A series on preaching

In September 2013 I penned a series of seven blog posts on the topic of preaching. Looking over them, I thought they might be interesting enough to link and make the easier to locate.

• 7 Links regarding Sermons
• True New Testament Preaching, 7 questions
• What kinds of sermons?
• 3 "evangelistic" sermons
• 3 "church" sermons
• Answering 7 questions from Monday
• Preaching: differences and similarities

+ All the sermons in Acts

A New Front, 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.

• A New Front -- "There is a new front on which the church must stand opposed to the armies of the sexual revolution."
• County defends surprise church inspections -- "The inspections and permit demands aren't part of some sort of county crackdown on houses of worship, insists, Timothy Bleuher, the county's commissioner of building and zoning."
• Deflate-gate scientists on findings: 'stand behind it 100 percent' -- "There was no set of credible environmental or physical factors that completely accounts for the additional loss in air pressure."
• Everyone Has Baking Soda In Their House, But Did You Know It Can Be Used For THIS… -- "These 14 home remedies are ones that are proven to work, whether by trial or by science..."
• How the Sugar Industry Shifted Blame to Fat -- "The sugar industry paid scientists in the 1960s to play down the link between sugar and heart disease and promote saturated fat as the culprit instead..."
• Meet Me at Buc-ee's: The Best Rest Stop in America -- "Buc-ee’s...was founded in 1982 by Arch “Beaver” Aplin III and Don Wasek. They saw that most rest stops failed to provide even decent versions of the most basic services, like clean bathrooms, ample gas pumps, and a friendly staff."
• Scottish prisoners of war from 17th-century battle to be reburied -- "Archaeologists found the soldiers' remains in 2013, during an excavation at Durham University to clear the area for a library expansion."
• The Origin of Humpty Dumpty -- "The historical events that have been linked to “Humpty Dumpty” provide excellent stories, but are based on pure speculation."
• 9 Grammatical Pitfalls -- "If you remember to do your everyday chores every day, your grammar-savvy roommates will appreciate you."
• 3 Ways Spurgeon Conquered His Secret Sin -- "Spurgeon had much to be proud of. Crowds hung on his every word. Biographers lauded his popularity."

Boo - Commission on Presidential Debates

What do you know about the Commission on Presidential Debates? What do you think of the Commission on Presidential Debates? The Commission on Presidential Debates describes itself as nonpartisan and non-profit. On the other hand Wikipedia says the Commission is "a nonprofit corporation controlled by the Democratic and Republican parties," as well as that it is "headed by Frank Fahrenkopf, a former head of the Republican National Committee, and former [Democratic] White House press secretary Michael D. McCurry."[1] That doesn't sound at all "non-partisan" to me!

I've never paid too much attention to who set up and controlled the debates -- until this year, following some of the debate flap regarding Gary Johnson & William Weld. The Libertarian ticket has made it on the ballot IN ALL 50 states, and is polling fairly well (according to whom you ask).[2] Yet the Commission on Presidential Debates seemed determined to shut them out.[3] They say debate participants must be "Constitutionally eligible...must appear on a sufficient number of state ballots to have a mathematical chance of winning a majority vote in the Electoral College, and have a level of support of at least 15% of the national electorate as determined by five selected national public opinion polling organizations..." The Libertarian Party cleared the first two hurdles, but the last part is where the rub comes in. In the article Conflict of Interest: Debate Commission’s ‘Nonpartisan’ Poll Actually Run by Top Party Consultants, Rodolfo Cortes Barragan writes, "The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) claims that it uses “nonpartisan criteria” to select participants for the presidential debates. However, publicly available information shows that one of the polls used to determine participants, the NBC-Wall Street Journal poll, is run by Democratic and Republican pollsters." He further claims, "Nonpartisan voters are systematically under-sampled. And, importantly, the documentation provided by NBC shows that Hart Research and Public Opinion Strategies made no effort to use statistical means to correct for the under-representation of independents."

Possibly most people are satisfied with a Democratic/Republican two-party system that we have, but this year is a year of great discontent. It would be great to see that discontent played out in a three or four party struggle for the White House. And giving voice to these other two parties would allow American voters to see what their choices really are! We call on the Commission to fulfill their mission statement to "provide the best possible information to viewers and listeners."[4]

[1] While Wikipedia is not always considered the most reliable source, it is not the only source for this information -- just the simplest and easiest to find for my purposes.
[2] Also, the Green Party is on the ballots of 45 states and are qualified for write-in status in three other states. These two parties receiving this kind of ballot access surely must represent high disaffection of voters this year. When polled on just the fact of whether the Libertarian and Green parties should be allowed in the presidential debates, a high percentage of Democrats and Republicans, and the majority of Independents support Gary Johnson's and Jill Stein’s presence in the presidential debates.
[3] Every dog and pony show that gets on the ballot in a state or two doesn't need to be in the debates. But shutting parties out of the debates is an effective way of being sure they don't have a realistic chance of winning. I can well imagine why Trump and Clinton don't want Johnson or Jill Stein in the debates -- right now each has an ugly looking alternative. They wouldn't want folks to think there might be some other more pleasing alternative.
[4] In their mission statement, the Commission on Presidential Debates claims they were established in 1987 to ensure that debates...provide the best possible information to viewers and listeners."
[5] Totally unrelated, I saw a political cartoon that described our current choices as "the evil of two lessers."

An expected end, by J. C. Philpot

"Be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long. For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off." Proverbs 23:17-18

The Lord is here addressing himself to a soul labouring under temptation, and passing through peculiar exercises; and this is the exhortation that he gives it: "Be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long;" watching his hand, submitting to his will, committing everything into his care and keeping; not hardening your heart against him, but looking up to him, and worshipping him with godly fear; "for surely there is an end." You may be tempted, exercised, and surrounded with difficulties, and see no outlet; but "surely there is an end;" and, when the end comes, it will make all plain and clear. This quiet submission, this watching and waiting, a man can never be brought to unless he has seen an end to all perfection; an end of his own strength, wisdom, and righteousness. To sit still is the hardest thing a man can do. To lie passive at God's footstool when all things seem to be against us; to have a rough path to walk in, to be surrounded with difficulties, and yet to be in the fear of the Lord all the day long, watching his hand, desiring to submit to his will, seeking only that wisdom which cometh from above, and trusting that he will make the way straight; not putting our hand to the work, but leaving it all to the Lord—how strange, how mysterious a path! And yet it is the only one that brings solid peace to a Christian; "for surely there is an end." Whatever sorrows and troubles a man may have to wade through, there will surely be an end of them. If we try to get ourselves out of perplexities, we are like a person trying to unravel a tangled skein of silk by pulling it forcibly; the more it is pulled, the more entangled it gets, and the faster the knots become. So if we are plunged into any trial, providential or spiritual, and we attempt to extricate ourselves by main force, by kicking and rebelling, we only get more entangled. The Lord, then, to encourage us to wait patiently upon him till he shall appear, says, "Surely there is an end." This is the universal testimony of the Scripture, that the Lord appears and delivers, when there is none shut up or left; and the experience of the saints agrees with the testimony of the written word: "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."

J. C. Philpot - 1802-1869

Things Dispensationalism Does Not Teach

In a blog article titled Things Dispensationalism Does NOT Teach, Southern Baptist Pastor Dave Miller indicated a bee had gotten under his bonnet, the Babylon Bee, that is.[1] On June 24, 2016 the Bee published Dispensationalists Frantically Adjust End-Times Charts To Include Brexit Vote, a satire on dispensationalism and the "Brexit" vote. Because Dave gets "a little annoyed whenever people take cheap shots at Dispensationalism," he set out to set us straight.

Now, I agree with some of his basic premises. For example, too many people show "disrespect and condescension" for a "doctrine held by sincere Christians" who believe the Bible is the inspired word of God. Further, critics often aim their cricticisms at the more fringe views rather than the essence of what Dispensationalists actually teach. Finally, some people think they have refuted Dispensationalism "simply by refuting the abuses of the doctrine." On the other hand, I felt Miller put too many eggs in the "scholarly" basket. My comments also seemed to get Dave "a little annoyed" and so I decided to bring them here to my blog rather than keep annoying him. (Then I forgot all about this and only now am getting around to posting it -- must not be that important.)

Here's a few things I think Dave got wrong.

In order to explain his view of Dispensationalism and set up what is to follow, Miller categorizes the system into three basic views: populist Dispensationalism, sensationalistic Dispensationalism, and scholarly Dispensationalism. In doing so he built a buffer against criticism of what he seems to think of as "Classic Dispensationalism". But, in doing so, he wrongly categorizes Dispensationalism. In his article What is Dispensationalism?, Michael Vlach of The Master’s Seminary divides this way: 1. Classical Dispensationalism (ca. 1850—1940s, e.g. John Nelson Darby, C. I. Scofield, Lewis Sperry Chafer); 2. Revised or Modified Dispensationalism (ca.1950—1985, e.g. John Walvoord, Dwight Pentecost, Charles Ryrie, Charles Feinberg, Alva J. McClain) and 3. Progressive Dispensationalism (1986—present, e.g. Craig A. Blaising, Darrell L. Bock, and Robert L. Saucy). While no categorization is not without its difficulties, Vlach's attempt is better than Miller's, setting theological and historical sights rather than serving a polemic purpose.

One problem with Miller's categorization is that populist, sensationalistic, and scholarly Dispensationalism exist among the various divisions of Dispensationalism and therefore cannot explain what he attempts to explain.[2] He seems to exclude Darby and Scofield from "Classic Dispensationalism", thereby relieving some of the problems associated with them. But there is a clear historical trajectory from them to the leading American proponent of scholarly Dispensationalism, the Dallas Theological Seminary -- J. N. Darby to J. H. Brookes; J. H. Brookes to C. I. Scofield; C. I. Scofield to Lewis Sperry Chafer; Lewis Sperry Chafer (the founder) to Dallas Theological Seminary. If we pull out these links, it is hard to understand the continuity (and discontinuity) of the system.

Pastor Miller says, "If you are going to refute Dispensationalism, you need to refute academic dispensationalism." I partially agree with this. Dispensationalism needs to be discussed and debated in the context of its clear teaching. But such a view about "academic dispensationalism" dismisses much of what is solidly and clearly in the Dispensational camp. There is no reason to think only the academics represent "real" Dispensationalism, or that adherents of "populist Dispensationalism" are not "real" Dispensationalists. In fact, one of the allures of Dispensationalism is that the Bible can be simply understood by ordinary folks using a literal hermenutic.

When one asserts that the populist doctrine does not represent the actual teaching of Dispensationalism, we must follow up with this question, "Who gets to decide that, and why?"

Important names in American Dispensational History
William E. Blackstone (1841–1935), James H. Brookes (1830-1897), Lewis Sperry Chafer (1871-1952), John Nelson Darby (1800–1882), A. C. Dixon (1854–1925), William J. Erdman (1833–1923), Arno Gaebelein (1861-1945), A. J. Gordon (1836–1895), James M. Gray (1851–1925), H. A. Ironside (1876–1951), Dwight L. Moody (1837–1899), J. Dwight Pentecost (1915 –2014), C. C. Ryrie (1925– 2016), Cyrus I. Scofield (1843–1921), Reuben Archer Torrey (1856–1928), John Walvoord (1910–2002)

Most of the leading Dispensationalists were not Baptists; three who were include:
J. R. Graves (1820–1893), W. A. Criswell (1909–2002), and John R. Rice (1895–1980)

[1] If you don’t like religious satire you might take offense at Babylon Bee’s humor. But they do spread the caricature's around pretty fairly!
[2] For example, Tim LaHaye (who holds doctorates from Western Theological Seminary and Liberty University) is best known for his Left Behind Series (popular, sensational). But his commentary Revelation, Illustrated and Made Plain follows much of the trajectory of men like Walvoord, Pentecost and Ryrie (moderate, scholarly).

Where did Cain get his wife, 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.

• After Being Stared Down by a Couple in Cracker Barrel, This Dad Received a Note About Parenting -- "But when Kevon left the restaurant, it all made sense..."
• America’s First Freedom Doesn’t Just Protect Political Speech -- "The modern U.S. Supreme Court grants more First Amendment protection to political discourse than to other forms of expression..."
• Beginning Grammar to the Greek New Testament, First Year Greek -- "Taught by Pastor D. A. Waite"
• ‘Devout’ Catholic Tim Kaine Butchers the Bible to Embrace Gay Radicalism -- "...I can say with certainty is that Sen. Kaine’s use of Genesis 1 to buttress his support of LGBT activism amounts to scriptural malpractrice."
• Franklin Graham Blasts California Proposal to Bar Religious Liberty at Colleges -- "Now the California state legislature wants to force Christian Universities...to conform to secular standards."
• George W. Orser and the "Orserites" -- "...the kindly and honest Primitive Baptists--New Brunswick's first and only native denomination. (pp. 214-237)"
• Internet Safety for kids (and adults) -- "If I told you there were poisonous snakes crawling around your home right now, you would probably drop everything and head home to do anything within your reach to kill them."
• Killing of Disabled Girl Wholly Inappropriate and Extremely Troubling, says Autism Group -- "Someone who has a disability is not less deserving of life than anyone else."
• Movies, Movies, and More Movies -- "Before Kathy and I rent a movie in the first place, I will often read about it at Pluggedin.com."
• New Testament Textual Criticism: The Case for Byzantine Priority -- "...the best modern eclectic texts simply have no proven existence within transmissional history, and their claim to represent the autograph or the closest approximation thereunto cannot be substantiated from the extant MS, versional or patristic data."
• Obama’s Sex-Driven War on Science -- "Unfortunately for America’s children, consistently promoting their genuine well-being would interfere with the president’s ideological war on traditional sexual morality."
• Pastor battles Colorado city over Jesus-related ads on bus benches -- "A city spokeswoman told the station the transit agency was reviewing its advertising policy as it relates to the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause."
• Where did Cain get his wife? -- "Skeptics have used Cain's wife time and again to try to discredit the Book of Genesis as a true historical record."
• Where Is Pokémon Go Going? -- "But the problem doesn’t stop at sprained ankles and bruised shins..."
• You Now Have a Shorter Attention Span Than a Goldfish -- "And now congratulate yourself for concentrating long enough to make it through this article."

Faithful Witness

Revelation 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

What is a faithful witness? Faithful means "strict or thorough in the performance of duty, true to one's word, steady in allegiance, loyal, constant, reliable, trusted." A witness is "a person who has seen or can give first-hand evidence of some event, a person or thing giving or serving as evidence, a person who testifies, esp in a court of law, to events or facts within his own knowledge." Proverbs 14:5 says, "A faithful witness will not lie..."

Jesus is Faithful to the Father's will
Matthew 26:39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
John 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

Jesus is Faithful to perform what he says, to keep what He promised
1 Thessalonians 5:24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.
2 Timothy 2:13 if we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.
Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

Jesus is Faithful over His House
Hebrews 3:2 who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.
Hebrews 3:5-6 5 And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; 6 but Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

Jesus is a Faithful High Priest
Hebrews 2:17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

Jesus is Faithful to Forgive
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Jesus was Faithful unto Death
Philippians 2:8 and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

We ought to be Faithful
Rev 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

Your Church Music Service

I'm interested in church musical practices, especially in various kinds of Baptist, baptistic and free churches. Here's an informal question and answer survey. Anyone willing to share?

1. Scope -- How many songs are sung/played in your typical worship service (if your order of service is a certain number of songs type of format), or how much time is devoted to singing in your typical worship service (if your format is a basic amount of time given over to singing/music)? In what order of service is the singing portion included?

2. Proportion -- What percentage of the songs sung are congregational and what percentage are "specials"/not congregational (solos, choir numbers, duets, trios, etc.)?

3. Agency -- Do you use instruments? If you do, what instruments, and do you ever sing without them? Are any "instrumental only" selections used? If you do not use instruments, is it a doctrinal or practical consideration?

4. Authority or Responsibility -- Who selects the songs that are sung? (e.g. Song leader, Pastor, etc.)

5. Source -- What hymnal or other sources do you use for your songs/music? (If you use a hymnal, is it shape note or round note?)

6. Style -- Does your church music fit a particular "style" or "genre", for example, traditional hymn singing or contemporary praise music?

7. Extra -- Add anything else you think is interesting about the music/singing in your church (for example, are Sunday morning and night services, and weekday services conducted differently? Are there any special music events? etc.). Also add what kind of church, such as Missionary Baptist, Primitive Baptist, Southern Baptist, United Baptist, Brethren, Mennonite, and so forth.

Thanks!

God is in control, and other quotes

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

"God is in control and He decides whom to put into power. How does that difference in knowledge change our view of the election? It should change our view; but does it?" -- Ken Hamrick

"The God of Scripture can only be known by those to whom He makes Himself known." -- A. W. Pink

"Good Bible preaching will make you to look inward in introspection, outward in evangelization, and upward in adoration." -- John Wylie

"Eutychus, Paul, all of the early heroic Baptists, the growing churches of Africa, and a whole host of others would find our [American] commitment to hard-and-fast 30-minute [sermon] time limits parochial and bizarre (if not a bit spiritually immature)." -- Bart Barber

"“Church” no longer shapes the worldview or values of its members. Few church members think that the Bible should be consulted as a book by which to understand life, build a career, raise a family, lead a mentally healthy life or guide a society, nor is the Bible considered the only book by which to shape one’s value system. Christians worship at church, but learn their lessons about life from the movies, from pop-psychologists, from TV and from music and musicians." -- Harold B. Bullock

"We believe in a free gospel and free access to it." -- George W. Orser

"We believe if men are worthy and called of God, God will impress his people with the needs of his servants and make the necessary provision or, in other words, simple faith in God." -- George W. Orser

"It isn't the likeability or even the readability that matters, it is the follow ability." -- copied

"A person who can't lead and won't follow makes a dandy roadblock." -- copied

"Will a pastor lead by the Word in His hands instead of the words in his head”?" -- copied

Let the Bible Interpret Itself

An old country preacher said, “I sure do love the Bible ’cause it sheds so much light on these commentaries.” The Bible is a self-explaining book “precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little and there a little.” (Isaiah 28:10). Yet some people try so hard to show their education and importance – they go everywhere but the Bible to find all sorts of explanations. It sure does look funny when the real explanation is right there in the text.

The Needle’s Eye
“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:24)

Every once in a while, we hear someone trying to pass off the high sounding theory that this meant a gate in Jerusalem, called “The Eye of the Needle,” which a camel could pass through only by crawling on his knees.

That we enter into the Kingdom of God on our knees, I would agree. But that is not the point. Jesus is not talking about something that could be done with difficulty, but of something that was impossible for man. To illustrate this, He chose a large animal and a small opening. It is literally impossible for a camel to pass through the eye of a sewing needle. “But thanks be to God,...The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” (Luke 18:27)

Born Again
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily. I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” (John 3:4) “Ye must be born again.” (John 3:7)

A great many scholars change “born again” to “born from above.” No doubt we are born from above (John 1:13), but here (vs. 4, 7) the meaning is “again” – once more, a second time. Nicodemus so understood it, and Jesus did not correct or change that understanding. Nicodemus asked, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb and be born? (v. 4)” Jesus also explained it as a second birth, “Except a man be (1) born of water and (2) of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God (v. 5).” They spoke face to face and Jesus meant and both understood “again” to mean a second time.

These two examples show that answers can be found in the Bible context rather than a commentary, lexicon, or Bible dictionary. This may be too simplistic for the scholarly, “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise” (1 Corinthians 1:27) and “God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit” (1 Corinthians. 2:10). It has been said many times that the Bible is its own best commentary. Let us pray for divine guidance, search the scriptures daily, and let the Bible interpret itself.

First published in The Baptist Waymark, Vol. II No. 9, April-May 1993, page 1

20 minute sermons

Professor Blank laboriously instructed his preacher students to keep their sermons to 20 minutes or less, citing the short attention spans of Americans. Nevertheless, most of his students preached about 30 minutes, and some went even longer. Somehow it never occurred to Professor Blank to mete out this instruction during the first 20 minutes of his two-hour lecture!!

Christian Hymns 1889, y outre 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.

• Christian Hymns 1889 -- "A huge proportion of the contents (as much as 80%) had previously appeared in hymnals edited by Rigdon McIntosh..."
• Grandpa McWhorter: Singer and Civil Servant -- "Millard Fillmore McWhorter ...had in some manner now unknown become addicted to the Sacred Harp song movement..."
• Hymns -- "To me, the most satisfying exercise of worship has to do with the mostly simple hymn."
• Hymn Thoughts -- "There’s now a complete generation unfamiliar with hymns and gospel songs that have been so much a part of Baptist life, as well as that of other denominations." or Hymn Thoughts
• Instrumental Music in Worship: Does God Want Singing or Playing Instruments? -- "Our goal is simply to determine God's will and to encourage everyone to follow it with conviction."
• Legitimacy of a Metrical Translation -- "As for the scruple that some take at the translation of the Book of Psalms into metre, because David’s psalms were sung in his own words without metre: we answer..."
• Stop Turning Worship into a Talent Show -- "Have you ever heard an argument like this, 'We should change the way we worship so this extremely talented person has the opportunity to use their God-given talent in worship?"
• The Variety of Influence: Forms of Craftsmanship in the 1960 Edition -- "Another longstanding practice found, rather surprisingly, in the 1960 Edition is the unacknowledged derivation of material from early New England composers."

Faux baptism

Most churches recognize death-bed situations and do not require baptism because the believer is incapable of baptism, church membership, Lord's table, continuing in the apostle's doctrine and other elements that would normally follow. Some churches insert a "faux baptism" for not-quite-death-bed situations in which they insert some other ceremony and claim the person is being baptized. Might it not be better to simply not require baptism if it really literally is not possible -- rather than making up something and calling it baptism?

2 Corinthians 8:12 "For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not."

Christ, Without Repentance?

Much of today’s evangelism offers Christ without repentance. Masses of today’s youth are reported to be turning on with Jesus. Little or no mention is ever made of any of them ever admitting that they have wronged God, Nothing is ever said of any expressing heartfelt sorrow for their sinful ways. Most of those who claim to be turned on with Jesus’ continue on in their dirty undisciplined rebellious way — carrying a Bible.

We should not be too surprised to see such taking place. Have not many of those who preach to the Lord’s churches, seeking to ignite the fires of evangelism, been careless in calling people to repentance? Many of our pastors and evangelists preach sermon after sermon about Jesus Christ. They extend invitation after invitation to people to accept Jesus as their Saviour. Seldom do they tell people that they must repent toward God before they can believe on Jesus Christ for salvation.

The Eighth Declaration of Faith, upon which most of our churches have been organized, states that repentance and faith are inseparable graces. It is impossible to have one without the other. Jesus established repentance as a condition that must be met before one can believe. He told the chief priests and elders, “The publicans and harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John unto you in the way of righteousness said ye believed him not: but the publican and harlots believed him: and ye, when ye bad seen it. REPENTED NOT afterward. THAT YE MIGHT BELIEVE HIM.” (Matthew 21:31-32).

People may “turn on with Jesus — people may walk the aisle and confess to believe on Jesus — people may join churches — be baptized, live a good life — even preach the gospel and call others to believe on Jesus. But no person has ever believed unto the saving of his soul without going the way of repentance.

Christ, without repentance? Impossible!! “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”

Ray O. Brooks; The Baptist Monitor, October 20, 1971 (As reprinted in The Baptist Waymark)

Chandler Haft & Bit, 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.

• Chandler Haft & Bit Company -- "We want to keep traditional methods from 300 years ago living on strong."
• Chapters of the Bible -- "Here is a free excel spreadsheet containing all the books and chapters of the Bible."
• How To Make The Bible Support Any Sexual Practice In 3 Easy Steps -- "In the not-too-distant future, when the transgender wars are over and the stick figure placards for male and female bathrooms have been thrown in the dustbin of history, the sexual progressives will need a new sexual practice to de-stigmatize."
• In search of the King James Version -- "Our edition for the Libronix DLS is the most comprehensive and best documented KJV available electronically."
• Jesus Never Said ANYTHING About Felony Home Invasion -- "Can you name one single time Jesus specifically addressed this issue? No, you can’t."
• John Tombes's Answer, 1: The Context -- "His 1646 Apology sparked even more debate, and in response Tombes went directly to certain London Baptist leaders with questions that had arisen."
• Pastor allegedly shoots, kills minister during argument over Bible at retirement home -- "...a retired Baptist minister and Yale Divinity School graduate was allegedly shot dead by a wheelchair bound, 67-year-old pastor during an argument over the Bible."
• Pastor Who Says Single Christians Can Have 'Mutually Pleasurable' Sex Doesn't See Bible as God's Infallible Word -- "Different Christian churches read and interpret the Bible differently."
• Pew Research: How People Choose a New Church -- "Nearly half of all of Americans who searched for a church in the last 5 years used the internet in their decision making process."
• Sexuality and Gender - Special Report -- "Examining research from the biological, psychological, and social sciences, this report shows that some of the most frequently heard claims about sexuality and gender are not supported by scientific evidence."
• 'She Made Good Decisions...and Yet She Got Cancer': How Joey Feek's Death at 40 'Confused' Husband Rory -- "For awhile, that upset me and disappointed me and mostly confused me because you see so many people in the world who are unhealthy – like really, really unhealthy, not even trying – and she tried so hard."
• The Complete Series: Ten Basic Facts About the NT Canon that Every Christian Should Memorize -- "For the last month or so, I have been working through a new series on the NT canon designed to help Christians understand ten basic facts about its origins."
• The NT Canon Was Not Decided at Nicea—Nor Any Other Church Council -- "The shape of our New Testament canon was not determined by a vote or by a council, but by a broad and ancient consensus."

Baptist sampler

Below is a sampling of some of the Baptist history books available online:

• A Complete History of Mississippi Baptists by Leavell and Bailey
• A History of New England Particular Baptist by Isaac Backus
• A History of the Baptists, Volume 2 by John T. Christian
• A History of the Sabbatarians Or Seventh Day Baptists, in America by Henry Clarke
• A Short History of the Baptists by H. C. Vedder
• An Old Landmark Reset by J. M. Pendleton
• Campbellism Exposed or, A History of Clear Creek Church by John Taylor
• Daniel Parker’s Treatise on the Two Seeds
• Fifty Years Among the Baptists by David Benedict
• Fifty Years in China - An Eventful Memoir of Tarleton Perry Crawford
• Flowers and Fruits from the Wilderness by Z. N. Morrell
• General Baptist History by D. B. Montgomery
• History of Middle Tennessee Baptists by John Harvey Grime
• History of the Church of God by Sylvester and C. B. Hassell
• Memoirs of Eld. J. N. Hall, the Peerless Defender of the Baptist Faith
• Notes on the Principles and Practices of Baptist Churches by Francis Wayland
• Pillars of Orthodoxy: or Defenders of the Faith by Ben M. Bogard
• Remarks on Church Discipline by Daniel Parker
• The Baptist Mission in India by William Staughton
• The Baptist Pulpit of the United States: Eloquent and Instructive Passages from the Sermons of Two Hundred Baptist Ministers
• The Trail of Blood by J. M. Carroll
• Thoughts on Missions by John Taylor

Related:

• Trail of Blood timeline

Some of these may have been mentioned and linked on this blog before, but I know that some have not.

Baptist presidents

Four men affiliated with Baptist churches have become President of the United States. Three were Democrats and one was a Republican. Two were northerners* and two were southerners.

1. Warren G. Harding (Republican from Ohio, 1921–23), 29th president. He was a member and trustee of the Trinity Baptist Church, Marion, Ohio. He joined the church on May 6, 1883, when he was 17 years old and it was stilled called the Free Baptist Church. Historians have generally ranked Harding as one of the worst Presidents. This is based on the idea that he accomplished little while in office, and for corruption during his administration -- several of his appointees went to prison for various scandals. I'm not certain, but I don't think he was accused of improprieties beyond allowing it to go on.
2. Harry S. Truman (Democrat from Missouri, 1945-1953), 33rd president. Truman is probably best known for following Roosevelt, being plain-spoken, and authorizing dropping the bombs on Japan. I know little about his presidency otherwise, or of his Baptist beliefs. At the age of 18, Truman was baptized at the Benton Boulevard Baptist Church in Kansas City, Missouri, where he was living at the time. He later became a member of the First Baptist Church of Grandview, Missouri, (then called the Grandview Baptist Church) in 1916. In 1945 Truman wrote, “I am a Baptist because I think that sect gives the common man the shortest and most direct approach to God.” (Source: Michael Devine, director of Harry S. Truman Library and Museum)
3. James Earl "Jimmy" Carter (Democrat from Georgia, 1977-1981). Carter is often remembered for speaking of being born-again (and by some for giving away the Panama Canal). His presidency is by many thought of as ineffective, and after one term the American people replaced him with Ronald Reagan. At the time of his presidency he was a Southern Baptist, but he and his church are now also affiliated with the more liberal Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. He is a popular Sunday School teacher at Maranatha Baptist Church, Plains, Georgia. As a Baptist he would be considered on the liberal end of the spectrum. No questionable moral dealings or improprieties are associated with his presidency.
4. William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (Democrat from Arkansas, 1993-2001). He was baptized by Park Place Baptist Church in Hot Springs, Arkansas. One of the most remembered acts of this Southern Baptist president is the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal. Though a Baptist, the president and his family attended the Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C. while he was president.

Abraham Lincoln was raised by Baptist parents, but he was never a member of any church. George Washington was purportedly baptized by John Gano during the Revolutionary War. Regardless of the truth of it -- two of Gano's grandchildren claimed in an affidavit that their aunt, John Gano's oldest daughter, told them that her father had baptized Washington -- Washington remained outwardly affiliated with the Episcopal Church.

* Missouri may best be considered a "border state" rather than "Northerners".

Outlaw Healers

The new Texas Coop Power magazine has a nice brief article on Outlaw Healers, brothers Roscoe G. Milling and George R. Milling. "The Milling brothers, unlicensed medical men, claimed mysterious power over disease," says Gene Fowler, an Austin writer who specializes in history. The Milling brothers practiced what was sometimes called "magnetic healing", which Fowler says was "a combination of massage, faith healing, hypnotism and showmanship." There were numerous success stories in which patients testified to the efficacy of their work. These brothers did not have medical licenses, and seem to have often run afoul of the law. R. G., at least, was convicted for practicing medicine without a license. This may have been part of the incentive for his running a sanitarium at which he charged for room and board, but offered his services for free. G. R. ran a sanitarium in Glen Rose, Texas. He not only ran afoul of the law, but also of the spouse of one of his patients. While he may have rubbed the patient right, G. R.'s medical practice apparently rubbed the husband the wrong way. He shot G. R. Milling on the Glen Rose town square with a double-barreled shotgun.*

* In contrast, The Atlanta Constitution for Friday September 11, 1914 (page 5) included a notice that "...Dr. G. R. Milling...was accidentally shot and killed..."

See also Medicine Shows in The Handbook of Texas Online

Alphabetic biblical compositions

Preachers call them acrostics. So do Bible dictionaries.[i] They might be better described as abecedarian or alphabetic compositions. Most dictionaries define “acrostic” as “a series of lines or verses in which the first, last, or other particular letters when taken in order spell out a word, phrase, etc.” On the other hand, “abecedarian” means “arranged in alphabetical order” and “alphabetic” means “in the order of the letters of the alphabet.” (See Dictionary.com) These are better terminologies for these biblical poems that use a dramatic device related to the alphabet (rather than spelling words or phrases).

There are apparently a total of 15 alphabetic compositions in the Old Testament.[ii] Five are complete in conventional alphabetical order – Psalms 111, 112, 119; Proverbs 31:10–31; and Lamentations 1. Lamentations 2, 3, and 4 are complete, but with two letters transposed. Seven show partial alphabetic construction (Psalm 9, 10, 25, 34, 37, 145 and Nahum 1:2-8). I find this device and subject intriguing; I have tried to find out where they exist, according to those who know the Hebrew language. The Hebrew alphabet has 22 letters, given thusly in Psalm 119 in the King James Bible: aleph, beth, gimel, daleth, he, vau, zain, cheth, teth, jod, caph, lamed, mem, nun, samech, ain, pe, tzaddi, koph, resh, schin, tau.[iii]

There are a total nine songs in the Book of Psalms that show alphabetic composition. Psalms 111, 112, and 119 have the complete series of the Hebrew alphabetic, from א‎ (aleph) through ת (tau)‎.[iv] The King James Bible gives these alphabetic headings in Psalm 119 (see list above), which appear in clusters of eight verses. The Voice Bible gives an example of how this device might appear to an English reader in Psalm 25 (and also in Lamentations 1, Lamentations 2, Lamentations 3 and Lamentations 4).[v]

All the other alphabetical psalms are missing some letters. Psalms 9 and 10 are missing seven of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.[vi] Psalm 25 is missing two letters ו‎ (vau) and ק‎ (koph) and uses ר (resh) twice. Psalm 34 is missing ו‎ (vau). An extra (out of order) verse beginning with פ‎ (pe) is added to the end of Psalms 25 and 34. Psalm 37 is missing the letter ע (ain)‎. Psalm 145 is missing the letter נ‎ (nun). Psalms 9, 10, 25, 34, and 37 are all missing certain letters of the alphabet.

Both Proverbs 31:10-31 and Lamentations chapter 1 use the entire Hebrew alphabet in order. Other the other hand, Lamentations 2 and 4 reverse (or transpose) the order of ע (ain) and פ (pe). Lamentations chapter 3 has 66 verses – 3 verses for each letter of the alphabet and the ain and pe are reversed as in chapters 2 and 4. (Interestingly, Lamentations 5 also has 22 verses, but no alphabetic arrangement.)

Thomas Renz says “The poetic features of Nahum 1 have long been a bone of contention.” In the mid-1800s, Pastor Gottlieb Frohnmeyer posited that Nahum used the order of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet from ב (beth) to ט (teth) in Nahum 1. Perhaps this had been noticed but little mentioned before, but Franz Delitzsch gave impetus to the idea in his commentary on the Psalms.[vii] This observation was taken up, studied, refined, etc., and it seems to that it is now generally agreed upon. S. J. de Vries writes, “Two things ought no longer be disputed: (1) Nahum 1 does indeed begin with an acrostic hymn...(2) this hymn reproduces only half the alphabet, ending with the letter ב, and it does this quite freely, without rigid conformance to the usual acrostic pattern.”[viii] Nevertheless, it is far from a settled issue that scholars agree that Nahum 1:2-8 is deliberately alphabetic. Renz calls Nahum 1:2-8 “a perfectly broken acrostic” – indicating a spiritual intent to not be fully alphabetic.

Observations

• The biblical alphabetic compositions are restricted to the writings known to the Jews as the Hagiographa (Psalm 9, 10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119, 145; Proverbs 31:10–31; Lamentations 1–4), with the exception of the passage in the Prophets (Nahum 1).[ix] This suggests something of a poetic device that was sparsely used through the whole Bible. (Makes me wonder about the constant alliteration in some folks’ sermons!) Their scarcity makes their existence all the more notable.
• The purpose of the alphabetic compositions has been interpreted or explained in various ways – for example, poetic or artistic expression or a memory device. Since we believe in “God-breathed” scriptures, then we accept them as intentional and purposeful, even if we do not currently or fully comprehend the purpose.
• A number of commentators consider the incomplete alphabetic compositions to be errors that entered in the transmission process – that is, they were completely or perfectly alphabetic in origin but got messed up as they were passed down. On the other hand Benun, for example, asserts “that these disruptions are an original feature of these psalms and are placed purposefully as part of a sophisticated literary structure.” I don’t agree with all the ideas held by Benun, but I agree that these “disruptions” in the alphabetic structure were part of the original feature of the sacred writings. This agrees with the spiritual concept of inspiration and preservation of God’s word, as well as the human concept of careful workmanship of biblical copyists. Again, Benun asserts “…we find it very unlikely that such glaring mistakes, which disrupt the simple alphabetic pattern for most of the acrostics, could possibly have slipped by the careful Biblical scribes.”
• Translations like The Voice can illustrate what the alphabetic concept would have looked like to the Hebrew reader, but they struggle to translate accurately while keeping the alphabetic structure. Therefore, more literal translations have not tried to bring the device over into the receptor language. While accepting that the alphabetic device was inspired and useful in the original language, we can also understand that Bible students who read only in their native language can fully receive God’s word for them without seeing the alphabetic structure.

Disclaimer
Accept at your own risk (in other words, check out what I say). I make no claim to Hebrew scholarship, and am depending on those I perceive to have it. The old Philadelphia Baptist preacher Morgan Edwards wrote, “The Greek and Hebrew are the two eyes of a minister.” If so, I see through a glass darkly in one eye and am blind in the other.

Quotes

• “Acrostics occur in Psalms 111 and 112, where each letter begins a line; in Psalms 25, 34, and 145, where each letter begins a half-verse; in Psalm 37, Proverbs 31:10-31, and Lamentations 1, 2, and 4, where each letter begins a whole verse; and in Lamentations 3, where each letter begins three verses. Psalm 119 is the most elaborate demonstration of the acrostic method where, in each section of eight verses, the same opening letter is used, and the twenty-two sections of the psalm move through the Hebrew alphabet, letter after letter.” – J. A. Motyer, “Acrostic,” in The New International Dictionary of the Bible, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1987, p. 12.
• “These anomalies have been the subject of much discussion among commentators, both ancient and modern, usually focusing on the question of the reliability of the text. Most scholars believe that these acrostics were once complete and that in their pristine form they contained the entire alphabetic sequence, but have since been badly damaged in the course of transmission. However, we find it very unlikely that such glaring mistakes, which disrupt the simple alphabetic pattern for most of the acrostics, could possibly have slipped by the careful Biblical scribes. This paper will attempt to show that the missing letters are in fact purposefully omitted, that their omission lies at the core of the psalms’ meanings and that no emendations are necessary.” – Ronald Benun in Evil and the Disruption of Order: a Structural Analysis of the Acrostics in the First Book of Psalms
• “I have argued that the acrostic features in Nahum 1 are there by design, that the alphabetic sequence only covers half the alphabet, that the irregularities are not as haphazard as they seem at first, and that the poem is bigger than the acrostic.” – Thomas Renz in A Perfectly Broken Acrostic in Nahum 1?

See also

• A Commentary on the Book of Psalms, Franz Delitzsch, New York, NY: Funk and Wagnalls, 1883, p. 205
• “A Perfectly Broken Acrostic in Nahum 1?,” Thomas Renz in The Journal of Hebrew Scriptures, Volume 9, Article 23
• “Evil and the Disruption of Order: a Structural Analysis of the Acrostics in the First Book of Psalms,” Ronald Benun, in The Journal of Hebrew Scriptures (JHS) online
• Nahum (Historical Commentary on the Old Testament), Klaas Spronk, Netherlands: Kok Pharos, 1997
• “The Line-Acrostic in Nahum 1: New Evidence from Ancient Greek Manuscripts and from the Literary Analysis,” Klaas Spronk in The Impact of Unit Delimitation on Exegesis, Raymond de Hoop, et al., Leiden: Brill, 2009, pp. 228-240

Footnotes
[i]  E.g.: “…a literary device by which sets of letters (such as the first letter of a line) are taken in order to form a word, phrase, or a regular sequence of letters of the alphabet.” – “Acrostic,” in Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary: New and Enhanced Edition, Ronald F. Youngblood, ‎Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1999, p. 15. But, note also, “In Byzantine hymn-poetry the term acrostichiswith which our word ‘acrostic’ is connected was also used of alphabetical poems, that is poems the lines or groups of lines in which have their initials arranged in the order of the alphabet.” – “Acrostic,” in The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, James Orr, Harrington, DE: Delmarva Publications, 2014
[ii] Some count Psalm 9 and 10 as one song in the Hebrew and therefore give the number as 14.
[iii] Modern transcriptions of the alphabet often vary from this spelling. (See Judaism 101, for example.)
[iv] Compared to “A” to “Z” in English, or Alpha to Omega in Greek.
[v]  This is not an endorsement of The Voice, but given as an illustration that one can see rather than just read.
[vi] “The initials of 9:1,3,5 are respectively 'aleph, beth, gimel; of 9:9,11,13,15,17 waw, zayin, cheth, Teth and yodh. Psalms 10:1 begins with lamedh and 10:12,14,15,17 with qoph, resh, shin and taw. Four lines seem to have been allotted to each letter in the original form of the poem.” – International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
[vii]  A Commentary on the Book of Psalms, Franz Delitzsch, New York, NY: Funk and Wagnalls, 1883, p. 205 (originally published in German in 1867)
[viii]  S. J. de Vries, “The Acrostic of Nahum in the Jerusalem Liturgy,” VT 16 (1966), 476–81. “It is now generally agreed by the vast majority of commentators that the acrostic covers only half the alphabet, from aleph to kaph, and that it encompasses only 1:2-8.” – “The Chimerical Acrostic of Nahum 1:2-10,” Michael H. Floyd, in Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 113, No. 3 (Autumn, 1994), pp. 421-437
[ix]  Cf. Luke 24:44 for the divisions of the Old Testament: “And he said unto them, These are my words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must needs be fulfilled, which are written in the law of Moses, and the prophets, and the psalms, concerning me.”