How long is long?

Q. How long should a sermon last, in terms of minutes or hours? 

A. In much of the “Western World,” the clock has become the enemy of the pastor and the congregation. Some preachers who are done in five minutes think they must drone on another 20 or 25 minutes to fill the time slot they have been given. Some preachers who are not finished in 20 or 25 minutes will slice off some important things that they should say so the morning service will be over by noon.

There is no biblical evidence that the length of a sermon is important. What is important is its “breadth and depth.” A sermon should last as long as it takes. Content is the important thing. The content should be the truth and the truth should be covered adequately. Was the sermon “long enough” for listeners to hear the truth and comprehend it? If so, that should do it!

Rufus Norton Grisham

Back in 2016, I posted about the song The Church That Jesus Built by R. N. Grisham. This song was Dedicated to the American Baptist Association. Then, I tentatively identified Grisham as Rufus Norton Grisham (1877–1936), who is buried at the Hickory Grove Cemetery at Laurel in Jones County, Mississippi. I believe that identification is correct. A friend on Library Thing has put together some information that supports this, and I post the following picture of Grisham with his permission.

R. N. Grisham was co-editor of Songs of Heaven circa 1924, while living in Greenville, South Carolina. He was an associate editor on Service Songs for Christian Work and Worship, 1929, published by Firm Foundation and Showalter Publishing (edited by J. W. Gaines). He published Heaven’s Highway while living in Ellisville, Mississippi and Our Bells of Heaven while living in Laurel, Mississippi.

Grisham also taught singing schools. For example, an ad in the Jones County News (November 14, 1912, p. 11) identifies R. N. Grisham as “Principal” of the Analytical and New Light Music School, to be held at Indian Springs and continuing 6 days a week for four weeks. When Grisham registered for the World War I draft in September of 1918, he was living in Greenville, South Carolina. He listed his occupation as “Vocal Teacher” and his employer as James D. Vaughan of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee.[i]  The (Laurel) Morning Call in 1928 describes him as “an evangelistic singer, song publisher and has conducted several normal schools in the county.” The article also indicates Mr. & Mrs. Grisham recorded on Columbia Records a song called We’ll Be At Home Again.[ii] (The Morning Call, March 22, 1928, p. 3)

R. N. Grisham was the son of Isaac Grisham and Sarah Mason. He married Lavada Bush in 1912. The Bush family was active gospel singers as well.

Movement

1880, Blackland, Prentiss County, Mississippi (Census)

1915, Lawrenceburg, Lawrence County, Tennessee (Birth of daughter)

1917, Greenville, Greenville County, South Carolina (City Directory)

1920, Greenville, Greenville County, South Carolina (Census)

1924, Greenville, Greenville County, South Carolina (City Directory)

1930, Ellisville, Jones County, Mississippi (Census)

---

[i] The Grisham’s resided in Greenville, South Carolina at least from 1917 to 1924.

[ii] Columbia Record 15177, with Reaching to You on the other side.

With the spirit and understanding, and other music 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 when possible.)

“Music should be rendered with the spirit and understanding; that the very soul and heart should enter into the song being sung.” -- James L. “Jim” White

“Our singing will not be melody to the Lord unless hearts beat in harmony with hymn.” -- “Mountain Hoosier” in The Paulding New Era, May 29, 1885

“There is not enough singing in the churches these days. There is too much mechanical music for the spiritual welfare of the churches.” -- J. P. Reese

“Natural harmony seems to have more of the spirit of inspiration than much of the so-called harmony of the present age.” -- J. P. Reese (Reese was referring to singing without instruments vs. singing with an organ)

“Our sacred music is like pure gold. The more it is rubbed, the brighter it shines.” -- Prof. R. E. Bartlett

“There is no better music this side of the pearly gates than that found in the old ‘Sacred Harp’.” -- Cedartown Standard, Sept 7, 1911

“The Harp is going to float when this world is on fire.” -- J. G. Land

“The more I learn about the Sacred Harp, the better I love it.” -- J. G. Land

“The real music is the silence and all the notes are only framing this silence.” -- Miles Davis

“Heaven was very near as the music upward rolled.” -- A. H. Reneau

“When the old family Bible gets out of date, then the old Sacred Harp will be a back number too.” -- J. G. Land

God’s Predestination is not Fatalism

Fatalism implies that all events come to pass through the working of a blind, unintelligent, impersonal non-moral force which cannot be distinguished from physical necessity and carries us helplessly within its grasp as a mighty river carries a piece of wood.

Predestination teaches that from all eternity God has had one unified purpose which He is bringing to perfection through this world order of events. The power of God is that ability and strength whereby He is able to bring to pass whatsoever He pleases, whatsoever His infinite wisdom may direct, and whatsoever the infinite purity of His will may resolve.

Credited to Loraine Boettner

The Search After Happiness

The following hymn is an excerpt from A Search After Happiness: A Pastoral in Three Dialogues, written by “A Young Lady” (Hannah More), in 1762/1773.[i] In the second edition, the title was changed to The Search After Happiness: A Pastoral Drama, and this portion of the poem was expanded to seven 4-line stanzas.[ii] The poem/hymn as used in The Sacred Harp and other shape-note books has some word changes, and only six stanzas (the third stanza is not used).

In later printings, the “Preface” explains the purpose of the “Pastoral Drama”:

The object of the following Poem, which was written in very early youth, was an earnest wish to furnish a substitute for the very improper custom, which then prevailed, of allowing plays, and those not always of the purest kind, to be acted by young Ladies in boarding schools. And it has afforded a serious satisfaction to the Author to learn that this little Poem, and likewise the Sacred Dramas, have very frequently been adopted to supply the place of those more dangerous amusements. If it may be still happily instrumental in promoting a regard to Religion and Virtue in the minds of young persons, and afford them an innocent, and perhaps not altogether unuseful, amusement in the exercise of recitation, the end for which it was originally composed, and the author’s utmost wish in its re-publication, will be fully answered.

In the drama this portion is sung by the character Florella, a young shepherdess.

1. While beauty and youth are in their full prime,

And folly and fashion affect our whole time;

O let not the phantom our wishes engage,

Let us live so in youth that we blush not in age.

2. The vain and the young may attend us a while,

But let not their flattery our prudence beguile;

Let us covet those charms that shall never decay

Nor listen to all that deceivers can say.

3. I sigh not for beauty, nor languish for wealth,

But grant me, kind Providence, virtue and health;

Then richer than kings, and far happier than they,

My days shall pass swiftly and sweetly away.

4. For when age steals on me, and youth is no more,

And the moralist Time shakes his glass at my door,

What pleasure in beauty or wealth can I find?

My beauty, my wealth, is a sweet peace of mind.

5. That peace! I’ll preserve it as pure as ’twas given

Shall last in my bosom an earnest of heaven;

For Virtue and Wisdom can warm the cold scene,

And sixty can flourish as gay as sixteen.

6. And when I the burden of life shall have borne,

And death with his sickle shall cut the ripe corn,

Reascend to my God without murmur or sigh,

I’ll bless the kind summons, and lie down and die.

The third stanza that Florella sings is:

How the tints of the rose, and the jessamine’s perfume,[iii]
The eglantine’s fragrance, the lilac’s gay bloom,
Though fair and though fragrant, unheeded may lie,
For that neither is sweet when Florella is by.

This is the stanza not used in songbooks. The other six stanzas are used with the tune Morality, number 136 in The Sacred Harp. It is in other shape-note tune books as well, such as The Southern Harmony. It can be found on YouTube sung at Waycross Primitive Baptist Church.

Hannah More was born February 2, 1745 in the village of Fishponds in Gloucestershire. She was a daughter of Jacob and Mary Grace More. He was a schoolmaster. She was taught by her father, then attended a girls’ school of her oldest sister Mary. Hannah later taught at the school, and wrote A Search After Happiness circa 1762.[iv] She left teaching and earned most of her living through writing. After a religious conversion she became close friends of John Newton and William Wilberforce. She was one of the most successful writers of her time. She died September 7, 1833 and is buried at All Saints Churchyard in Somerset, England.

---

[i] A Search After Happiness: A Pastoral in Three Dialogues, A Young Lady, Bristol: S. Farley, 1773, pp. 30-31

[ii] The first printed version had 26 lines rather than 28 lines.

[iii] The first version appears to have jessamine (jess’mine’s), while later versions change this to “jasmine.”

[iv] The “Advertisement” in the Google version purported to be printed in 1773 strongly suggests that this is the first printed/book version of A Search After Happiness.

The deceitful wicked heart

Man’s problem and God’s cure.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

Diagnosis, sin. Inbred, ingrained sin in the heart, that is both deceitful and desperately wicked. It is not just the actions, but the heart itself that is sinful.

A people who dismiss the diagnosis will have no idea of a cure. Our society and even many of our churches reject the diagnosis of the deceitful and wickedness of man deep down in his heart – a diagnosis they cannot know by applying human reasoning. Only God searches, tries, and knows man’s heart. We cannot muse and meditate until we figure out the problem. Nevertheless, by revelation God has diagnosed the problem. “All have sinned.” “There is none good.” “All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” “There is none good, but one, that is, God.”

By revelation God has prescribed the answer, the cure.

Isaiah 53: 4-5 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Acts 8:34-35 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

The Matthew 18 Principle for Conflict Resolution

Compiled and written by Lance Lloyd of Sequatchie, Tennessee; worth sharing and used by permission (by owner of web page where it was shared)

Matthew 18:15-17 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

From these verses, several guidelines can be found for resolving conflicts between Christians.

Before beginning the process, one should first consider if he/she is able to bear the other’s sin (I Peter 4:8 – And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins; Romans 12:18 – If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men).

Step One: A Christian who has a conflict with another Christian is called to address the matter with the other person personally. When matters are handled privately, misunderstanding can be addressed, and there is great potential for the other person to respond positively. In addition, a private meeting helps to avoid the problem of gossip.

Step Two: If a private discussion does not solve the issue, a Christian is to take one or two other believers and meet with the person with whom they have conflict. The clause “that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses” refers to the Old Testament law that required a charge to be supported by two or more witnesses to be valid. In the case of personal conflict, this principle allows for additional witnesses to observe the matter firsthand and help determine the proper course of action.

Step Three: When there is no resolution after steps one and two, the matter is to be taken before the local body. Only in rare cases will a Christian seeking to follow the Lord refuse to resolve conflict when the entire congregation is involved.

Finally, if the person in the center of the conflict refuses to respond positively even when the entire congregation is involved, then that person is to be considered as “a pagan or a tax collector.” This simply means to excommunicate the person, removing the negative influence from the congregation.

Christians are called to handle disputes in love, with a goal of restoration. Conflict should be handled according to the steps listed in Matthew 18 out of a desire for holy living and love for the person who has committed wrong.

(See also Go to Him by R. N. Davis.)

In other words, arbitrium and arboretum

• arbitrium, noun. Power or ability to act, decide, or judge; will; authority.
• arboretum, noun. A specially designed garden of different types of trees.
• dataveillance, noun. The collection or monitoring of (esp. digital) data relating to personal details or activities, regarded as a form of surveillance.
• dicker, verb, intransitive. Originally: to arrange a trade, barter, or other deal. In later use: to engage in bargaining or negotiation; (sometimes) spec. to dispute small or trivial details while bargaining or negotiating (for or over something); to haggle.
• eschatology, noun. (Theology) Any system of doctrines concerning last, or final, matters, as death, the Judgment, the future state, etc.; the branch of theology dealing with such matters.
• herbose, adjective. Abounding with herbs.
• literose, adjective. Literary in a studied or affected way.
• locuplete, adjective. Ample; richly supplied.
• logophile, noun. A lover of words.
• longueur, noun. A dull and tedious portion (as of a book) — usually used in plural.
• philobiblist, noun. A lover of books.
• pilose, adjective. Covered with hairs, especially fine soft ones.
• propinquity, noun. nearness in place (proximity); nearness of relation (kinship); nearness in time; affinity of nature (similarity).
• stupor mundi, noun. The wonder of the world; a person who or thing which is an object of general or widespread astonishment, admiration, or bewilderment; a marvel, a prodigy.
• vehemence, noun. Great or excessive passion; eagerness or fervour of personal feeling, action, expression, etc.; passionate force, intensity, or excitement.
• vel sim., phrase. (Latin, to wish or see similar) Used after a word, statement, etc., to indicate the possibility of similar alternatives.
• verbose, adjective. Characterized by the use of many or too many words; wordy.

20 Homeschool Genealogy Ideas, 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.

• 20 Homeschool Genealogy Ideas -- “Older children can help calculate how much time it will take your family to document an entire cemetery (beginners take about 250 photos per hour). Younger children can learn how to use a map.”
• A Texas Time Capsule: the 1847 T.C. Lindsey & Co. General Store in Jonesville -- “Not exactly lost but not exactly in plain sight, the community of Jonesville sits near the Texas-Louisiana border, just as it has since Texas’ earliest days as a state.”
• Century-old memorabilia box opened at Arlington Cemetery -- And now, a peek inside the old copper box, along with its historic relics, are available virtually, as ANC hosts it’s first-ever online exhibit starting this week.”
• Coronavirus and the smell of Saul Alinsky -- “Any revolutionary change must be preceded by a passive, affirmative, non-challenging attitude toward change among the mass of our people. They must feel so frustrated, so defeated, so lost, so futureless in the prevailing system that they are willing to let go of the past and chance the future.”
• Deepfakes Are Going To Wreak Havoc On Society. We Are Not Prepared. -- “Deepfake technology enables anyone with a computer and an Internet connection to create realistic-looking photos and videos of people saying and doing things that they did not actually say or do.”
• Did Japan Beat COVID-19 with a Decentralized Response? -- “Rather than uniform, top-down, centralized, and nationwide policies, the Japanese people mostly resorted to diverse, bottom-up, decentralized, and local responses and achieved much better results than many countries that imposed lockdowns and other draconian measures.”
• Fired Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin charged with 3rd-degree murder, manslaughter in George Floyd’s death -- “For his part, [County Attorney] Freeman noted that his office has never before charged a police officer four days after a lethal force incident. “This case has moved with extraordinary speed,” he said.”
• Gravestone Cleaning Tips 101 -- “Time has been hard on gravestones that were originally considered nearly permanent. Weathering, erosion, neglect, and vandalism have all taken their toll.”
• Headstones sinking underground at West Side cemetery to be reset after found illegible -- “...in July 2019...the headstone was completely visible. They were shocked to see that in less than a year’s time, it had been completely covered by grass and dirt.”
• New coronavirus losing potency, top Italian doctor says -- “...new infections and fatalities have fallen steadily in May and the country is unwinding some of the most rigid lockdown restrictions introduced anywhere on the continent.”
• The Story Behind a Forgotten Symbol of the American Revolution: The Liberty Tree -- “Early in the morning of August 14, Bostonians discovered the effigy hanging from the tree. Initials pinned to the effigy, ‘A.O.’, identified it as Andrew Oliver, the Boston merchant who had agreed to collect the stamp tax.”
• Trump signs social media executive order that calls for removal of liability protections over ‘censoring’ -- “Twitter’s...move immediately backfired...Twitter’s fact-check itself contained false statements; and Twitter failed to apply the standard of review to other users.”
• Twitter “fact checks” the president – so why not these lies by Biden and other Democrats? -- “American Priority then showed eight instances which Breitbart cited that showed over the past few weeks where Twitter allowed misinformation and downright lies from leftist sources to go unchallenged.”
• WHO Now Says Only Wear a Mask If You are Sick or Working with Sick — Otherwise You Don’t Need One -- Excuse us if we don’t believe a word coming from these fickle elites.”
• Wisconsin city refuses to arrest rioters, but hands out hefty fines to churches with more than 50 worshipers -- “While Madison didn’t do much to prevent the barrage of looting in the city, officials want citizens to know that church services of more than 50 people will absolutely not be tolerated.”

The New Sacred Harp and Its Sources

The New Sacred Harp was published in 1884 by brothers J. L. White and B. F. White Jr., sons of B. F. White, Sr., the compiler of The Sacred Harp. The concept may have been to print a book that could be used as a supplement to The Sacred Harp, as well as avail themselves of the growing popularity of the seven-shape gospel songs. The preface of The New Sacred Harp is brief and does not mention any sources. There is a brief reference to “our best composers” and also to the intent to keep The Sacred Harp available. Some song attributions are “by permission” Many of the songs in The New Sacred Harp reflect the emerging gospel style that was increasing in popularity.

Sources of songs fall into at least four categories.

Songs written by J. L. White and composers with whom he was acquainted. (There are no songs in The New Sacred Harp written by B. F. White, Jr., but he was probably also acquainted with some of the composers). These include men associated with Sacred Harp and other musical conventions in Atlanta and the surrounding area: S. M. Denson, T. J. Denson, Absalom Ogletree, J. N. Pitman, and J. P. Reese (as well as their nephew C. J. White). Eighteen songs by A. J. Showalter are labeled “by permission.” This may suggest that he wrote them for The New Sacred Harp. I have not found them thus far in any other of his books. Showalter had one tune titled White. We cannot be sure it is named for the White brothers (J. L. & B. F.), but one might think so since he is collaborating with them on their book. We know A. J. Showalter and J. L. White were acquainted. Other composers probably acquainted with the Whites were James A. Buchanan, A. R. Churchill, and R. J. Robbins. Each of these three men had compositions in J. L. White’s later revision of The Sacred Harp, 1909-1911.

Songs from The Sacred Harp. Some of the songs in The New Sacred Harp by the White brothers were previously in The Sacred Harp by White and King – songs such as Columbiana, Coronation, Idumea, Lena, Reverential Anthem, and Windham are included. Some, if not all, were re-arranged. Those that did not have alto had an alto part added.

Songs from the reform music tradition of Lowell Mason and his collaborators. Many songs such as these (e.g., Bethany, Dennis, Rest, Retreat, Siloam, and Ware) were popular church tunes. Such composers include William B. Bradbury, Thomas Hastings, and Isaac B. Woodbury.

Songs from currently popular tune books.[i] Different song attributions credit at least five songbooks as sources used by the Whites. These books were no more than seven years old at the time The New Sacred Harp was published in 1884 (with the possible exception of The Surprise, whose exact publication date is unknown).

• Grace and Glory: a Choice Collection of Sacred Songs, Original and Selected, for Sabbath-schools, Revivals, Etc., D. E. Dortch, W. G. E. Cunnyngham; Nashville, TN: Southern Methodist Publishing House, 1882
• Last Words, or, Spirit Whispers: a Collection of Hymns suggested by the Last Words of Dying Christians and Other Songs, W. T. Dale, Dayton, VA: Ruebush & Kieffer, 1878
• Sweet Fields of Eden: for the Sabbath School, J. H. Tenney, Aldine S. Kieffer, William B. Blake; Dayton, VA: Ruebush, Kieffer & Co., 1882
• The Surprise: for Choirs, Singing Classes, Conventions, Musical Societies, &c., G. W. Lyon, Atlanta, GA: Atlanta Music Co., 18??
• The Temple Star: for Singing-schools, Conventions, Choirs, Day-schools, and Musical Societies, Aldine S. Kieffer, B. C. Unseld; Singer’s Glen, VA: Ruebush, Kieffer & Co., 1877

---

[i] The abbreviations “Bost.” and “Laur.” probably stand for songbook collections.

Strong confidence

“The terrible projections about the dangers of COVID-19, not the virus itself, triggered the three severe problems that we now face. (1) Fear, (2) destruction of the economy, and (3) political abuse of power. These three problems cannot be easily resolved…Fear is a human emotion easily and instantly triggered by a dangerous situation, but also an emotion that is slow to abate…Fear provides us with the protective fight or flight reaction. When fear dominates it suppresses our conscious, logical thought processes and our critical thinking...Scared people don’t want to be scared. They search desperately for a savior. Power hungry politicians in elected offices are all too happy to be that savior. As long as those officials can convince voters to keep voting for them, they get to keep power. This was what Rahm Emanuel meant when he quipped, ‘Never let a crisis go to waste’...‘In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence.’ (Proverbs 14:26).” 

Steven F. Hotze, M.D., Katy, Texas

Come, thou long-expected Jesus

1. Come, thou long-expected Jesus,
Born to set thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth thou art;
Dear desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

2. Born thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to thy glorious throne.

By Charles Wesley, Hymns for the Nativity of Our Lord

In other words, mauvais ton & mazel tov

• antelucan, adjective. Of, belonging to, or occurring in the hours just before dawn.
• awfulize, verb, intransitive. To class as awful or terrible.
• begrudgery, noun. Envy or resentment of another’s success, happiness, wealth, etc.; reluctance to give praise or show admiration.
• bukateria, noun. A roadside restaurant or street stall with a seating area, selling cooked food at low prices.
• cloudy, adjective. Full of or overcast by clouds; having little or no sunshine; of or like a cloud or clouds; pertaining to clouds.
• hendecad, noun. A group, set, or series of eleven things; especially, a period of eleven years. Formerly, the number eleven (obsolete).
• mauvais ton, adjective. Unacceptable in certain circles or polite society.
• mazel tov, interjection. A Jewish phrase expressing congratulations or wishing someone good luck.
• muscose, adjective. Of the nature of or resembling moss; mosslike.
• saturnine, adjective and noun. In regard to a person’s temperament, mood, or manner: gloomy, melancholy, dejected, downcast, grim; not easily enlivened, enthused, or cheered; (in early use) ill-tempered, angry.
• sidereal, adjective. Resembling, characteristic of, or reminiscent of a star or starlight; starlike; esp. lustrous, bright, shining; splendid, outstanding.
• simony, noun. The buying or selling of ecclesiastical or spiritual benefits; esp. the sale or purchase of preferment or office in the church. Also sometimes more generally: trading in sacred things.
• sub voce, adverb. As a direction in a text: under the word or heading given (abbreviated s.v.).
• thwart, verb (used with object). To oppose successfully; prevent from accomplishing a purpose; to frustrate or baffle (a plan, purpose, etc.).
• yark, noun. A sharp blow with a whip, hand, or other object; a stroke, a lash. Also: the sound of a sharp blow; a crack; a thud.

Baptist distinctives

• The Bible as the sole authority of faith and practice
• Independent and autonomous locally governed congregations
• Church membership only of the regenerated and immersed
• Priesthood of believers
• Soul liberty, with one mediator between God and man
• Pictorial memorial ordinances
• Separation from government allegiance and ecclesiastical alliances

Cultural Accounting, 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.

• Chicago blocks church parking lots to enforce stay-at-home order -- “City police prevented cars from parking at Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church as people gathered for its Sunday evening service...”
• Clergy, scientists grapple with thoughts of worship without congregational singing -- “Hearing of Eaton’s warning and the more general notion of not singing when people regather in pews, the Rev. Boise Kimber responded that it was a nonstarter for a predominantly black church like his in New Haven, Connecticut.”
• Cultural Accounting -- “These drawings—many attributed to the Kiowa—were originally bound in an account ledger and dated 1840–1895.”
• Disease Mitigation Measures in the Control of Pandemic Influenza -- “No model, no matter how accurate its epidemiologic assumptions, can illuminate or predict the secondary and tertiary effects of particular disease mitigation measures.”
• Does This CDC Study Deliver the Knockout Blow in the COVID Lockdown Debate? -- “Most people are more likely to wind up six feet under because of almost anything else under the sun other than COVID-19.”
• Firmly Rooted -- The Stark family lumber empire of Orange forged cultural destinations that offer art, history and nature.”
• For Years, an East Texas Carpenter Has Been Building a Gothic Contraption of Decks and Spikes in a Historic Square -- “Right across from the courthouse, wrapping around and atop a modest single-story 1935 home on Broadway Street, lies something genuinely perplexing...”
• Go Ask Alice -- “What happened to the ballot box that saved Lyndon Johnson’s career?”
• My Hometown: Henderson Holds Tightly to Its History -- “A former middle school art teacher, Smith leads local history tours, dons period attire for the Heritage Syrup Festival, and sings in the annual East Texas Sacred Harp Singing Convention...”
• New antibody study is strong evidence that the lockdown strategy is the wrong course -- “The answer to these questions has devastating implications for the lockdown strategy employed by Western governments in combating the spread of COVID-19, as opposed to the balanced approach of most Asian countries.”
• Senators Call On DOJ to Investigate Planned Parenthood for Fraud -- “...dozens of Planned Parenthood affiliates had applied for and received a total of about $80 million in forgivable loans from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), established by the CARES Act for small-business relief, despite the fact that Congress explicitly excluded nonprofit organizations set up as affiliates...”
• Spirits of Seguin -- “I’d heard that Seguin’s Magnolia Hotel is one ghostly getaway where eerie encounters are a nightly occurrence, so I decided to see for myself.”
• The 2006 Origins of the Lockdown Idea -- “At least now we know that many great doctors and scholars in 2006 did their best to stop this nightmare from unfolding. Their mighty paper should serve as a blueprint for dealing with the next pandemic.”
• What do coins on military tombstones mean? -- “A coin left on a headstone lets the deceased soldier's family know that somebody stopped by to pay their respects.”
• Why Didn’t the 1958 and 1918 Pandemics Destroy the Economy? Hint: It’s the Lockdowns -- “Adjusted for population size, [the COVID-19 pandemic] comes out to a mortality rate of 272 per million. This is (so far) less than half the mortality rate for the 1957–58 flu pandemic.”
• Why Those COVID-19 Models Aren't Real Science -- “...too many people in high places, in government and the media, have been acting as if there is a right and moral policy toward the pandemic that applies throughout America.”

Happy Memorial Day

...with special honor to those who had to study the art of war.

I could fill Volumes with Descriptions of Temples and Palaces, Paintings, Sculptures, Tapestry, Porcelaine, &c. &c. &c. -- if I could have time. But I could not do this without neglecting my duty. The Science of Government it is my Duty to study, more than all other Sciences: the Art of Legislation and Administration and Negotiation, ought to take Place, indeed to exclude in a manner all other Arts. I must study Politicks and War that my sons may have liberty to study Mathematicks and Philosophy. My sons ought to study Mathematicks and Philosophy, Geography, natural History, Naval Architecture, navigation, Commerce and Agriculture, in order to give their Children a right to study Painting, Poetry, Musick, Architecture, Statuary, Tapestry and Porcelaine.

Excerpt from a letter from then ambassador (later president) John Adams in Paris, France to his wife Abigail Adams, May 12, 1780

Home Above

Galatians 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

The first hymn is found in The Sacred Harp. It appears with Home Above, a tune by J. L. Hinton, No. 441b in The Sacred Harp, 1870. This common meter text is unattributed.

Home Above
Oh for a light to guide my feet
In heav’n’s alluring way,
To that celestial bright retreat,
Where smiles can ne’er decay.
Eternal Father, Shine around
And spread thy silken love,
And flit all o’er this spacious mound,
To bring us home above.

This following hymn is credited to Elder Aaron Brooks Whatley in The Pilgrim’s Hymnal by W. H. Crouse in 1908. It has the same first line, but is not the same hymn as the one in The Sacred Harp.

Prayer and Praise
O for a light to guide my feet,
While in this world below;
And in my Saviour be complete,
His love and mercy know.

O may he guide me in his truth,
His grace to me impart;
His righteousness to me impute,
Dwell richly in my heart.

By faith I’ll mount on eagle’s wings,
And soar away on high;
My Saviour’s love and mercy sing,
With rapture till I die.

Then from this world I’ll take my flight,
To reign with Christ above;
And wear a robe of spotless white,
With the redeemed in love.

Baptists as Orthodox Radicals, and other review links

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

• A Review of Dr. Yarnell’s “Who Is The Holy Spirit? Biblical Insights into His Divine Person.” -- “Dr. Yarnell was also motivated by the lack of material written about the person of the Holy Spirit as opposed to the work of the Holy Spirit.”
• Baptists as Orthodox Radicals -- “At any rate, Bingham’s argument is well-documented, demonstrating from the primary sources that the ‘Baptists’ conceived of themselves as travelers along the ‘Congregational way’.”
• Book Review: Calm, Cool, and Connected -- “It’s timely in arriving on the scene of a society that finds it more real to interact online than in person.”
• Book Review: Eve in Exile, by Rebekah Merkle -- “This isn’t a biblical theology of women or a treatise on marriage; Merkle addresses women in the canonical context of the Bible’s storyline, but her focus is on how wives and mothers should live in our cultural moment.”
• History of the Donatists [Book Review] -- “The Donatists serve as yet another reminder of the great cost paid in blood to live according to truth and worship God freely.”
• Nominal Christianity—Not Complementarianism—Leads to Abuse -- “While churchgoing conservative Protestant men register the lowest rates of domestic violence, it turns out that the opposite is true of nominal conservative Protestant men—that is, men who identify as ‘conservative Protestant’ but do not attend church.”
• Paul and His Letters -- “Each chapter ends with a judicious bibliography, while detailed end-notes demonstrate familiarity with a broad swath of secondary literature, most of it quite recent.”
• Review: The Count of Monte Cristo -- “...though I rooted for Dantès when he was the David, I couldn’t find myself liking him or believing him when he was the all-powerful Goliath, the Count of Monte Cristo.”

Ravi Zacharias Dies, 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.

• Code Review of Ferguson’s Model -- “All papers based on this code should be retracted immediately.”
• Coronavirus in Mississippi: Now is the time to reimagine approach to education -- “For years, we have been calling for the tearing down of the barriers that resist innovation in education.”
• Dear Media, Governor Kemp Will Accept Your Apology Now -- “Georgia is proving with measured and careful steps forward we absolutely can do two things at once.”
• Did singing together spread coronavirus to four choirs? -- “The evidence for a link with singing and spreading the virus may look compelling but is still anecdotal. Without data from comparably large groups who interacted in the same way but didn’t sing, it’s hard to be certain that the singing was responsible.”
• Director of Roe v. Wade film: ‘I cared about telling the truth of this story’ -- “Almost 50 percent of the film's dialogue is verbatim from letters, speeches, and court transcripts.”
• God’s Calling on Men to Be Protectors -- “Complementarianism is being taken to task as feeding abuse. I think that is dead wrong.”
• Here’s why the media is ignoring the obvious facts and pushing the ‘stay at home forever’ narrative -- “There’s still a belief that bad news sells.”
• Is Congregational Singing Dangerous? -- “...I am a worship pastor in a local church. While I do not have have medical training, this article has been written in consultation with medical professionals.”
• Ken Osmond, Eddie Haskell on 'Leave It to Beaver,' dies at 76 -- “He was an incredibly kind and wonderful father. He had his family gathered around him when he passed. He was loved and will be very missed.”
• <Ravi Zacharias Dies of Cancer -- “Earlier this year, doctors discovered a malignant tumor on Zacharias’s sacrum as he underwent back surgery.”
• Response to an AP Reporter on the Relationship of Faith and Science -- “I don’t believe there can be a real conflict between God’s two books of nature and scripture; the conflict lies in our interpretation of the same.”
• The Crucifixion: Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday? -- “The exact day of the week of Christ’s death has been debated for centuries.” (not that I agree)
• The fallen state of experts -- “Daniel Defoe complained of the ‘calculators’ and ‘quack-conjurers’ whose fear-mongering ‘kept up their trade’ in London’s plague year of 1665.”
• The Truth about Marijuana -- “Tell your kids not to dabble. Marijuana isn’t a harmless drug.”
• Unhitching Jesus -- “Andy Stanley may have good intentions...Unfortunately his attempts may be creating unnecessary distinctions that weaken the foundation of our faith.”

The Real “Race” Issue

The Real “Race” Issue

SPIRITUALLY, there are only two races — the children of Adam and the regenerated children of God. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6). The supreme “race issue” is whether we belong to the once-born or the twice-born. There is not much excitement about this issue, but it is the only one that will matter in eternity.

Vance Havner, 1901-1986