What AI exposes, and other music links

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

• What AI Exposes About Our Songs and Our Souls -- “Can a soul-less artist produce a soul-full act of worship”
• The Case for Shorter Hymnals -- “The truth is, congregations love repetition. We all do, whether we know it or not. Repetition is what makes music music and what makes good music good music.”
• Styles – Sacred Harp Singing -- “...regardless of location or voices, Sacred Harp sounds unlike academic choral singing or gospel singing in which melody dominates and harmony embellishes and supports it.”
• Shape-Note Singing in Mississippi: A Preliminary History -- “Sacred Harp singing in Mississippi, especially in Calhoun, Chickasaw, Webster and adjoining counties, has long been identified by a unique practice not found elsewhere: the use of seven syllables (doremi) to name the four shaped notes.”
• Scripture References found in Hymns. New Lists -- “I have begun to create a cross references between hymns and Scripture which those hymns reference.”
• Sacred Harp Museum Catalog -- “Listing of items held at the Sacred Harp Museum, Carrollton, Georgia.”
• ‘Sacred Harp Singing’ Goes Gay: Should You Mark and Avoid? -- “The other is the Cooper revision, known as the ‘Blue Book,’ published by the Sacred Harp Book Company, which is the older of the two and which has not (yet) been hijacked by the queer contingent.”
• Sacred Harp and Related Shape-Note Music Resources: Tunebooks, Music Books, and Hymnals -- “This guide focuses on music stylistically related to that in The Sacred Harp tunebooks but not on shape-note gospel music.”
• Rethinkin’ Our Thinkin’ -- “The first 15 pages of Rethinkin’ Our Thinkin’: Thoughts on Sacred Harp ‘Myths’.”
• Jamie MacDonald, Christian pop singer -- “Jamie MacDonald was among the new class of Artists named to watch as Spotify presented the rising stars of 2026.”
• Gon’ Act Like A Preacher, Ride From Town to Town -- “This article is an initial ‘testing the water’ on a subject in earlier African American song which has rarely been considered in print up to this point in time – the preacher in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.”
• Be Still, My Soul -- “Two gifted women from two different countries gave the English-speaking world this beautiful hymn of comfort.”
• Approaching 150 -- “The first 15 pages of Approaching 150: A Brief History of the East Texas Musical Convention and Sacred Harp in East Texas.”
• Anchor Hymns Makes Old Things New -- “The group’s tagline, ‘songs that will outlast us,’ nods to its mission to offer the church newly composed songs and newly arranged hymns that feel both historically rooted and forward-looking.”
• An Argument for Heartier Hymnals -- “Allowing room for growth means having songs you can grow into, as well as songs that fit your people currently.”

A monstrous tragedy of major proportions

F. L. “Bubba” Copeland served as the mayor of Smiths Station, Alabama, and the pastor at First Baptist Church of Phenix City, Alabama (a church affiliated with both the Southern Baptist Convention and Cooperative Baptist Fellowship). He was a 49-year-old married father of three. On November 1st, 1819 News published “The secret life of Smiths Station Mayor and Baptist pastor F. L. ‘Bubba’ Copeland as a ‘transgender curvy girl’,” reporting that Copeland had created an online presence as a transgender female. Initially denying this fact, he eventually admitted to the online presence and explained the “alter ego” as a hobby he had used since his youth to relieve anxiety and stress. Copeland killed himself Friday evening (November 3rd, 2023). This is a sad story on multiple levels. Here are some available resources. Be warned that the initial article includes disturbing facts and some graphic details.

You can follow the sequence of events in the following articles:

• The secret life of Smiths Station Mayor and Baptist pastor F. L. ‘Bubba’ Copeland as a ‘transgender curvy girl’: ‘It’s a hobby I do to relieve stress’
• FBC Phenix City pastor disputes 1819 News article’s allegations
• F. L. Copeland -- prepared statement to his church, Wednesday the 1st (Starts at about 12:30)
• Alabama Baptist state leadership responds to Phenix City pastor allegations
• FBC Phenix City pastor Copeland’s death being reported

A ridiculous and appalling article appeared on Yahoo News, written for The Advocate by Christopher Wiggins. Its design was to spark outrage, which shows up repeatedly in the comments. However, there is disingenuity and fraud present. For example, the author claims “The Advocate honors people’s chosen names and pronouns. Because Copeland did not publicly come out before their death, The Advocate is referring to them as the person they presented publicly.” In fact The Advocate is lying. F. L. Copeland never presented himself publicly as “they” and “them” (his own claim: “It’s private. I don’t do it in the public or anything like that ... It’s just a fictional character I made up to relieve stress.”). They are greasing their own wheels rather than honoring Copeland’s chosen pronouns, as the article fraudulently claims.

Much of the mainstream media has painted this as an ugly “outing” of mean-spirited conservative journalism which caused Copeland to take his own life. Little reflection on what part his own actions, online presence (which is not really private no matter how much one wants to imagine it is), and contradictory “second self” might have played.

What are your thoughts?

Pitbull Pidcock

Rick Pidcock, a freelance writer and graduate of Bob Jones University, at times seems trying to establish himself at the pitbull of the left of liberal Not-Baptist Opinion Everywhere (aka Baptist News Global. He is a prolific contributor to BNG, but, like Martha, he is careful and troubled about many things – especially if those things have anything to do with “white evangelical conservatives.” It is almost like he has an insecurity rooted in fear.

Like many on the left, he fears the possibility of no longer being able to kill babies in the womb. He and they are enamored with that “right.”

The primary case against abortion is theological, not political. When conservatives declare that “life begins at conception,” that is a theological claim based on Psalm 139:13, not a scientific claim or a public policy claim.[i]

No great surprise for people who claim the Bible as their authority. And while biblical claims do not find their genesis in science, they do not necessarily contradict one another. And even if Pidcock can’t see it, “science,” which parses its words carefully in the current “politically-charged” atmosphere, is near the same place as Christians. Even the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute admits, “Pregnancy is established when a fertilized egg has been implanted in the wall of a woman's uterus.” And Encyclopedia Brittanica states, “The zygote (fertilized egg cell)...represents the first stage in the development of a genetically unique organism.”

Logic, common sense, and the American College of Pediatricians are slightly ahead of them, and right there with the Bible and Christians. There is one point in which something changes from two to one. “The predominance of human biological research confirms that human life begins at conception—fertilization. At fertilization, the human being emerges as a whole, genetically distinct, individuated zygotic living human organism, a member of the species Homo sapiens, needing only the proper environment in order to grow and develop.”

Rick cannot take it. In another diatribe, he makes clear his holier-than-thou position: If you want to discuss abortion with him, you must lay aside what you believe and discuss it on his terms. What hubris!

Drop that concept [belief in hell], and then maybe we can talk about abortion with a modicum of humanity and common sense. Until then, I can’t take anything conservative evangelicals in the pro-life movement have to say about abortion the least bit seriously.

See how the “liberal-minded” left operates? Acquiesce to my position before we can even begin to discuss an issue. Oh, the intolerance of tolerance!

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[i] Note two things about “a theological claim based on Psalm 139:13, not a scientific claim or a public policy claim.” 1. “As if” that is the only theological prop we have. 2. He seems to disallow Christians using their source of truth in “public policy.” Get your truth elsewhere if you wish to unveil it in the public square. This from the folks who talk talk talk about “religious freedom.”

Credential Creep, Credentialism, and False Credentials

Top Southern Baptist Convention news this past week probably is the resignation of Willie McLaurin from interim president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee. I first read about it at Baptist News Global, a liberal news and opinion site that gleefully reports any foibles of the convention and skewers them for it.

McLaurin, interim president and considered most likely to be hired for the permanent post, resigned August 17th. He resigned because of the finding that he had falsified information on his resumé. His resumé included earned degrees from North Carolina Central University, Duke University Divinity School, and Hood Theological Seminary – all of which were false (as well as a claim of military service).

Previously, McLaurin had served 15 years on the staff of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, as well as a pastor at Greater Missionary Baptist Church in Clarksville, Tennessee, and pastor Greater Hope Baptist Church in Union City, Tennessee. He was elected to serve on the SBC Executive Committee staff in 2020. In 2022, after the departure of EC president Ronnie Floyd, he became the interim president of the Executive Committee.

All this lengthy introduction to make a few related points.

From what I have read about Willie McLaurin, he is a hard-working, personable man – a really nice guy that people like. Many Southern Baptists thought he was doing a great job as EC interim president, and were rooting for him to be elected to the permanent post. Nevertheless, he chose a false way to rise to the top. He lied. He falsified records. “Moreover, it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful.”

I think we all can agree that falsifying a resumé is wrong. (Even most who have done so inherently know it is wrong.) Most folks want their resumés to look their best, but to create information out of thin air cannot be justified. I have not noticed anyone mention or report what credentials/education Willie McLaurin actually has. Regardless, he apparently believed his actual education would either disqualify him or not be good enough qualifications. So, he lied. This raises a question to me, “Why would pastors, preachers, and Christian workers falsify a resumé?” What pressure do they feel that makes it seem necessary or beneficial? 

I believe the answer is “Credentialism” – or as one respondent at SBC Voices called it, “credential creep.” That writer, Nathan Petty, pointed out how that historically Baptists had grown in the United States mostly without the benefit of seminary trained preachers. Then they progressed in formal education. As this progress moved forward in the 20th and 21st centuries, the amount of degrees offered and education expected grew exponentially. According to Petty, the counsel of many would be for a man to get seven years of formal education (DMin) in order to be “really” be qualified to serve a local SBC congregation.[i]

This is not only an SBC issue. Many Baptists feel this pressure for credentials – or perhaps simply lust for the glory of the title. Our Baptist congregation is not affiliated with the SBC, neither any organized association, convention, or fellowship. Because of that, apparently, we received a lot of unsolicited “independent fundamental” correspondence. I have noticed in these circles a tendency for every Tom, Dick, and Harry – no matter how ignorant or uneducated – to be “Dr. So and So.” Whether they have legitimate degrees or bought one from the pawn shop, they tout their status. Every speaker at a conference is a “Dr.” What’s the deal? No doubt some of it is base human pride. I believe the other factor is “Credentialism.” We have unfortunately created communities of Christians who cannot “search the Scriptures” whether things are so, but need to be told it is so by “Dr. So and So.” If Paul’s Apostleship was not good enough for the Bereans, your “Doctorate” is not good enough for me!!

When we turn to the Bible discussions of qualifications (1 Corinthians 4:2; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9), a clear case can be made for honesty and integrity. Level of formal education is nowhere to be found. Yes, apt to teach. No Doctor of Ministry. I have no fondness for ignorance. Nevertheless, the Bible is our rule of faith and practice. Throw away those practical qualifications your church or ministry has created. Go back to the Bible. The qualifications there are inspired by God.

My intent is not to beat up on Willie McLaurin. We all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. However, may this incident be a teaching moment.

• Let us look to the Bible for the qualifying credentials of the ministry.
• Let us see the church founded by Jesus Christ is the primary biblical educational institution.
• Let us commit to telling the truth, regardless of the consequences.[iii] 

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[i] For example, the Duke Divinity School Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program is normally completed in three years. They require a prior Master of Divinity (M.Div.) or comparable master’s degree before enrolling in the program. Therefore, in this case, the DMin takes about six or seven years. (Duke also requires at least five years in full-time ministry before entering the program.)
[ii] While working on this, at the top of the Word Doc I had something else on which I was working — the hymn/poem “The Church’s Desolation.” The second verse (and others) seemed to have some correlation. “Her pastors love to live at ease, They covet wealth and honor; And while they seek such things as these, They bring reproach upon her. Such worthless objects they pursue, Warmly and undiverted; The church they lead and ruin, too— Her glory is departed.”
[iii] Mark Terry writes, “If we cannot depend on pastors and church workers to tell the truth, then we’re in bad shape.”

Public Service Announcement

Free at-⁠home COVID-⁠19 tests -- “Every home in the U.S. can soon order 4 free at-⁠home COVID-⁠19 tests. The tests will be completely free—there are no shipping costs and you don’t need to enter a credit card number.”

In the news

• Stunning: Facebook court filing admits ‘fact checks’ are just a matter of opinion -- “Such ‘fact checks’ are now shown to be simply an agenda to suppress free speech and the open discussion of science by disguising liberal media activism as something supposedly factual, noble, neutral, trustworthy, and based on science.”
• Christmas Display Featuring ‘Gender Queer’ Alongside Bible Removed by VA Library After Outcry -- “They’re mocking parents who object to pedophilia and pornographic material inside our school libraries.”
• Bob Dole Planned a Mischievous Surprise for Dems at His Memorial, Cameras Were Rolling When They Caught On -- “I also confess that I’m a bit curious to learn if I am correct in thinking that heaven will look a lot like Kansas and to see, like others who have gone before me, if I will still be able to vote in Chicago.”
• ALL of These Prominent Democrats Had a Hand in Pushing Jussie Smollett’s Hoax -- “As it turned out, the story was too good to be true for the left. Smollett orchestrated the attack himself, and he has been convicted of lying to the police as a result.”

Who is wrong in abortion debate?

Today’s post is an expansion of a “Letter to the Editor” to the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper, Tallahassee, Florida. The letter is a response to “Both sides are wrong in abortion debate,” an opinion piece by retired psychologist Gary Whittenberger, published on December 6th. (If you cannot view it on their site, it is also available at Yahoo News.)

Dr. Whittenberger gets some things right and some things wrong. He rightly denounces the viability and privacy problems with the Roe v. Wade decision. Viability from that day and time (26 weeks) is now out the window. Lyla Stensrud was born in 2014 at 21 weeks.[i] Richard Hutchinson was born in 2020 at 21 weeks. Curtis Means of Alabama was recently certified as the “world’s most premature baby to survive,” his time of birth making his about 24 hours less than Richard’s time of birth. Whittenberger wisely knows that with advances in medical technology “viability will continue to go downward.” He further states, “nobody should have the right to hide an unethical or illegal act in private, and sometimes killing a fetus is like that.”

However, when he represents what is wrong on the pro-life side, he gets it wrong, writing:

The pro-lifers are wrong because they give an answer to the wrong question, i.e. “When does life begin?” That is totally irrelevant, and we already know that the zygote is alive. The relevant question is “When should the fetus be considered a person and assigned basic human rights?”

I suppose he does not intend to misrepresent the pro-life position. Nevertheless, in that statement he does so. Pro-lifers are not arguing that some unknown life form begins at the moment of conception – but that two humans create another human life, a person.  To pro-lifers “when does life begin” means “when does human life begin, including with it personhood and basic human rights.” Whittenberger is free to disagree with the pro-life position, but he should not misrepresent it, either knowingly or unknowingly. We are contending that at conception the life that begins at that time (which he admits is life) is a person, entitled to basic human rights, and that our laws should support and protect those rights.

Finally, Whittenberger disagrees with pro-lifers because he believes that a “human fetus cannot be a person until its brain matures to the point that it acquires the capacity for consciousness,” and that “this occurs at the end of the 24th week post-conception.” This agrees with a common scientific view that “the thalamo-cortical complex that provides consciousness with its highly elaborate content, begins to be in place between the 24th and 28th week of gestation.” (This disagrees with the living lives of Lyla Stensrud, Richard Hutchinson, Curtis Means, and others born before 24 weeks!)

According to the APA Dictionary of Psychology, consciousness is “an organism’s awareness of something either internal or external to itself.” This view proves to be a dangerous concept for determining personhood, not only for the children less than 24 weeks, but also for adults in comas.[ii] Are they no longer persons and entitled to basic human rights? Sadly, this is where we have arrived and what many people think. Snuff them out unceremoniously. They have not consciousness. They are not persons.

Biblically, humans – all humans – have value because God made us in his image (Genesis 1:27, Job 33:4, Psalm 119:73).[iii] We are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), in ways beyond the comprehension of man’s thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). Let us, if we err, “err” on the side of life.

Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

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[i] Or less, according to some unofficial reports.
[ii] It is also dangerous because this is unsettled science, subjective and subject to change. “Consciousness in general and the birth of consciousness in particular remain as key puzzles confronting the scientific worldview.” – “The Emergence of Human Consciousness: From Fetal to Neonatal Life” (Lagercrantz, H., Changeux, JP. Pediatr Res 65, 255–260, 2009). How much better to walk into the unknown, uncertain, and unsettled with the old medical adage, primum non nocere (first, do no harm). Where you are unsure, “err” on the side of life, not death.
[iii] Often expressed in the theological terminology imago Dei (Latin for “image of God”). 

Heroes and Pariahs

The same “front line” health care workers hailed as heroes by the media for treating COVID patients before vaccines were available, including the Plaintiffs herein, are now vilified by the same media as pariahs who must be excluded from society until they are vaccinated against their will.

From a lawsuit by health care workers against the state of New York

The nation’s two-party system

The nation’s (United States) two-party system illustrated by Stephan Pastis in Pearls Before Swine.

Amen and awoman

U. S. House Representative Emanuel Cleaver II, a Democrat from Missouri’s 5th Congressional District, lit up the internet world with his Opening Prayer for the 117th Congress – punctuated by the affirmation “Amen ... and awoman.”

The transcription below is that Opening Prayer for the 117th Congress.[i] Representative Emanuel Cleaver II is also an ordained United Methodist minister.

Let us pray.
Eternal God, [noiselessly] we bow before your throne of grace as we leave behind the politically and socially clamorous year of 2020. We gather now in this consequential chamber to inaugurate another chapter in our roller coaster representative government. The members of this august body acknowledge your sacred supremacy, and therefore confess that without your favor and forbearance, we enter this new year relying dangerously on our own fallible nature. God, at a moment when many believe that the bright light of democracy is beginning to dim, empower us with an extra dose of commitment to its principles. May we of the 117th Congress refuel the lamp of liberty so brimful that generations unborn will witness its undying flame. And may we model community healing, control our tribal tendencies, and quicken our spirits that we may feel thy priestly presence even in moments of heightened disagreement. May we so feel your presence that our service here may not be soiled by any utterances or acts unworthy of this high office. Insert in our spirit a light so bright that we can see ourselves and our politics as we really are, soiled by selfishness, perverted by prejudice, and [inveigled] by ideology. Now may the god who created the world and everything in it, bless us and keep us. May the lord make his face to shine upon us, and be gracious unto us. May the lord lift up the light of his countenance upon us and give us peace; peace in our families, peace across this land, and dare I ask, O lord – peace even in this chamber; now and evermore. We ask it in the name of the monotheistic god, brahma, and god known by many names by many different faiths. Amen ... and awoman.

On the surface, this prayer may seem to be ecumenical, bipartisan, inclusive, and non-offensive. It is not. Anyone who wants to be offended should be able to find something offensive here!

• This prayer is addressed to “Eternal god.” That should offend the atheists and agnostics.
• This prayer twice speaks of a god addressed in the masculine gender – “his face” and “his countenance.” That should offend the feminists.
• This prayer uses charged political terminology. That should be offensive to those with “tribal tendencies.”
• This prayer mentions our “fallible nature.” This should offend those who reject the doctrine of a depraved sin nature.
• This prayer acknowledges a “god who created the world and everything in it.” That should offend the evolutionists.
• This prayer the god of many faiths. That should offend all Bible-believing Christians (as well as his not praying in Jesus’s name, and, and…).
• This prayer genderizes “amen” (“so be it”) by adding “awoman.”[ii]  This should offend all who support Nancy Pelosi’s gender-inclusive House resolution, and all those who believe there are more than two genders.

Something here for (or not for) everybody. Probably much more.

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[i] In the two places with brackets, I am not sure what is said. I think the rest of it is correct.

[ii] Representative Cleaver’s later explanation that he added “awoman” as some sort of joke (“I concluded with a light-hearted pun”) should offend all who believe in the sincerity and reality of prayer. [Note: “awoman” is used opposite “amen” – rather than awomen – because many of us, including Rep. Cleaver, pronounce “amen” closer to “aman.” That might offend someone as well.]

The Clown Anchors of CNN

The Clown Anchors of CNN have every right to their own opinions, but they do not comprehend the basic issues and understandings of the Christian faith, and should not bloviate as if they do.

Catholic Chris Cuomo probably does not understand the teaching of his own church, if he even cares to, opining, “If you believe in one another and if do the right thing for yourself and your community, things will get better in this country. You don’t need help from above. It’s within us.” Sounds to me that Cuomo could use a great deal of help from above instead of looking within himself!

I-do-not-know-the-religious-affiliation-of Don Lemon at a different time told the sympathetic Cuomo, “Jesus Christ, if that’s who you believe in, Jesus Christ, admittedly was not perfect when he was here on this earth.” Lemon probably spoke from his heart his sincerely-held belief, but that clearly is not the “admittedly” held teaching of Jesus Christ, the Bible, or thousands of Christian believers. Beyond all that, his point that men like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson should not be “deified” because even Jesus was “not perfect” is boundless nonsense. No one who believes Jesus was and is perfect believes that Washington and Jefferson were.

Maybe CNN just has to say crazy stuff to be noticed nowadays.

Abortionist admits, 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.

• Abortionist admits he’s limited to ‘no set period’ in unearthed video -- “Boyd says it’s his ‘calling’ to provide ‘full-range, first, second, and third-trimester’ abortion services.”
• Amash Announces Exploratory Committee to Run for President on Libertarian Ticket -- “We’re ready for a presidency that will restore respect for our Constitution and bring people together.”
• Do Lockdowns Save Many Lives? In Most Places, the Data Say No -- “The speed with which officials shuttered the economy appears not to be a factor in Covid deaths.”
• John Gill on the Johannine Comma -- “...God preserves His word through copying and duplicating it, not by preserving the original.”
• Leading Democrats Stand Behind Biden After Sexual-Assault Allegation -- “Women seen on presumptive presidential nominee’s running-mate shortlist undeterred by former Senate staffer’s claims.”
• New York vs Texas: NY Has Nearly 50 Times More COVID-19 Deaths Per Capita -- “No conclusions can be drawn about the states that sheltered quickly, because their death rates ran the full gamut, from 20 per million in Oregon to 360 in New York.”
• Politicians Are Locking Us Down Because Overdoing It Doesn’t Cost Them Anything -- “Draconian and unsupported restrictions on Americans are not necessarily an exercise in ambition, but vanity: politicians absolutely must look like a leader at all costs.”
• Three Historic Theologians on the Johannine Comma -- “It has become popular today for those who deny the authenticity of the Johannine Comma (1 John 5:7) to speak condescendingly of those who believe it is inspired...”

Worst Colleges in America

The 20 Worst Colleges in America in 2019

Not sure how accurate this is, but it is interesting. Looks like a lot of weight is placed on the graduation rate and cost. In other cases, though, the weight was given to quelling free speech. The two different standards make it a sort of mixed bag of comparison.

Struggles with funerals

Interesting article on some of the struggles with modern funerals:

Oh no you didn’t: Ministers struggle with people behaving badly at funerals“The issue has reached a level sufficient to have experts offering suggestions to mourners on how to act – and more importantly, not act – when attending memorials and funerals.”

Coming and going from the sanctuary during the funeral – to use the restroom, have a smoke or take a call – is routine, McIver Penny said.

Or, it’s common to see individuals who are texting each other or taking selfies and, in some cases, taking calls right there in the pews.

“They’ll answer the phone and say, ‘I’m at a funeral,’” she said.

“The craziest thing I have seen is the family (of the deceased), all on their phones on the front row and they weren’t paying attention at all to the funeral.”

Best path to a younger flock?

Best path to a younger flock? Church asks older members to worship elsewhere

The United Methodist Church has told the 60+ age members of the Grove United Methodist Church in Cottage Grove, Minnesota to shove off. The church is closing in June and reopening in November – without them. “The church wants to attract more young families. The present members, most of them over 60 years old, will be invited to worship somewhere else. A memo recommends that they stay away for two years, then consult the pastor about reapplying.”

“‘Rev.’ Dan Wetterstrom...said that Methodists’ regional Annual Conference is paying $250,000 to restart the church. They have hired a specialist in starting new churches — Jeremy Peters.

“Peters, 30, has moved to Cottage Grove with his wife and two children. He is working with community groups, laying the groundwork for the relaunch, probably in November.

“‘It’s a new thing with a new mission for a new target,’ said Peters, ‘and a new culture.’”

Though the older members “will not be physically barred from attending,” they are not wanted, and “the expectation is that they will not” attend where they are not wanted.

“William Gackstetter said the aging membership has been asked to continue maintaining the church until it reopens without them.

“‘They want us to mow the lawn and shovel the snow.’ he said.”

“Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren; the elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity. Honour widows that are widows indeed.” 1 Timothy 5:1-3

“…mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.” Isaiah 56:7

Miscellaneous news

Some links to miscellaneous bits of news:

• The text of the May statement made by Special Counsel Robert Mueller can be found HERE.
• The October 16, 2000 Justice Department view of “A Sitting President’s Amenability to Indictment and Criminal Prosecution” can be found HERE.
• H.R.5 - Equality Act has passed in the House of Representatives
• 116th Congress (2019-2020) “This bill prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in areas including public accommodations and facilities, education, federal funding, employment, housing, credit, and the jury system.”
• Doug Collins (Rep.-Ga.) made the following statement at a hearing on H.R. 5: “Don’t ignore the costs here — because they’re steep. H.R. 5 erases civil rights protections for biological women and sets the stage for children to fall victim — in permanent, unprecedented ways — to the confusion that often characterizes adolescence. If Democrats are determined to move this legislation forward, they must acknowledge it automatically privileges the rights of biological men over the rights of biological women. This bill will cause suffering that is far-reaching and, in many cases, enduring...”

The “Easter Worshippers”

I saw mentions of this online, and it certainly does make an intriguing comparison – how certain prominent politicians responded to the Muslims targeted and killed in Christchurch, New Zealand, and to the Christians targeted and killed in the cities of Batticaloa, Colombo, and Negombo, in Sri Lanka.

The following quotes I gathered are tweet-outs by the 44th President of the United States, a former First Lady of the United States and former Democratic candidate for President, and a current candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in 2020. The operative comparison of tweets is that in the first case they freely identified the targets of terrorism as Muslims, while in the second case they called the targets of terrorism “Easter worshippers” rather than Christians.

Barack Obama, re New Zealand: “Michelle and I send our condolences to the people of New Zealand. We grieve with you and the Muslim community. All of us must stand against hatred in all its forms.”
Barack Obama, re Sri Lanka: “The attacks on tourists and Easter worshippers in Sri Lanka are an attack on humanity. On a day devoted to love, redemption, and renewal, we pray for the victims and stand with the people of Sri Lanka.”

Hillary Clinton, re New Zealand: “My heart breaks for New Zealand & the global Muslim community. We must continue to fight the perpetuation and normalization of Islamophobia and racism in all its forms.”
Hillary Clinton, re Sri Lanka: “On this holy weekend for many faiths, we must stand united against hatred and violence. I’m praying for everyone affected by today’s horrific attacks on Easter worshippers and travelers in Sri Lanka.”

Julián Castro, re New Zealand: “My heart is with the people of New Zealand and the entire Muslim community this morning. We must always stand against acts of terror and hate.”
Julián Castro, re Sri Lanka: “On a day of redemption and hope, the evil of these attacks on Easter worshippers and tourists in Sri Lanka is deeply saddening. My prayers today are with the dead and injured, and their families. May we find grace.”

“Easter worshippers” smells of agreed-upon talking points to me – in that so many (not just these three) used it. I have never before noticed it being a common usage. Why would it be “agreed-upon” talking points? To avoid calling the slain and injured Christians? Of course, I expect that “people who are worshipping on Easter Sunday” are at least nominally Christians. There is room for Christian leaders to debate that fact. However, political leaders should just assume, in their use of language, that they were adherents to their faith – just as they assumed those worshipping the two mosques were Muslims.

A Christian first

Brian Kilmeade of Fox News raised a stink concerning Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar, a Muslim, questioning whether she was “an American first.” That story I leave for another day (if at all), but it brings to me the question whether anyone who is committed to his or her religion can be “an American first.” I am a Christian. I am a Christian first. I am an American geographically and politically, and was an American first chronologically (born by nature before born by the Spirit). I am a Christian second chronologically, by a new birth that made me part of the family of God and the kingdom of heaven. In the end being “a Christian first” means recognizing when push comes to shove “we ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

Perhaps a better question is “Can I be a Christian first and be a good citizen” or “Can I be a Christian first and be not threat to America?”

• “A Christian first” does not mean I am un-American or anti-American. The Bible teaches the Christian to be a good citizen (Romans 13:1-2), pray for the leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-2), pay the taxes (Mark 12:17), and seek its peace (Jeremiah 29:7).
• “A Christian first” does not mean I place some other country’s interests before those of the United States. The Bible promotes an interest in the spiritual welfare of the people of all nations (Matthew 28:19; Psalm 33:12), but being “a Christian first” does not lead one to betray his or her own nation for another.
• “A Christian first” does mean that my citizenship is in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:20, Philippians 3:20) and I belong to a kingdom not of this world (1 Peter 2:9; John 18:36) – Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

I make no claim that I am doing a great, or even good, job of being “a Christian first.” Often I am a failure, but…

I am a Christian first.

...seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness...

Matthew 6:33

Atheist prayer?

Last Saturday I commented on Praying in Pennsylvania – which was primarily about a Christian lawmaker’s prayer in the Pennsylvania State House. Atheists want to pray too! Who knew?

The Pennsylvania State Senate, operating under their own rules, which are different from the House, invited Deana Weaver, a member of the Dillsburg Area Free Thinkers,[i] to offer a “prayer” at the opening of the Pennsylvania Senate on March 20, 2019. It included:

“We pray that the one principle that this great experiment of American democracy has taught us is that we are so much better when we work together in a spirit of inclusion. And so we pray. We pray for this democracy of the people, by the people and for the people. We pray for our government to serve all people equally.”

Commenting on the “aggressive” prayer by Christian Stephanie Borowicz, Weaver said, “We live in strange times.” You got that right! What in the world is a “prayer” by an atheist? There is no such a thing! There is no God to pray to, no expectation of answered prayer, merely a hypocritical formality and a desire to be “included.” Prayer is the act of invoking or calling upon a deity, spirit, etc., for aid, protection, inspiration, or the like; supplication. Our society keeps redefining things into oblivion, so that an atheist may invoke a deity “for aid, protection, inspiration, or the like.” Ha! If the Pennsylvania Senate wants to give an atheist a forum to address its opening, so be it. However, let us be honest and not pretend it is prayer.

Weaver delivered her first invocation at the Pennsylvania Senate in April 2015. Mike Argento atrociously announced, “since the world did not come to an end and the Senate wasn’t swarmed by locusts or pelted with a shower of frogs or hurled into a lake of fire, she was able to make a return trip.” By that standard, I’m sure we will see Argento in the forefront of encouraging Borowicz’s return trip to pray at the Pennsylvania House. The way they cried and hollered, you would think they were worried about the world coming to an end because of Borowicz’s prayer. Maybe it was just the case of the “hit dog” instead.

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[i] This DAFT group has a strange way of educating people to the dangers of belief in a supernatural being. Their watchwords are supposed to be reason and science, yet a little fake prayer evidently doesn’t hurt either.

Praying in Pennsylvania

On Monday, March 25, a prayer by a Christian lawmaker in Pennsylvania stirred up a hornet’s nest. Before each session the House rules call for opening in prayer as the first order of business. That Monday, the opening prayer was given by freshman Representative Stephanie Borowicz. If transcribe correctly, here is what she said:

Let’s pray. Jesus, I thank you for this privilege, Lord, of letting me pray, God, that I, Jesus, am your ambassador here today, standing here representing you, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Great I Am, the one who is coming back again, the one who came, died, and rose again on the third day. And I’m so privileged to stand here today, so thank you for this honor, Jesus. God, for those that came before us like George Washington and Valley Forge, and Abraham Lincoln who sought after you in Gettysburg, Jesus, and the founding fathers at Independence Hall, Jesus, that sought after you and fasted and prayed for this nation to be founded on your principles and your word and your truth. God forgive us. Jesus, we’ve lost sight of you. We’ve forgotten you, God, in our country, and we’re asking you to forgive us, Jesus, as your promise in your word says that if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek your face, and turn from their wicked ways, that you will heal our land. Jesus, you are our only hope. God, I pray for our leaders, Speaker Turzai, Leader Cutler, Governor Wolf, President Trump for his [stance] that he stands beside Israel unequivocally, Lord. Thank you, Jesus, that we’re blessed because we stand by Israel, and we ask for the peace of Jerusalem as your word says, God. We ask that we not be overcome by and that we overcome evil with good in this land once again. I claim all these things in the powerful, mighty, name of Jesus, the one who at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will confess, Jesus, that you are Lord. In Jesus name. Amen.

Her prayer has brought rancor, condemnation, applause for a Muslim prayer, and a Resolution “urging members of the House of Representatives who have the opportunity to offer a prayer in the course of a legislative session to craft a prayer respectful of all religious beliefs.” What irony that the decriers evidently wish to be “respectful of all religious beliefs” except beliefs like those of Representative Borwicz! Democratic Governor Tom Wolf – one of those prayed for – was “horrified” by the prayer and averred, “Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn on the basis of freedom of conscience” – just not freedom of conscience for Stephanie Borowicz or those who believe as she does! Freedom only for those who kowtow to the beliefs of Wolf and those on his side. Very few like Wolf see the contradictions of their own claims.

I would not have prayed as did this representative. Her prayer seems sort of weird, according to my own standards. However, it is never inappropriate for a person to pray according to her sincerely held religious beliefs just because someone is present who holds different beliefs, or someone disagrees. Prayer is an act of communing with and/or making a petition to God. If this legislature really intends to have prayer, then leave each pray-er to pray according to the dictates of his or her own heart with governmental interference. Anything less is either a sham or a formality.

I liked the “old days,” when we stood for free exercise and free speech even for those who differed with us, rather than limiting free exercise and free speech to that which agrees with our own opinions.

• “The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.” – Thomas Jefferson
• “Every man must give an account of himself to God, and therefore every man ought to be at liberty to serve God in that way that he can best reconcile to his conscience.” – John Leland
• “The Religion then of every man must be left to the conviction and conscience of every man: and it is the right of every man to exercise it as these may dictate.” – James Madison
• “Speech may not be banned on the ground that it expresses ideas that offend…The proudest boast of our free speech jurisprudence is that we protect the freedom to express ‘the thought that we hate’.” – Samuel Alito, in Metal v. Tam
• “To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it.” – G. K. Chesterton