Billy Graham passes

Whether they loved him, hated him, or didn’t care much one way or the other, everyone knew “America’s Pastor.” Billy Graham is dead at age 99.

The Three R’s

(but not reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic)

...I remember an old friend of mine once saying, “Ah! you preach the three R’s, and God will always bless you.” I said, “What are the three R’s?” and he answered, “Ruin, redemption, and regeneration.” They contain the sum and substance of divinity. R. for ruin. We were all ruined in the fall; we were all lost when Adam sinned, and we were all ruined by our own transgressions; we are all ruined by our own evil hearts, and our own wicked wills; and we all shall be ruined, unless grace saves us. Then there is a second R. for redemption. We are ransomed by the blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish and without spot; we are rescued by his power; we are ransomed by his merits; we are redeemed by his strength. Then there is R. for regeneration. If we would be pardoned, we must also be regenerated; for no man can partake of redemption unless he is regenerate. Let him be as good as he pleases; let him serve God, as he imagines, as much as he likes; unless he is regenerate, and has a new heart, a new birth, he will still be in the first R. that is ruin. These things contain an epitome of the gospel.

From the sermon “The Bible” (March 18, 1855) in Sermons of the Rev. C. H. Spurgeon, of London; 1869, pp. 36-37

Atheism Doubles, 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.

• Atheism Doubles Among Generation Z -- "Enter Generation Z: Born between 1999 and 2015, they are the first truly “post-Christian” generation. More than any other generation before them, Gen Z does not assert a religious identity."
• Church Gives Transgender Pastor a “Renaming” Ceremony -- "Sorry for use of the word, “transgender,” in the title of the post...It’s just that “person who thinks they’re transgender” makes for a long title."
• Egyptian archaeologists discover 4,400-year-old tomb near Cairo -- "The tomb has very distinguished wall paintings in a very good conservation condition depicting Hetpet standing in different hunting and fishing scenes or... receiving offerings from her children."
• Giving and Receiving Godly Criticism: Sharpening Each Other With Your Words -- "The words “criticism” or “critique” don’t show up much in our English Bibles, but the concept certainly does. Terms such as rebuke, reproof, correction, admonishment, and instruction all capture the same idea."
• How to Add Ribbons to your Bible -- "Most mass produced Bibles these days come with one, low quality ribbon marker.  I like to have at least three ribbon markers."
• Joy Behar mocks Pence’s faith, calls his relationship with Christ possible ‘mental illness’ -- "It’s one thing to talk to Jesus. It’s another thing when Jesus talks to you. That’s called mental illness if I’m not correct."
• Judge David Lampe rules for Tastries Bakery -- "The State cannot succeed on the facts presented as a matter of law. The right to freedom of speech under the First Amendment outweighs the State’s interest in ensuring a freely accessible marketplace."
• Looming Debate Over SSA -- "These days, it seems that almost every week social media uncovers another eruption along the Presbyterian Church in America's (PCA) volcanic fault line between social accommodation/compassion and biblical obedience."
• Voices: How I came to affirm inerrancy -- "...my affirmation of inerrancy came through the act of preaching, walking through the challenges of pastoral ministry and, yes, study and research."
• What’s Wrong With Search Committees? Part 1 of 2 on Finding a Pastor -- "...if churches were healthier, we’d never need to call together such a committee. The last guy would have helped the elders to make sure that this was taken care of before he left."
• What’s Right About Elders? Part 2 of 2 on Finding a Pastor -- "What shepherd waves good bye to his sheep, wishes them luck, and skips off to greener pastures?"
• World Watch List, 2018 -- "The 50 countries where it is most dangerous to follow Jesus."
• 5 Dead Baptist Theologians Every Pastor Should Read -- "I’m going to assume most readers will already know Bunyan and Spurgeon rank near the apex of essential reading for all pastors—Baptist or otherwise."

Thoughts on three Facebook “conversations”

In the wake of the Valentine’s Day shooting at a Parkland, Florida high school, Facebook lit up with the debate over gun control and the Second Amendment. It brought some interesting, unusual and often angry posts. Here I comment on three.

18 school shootings already in 2018?

One of the first that I saw was that by February 14th there had already 18 school shootings in 2018. That number was so that one of my Facebook friends lamented that even the liberal news media had grown callous and stopped reporting on school shootings! That, until he understood that the number was highly inflated based on what the average person would think of as a school shooting. According to Washington Post, No, there haven’t been 18 school shootings in 2018. That number is flat wrong. That number made the rounds, coming from a site called Everytown for Gun Safety, which “has long inflated its total by including incidents of gunfire that are not really school shootings. Take, for example, what it counted as the year’s first: On the afternoon of Jan. 3, a 31-year-old man who had parked outside a Michigan elementary school called police to say he was armed and suicidal. Several hours later, he killed himself. The school, however, had been closed for seven months. There were no teachers. There were no students.” These kinds of numbers do not help the cause of safety for school children, more than likely a “little boy who cried wolf” eye-rolling response – whose lesson is that if you always tell tales, eventually people will stop listening to what you say.

The right to keep and bear a single-shot musket

A video about what guns were like when the 2nd Amendment was written was making the rounds on Facebook. It is entertaining and seems to make a point, but...

The 2nd Amendment does not guarantee “the right to keep and bear a single-shot musket...” The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution says, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” It binds the federal government in regards to the rights of citizens. “Arms” means “weapons and ammunition; armaments.” Not only does the amendment not say “keep and bear a single-shot musket” – the single-shot musket was not the only “arms” available in 1791 when the 2nd amendment was passed. Further, the SCOTUS in ‘District of Columbia v. Heller’ clarified that “The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia...” It does not just guarantee guns for militia service, as some claim.[i] The Second Amendment “is what it is” and it is not going anywhere (does anyone seriously think they can get 38 states to vote to amend or repeal this?). Rather than a shrill argument over what’s wrong with the Second Amendment and how to get rid of it – an argument that never goes anywhere – perhaps both sides might try to see what things they could agree on. Under the Second Amendment as it exists and has been interpreted, how can we work together to curb violence in our country? It is a societal problem – and I would say spiritual problem – much bigger than guns or mental illness. Without guns, using diesel fuel and fertilizer, Timothy McVeigh, Terry Nichols, and Michael Fortier killed 168 people (19 of whom were children) and injured more than 500 people!

Repeal the right to keep and drive cars?

Briefly on Sunday morning I noticed a meme about the number of deaths from drunk-driving accidents circulating. Later when I went back to check this I couldn’t find a one! (I always have trouble finding things on Facebook when I go back to look for them. What’s up with that??) My concern was to check whether these figures about drunk-driving were accurate, or just “fake news” like some of the “Everyday” school shootings numbers. I went to an official site – the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (Drunk driving). According to their site, “Every day, almost 29 people in the United States die in alcohol-impaired vehicle crashes—that’s one person every 50 minutes in 2016.” Or, stated another way, there were 10,497 deaths in the year 2016 from alcohol-impaired related driving accidents.

I don’t want to juxtapose drunk-driving deaths against mass shooting deaths in order to de-emphasize the latter. Mass shootings and school shootings are very real problems with which Americans need to grapple. Nevertheless, it seems we have decided to complacently live with a much greater problem in terms of actual deaths. In the same period as above, 2016, there were possibly 477 mass shootings in the U.S., which resulted in up to 606 deaths. Some of this info is hard to find, as far as totals, and some hard to trust. I have chosen to use the high-end numbers for comparison purposes,[ii] derived from the Mass Shooting Tracker.[iii] 10,497 deaths in 2016 from drunk driving. Possibly 606 deaths in 2016 from mass shootings. One every 50 seconds from drunk driving; 1.66 every day from mass shootings (even using some of the highest numbers reported). What does this mean? Have we become complacent about drunk-driving fatalities? Will we become complacent about mass shooting fatalities? Is our outrage selective? Will we trade it for a new style of outrage when the next new problem comes along? And finally, if banning guns to citizens is the right solution to stop mass shootings, why wouldn’t banning cars and alcohol be the right solution to stop drunk-driving fatalities? Why, there are not even constitutional bills of rights for those activities!

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[i] But “Like most rights, the Second Amendment right is not unlimited. It is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose...”

[ii] In contrast to Mass Shooting Tracker, Mother Jones (clearly not a conservative pro-NRA site) lists only 6 mass shootings in 2016 – Cascade Mall shooting, Burlington, Washington; Baton Rouge police shooting, Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Dallas police shooting, Dallas, Texas; Orlando nightclub massacre, Orlando, Florida; Excel Industries mass shooting, Hesston, Kansas; and Kalamazoo shooting spree, Kalamazoo County, Michigan – with 71 deaths and 73 injuries. Mother Jones uses a different definition of “mass shooting” than Mass Shooting Tracker. The average person hearing “school shooting” thinks Columbine, Sandy Hook, and now Parkland – not about some guy shooting himself after school hours near a school that was not even open! That person hearing “mass shooting” thinks Orlando, Las Vegas, and Sutherland Springs – not about four drug dealers who shot each other in a turf war! While we should not ignore other forms of murder and violence, conflating other crimes with the ever-growing problem of shootings like the one at Parkland confuses both the issue and the understanding of it.

[iii] Part of the problem for comparison purposes is that there is no standard definition of a “mass shooting.” Mass Shooting Tracker writes, “Our definition is this: a mass shooting is an incident where four or more people are shot in a single shooting spree.” The FBI defines a mass murder as one event, in one location, when three or more victims are killed and the offender is not included in the victim count. When Congress enacted the “Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act of 2012,” they indicated “the term ‘mass killings’ means 3 or more killings in a single incident.” The Congressional Research Service calls a “mass shooting” one in which a gunman kills four or more people, selects victims randomly, and attacks in a public place. Also problems arise in that data used by sites like “Everyday” and “Mass Shooting Tracker” comes from media accounts rather than official records.

Grace's present deliverance

"If you are reconciled and brought near to God; if you have an interest in the precious blood of Christ; if your name is written in the Lamb's book of life, and heaven be your eternal home, that does not deliver you from the indwelling of sin, nor from the power of sin either, except as grace gives you present deliverance from it. Sin still works in your carnal mind, and will work in it till your dying hour. What then you want to be saved from is the guilt, filth, power, love, and practice of indwelling sin." -- J. C. Philpot

This is the True God: The Maker of the Universe

Frederick William Pitt (1859-1943) was a pastor in London who wrote a great deal of poetry or hymns. This hymn, known as “The Maker of the Universe” but originally called “This is the True God,” uniquely captures the biblical truth of Jesus Christ – the God who created the world and the man who died for it, all in one. How deep is God’s love!

1. The Maker of the universe

As Man, for man was made a curse.

The claims of law which He had made,

Unto the uttermost He paid.

2. His holy fingers made the bough

Which grew the thorns that crowned His brow.

The nails that pierced His hands were mined

In secret places He designed.

3. He made the forest whence there sprung

The tree on which His body hung.

He died upon a cross of wood,

Yet made the hill on which it stood.

4. The sky that darkened o’er His head

By Him above the earth was spread.

The sun that hid from Him its face

By His decree was poised in space.

5. The spear which spilled His precious blood

Was tempered in the fires of God.

The grave in which His form was laid,

Was hewn in rocks His hands had made.

6. The throne on which He now appears

Was His from everlasting years.

But a new glory crowns His brow.

And every knee to Him shall bow.

“The Maker of The Universe,” though sometimes attributed to Phil Keaggy, was written by Frederick William Pitt. Keaggy wrote a tune for these words and sings it, but he did not write the hymn itself.

Nearly four years ago I posted F. W. Pitt’s hymn The Rock. I found that there was not much biographical information available on Pitt. Recently I resorted to Ancestry.com to see what I could find there. What I feel is accurate is presented HERE.

Baptist Music: To Sing or Not To Sing

...that is the question. From our modern vantage point, many might be surprised that Baptists have not always answered adamantly in the affirmative, “Yes, let us sing!”

A 17th-century controversy in Baptist churches debated the propriety of congregational singing. One side held that such singing was a form of preaching/teaching and should not be done in a mixed assembly. They also considered a printed hymn with the same disdain as a written prayer. The other side argued that it was present in the New Testament in both command and example. Two major opponents in the matter were Benjamin Keach and Isaac Marlow (at one time members of the same church). One can find Keach’s side in The Breach Repaired in God’s Worship: Or Singing of Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, Proved to Be an Holy Ordinance of Jesus Christ; With an Answer to All Objections and Marlow’s in A Brief Discourse Concerning Singing in the Public Worship of God in the Gospel-Church. Others entered the fray as well, such Silvanus Heathcote in Truth Cleared, or, A Brief Narrative of the Rise, Occasion, and Management of the Present Controversy concerning Singing in the Worship of God: with an account of several letters that have passed between Mr. Benjamin Keach and Isaac Marlow.[i]

Of 17^th-century English Baptist worship, Leon McBeth writes:

“The earliest Baptist worship was lengthy and dealt primarily with Bible exposition. There was no singing, and Baptists put great value upon spontaneity and audience participation.

“By the 1670s, some Baptist churches were singing both the Psalms and ‘man-made’ songs. This was quite controversial, and many churches split over the ‘singing controversy’. Benjamin Keach, a London pastor, led his church to sing a hymn after the Lord’s Supper, and within a few years they were also singing during regular worship services. In 1691, Keach published the first Baptist hymnal, Spiritual Melody, a collection of over three hundred hymns.”

Baptist Theology: a Four-century Study James Leo Garrett, citing Martin,[ii] describes the situation this way:

“‘In 1673 [Keach] introduced [in his Horselydown congregation] the singing of a hymn at the conclusion of the Lord’s Supper,’ citing Matt. 26:30. After hymn singing became officially an every-Sunday practice in 1691 in Keach’s congregation, controversy erupted among Particular Baptists.[iii] The most prolific author opposing the practice…Isaac Marlow…wrote eleven books on this matter.[iv] The controversy divided Particular Baptists for about a decade.”[v] 

Needless to say, the final end of the controversy was congregational hymn singing in Baptist churches.[vi] Martin writes, “It is perhaps safe to say that by the end of the 18th century the use of hymns had become a generally recognised part of public worship among Baptists and Independents.”[vii]

Baptist controversies about singing include[viii]:

• The Singing Controversy (Singing vs. Not Singing)
• The Psalm Singing Controversy (Singing Psalms vs. Singing “man-made” hymns)
• The Regular Singing Controversy (Lined Singing vs. “Regular” Singing)
• The Musical Notation Controversy (Books with words vs. Books with words & music)[ix]
• The Musical Accompaniment Controversy (A cappella vs. Musical instruments)
• The Contemporary Music Controversy (Traditional hymn vs. Contemporary style music)
• The Song Projection Controversy (Song books vs. Screens)[x]

Further reading (including some of the other controversies)

• An Appendix concerning the Ordinance of Singing
• Benjamin Keach and the Baptist Singing Controversy: Mediating Scripture, Confessional Heritage, and Christian Unity
• English Particular Baptist Singing and Congregational Worship Practices to 1700, by Thomas D. Ross [If link does not work, Seek (on Google) and ye shall find (a PDF)]
• Exclusive Psalmody?
• Hymn Lining: A Black Church Tradition with Roots in Europe
• “I Will Sing the Wondrous Story”: A History of Baptist Hymnody in North America
• Public Worship and Practical Theology in the work of Benjamin Keach (1640-1704)
• ’Sing to the Lord a New Song’: The Regular Singing Movement in Colonial New England
• The Baptist Contribution to Early English Hymnody
• The First Worship War Among Baptists and the Reformation of Congregational Singing
• The First Worship War Among Baptists, Part 2

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[i] Whew!

[ii] Benjamin Keach, 1640-1704, Pioneer of Congregational Hymn Singing, Hugh Martin, London: Independent Press, 1961, pp. 9-10

[iii] Initially 22 members of the Horselydown Church withdrew and joined a church pastored by Robert Speed, who opposed congregational hymn singing. (Garrett, pp. 86-87) “English Particular Baptist Singing and Congregational Worship Practices to 1700” by Thomas Ross is important in that it shows differences on the question as much as 20 years or more before the Horselydown Church started singing in connection with the Lord’s Supper.

[iv] These include Some Short Observations made on a Book newly Published by Mr. Benjamin Keach: intituled, The Breach Repaired in God’s Worship (1691); Prelimited Forms of Praising God, Vocally Sung by all the Church Together, Proved to be No Gospel Ordinance (1691); Truth Soberly Defended: in a Serious Reply to Mr. Benjamin Keach’s book intituled, The Breach Repaired in God’s Worship (1692) and The Controversie of Singing Brought to an End, or, A Treatise in Three Parts (1696).

[v] Keach and Marlow were Particular Baptists, but controversy also existed among the General Baptists on the subject of hymn singing. According to Hugh Martin in The Baptist Contribution to Early English Hymnody the General Baptists originally showed more unanimity against it, following the prominent leader Thomas Grantham, who “complained that the Church was suffering in many ways by ‘the encroachment of humane Innovations’ [including] ‘the Custom which many have taken up to sing David’s Psalms or their own composures in a ‘mixed multitude of voices’.” (p. 201)

[vi] The controversy probably convinced American Baptists to add chapter 23 to the 1742 Philadelphia Confession of Faith, as compared to the 1689 London Baptist Confession.

[vii] The Baptist Contribution to Early English Hymnody, p. 208

[viii] Some of these controversies have been more widespread and intense than others, and they have not been limited to only Baptists.

[ix] I didn’t find a specific online article that addressed this. It is sometimes addressed in the histories of church music among Baptists. This controversy was sometimes intertwined with the musical accompaniment controversy, but not necessarily. For example, many Primitive Baptists use “note books” but will not use musical instruments. It may at times also be connected to the “lined singing” controversy, but all users of words-only hymn books do not line their hymns.

[x] Sometimes called singing “off-the-wall.” This controversy is often mixed with the controversy over singing traditional hymns versus contemporary style music – but again, not necessarily so. Some object to singing traditional hymns from a projector screen.

A History of Grassy Creek, 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 History of Grassy Creek Baptist Church, from its Foundation to 1880 -- "The Baptists maintain that the Bible, as given by the inspiration of God, is the only rule of faith and practice."
• Convention System Versus The Scriptures -- "Were Baptist churches anti-missionary before the organization of the Southern Baptist Convention?"
• Democrats are now so radicalized on abortion they can’t accept any limits on its brutality -- "By the time the five-month mark passes, the unborn child’s fingers, toes, eyelids, eyebrows, nails, and even eyelashes have all formed. The child can suck its thumb and yawn. It has a heartbeat. And it can very much feel pain."
• Granville Sharp: A Model of Evangelical Scholarship and Social Activism -- "Granville Sharp is widely known in evangelical circles for his famous Greek rule which has been used to defend the deity of Christ in various NT passages. Outside of evangelical circles, Sharp is better known..."
• Holy Spirit Placed Pastors –A Vanishing Breed? -- "The Holy Spirit placed pastor can be saved from extinction by the churches staying within the Bible given qualifications and praying effectually and fervently for the Lord to make choices according to his will."
• House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Memo -- "The Committee has discovered serious violations of the public trust, and the American people have a right to know when officials in crucial institutions are abusing their authority for political purposes. Our intelligence and law enforcement agencies exist to defend the American people, not to be exploited to target one group on behalf of another. It is my hope that the Committee’s actions will shine a light on this alarming series of events so we can make reforms that allow the American people to have full faith and confidence in their governing institutions."
• Jeremiah Vardeman 1775-1842 -- "Jeremiah Vardeman was, beyond question, the most popular preacher in Kentucky. Although without much education, he had by his energy and zeal, and his fine hortatory powers, aided by his noble personal appearance and social qualities, acquired immense influence."
• Jeremiah Vardeman, The Kentucky Evangelist -- "In 1801, he was ordained and became the pastor of four churches. Although he was a beloved and successful pastor, his most effective ministry was that of an evangelist."
• Some Thoughts on Altar Calls -- "Some Separate Baptist churches in the South like the Grassy Creek Church were calling folks down front at the turn of the 19th century, if not before."
• The Autobiography of Elder Wilson Thompson Embracing a Sketch of His Life, Travels, & Ministerial Labors -- "No anxious benches had we to call mourners to, to be prayed for, but many with anxious hearts and weeping eyes were there, who could not conceal their emotions."
• The Invitation System -- "...although for more than a hundred years evangelism in Britain has sometimes been accompanied by the use of 'after­meetings', or of cards which individuals are to sign as an affirmation of faith, the practice of summoning people to the front as the natural climax of a gospel message and as an integral part of an evangelistic service has been comparatively rare."
• Why Should Christians Today Read Jonathan Edwards? -- "Every semester as I teach college students theology, I have them read one or two excerpts from Jonathan Edwards—and every time, I get one of two responses."

Respect for women

According to Yahoo Lifestyle, U.S. Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman will appear unclothed in the 2018 swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated. Raisman says (and is inscribed with) “Women do not have to be modest to be respected.” (She also appeared in the 2017 swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated.) Raisman was also one of the many victims sexually abused by Dr. Larry Nassar of USA gymnastics.

I agree with Raisman’s message that women should be respected, regardless. Each and every one has intrinsic value as God’s creation. I disagree with her message, in word and deed, to jettison modesty – a biblical teaching. Also she is quite naïve if she thinks men will be looking at her and the other scantily clad young women in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition because of how much respect they have for them!

Lent

Why I Encourage People Not to Observe Lent by Bart Barber -- "Lent is not in the Bible, nor anything resembling it. Movement toward Lent is movement away from the idea that the New Testament should give us the pattern for ecclesiastical celebrations or individual spiritual formation."

A “Frame-Up” Debate

In a previous post I mentioned a debate that I thought I remembered. Now I have found it recounted according to the memory of L. D. Foreman (as told him by Ben M. Bogard) in The Life and Works of Benjamin Marcus Bogard, Vol. II (pp. 73-74).

This is the way it was related to me...

Many years ago there was a cattleman out in one of the western states—I remember it as being Arizona—who had made a considerable amount of money, and being a religious man, wanted to hear a religious debate. He was a Mormon. He had heard of Bogard and had written to him offering to pay his railroad fare, provide lodging and give him a certain amount of money to come there and engage in a debate with a Campbellite.

While this was not his ordinary procedure, Bogard accepted the challenge and boarded a train making his way across Texas and New Mexico toward Arizona. Somewhere along the line, the train stopped for passengers. Among those boarding was Joe Warlick, his old friend and opponent in so many debates. They immediately struck up a conversation, Bogard asking Joe where he was going? Warlick replied that he was going to a debate but he didn’t know who his opponent was. Since Bogard was in the same situation, they compared notes and found they were going to the same place, hired by the same man.

They arrived and were placed in a house on the ranch, each having his own private bed in a private room, but the wall of the house was so thin they could lie on the bed and talk to one another. The sessions were held in a school house, and, apparently, to a packed house. There was neither a Baptist nor Campbellite Church in the whole country.

They had just gotten started into the debate, apparently, the first day or two. Bogard laying on his bed and Warlick his, Uncle Ben asked, “Joe, suppose you just mop up the ground with me out here in this debate, whip me all to pieces, what have you gained?”

Warlick answered, “Nothing.”

Then Bogard said, “Suppose I whip you. Suppose I put you to utter shame. What have I gained?”

Again, Joe answered, “Nothing.” There was no cause for either of these debaters to represent in that particular community.

Bogard observed, “You know there’s lots of Mormons out here and, in fact, the rancher who has us hired is a Mormon. Why don’t we team up together and whip these Mormons?”

Then it was that Warlick chuckled and said, “Now, hold on a minute. Let’s don’t stir up more snakes than we can kill!” They did “team up,” however, and exposed Mormonism for the rest of the debate.

Foreman’s memory of the telling may be slightly off, if this incident was connected to the debate held in Duncan, Arizona in December 17-21, 1919 (which he thought it was). From the following newspaper article we see that Warlick knew he would be debating Bogard before he boarded the train to leave Phoenix for Duncan, and another article in the same paper shows the Church of Christ in Phoenix announcing it over a month before it took place. In addition, Duncan is east of Phoenix, some 200 miles, rather than west. Perhaps the discovery by Bogard and Warlick occurred on an earlier train trip.

The Arizona Republican (Phoenix, Arizona), Sunday, December 14, 1919, p. 9

Reader’s Bible Report

Nearly 12 years ago I wrote a short post on chapters and verses, about reading the Bible in complete thoughts rather than always using the verse and chapter divisions for places to start and stop reading. Someone did a good job creating the chapters and verses as markers to help find (and find again) portions of Scripture. But those are not necessarily where the thoughts naturally start, stop, flow, and change.

Now these many years later, I have purchased the Holman KJV Reader’s Bible, which I briefly mentioned HERE. It is a complete King James Bible without chapter and verse divisions inserted into the text. Instead, the text is presented in a single column and in paragraphs (page number, book, and chapter is at the bottom of each page).[i]

With the removal of chapters and verses (as well as references, footnotes, and study notes) for less distraction, the “Reader’s Bible” concept has one primary feature in mind – readability. This also takes the books of the Bible back closer to their original style. The Bible was divided into chapters in the year A.D. 1227, and the verses were not added until the 16th Century. [ii]

So, I have my new “Reader’s Bible.” I have started reading it. I absolutely concur that it increases the readability of the text. I sensed it almost immediately when I began reading. It was flowing smoothly. No telltale markers along the way distracted me from the goal of reading. I read more, and faster. Now to wonder, will I read with greater comprehension?[iii]

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[i] I thought the “Reader’s Bible” concept was relatively new, but found The Modern Reader's Bible: The Books of the Bible...Presented in Modern Literary Form from before the 20th Century (edited by Richard Green Moulton, New York, NY: MacMillan Company, 1912; maybe first published in 1895) and The (Limited Editions Club) King James Version of the Holy Bible from the 1930s (edited by George Macy, New York, NY: The Limited Editions Club, 1935-36).

[ii] Stephen Langton divided the Bible into chapters. Robert Stephanus added the verses for his Greek New Testament in 1551. The Wycliffe Bible in 1382 used Langton’s chapter divisions, and the Geneva Bible (New Testament) in 1560 became the first English Bible to use Stephanus’s verse divisions (and the chapter divisions, of course). These divisions are handy for giving references, quotations, locating text, etc., but, being man-made they are not sacrosanct (or inspired).

[iii] Certainly, reading this way will not remove the need to study portions of text, study words, compare scripture with scripture, and so on – but it does add (and remove) something so that the reader can concentrate on reading.

Revelation, back and forth

Revelation: What About Those Who Have Never Heard? -- "Because everyone has a sufficient amount of light to see and believe in Him so as to receive more light, no one has an excuse for unbelief."

Give Me Revelation! -- "If people don’t even need the specifics, if people don’t even need the whole counsel of God, then is there any blood on anyone’s hands for shrinking back?"

The best study Bible, 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.)

"The best study Bible is the one you read." -- Copied

"Jesus personally quoted Genesis as literal history 25 times." -- Steve Schramm

"Too many efforts, in every agreeable form, cannot be made to defend the truths of PRIMITIVE CHRISTIANITY." -- John Stanford

"People who pride themselves on their “complexity” and deride others for being “simplistic” should realize that the truth is often not very complicated. What gets complex is evading the truth." -- Thomas Sowell

"How unspeakably wonderful is it, to know that all our concerns are held in hands that bled for us!" -- attributed to John Newton

"The past is never dead. It's not even past. All of us labor in webs spun long before we were born." -- William Faulkner

"They made a mongrel religion of it, worshipped the God of Israel for fear, and their own idols for love." -- Matthew Henry, commenting on 2 Kings 17:33 ("They feared the Lord, and served their own gods.")

"We are not to treat Scripture like a secret code book." -- Copied

"A clear gospel explanation can be undone by an unclear invitation." -- Charlie Bing

"The hallmark of an authentic evangelicalism is not the uncritical repetition of old traditions, but the willingness to submit every tradition, however ancient, to fresh Biblical scrutiny and, if necessary, reform" -- John Stott

"The fire will not come where the fire has already been." -- Copied

"The Bible is not the book of the year; it is the book of the ages." -- Adrian Rogers

"What you have in Christ is greater than anything you don’t have in life." -- attributed to Max Lucado

"The person who knows everything has the most to learn." -- often credited to Bob Phillips

The Wit and Wisdom of Steve Brown

[I heard something like this from Steve Brown, on the radio, and wrote it down as it seemed to be.]

The Presbyterian Frog

A young lady was walking along a path one day and spotted a frog on a stump. To her surprise the frog could talk, and said, “Hi, young lady. If you will just kiss me, I’ll turn into a very spiritual Presbyterian preacher.” She picked him up, looked at him, and then put him in her pocket. 

“Wait!” the frog exclaimed, “if you kiss me I’ll turn into a Presbyterian preacher!” 

The young lady replied, “That’s OK, I’d rather have a frog!”

Addendum:
[Apologies to all you Presbyterian preachers, but the one who told it was a Presbyterian. If the frog had told her he would turn into a very spiritual Baptist preacher, she probably would have kissed him – just so she could see what one of those looked like!]

Seeing Red, 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.

• Red Letter Bibles -- "Red letter editions seem to me to be an example of how misplaced piety can get in the way of what's really important -- in this case, a readable text."
• Red Letter Bibles Again -- "It is sometimes difficult to determine where Jesus’ words begin and end..."
• Red-Letter vs Black-Letter -- "I own and use both red-letter and black-letter editions of the Bible. I don’t really have a favorite between the two for several reasons."
• The Origins of the Red-Letter Bible -- "In the Red Letter Bible, more clearly than in any other edition of the Holy Scriptures, it becomes plain that from beginning to end, the central figure upon which all lines of law, history, poetry and prophecy converge is Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world."
• The Story Behind: Red Letter Bible Editions -- "It is a surprisingly recent innovation, instigated by Louis Klopsch (1852-1910), an enterprising immigrant journalist."
• Usage Determines Meaning (Applause Please) -- "When my three-year-old son asks while we sit in a large crowd, “Why are the people clapping?” he’s essentially asking, “What is the meaning of this applause?”"
• What To Do When You Don't Understand What You're Reading -- "If you find important words that you do not know and cannot figure out from the context, then stop reading and look them up in the dictionary."
• When We Read, We Recognize Words as Pictures and Hear Them Spoken Aloud -- "Words are not encoded in the brain by their meaning but rather by simpler attributes such as sound and shape."
• Why I’m Not A Red Letter Christian -- " I mean it in a very literal sense: I don’t like red text in my Bible."

"Meaning is determined by the author; it is discovered by readers." -- Ron Rhodes (possibly not original)

Personality cults, easy-believism, and man-centered doctrine

"The fundamentalist movement (of the 1970s) was dominated by personality cults, easy-believism, man-centered doctrine, an unbiblical pragmatism in their methodology, a carnal kind of superficiality in their worship, petty bickering at the highest levels of leadership, deliberate anti-intellectualism even in their so-called institutions of higher learning, and moral rot almost everywhere you looked in the movement." -- Phil Johnson

Christian, seek not yet repose

Watch and Pray -- Sung by Haven A cappella

1. Christian, seek not yet repose,

Cast thy dreams of ease away;

Thou art in the midst of foes:

Watch and pray.

2. Wicked forces, evil powers,

Gathered in unseen array,

Wait for thy unguarded hours:

Watch and pray.

3. Gird thy heavenly armor on,

Wear it ever, night and day;

Ambushed lies the evil one:

Watch and pray.

4. Hear the victors who o’ercame;

Still they mark each warrior’s way;

All with one sweet voice exclaim,

“Watch and pray.”

5. Hear, above all, hear Thy Lord,

Him thou lovest to obey;

Hide within thy heart His word,

“Watch and pray.”

6. Watch, as if on that alone

Hung the issue of the day;

Pray that victory shall be won:

Watch and pray.

By Charlotte Elliott (1789 - 1871), 1836

Sword Saturday

Now in its 84th year, The Sword of the Lord periodical was a staple in many homes when I was growing up. Here are some links related to the paper, its people, and its power.

• Dead Right: The Failure of Fundamentalism -- "When John Rice died in 1980, there was a war among his followers about who would become his successor and take his place as the de facto spokesperson and figurehead at the helm of the movement. Twenty-five years later, there is still no clear successor to John R. Rice as the leading figure of the fundamentalist movement."
• Interview - Oral history with the daughters of John Rice -- "Part of the Paige Patterson SBC Conservative Resurgence Collection" (Select links for specific interviews)
• John R. Rice, Bob Jones Jr., and the “Mechanical Dictation” Controversy -- "By Nathan A. Finn in The Journal of Baptist Studies 6 (2014)" (Click link to view as PDF)
• John R. Rice, The Sword of the Lord, and the Fundamentalist Conversation: Comparisons with J. Frank Norris's The Fundamentalist and Carl McIntire's The Christian Beacon -- "Robin L. Smith, Master's Thesis, Wright State University, 2013"
• John Rice, the Sword of the Lord, and What We Should Learn from The Fundamentalists -- "The most fascinating part of the book chronicles the turbulent relationship between Rice and Billy Graham." (Review of the Andrew Himes book)
• John R. Rice "Sword of the Lord" Revival Weekly & Conferences -- "John R. Rice was born in Cooke County, Texas in 1895, the son of William H. and Sallie Elizabeth La Prade Rice, and the oldest of three brothers. Will Rice was a small businessman, a lay preacher, and a one-term state legislator 'well respected in the community'."
• Robert Leslie Sumner Obituary -- "In 1955, Dr. John R. Rice, a nationally known evangelist and editor of the Sword of the Lord newspaper invited Dr. Sumner to become Associate Editor and a staff evangelist."
• The Emergence of Moderate Fundamentalism: John R. Rice and "The Sword of the Lord" -- "Howard Edgar Moore, PhD Thesis, George Washington University, 1990." (can be requested here)
• The Sword of the Lord: A Brief Review -- "All that to say, while I’m not a self-confessed fundamentalist, I have a critical appreciation of fundamentalism in general and John R. Rice in particular."
• The Sword of the Lord: The Roots of Fundamentalism in an American Family -- "By Andrew Himes, Rice's Grandson" (Google Book preview)
• The Sword of the Lord, Really The Scoop Shovel of Revivalism -- "In general now, I would characterize the The Sword of the Lord as a vehicle to spread revivalism of revivalistic fundamentalism. At present it doesn't even represent a true gospel."