burnt Offerings, &c. and trusted in them; so Hypocrites in Christianity build their Hopes upon outward Forms, gay Ceremonies, rigid Austerities, fanciful Vows, &c.”

He further writes:

“If the former Heroick Metre do not fit the old Proper Tune of the Fiftieth Psalm, for want of Double Rhymes at the End of every Stanza, I have here altered the Form of it much, in order to fit exactly to the old Proper Tune, adding a Chorus, or (as some call it) the Burden of the Song, betwixt every Four Lines. I hope it will not be displeasing to the more Musical Part of my Readers to be entertained with such a Variety.” 

“Heroic Meter” is used to describe verse form for epic or elevated poetry, which may not always be the same. In this case of Watts’s Psalm 50, it is 10s. meter. Fitzroy Pyle calls it “Iambic Decasyllable.”[ii]

This above version of The Last Judgment can be sound on pages 137-140 in The Psalms of David: Imitated in the Language of the New Testament, and apply’d to the Christian State and Worship (Isaac Watts, London: J. Clark, 1719). (There are some slight orthographic updates in the version that I copied.)

Isaac Watts was born in Southampton, July 17, 1674, the son of a schoolmaster. His father was a Nonconformist, and was imprisoned more than once for his religious convictions. Isaac learned Latin, Greek, and Hebrew early in his youth, and was writing good verse by the age of seven. At age sixteen, he went to study in the Stoke Newington Academy under Thomas Rowe, an Independent minister. Isaac became the assistant minister of the Independent Church on Berry Street, London, in 1698 and in 1702, he became the pastor. In 1712, he moved to Abney Park residence of Sir Thomas Abney, and stayed there the rest of his life.

Watts died November 25, 1748, and was buried at Bunhill Fields. Additionally, there is a monument erected in Abney Park Cemetery and one in the South Choir of Westminster Abbey.

Jeremiah Ingalls, the composer of the tune Pennsylvania, was born on March 1, 1764, in Andover, Massachusetts, the son of Abijah Ingalls and Elisabeth Hutchinson. His father, a American Revolutionary War veteran, died while Jeremiah was still a teenager. Around 1788, he moved to Newbury, Vermont, and married Mary Bigelow in 1791. They had eleven children.

Ingalls was a farmer and singing school teacher. He served as a choirmaster and deacon at the First Congregational Church in Newbury, Vermont. He was excluded from the church in 1810, on a charge of failing to repent of marital infidelity.[iii] After this he moved to Rochester, Vermont, and then to Hancock, Vermont. Ingalls continued teaching and composing music. He died April 6, 1838, at the age of 74. He was buried at the old Hancock Village Cemetery in Hancock, Addison County, Vermont.

In 1805, Ingalls published The Christian Harmony; or, Songster’s Companion (Exeter, NH: Henry Ranlet).[iv] The tune Pennsylvania possibly first appeared in print in Abraham Maxim’s tunebook The Northern Harmony (Exeter, NH: Norris & Sawyer, 1808).[v]

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[i] Epiphonema is a rhetorical device that consists of a striking, exclamatory, or general statement that succinctly summarizes or concludes what has been just said or written.
[ii] “The Rhythms of the English Heroic Line: an Essay in Empirical Analysis,” Hermathena Vol. 28, No. 53 (1939), p. 100.
[iii] I am unaware of the details of this situation, but he and his wife remained together until his death.
[iv] In 2005 a four-shape version of The Christian Harmony was published for the Jeremiah Ingalls Society Bicentennial Singing in Newbury, Vermont (Thomas B. Malone, editor).
[v] The Shenandoah Harmony credits the source of the tune Pennsylvania to the 2nd edition of Maxim’s Northern Harmony, yet dates the tune to 1796.

Truth in Translation, and other reviews

The posting of book and other reviews are for information and instruction and do not constitute endorsement of the materials or reviews of materials that are linked (or the sites on which they appear).

• A brief review of BeDuhn’s “Truth in Translation” -- “BeDuhn seems to operate under the impression that he has avoided all bias in his analysis. At no point in the book does he reveal his own personal theological biases.”
• A Brief Review of Strict Baptist Periodicals (UK) -- “The following is a work in progress and is sure to have some gaps and errors (especially as it pertains to original publishing dates in light of periodicals with shared names and the length of time that has transpired since the magazines were first released).”
• A journey from religious radical to nothing new -- “Oden shows such a return to the ancient Christian witness is an essential journey for all of us fatigued by unfulfilling and agenda-driven theology.”
• Book Review: What If It’s Wonderful? by Nicole Zasowski -- “Zasowski writes like a therapist. She writes with a measured compassion that invites you in and holds space for safe exploration of one’s fears...”
• God’s Monsters, by Esther J. Hamori -- “Unfortunately, the book suffers from several weaknesses. First is the myopic way the work seeks to compartmentalize these monsters and horrors, isolating them from the greater narrative.”
• Presuppositional Analysis – The Received Text: A Field Guide -- “In The Received Text: A Field Guide, DeSoto presupposes that Scripture has always existed in a continuous form available to God’s people...”
• Review of Why I Preach from the Received Text -- “The book nearly equally provides a wealth of quotations from proponents of the Critical Text (CT) position, wherein their lack of faith and commitment to pragmatism is on clear display.”
• Review: ‘The Widening of God’s Mercy’ by Christopher and Richard Hays, by Rebecca McLaughlin -- “Richard Hays Thinks God Changed His Mind About Same-Sex Sex. Is He Right?”
• The Received Text: A Field Guide – Review -- “A vigorous defense of the Received Text tradition, distinguished by its confessional convictions and acute observations about modern text-critical uncertainty.”
• To Honour God: The Spirituality of Oliver Cromwell -- “To Honour God would be excellent for devotional reading. There are 30 short chapters, perfect for complementing daily Bible reading.”

Christian shape note

It is a sad commentary on The Sacred Harp that it is rather consistently promoted in modern times as a secular non-Christian activity. Yes, they will usually make some admission to its Christian origins and the existence of Christian hymn texts – but the emphasis is that this is for anyone and everyone. It does not matter what you believe, what is your lifestyle, or even if your worldview is antagonistic toward Christianity.

Now, we recognize that it is true that singings have always been public events to which anyone and everyone was invited. Sacred Harp singers thought their activity was a good thing that could be a blessing to anyone. However, that has been turned on its head, so that anyone and everyone should be strategically involved in how Sacred Harp should be conducted, promoted, written, and revised. 

In contrast to modern “standards,” the old conventions had detailed constitutions and bylaws. Every member had to agree to and abide by those rules. The North East Texas Musical Convention was organized circa 1866 (based on the dating of its annual sessions). “Article 9th” of the Constitution stated “The Sacred Harp shall be our text book at each meeting.” Not only was decorum expected at the convention, but outside of it as well. For example, “Article 10th” of the Bylaws stated “If any member be guilty of any bad conduct, such as drunkenness or disturbing the pease at Public worship, shall be dealt with as the Body may deem wright.”

Obviously the name “Sacred” Harp, the Christian themes of the hymns, and the purpose of conventions promoting “sacred vocal music” indicate what the origin and history of the music is. As one of our bright young Alabama singers reflected, “No one is going to make people say the apostles creed at the door, however, it’s the bare minimum to recognize the Christian nature of what is being participated in.” She also noted, “If that’s a turn-off for someone, perhaps they have been mocking God with a solemn sound upon a thoughtless tongue.”

In the context of that conversation, my daughter also emphasized, “It’s fair to say it’s increasingly evident that describing it [Sacred Harp] transparently as Christian is important and necessary.”

Some of us want to take back our tradition to what it was and is. This is not disinviting non-Christians, but a refined invitation asserting that you need to know and understand what this is before you come. If you do not like that, no one is making you do anything. Your choice.

Acts 27:21-26

God’s revelation to Paul, 21-26

Verses 21-22: After remonstrating with them for their terrible mistake of leaving Crete, Paul exhorts them all “to be of good cheer.” Why, Paul, why? Oh, here’s why – “there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you.” Yes, the ship will be a loss, but not lives. Note: Paul’s point is not to gloat with a smug “I told you so,” but rather to remind them and reinforce that he has spoken and can speak in trustworthy terms.

Verses 23-24: Why such confidence? It is based on divine revelation. The angel of God has been sent to Paul with a message – fear not. God has a purpose and a destination for Paul, and he will reach it and fulfill it. Paul will stand before Cæsar. Not only that, “God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.” “whose I am, and whom I serve” God the rightful owner; God the rightful master. 

God may choose to spare some because of someone else. God spared Zoar for Lot’s sake (Genesis 19:17-22; Cf. also Genesis 18:23ff.).[1] God spared the entire number of men on the ship – Paul’s sake, whom he had assured must surely see Rome.

Verses 25-26: “Wherefore” there is a firm foundation to “be of good cheer,” solidly anchored in God’s word. “I believe God” God is trustworthy at all times (cf. Numbers 23:19; Hebrews 6:18), but one must believe God in order to claim the cheer based on God’s word! We should believe “it shall be even as it was told me” when we read God’s word (Psalm 119:160). 

There will be a “detour” in the process of reaching Rome – “we must be cast upon a certain island.” That island will be Melita (cf. 28:1).

God may choose to spare some because of someone else. God spared Zoar for Lot’s sake (Genesis 19:17-22; Cf. also Genesis 18:23ff.). God spared the entire number of men on the ship – Paul’s sake, whom he had assured must surely see Rome.

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[1] Zoar, also known as Bela, see Genesis 14:2, 8.

Hold on a minute

“The human authors of Scripture were inspired to write by God’s Holy Spirit, but they wrote with careful attention to organization and structure; in other words, they did not write haphazardly, randomly, or chaotically.”

“Because real human authors wrote the Bible, even as they were inspired by God’s Holy Spirit, we should expect that they wrote in logical and organized ways.”

I recently read “The Key to Finding the Author’s Emphasis When You Read the Bible,” by Jon Nielson. The above quotes are from that essay. It had some helpful information, but those particular statements struck me as odd, even trending toward wrong. Maybe the author thought he was addressing a problem in people’s thinking about the Bible. On the other hand, I wondered if he also has a problem in his thinking. Nielson mentions the Holy Spirit twice in the article. Both times he correctly says the human writers of the Bible were inspired by the Holy Spirit. Yet, both times, there seems to an underlying implication that we should remember that Scripture is structured, logical, and organized because humans wrote it. Now, I don’t know about you, but I recognize that the divine authorship is a much better guarantee that Scripture is structured, logical, and organized (rather than the human element). I would never begin to imagine that the Holy Spirit would write “haphazardly, randomly, or chaotically.” Nielson may not have intended to imply that, but it came across that way to me.

I find it more reassuring that the Holy Spirit is the original and ultimate author of Scripture.

2 Peter 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

The B-I-B-L-E

The B-I-B-L-E 

Books of the Bible Song

Blessed fountain, full of grace

HYMN CCCCX.

In that day there shall be a fountain opened for sin and uncleanness, &c. Zech. xiii. 1.

1. Blessed fountain, full of grace!
Grace for sinners, grace for me;
To this source alone I trace
What I am, and hope to be.

2. What I am, as one redeemed,
Saved and rescued by the Lord;
Hating what I once esteemed,
Loving what I once abhorred:

3. What I hope to be, ere long,
When I take my place above;
When I join the heavenly throng;
When I see the God of love,

4. Then, I hope like him to be,
Who redeemed his saints from sin,
Whom I now obscurely see,
Through a veil that stands between.

5. When I see him as he is,
No corruption can remain;
Such their portion who are his,
Such the happy state they gain.

6. Blessed fountain, full of grace!
Grace for sinners, grace for me;
To this source alone I trace
What I am, and hope to be.

Thomas Kelly (1769–1855) was a Church of Ireland clergyman from his ordination in 1792 to 1803. Relations had become strained, and that year he formally broke with this church. He did not seek to form a new denomination, but the people who followed him were often dubbed “Kellyites.” His evangelical views were influenced by Rowland Hill, William Romaine, John Walker, and the Haldane brothers. Kelly was a prolific hymn writer, producing over 700 hymns. Kelly’s hymns were published in A Collection of Psalms and Hymns (1802), Hymns on Various Passages of Scripture (1804), and Hymns of Thomas Kelly, Never Before Published (1815). “Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious” is possibly his best-known and most printed hymn. “Blessed fountain, full of grace” is copied as it appears on pages 362-363 of Hymns on Various Passages of Scripture (Fifth Edition, Thomas Kelly, Dublin: Martin Keene, 1820). This hymn has been paired with several different tunes, including Hendon by César Malan and Trusting by W. G. Fischer.

In July of 1795 Thomas Kelly married Elizabeth Tighe, and they had at least seven children. Thomas Kelly died May 14, 1855, at age 85. He is supposed to be buried at the Ballintubbert Church of Ireland Cemetery in Ballintubbert, County Laois, Ireland. However, some sources say he is buried near the Kelly family home at Kellyville, Ballyadams, Queens County, without stating that he is buried at Ballintubbert Church. His wife Elizabeth is probably buried at the same location he is.

Definitions with a point

• avarich, adjective. Having wealth or great possessions accumulated through an insatiable greed for riches (a portmanteau of avarice + rich).
• confuzzled, adjective. A state of being extremely bewildered or perplexed (a portmanteau of confused + puzzled).
• educatiolatry, noun. Worship of and/or excessive and unwarranted reverence for education (a portmanteau of education + idolatry).
• eggs-pert, noun. One with the special skill or knowledge representing mastery of the subject of eggs.
• ex-pert, noun. One who used to show bold and impertinent behavior, but no longer does so.
• ex-spurt, noun. One who used to used to be capable of sudden bursts of effort, but no longer is.
• figmentary, adjective. Pertaining to or connected with things created, imagined, or invented in the mind (figment, a product of mental invention or notion + -ary, a suffix with the general sense “pertaining to, connected with”).
• hate speech, noun. Speech that is hated by the people defining it.
• illeagle, noun. A sick symbol of the United States of America.
• impastor, noun. A person who deceives by pretending to be a pastor; a false teacher (a portmanteau of impostor + pastor).
• ka-balloon, interjection. A sudden and loud sound of a balloon popping.
• lymph, verb. To walk with a lisp.
• macrimony, noun. The state of being in a harsh and bitter marriage (a portmanteau of matrimony + acrimony).
• occupatience, noun. The act of waiting for the right job to come along (a portmanteau of occupation + patience).
• poly-scriptura, noun. Many scriptures (from poly “many” + scriptura “scripture”). A recently coined phrase used by some to describe those Christians who find authority in many different translations of the scriptures.
• sheeple, noun. People who blindly follow orders and avoid critical thinking (a portmanteau of sheep + people).
• smord, noun. A portmanteau (from smushed word).
• texagon, noun. A plane figure in the shape of Texas.
• transhee, noun. A man in the form of a wailing woman who appears to or is heard by members of a society as a sign that their society is dying.
• transposer, noun. A transgender person who writes music (a portmanteau of transgender + composer).
• weerie, adjective. Exhausted by things that incite superstitious fear (from weary + eerie).
• YouTubesday, noun. The Tuesday you spent all day watching videos on YouTube.

Preaching like Jeremiah

G. Campbell Morgan considered the work of every faithful God-called preacher to be like the work of Jeremiah the prophet:

“His business is to create a sense of shame in the souls of men, so to place their corruption before them as to compel the hot blush to their faces.”

Jeremiah 6:15 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the Lord.

Acts, the ship, and the wind

Verse 13: Observing the wind blowing softly, the deciders believed this was a sign that their purpose was correct, and set sail. “Their” purpose is often contrary to God’s purpose. The awful decision was soon exposed, or, as Matthew Henry’s commentary puts it, they were soon “made sensible of their folly in giving more credit to a smiling wind than to the word of God in Paul’s mouth…”

Verses 14-15: Euroclydon, ευροκλυδων, a tempestuous wind type that had its own given name. “tempestuous wind” ανεμος τυφωνικος (the latter from which we derive the word typhoon) suggests a cyclonic or circular wind, and the fact “the ship was caught” in it. “we let her drive,” that is, go where the winds drove it. At this point the wind rather than the sailors was in control of the ship. It is well to remember it is the God of the wind who ultimately is in control – of the wind, and the ship, and the people on board.

• Psalm 135:7 …he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries.
• Psalm 148:8 …stormy wind fulfilling his word…
• Amos 4:13 …he … createth the wind…
• Jonah 4:8 …God prepared a vehement east wind…
• Nahum 1:3 …the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm…
• Mark 4:39 …he … rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still…

“The winds and the waves shall obey thy will.” (from a hymn by Mary Ann Baker)

AI Worship (and Preaching)

“Can a soul-less artist produce a soul-full act of worship?”

I am very concerned about AI in general, and when it invades Christian preaching and singing, so much the worse.[i]

In 1996, I wrote an imaginary “Possible Scenario – Any Church, USA,” lamenting how some churches were projecting music and preaching on screens instead of having real people lead their worship. In the “possible scenario” the church pews became people-empty, but filled with cassette players. The silence was broken only by an occasional electronic “amen.”[ii] Not as good as Orwell’s book 1984, yet my “1996” has become “2026.” Except perhaps the members now won’t even bother with a source for electronic amens. Now here is this.

“How does Ray feel about this sudden success? He doesn’t. Because Ray doesn’t feel anything. His voice, his songs, his music, his appearance and even his ‘Mississippi Soul’ branding are entirely AI-generated. The current No. 1 ‘Christian artist’ is not a person. It is a product.”

The No. 1 “Christian artist” is neither Christian nor an artist. “He” is not even human.

We can complain about it – and rightfully so – but modern Christians have been headed toward this path for years. We just didn’t have all the technology previously (and don’t have all the technology now that we will have).

Disclaimer: I first saw this report at Baptist New Global (BNG), which I have linked to, and have not looked elsewhere for a better source. This link is definitely not a recommendation of BNG or the author of this piece. Nevertheless, we agree on the problematic nature of “AI worship.” “My real concern with AI-generated worship music is not so much that AI songs will ‘infect’ Christian worship, but that Christian worship already has drifted into a thin, commercialized space where emotional accessibility is mistaken for spiritual depth.”

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[i] We have to wonder how many sermons are now created by AI rather than study, sweat, and prayer – and the Holy Spirit.
[ii] Yes, that was a few years ago! I updated it in 2016 to “CD players, DVRs and such like,” but I think that is mostly out of date now too.