Jesus Fell Asleep, 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.

• Jesus Fell Asleep -- "He didn't deliver me from my trial because the trial itself was my path."
• Mitch Landrieu: Bunny Friend Park shooting 'domestic terrorism' -- "10 of 17 injured under 21 years old"
• Paris Slowly Coming to Terms With a New Vulnerability -- "Paris is only slowly coming to terms with the idea that this assault by Islamic State supporters, many of them French-born, is unlikely to be the last."
• Pastor marries teenage bride with wife’s blessing -- "And while Miller’s ladies are both on board with their love triangle, his church in Mansfield, Ohio, isn’t."
• People Who Use Standing Desks Sit More at Home, Study Finds -- "Standing desk evangelists, you may want to sit down for this."
• Oldest U.S. Graduate Seminary to Close Campus -- "America’s oldest graduate seminary is once again blazing a trail for other mainline Protestant institutions to follow. "
• Religious groups’ policies on transgender members vary widely -- "Many other churches...do not have statements that explicitly address the status of transgender people, although many of these groups condemn homosexuality."
• The Washington Post will allow singular ‘they’ -- "The Washington Post’s ruling is the latest salvo in a style dispute that has seen skirmishes between journalism greybeards on both sides."
• When Calling Someone A Heretic... -- "All heresies are errors, but not all errors are heresies."

Addenda for Songs Before Unknown

Addenda for Songs Before Unknown: a Companion to The Sacred Harp, Revised Cooper Edition, 2012

Butterfield, James Austin (May 18, 1837–July 6, 1891) was born in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England in 1837. He learned to play the violin by the time he was four years old. He dreamed of following music, but at age fifteen his parents put him to work in a trade. He came to the United States in 1856, first lighting in New England but shortly moving to Chicago. He gave violin lessons and taught singing schools, and later established Butterfield and Company in Indianapolis, Indiana. His composed When You and I Were Young for lyrics written by George Washington Johnson of Hamilton, Ontario. The tune was first published by Butterfield in 1866 and later by Oliver Ditson and Company. In 1868 he was made director of the Centenary Methodist Episcopal Church choir in Chicago. He moved to Connecticut for a period of time, but returned to Chicago and his directorship of the Centenary Church choir in 1888. He was the second president of the Music Teachers National Association. Though he is usually remembered as a secular composer, he also composed religious tunes – for example, Victory Over Sin for words by Henry S. Perkins (1833-1914). Butterfield died in Chicago and is buried in Graceland Cemetery, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. B. L. Andrews used When You and I Were Young as a template for the tune Long Ago, Comrades.
        582      Long Ago, Comrades (When You and I Were Young)

Butterfield, James Austin
A Hundred Years of Music in America, William Smythe Babcock Mathews, Chicago, IL: G. L. Howe, 1889, pp. 647-650

Hitchcock. “Hitchcock” wrote the music for Fairfield, No. 29a. This composer likely is Miles Hitchcock, the son of Asahel Hitchcock (1743-1824) and Abigail Law (1747-1827) – and a nephew of preacher, music teacher, compiler, and composer Andrew Law (1749-1821). He was born February 3, 1767 in Cheshire, New Haven County, Connecticut and died December 9, 1843 in Gowanus, Long Island, New York. He was a merchant in New York City for many years, having arrived there at least by 1798. After the death of his first wife (name unknown), Hitchcock married Caroline Catalina Vanderbilt (1782-1851) on October 24, 1825. She was born in August 1782 and died April 10, 1851. Miles and Catalina are buried at Flatbush Reformed Dutch Cemetery in Kings County, New York. According to The Genealogy of the Hitchcock Family, Miles Hitchcock had at least four children – two by his first wife and two by his second wife. Two compositions by Hitchcock appear in Andrew Law’s Rudiments of Music between 1786 and 1790. During this period, Miles Hitchcock was procuring music plates for these revisions. His relationship to Andrew Law and his involvement in the publication of Rudiments of Music make it very likely that this Miles Hitchcock is the “Hitchcock” who composed Fairfield. It is worth noting that Fairfield, Connecticut is in Fairfield County, a neighboring county to New Haven County, where Miles Hitchcock was born. Wilton by Hitchcock appeared in a variant second edition of Law’s Rudiments in 1786. There is a Wilton, Connecticut in Fairfield County.

            29a       Fairfield

Hitchcock

Thanks to Mary Huffman and Warren Steel for discovery and information on Miles Hitchcock, with additional information from Ancestry.com, Find-A-Grave.com, et al.

Fairfield is attributed to “Hitchcock” in the third edition of Rudiments of Music, by Andrew Law, 1791 (A Companion to the New Harp of Columbia, Marion J. Hatchett, Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Press, 2003, pp. 6, 245). “Fairfield first appeared in the variant second edition of 1787-90 [of Andrew Law’s Rudiments of Music].” (The Makers of The Sacred Harp, David Warren Steel, Richard H. Hulan, Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2010, p. 123).

History of Cheshire, Connecticut, from 1694-1840: including Prospect, which, as Columbia parish, was a part of Cheshire until 1829, Joseph Perkins Beach, Cheshire, CT: Lady Fenwick Chapter, D. A. R., 1912, p. 361.

“Died,” The Evening Post, Monday, December 11, 1843, p. 2

The Genealogy of the Hitchcock Family: Who are Descended from Matthias Hitchcock of East Haven, Conn., and Luke Hitchcock of Wethersfield, Conn., by Mrs. Edward Hitchcock, Sr., East Haven, CT: Press of Carpenter & Morehouse, 1894, p. 158

http://home.olemiss.edu/~mudws/errata.html

Howard, Samuel Lafayette Sr. (December 10, 1860–October 8, 1940) was born in either Muscogee or Harris County, Georgia, the son of James W. Howard and Tinsey Narramore of Muscogee County. He was a composer and singing school teacher, a student of A. J. and J. H. Showalter. He began teaching singing schools in 1886. He was editor of Gospel Banner and an associate editor of Crowning Vocalist and Hymns of Glory. Howard lived with his parents in Muscogee County, Georgia in the 1870, 1880, and 1900 censuses, and was living in Columbus in 1904. The 1900 census lists the occupation of the 38-year old Samuel Howard as “Music Teacher.” Howard married Lydia Dowdell on December 24, 1907 in Lee County, Alabama, and lived at or near Auburn in that county until his death in 1940. In the 1910 census, Howard’s occupation is “Farmer” and he is listed simply as “Prof. Howard”. The B. F. White Sacred Harp added At the Golden Gates to the book in 1950. It previously appeared in The Vocal Class Leader under the title They are Waiting for You and Me, tune by Howard and the words written by G. Beaverson. S. L. Howard died October 8, 1940. He and his wife Lydia are buried at the Pine Hill Cemetery at Auburn, Lee County, Alabama.
            476      At the Golden Gates
 
Howard, Samuel Lafayette
The Best Gospel Songs and Their Composers, A. J. Showalter, Dalton, GA: The A. J. Showalter Co., Dallas, TX: The Showalter-Patton Co., 1904, p. 285
The Montgomery Advertiser, Thursday, October 10, 1940, p. 8
U. S. Federal Censuses, Muscogee County, Georgia, 1870, 1800, 1900; Lee County, Alabama, 1910-1940

Lee, David Jonathan “Johnny” (July 20, 1934–November 1, 2016) Johnny Lee passed away Tuesday November 1, 2016. He was buried Friday the 4th at the High Bluff Cemetery near Hoboken, Georgia.

Obituary, Music Funeral Home

Helwig, Steven (November 18, 1957–January 21, 2018) Steven Helwig passed away Sunday, January 21, 2018 in Gridley, Butte County, California.

Find-A-Grave Memorial

Spurlock, Tom Junior “Tommie” (June 7, 1930—January 24, 2024) … Margaret died March 6, 2020. Tommie died January 24, 2024. They are buried at the Mabson Methodist Church Cemetery in Dale County, Alabama.

Obituary

Find-A-Grave Memorial

Pope, Mattie. Martha Matilda “Mattie” Pope was the daughter of George William Pope and Sarah Missouri Head of Crenshaw County, Alabama, born January 29, 1889. She arranged The Blessed Lamb, a song already in The Sacred Harp on page 454, when she was about 13 years old.. The greatest part of the arrangement of this tune is the change of the initial section from 3/4 to 2/4 time. There are a few note changes as well. Minnie Floyd added the alto part. In her youth, Mattie was active in the singings in Crenshaw County. She served as secretary of the all-day singing at Luverne in 1908 (as well as other years). W. M. Cooper was among the “prominent visiting singers present.” Mattie taught music in school, and taught private piano lessons. She married fellow Sacred Harp singer A. O. Jackson at Luverne, September 7, 1919. They lived in Luverne, Mountain Creek, and Montgomery in Alabama, and Miami in Florida (and perhaps other places). Mattie died in Miami, Florida. A. O. and Mattie are buried in the Laurel Hill Cemetery in Thomasville, Thomas County, Georgia.

            454       The Blessed Lamb (arranged)

Pope, Mattie

U. S. Federal Censuses, 1900-1940

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/176908826/martha-matilda-jackson

“News of Luverne,” The Montgomery Advertiser, Tuesday, June 9, 1908, p. 2

“Pope-Jackson At Luverne,” The Luverne Journal, Thursday, September 18, 1919, p. 1

“Mrs. A. O. Jackson Dies At Her Home in Miami,” The Montgomery Advertiser, Saturday, November 1, 1947, p. 8

Seeking A. R. Walton, singer, composer and typesetter

Walton, A. R. is probably Arthur Rivers Walton (October 18, 1874–January 29, 1927), the son of George and Elizabeth Walton. He married Gussie May (or Mae) Anderson (1883–1973). The 1900 and 1910 Censuses of Fulton County, Georgia, list him as a house carpenter. When he registered for the draft he was living in DeKalb County and said he was a farmer, but in the 1920 Fulton County Census he is listed as a musical composer. The A. R. Walton mentioned by J. L. White in his “Preface” was also a music typesetter or plate maker. In 1919 Arthur Walton arranged the music for “The Confederate Soldier” written by veteran George W. Simmons, Sr. It was sung by J. L. White at the Old Soldier’s Home on Sunday October 5, 1919 and was to be sung at the upcoming Confederate Reunion (See Atlanta Constitution, October 6, 1919, p. 7). Arthur and Gussie Mae Walton are buried at the Crestlawn Cemetery in Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia.  One of his tunes, We Wait Thy Blessings, was in the 1909 edition but not kept in 1911.

491a    Just For a Day

498a    Mary

512      Pray On

A. R. Walton notes

World War I Draft Registrations, www.ancestry.com

U. S. Federal Censuses, Fulton County 1900-1920

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=118352540

Pharisaical about Pharisees, and other quotes

The posting of quotes by human authors does not constitute agreement with either the quotes or their sources.

"One of my great sins is being Pharisaical about Pharisees." -- Steve Brown

"Biblical example is a strong argument in setting forth the ways of God, and it should never be dismissed as insignificant." -- Royce Smith

"How can someone scripturally exhort if he has not taught those things which form the basis of biblical exhortation?" -- Albert N. Martin

"Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand; With an equal opportunity..." -- Stevie Wonder

"Appreciation is a graceful gesture of gratitude from one to another." -- copied

"Gratitude is the heart's memory." -- copied

"I grant you, one penitent thief was converted in his last hours, that no man might despair; but I warn you, only one was converted, that no man might presume." -- J. C. Ryle

"Those who wait until the eleventh hour to repent often die at ten thirty." -- Unknown

"He that comes to and leans upon Jesus, his finished work, his dying love, will have rest here and heaven hereafter." -- J. C. Philpot

"Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on the front door forever." -- copied

Topsy Turvy

Yesterday I posted about the offense of being called “illegal immigrant” and last week I posted a link to The Coddling of the American Mind. On Thanksgiving Day I read Dr. Everett Piper: A Man Among Boys in which the president of Oklahoma Wesleyan University addressing a situation of a student complaining after a chapel service that “he felt 'victimized' by a sermon on the topic of 1 Corinthians 13.”

These and other like incidents provide strong evidence of the overwhelmingly self-centered society we have become. We are so absorbed within ourselves that we claim the right to find nothing disagreeable and have no one disagree with us. Guilt is neither a culpability we possess nor a shame we should feel. We have turned the freedom of speech topsy turvy into a freedom from speech we don't like, and limited the universality of sin to the rare trait of those who disagree with us.

God help us!

Undocumented aliens

As I was reading last week, I noticed a report that presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has promised to no longer use the term “illegal immigrants.” Jose Antonio Vargas, founder of the Define American group is leading a campaign to get presidential contenders to promise that they will not to use this term. Vargas says that words matter, claims that “‘illegal’ has become synonymous with ‘Mexican’,” and further states “Those words are offensive and hurtful.” He suggests the word “undocumented” in place of “illegal.” 

I have never heard the idea that folks think “illegal is synonymous with Mexican”. I have no interest in being offensive or hurtful. But... 

Yes, words do matter. And it is a matter of fact that some immigrants are illegal – that is, they are illegally in this country and in defiance of the immigration laws of the United States. Calling them undocumented won’t change that. The presence of folks in the U.S. undocumented and illegally is a problem with no easy solution. Pretending the problem is not a matter of law will not solve it.

Thanksgiving for the Harvest

1. We plow the fields and scatter

the good seed on the land,

but it is fed and watered

by God's almighty hand,

who sends the snow in winter,

the warmth to swell the grain,

the breezes and the sunshine,

and soft refreshing rain.

2. You only are the maker

of all things near and far.

You paint the wayside flower,

you light the evening star.

The wind and waves obey you,

by you the birds are fed;

much more to us, your children,

you give our daily bread.

3. We thank you, our creator,

for all things bright and good,

the seed-time and the harvest,

our life, our health, our food.

No gifts have we to offer

for all your love imparts,

but what you most would treasure -

our humble, thankful hearts.

Refrain:

All good gifts around us

are sent from heaven above,

then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord

for all his love.

Matthias Claudius, 1782; Translated by Jane M. Campbell, 1861

Our hearts we raise

1. To Thee, O Lord, our hearts we raise

In hymns of adoration,

To Thee bring sacrifice of praise

With shouts of exultation:

Bright robes of gold the fields adorn,

The hills with joy are ringing,

The valleys stand so thick with corn

That even they are singing.

2. And now, on this our festal day,

Thy bounteous hand confessing,

Upon Thine altar, Lord, we lay

The first-fruits of Thy blessing:

By Thee the souls of men are fed

With gifts of grace supernal;

Thou, Who dost give us daily bread,

Give us the Bread eternal.

3. We bear the burden of the day,

And often toil seems dreary;

But labor ends with sunset ray,

And rest is for the weary;

May we, the angel-reaping o'er,

Stand at the last accepted,

Christ's golden sheaves for evermore,

To garners bright elected.

4. Oh, blessèd is that land of God,

Where saints abide forever;

Where golden fields spread fair and broad,

Where flows the crystal river:

The strains of all its holy throng

With ours to-day are blending;

Thrice blessèd is that harvest-song

Which never hath an ending.

William Chatterton Dix, 1863

For Thanksgiving

By the blog owner, Common Meter (25 Nov 2015) 

1. Our God a gracious Saviour is, 
A Shepherd and a King. 
He lifts us from our miry pits 
To feed on pastures green. 

2. He sets our feet upon a Rock: 
That Rock is Christ the Lord, 
Who leads us by the waters still-- 
The water of His word. 

3. Give thanks, give thanks with paeans loud, 
Strew palm leaves at His feet. 
Thank Jesus for His sacrifice, 
And for His mercy seat!

Public domain.

Jasper Barnes and The Sacred Harp

A tentative look at Jasper Barnes, First Vice-Chairman of The Sacred Harp, Fifth Edition revision committee:

Barnes, Jasper, served as the First Vice-Chairman of the revision committees that produced two versions of The Sacred Harp, Fifth Edition, and The Sacred Harp, Fourth Edition with Supplement. This is probably Jasper Ebenezer Barnes, who was the son of John and Catherine Barnes. He was born January 5, 1838 in Coffee County, Alabama. He married first Penelope Ann Miller (1840–1888) around 1860, and they had several children. After her death he married Sarah B. Sanders (1842–1924) circa 1890. He served the Confederacy during the Civil War, enlisting as a corporal in Company B, Alabama Hilliard's 4th Infantry Battalion. He was a farmer by occupation. Jasper Barnes died Oct in 27, 1924 Houston County. He and his wives are buried at the Clark Cemetery at Dothan in Houston County, Alabama. This Vice-Chairman, though, could possibly have been Jasper E. Barnes (1864–1916),[i] a son of Jasper Ebenezer Barnes. This Jasper Barnes married Callie Smith in 1886. In 1912 he was serving as a board director at the First National Bank of Dothan. He and his wife are buried at the Dothan City Cemetery in Houston County, Alabama. A third Jasper Ebenezer Barnes (1895–1972) in this family was the grandson of the first and nephew of the second, and would have been too young to have served on the committee with J. L. White. Two discovered items that connect Jasper Barnes of Dothan to Sacred Harp could only refer to the elder Barnes.[ii] This does not prove, however, that the son was not connected to Sacred Harp singing.

The Dothan Eagle, Dothan, Alabama, Friday, March 1, 1912 - Page 4

“Sacred Harp Sing,” The Dothan Eagle, Dothan, Alabama, Tuesday, June 13, 1944 - Page 2

The Musical Courier, Volume 85, No. 2, (New York, Whole No. 2205) July 13, 1922, p. 36

U.S. Federal Censuses 1860-1870 Dale County, 1880 Geneva County, 1900 Geneva County, 1910 Houston County, 1920 Houston County

http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:a22927&id=I0147

http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:a22927&id=I0032

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=33854289

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=31762189

---

[i] Genealogists disagree whether the son’s middle name was Ebenezer or Emanuel.

[ii] “Dothan, Ala.—The Sacred Harp Singers met here on June 4 for their regular monthly singing. The singers were called to order by E. O. Spivey (chairman). W. C. Tidwell, Jasper Barnes, Joel Tew, J. F. Patterson, John Woodham and R. S. Scarborough taking part. After the intermission, F. G. Barber, Ed Howell, John Edmonson, B. P. Poyner, O. G. Tidwell and James Helms sang.” (The Musical Courier, Volume 85, No. 2, New York, Whole No. 2205, July 13, 1922, p. 36) The son was deceased at the time, so this person could only be the elder Barnes or his grandson. “SACRED HARP SING. The public is invited to attend the annual Sacred Harp sing given in honor of Jasper Barnes at the home of his son, John Barnes, of Dothan route one, Sunday, June 18.” (The Dothan Eagle, Dothan, Alabama, Tuesday, June 13, 1944 - Page 2). Only the elder Jasper Barnes had a son named John.

Restoring and preserving grace

Psalm 138, Long Meter metrical psalm by Isaac Watts

With all my powers of heart and tongue
I'll praise my Maker in my song:
Angels shall hear the notes I raise,
Approve the song, and join the praise.

Angels that make thy church their care
Shall witness my devotions there,
While holy zeal directs my eyes
To thy fair temple in the skies.

I'll sing thy truth and mercy, Lord,
I'll sing the wonders of thy word;
Not all thy works and names below
So much thy power and glory show.

To God I cried when troubles rose;
He heard me, and subdued my foes;
He did my rising fears control,
And strength diffused through all my soul.

The God of heav'n maintains his state,
Frowns on the proud, and scorns the great;
But from his throne descends to see
The sons of humble poverty.

Amidst a thousand snares I stand,
Upheld and guarded by thy hand;
Thy words my fainting soul revive,
And keep my dying faith alive.

Grace will complete what grace begins,
To save from sorrows or from sins
The work that wisdom undertakes
Eternal mercy ne'er forsakes.

Coddling the American Mind, 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.

• The Coddling of the American Mind -- "In the name of emotional well-being, college students are increasingly demanding protection from words and ideas they don’t like. Here’s why that’s disastrous for education—and mental health."
• Disqualified: What the Bible says about Divorce, Remarriage and Ministry -- "...Pastor Miller explores tough questions the church needs to address."
• People's Deepest, Darkest Google Searches Are Being Used Against Them -- "On the Internet, search queries are used to target vulnerable consumers...Google has a decent policy—including ‘obey the law’—but it’s a very hard policy for Google to effectively enforce."
• The Most Shared Verses in their Context (2 Chronicles 7:14) -- "Looking at the Top 10 Most Shared Bible Verses from 2014 in their context"
• Six Reasons Why Longer-tenured Pastorates Are Better -- "A view from research, not scripture, but interesting."
• Spent Energy -- Where you spend the most energy
• 25 Things Fast Food Chains Don’t Want You to Know -- "...being on the inside taught me a lot about how fast-food companies operate, and most of what I learned was kind of...creepy."
• 15 Childhood Punishments That Would Be Considered Rewards as an Adult -- "...looking back as an adult, it’s clear we had no clue how good we had it."

Lost in wonder, love and praise

Gratitude. (Common Meter)

When all thy mercies, O my God,
my rising soul surveys,
transported with the view, I'm lost
in wonder, love and praise.

Thy Providence my life sustained,
and all my wants redressed,
while in the silent womb I lay,
and hung upon the breast.

To all my weak complaints and cries
thy mercy lent an ear,
ere yet my feeble thoughts had learned
to form themselves in prayer.

Unnumbered comforts to my soul
thy tender care bestowed,
before my infant heart conceived
from whom those comforts flowed.

When in the slippery paths of youth
with heedless steps I ran,
thine arm unseen conveyed me safe,
and led me up to man.

Through hidden dangers, toils, and deaths,
it gently cleared my way;
and through the pleasing snares of vice,
more to be feared than they.

O how shall words with equal warmth
the gratitude declare,
that glows within my ravished heart?
but thou canst read it there.

Thy bounteous hand with worldly bliss
hath made my cup run o'er;
and, in a kind and faithful Friend,
hath doubled all my store.

Ten thousand thousand precious gifts
my daily thanks employ;
nor is the last a cheerful heart
that tastes those gifts with joy.

When worn with sickness, oft hast thou
with health renewed my face;
and, when in sins and sorrows sunk,
revived my soul with grace.

Through every period of my life
thy goodness I'll pursue
and after death, in distant worlds,
the glorious theme renew.

When nature fails, and day and night
divide thy works no more,
my ever grateful heart, O Lord,
thy mercy shall adore.

Through all eternity to thee
a joyful song I'll raise;
for, oh, eternity's too short
to utter all thy praise!

By Joseph Addison, 1712

All in Peace, and other links

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

• All in Peace at Rocky Grove "...in a wonderful way, the Rocky Grove church lives on. On the fourth Sunday in October, folks with ties to Rocky Grove return for an all-day service in memory of the church."
• Joel Osteen or Fortune Cookie? -- "...here is very little difference between Joel and those fortune cookies (except that the cookies are delicious, of course)."
• My Journey Away from Contemporary Worship Music -- "Hymns have begun to take precedent in my song selection for two reasons."
• Secularization Falsified -- "Modernity is not intrinsically secularizing, though it has been so in particular cases."
• The Futility of Representing Religion With a Bar Chart -- "It’s hard to understand faith without polling and data. But a lot can be lost in relying too much on statistics."
• The Gift of Singleness -- "...for those called to it, singleness should be received as a gift from God."
• Thoughts on Note-Taking During Sermons -- "Hearing a sermon is not like hearing a lecture."
• You Are Not Enslaved to Your Past -- "This is wonderfully freeing."
• 4 Reasons Pastor-Theologians Should Read Fiction -- "Reading takes us only so far, of course."

My, how times have changed

Beginning with its first Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) in 1951/1952, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) recognized homosexuality as a mental disorder or illness. This was built on a long-standing idea among the medical community that this was so. This began to change in the early 1970s -- not because of some major scientific breakthrough, but largely through protests such as the Stonewall riots and the protesting/boycotting of meetings of the APA. In 1973 the board of trustees of the APA voted to remove homosexuality from the list of mental illnesses in the DSM (issued 1974), which was confirmed by a small majority vote of the APA membership. Nevertheless, this was replaced by "Sexual Orientation Disturbance," which remained in the DSM until the idea was first modified, and then finally removed in 1987. The United Nations World Health Organization, which had considered homosexuality a mental illness since at least 1948, removed the classification in 1990 (while adding/substituting ego-dystonic sexual orientation to its list).

My! How times have changed. In a recently published study, researchers working with the Italian Society of Andrology and Sexual Medicine have now discovered that "homophobia" is a sign of mental disorder. From the abstract of the study, it appears that they define homophobia as negative behavior and attitudes toward homosexuals -- a pretty broad definition that apparently does not distinguish between simple prejudice and religious or moral reasoning. It would probably be fair to say that this study does not say that homophobia is a mental illness, but that it is an indicator of mental health disorders. 

I'm not overly impressed by psychiatrists, scientists and their studies. I derive my opinion on homosexual behaviour from my study of the Bible. If I am wrong there, show me where. Otherwise, I'll not shift to accommodate the prevailing winds, even if they do blow me away. But the mental disorder of homophobia raises a few questions. For example:

• If "homophobia" is a mental disorder, shouldn't those who deny cakes and marriage licenses to homosexuals receive therapy and medication rather than fines and jail time?
• If "homophobia" is a mental disorder, didn't the founders of the APA and other such organizations have a mental disorder? If they had a mental disorder then, why should we trust their findings later?
• While we studying mental disorders, shouldn't we also study homophobia-phobics to see if they have a mental disorder, too? 

No matter. Among the current braintrust, even How you drink your coffee "could point to psychopathic tendencies."

How true, and other quotes

The posting of quotes by human authors does not constitute agreement with either the quotes or their sources.

"How true it is that the holiest saint is in himself a miserable sinner, and a debtor to mercy and grace to the last moment of his existence!"- J. C. Ryle

"The crowning work of CHRIST’s redemption demands praise for ever." -- Mike McInnis

"Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about. All democrats object to men being disqualified by the accident of birth; tradition objects to their being disqualified by the accident of death." -- G. K. Chesterton

"I began discouraging note-taking [of sermons]...because I want them to see preaching in the worship service not as a lecture or as primarily an educational transmission to their minds, but as prophetic proclamation and as primarily aimed at their hearts." -- Jared C. Wilson

"You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed." -- Adoniram Judson Gordon 

"To the average jellyfish, convinced of the perfection and completeness of the invertebrate state, a backboned creature must seem little short of a freak." -- Ernest Barron Gordon

In memory of Margie Neal

Marjorie Koonce Neal died November 11, 2012 at the age of 84. She was born at Center, Shelby County, Texas, August 30, 1928 to Eli Koonce and Bessie Vail. She was a descendant of Elder James Carroll Koonce (1815-1889), who came to Shelby County, Texas from Tennessee via Louisiana.

Margie lived in several places in Texas -- including Center, Lufkin, Tyler and La Feria -- before moving to Riverside circa 1962. loved music. She was a member of the Janet Goeske Senior Center Choir, attended Sacred Harp singings, She also enjoyed working with ceramics. Marjorie is survived by a daughter, a son and daughter-in-law; 2 grandchildren, 5 great grandchildren, and 6 "adopted" grandchildren. The funeral service was held on the 19th.

She regularly attended conventions and regional singings in Los Angeles and San Diego, as well as in Texas. Richard Russell wrote, "Margie will be remembered for adding a touch of Southern authenticity to our singings and for always leading her lessons in four beats with a graceful, relaxed style. I especially remember her leading Schenectady and The Last Words of Copernicus." Other songs she led include Shades of Night, (Cooper 192, 220, 112, 142) (Denson 61, 354b, 406).

I'll never forget her leading on the first day at the Southwest Texas Convention at McMahan in 2005. She called 517 (We'll Wear a Crown) and shocked me by pointing me out to pitch it (I wasn't even sitting on the front row). Later I would be interested to find in her 1927 edition Cooper Book a note penciled in at the top of this page (517) -- "On record in Washingon, D.C."

Margie is buried at Rose Hills Memorial Park, Whittier, Los Angeles County, California.

From her obituary, and from Richard Russell

B. F. White's grandson a composer?

In the 1909 Fifth Edition Sacred Harp (No. 149b) and 1911 Fourth Edition with supplement, the composer of the tune Noah’s Dove is listed as “J. C. White”. This song also appears in 1884 in The New Sacred Harp (73b). There the composer’s name is given as “C. J. White”. If this order of the initials is correct – and the typesetting of The New Sacred Harp seems generally much better than The Sacred Harp, Fifth Edition typesetting – it very well could be Charles Jackson “Charley” White, a grandson of B. F. White. This C. J. White was the son of William Decatur White (the oldest son of B. F. and Thurza) and Lydia A. E. Crutchfield Street. He was born September 22, 1855 in Harris County, Georgia. In his Brief History of the Sacred Harp, J. S. James identifies C. J. White as a singing school teacher, though he doesn’t mention him as a composer. He writes, “Several years ago [Harry D. White] moved to the state of Alabama and taught several singing schools in connection with his brother, C. J. White.” In 1880 he was living at Lithonia in DeKalb County, with James L. White (listed as his brother but actually his uncle James Landrum White; Charley’s half-sister Elizabeth Street is also living with them). His whereabouts in 1900 are unknown. He married Mattie Low Scott (1868-1933) in 1903 in Muscogee County, Georgia. They were living at Wacoochee, Lee County, Alabama by 1910 (where Mary and her family had already lived). Charley White died in Lee County October 20, 1922. He and Mary are buried in the Mechanicsville Cemetery in Lee County, Alabama. One death record lists his occupations as “Farmer & Music.”

264b    Noah’s Dove

Sources

A Brief History of The Sacred Harp and Its Author, J. S. James, 1904 (my electronic copy is “unpaged”)

U. S. Federal Censuses, Harris County, Ga (1860, 1870) DeKalb County, Ga (1880) Lee County, Ala. (1910, 1920)

Georgia, Marriage Records From Select Counties, 1828-1978 (Ancestry.com)

Alabama, Deaths and Burials Index, 1881-1974 (Ancestry.com)

Children of Benjamin F Sr & Thurza White
Charles Jackson White on Find-A-Grave

The Year of Baptist Books, and other book reviews

The posting of book reviews does not constitute endorsement of the books or book reviews that are linked.

• 2015: The Year of Baptist Books -- Brief reviews of four books
• Book by Biologist Jerry Coyne Goes Too Far Denouncing Religion, Defending Science -- "Coyne’s defenses of science and denunciations of religion are so relentlessly one-sided that they aroused my antipathy toward the former and sympathy toward the latter..."
• Book Review: Baptists in America by Kidd and Hankins -- "While excellent overall, as a frequent reader of Baptist history I thought certain treatments were the best I have seen heretofore in an American Baptist survey text."
• Bound for the Promised Land book review -- "According to Martin, the ultimate fulfillment of the land promise is the new creation."
• Embracing The Colson Way -- "Over the course of eight chapters, Strachan provides a narrative biography of Colson’s life that focuses on the latter’s spiritual journey, ministry accomplishments, and influence upon American evangelicals."
• O Sing Unto the Lord by Andrew Gant review – drunken organists and rebellious priests -- "Gant also has a touching fondness for those composers who lived far longer than they should have"
• Say What You Will: Review of Freedom for the Thought That We Hate by Anthony Lewis -- "...it is a passionate if discursive essay that ranges across a variety of free speech controversies — from sedition and obscenity to hate speech and secret wiretapping."
• The Giving Myths: Giving Then Getting The Life You’ve Always Wanted -- "It is in giving that we receive."

The death of despair, and other quotes

The posting of quotes by human authors does not constitute agreement with either the quotes or their sources.

"The mercy seat is the life of hope and the death of despair" -- C. H. Spurgeon

"Worship is no longer worship when it reflects the culture around us more than the Christ within us." -- A. W. Tozer

"Grace is God's freedom to act without any external necessity whatsoever." -- Copied

"God creates a people who will dwell in God’s place under the rule of the King." -- Oren R. Martin, Graeme Goldsworthy (more of a theological concept than a direct quote)

"It is traditional to let leaders decide on their own way to give their lesson, without the class unnecessarily correcting or overriding them. In the Sacred Harp we are all teachers, singers, and learners and no one person can ‘know it all’ but we can all make an effort." -- Tom Malone

"The first gulp from the glass of natural sciences will turn you into an atheist, but at the bottom of the glass God is waiting for you." -- Werner Heisenberg

"In a community, the elements of style form templates and sets of rules that can reduce the complexity of the notation itself. Style in this sense would encompass ornamentation, variation, phrasing, speed, intonation as well as key concepts such as types of tunes..." -- Mikael Fernström

"It never will wear out. The more you sing it, the better you like it. That's what we think about The Sacred Harp and the Sacred Harp music." -- Paine Denson (excerpt from an interview by Alan Lomax in Birmingham, Ala., August 1942)