In other words, overmuch overload

• anachrony, noun. Something belonging or appropriate to another time (esp. an earlier time); an outmoded or old-fashioned thing; also, the state or fact of being anachronistic.
• antemundane, adjective. Existing or occurring before the creation of the world; also occasionally in extended use: extremely ancient.
• avoirdupois, noun. (Informal) Body weight.
• beardsleyan or beardsleyesque, adjective (often capitalized). Of, relating to, or reminiscent of Aubrey Beardsley or his art nouveau decorative illustrations.
• biddable, adjective. Ready to follow instructions; easily led, taught, or controlled; docile.
• bitable, adjective. That may be bitten.
• breezy, adjective. Appearing relaxed, informal, and cheerily brisk.
• credentialism, noun. The belief in or reliance on academic or other formal qualifications as the best measure of a person’s intelligence or ability to do a particular job; undue emphasis on credentials (such as college degrees) as prerequisites to employment and job promotion.
• cromulent, adjective. Acceptable, adequate, satisfactory.
• enigmatic, adjective. Resembling an enigma, or a puzzling occurrence, situation, statement, person, etc.; perplexing; mysterious.
• fulminant, adjective. Occurring suddenly and with great intensity or severity; developing or progressing suddenly.
• grass widow, noun. A woman who is separated, divorced, or lives apart from her husband; a woman whose husband is away from home frequently or for a long time, as on business or to pursue a sport or hobby; a discarded mistress.
• hangry, adjective. Bad-tempered or irritable as a result of hunger.
• hemochromatosis (or iron overload), noun. A condition in which your body stores too much iron.
• instanter, adverb. At once; immediately.
• lateral, adjective. Of, at, toward, or from the side or sides.
• overmuch, adverb. Too much; excessively.
• rhabdomyolysis, noun. An acute, fulminant, potentially fatal disease that destroys skeletal muscle and is often accompanied by the excretion of myoglobin in the urine.
• scot-free, adjective. Without suffering any consequences or punishment; completely free from harm, restraint, punishment, or obligation.
• stultify, verb (used with object), To make, or cause to appear, foolish or ridiculous; to render absurdly or wholly futile or ineffectual, especially by degrading or frustrating means.
• sward, noun. An expanse of short grass; a grassy surface of land; turf.
• transmogrify, verb. Transform in a surprising or magical manner;  to change or alter greatly and often with grotesque or humorous effect.

A List of Resurrections

On his site, Peter Goeman gives the following “Full List of Resurrections in the Bible.” I think this is a helpful list, though perhaps a bit colored by his eschatology. Follow the link to read some of his discussion about the list.

• Resurrection of the widow’s son in Zarephath (1 Kgs 17:17–22)
• Resurrection of the Shunammite’s son (2 Kgs 4:18–37)
• Resurrection of the man thrown into Elisha’s grave (2 Kgs 13:20)
• Resurrection of Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:41)
• Resurrection of the young man at Nain (Luke 7:14)
• Resurrection of Lazarus (John 11:38–44)
• Resurrection of unknown saints during the crucifixion (Matt 27:52–53)
• Resurrection of Christ (Matt 28:1-6)
• Resurrection of Tabitha/Dorcas (Acts 9:36–42)
• Resurrection of Eutychus (Acts 20:7–12)
• Resurrection of the Church (i.e., Rapture, 1 Thess 4:13-18; 1 Cor 15:23)
• Resurrection of the Two Witnesses (Rev 11:7–11)
• Resurrection of Old Testament Saints and Martyrs (Revelation 20:4)
• Resurrection of the Wicked (Revelation 20:5)

Note: Matthew 27:53 says “came out of the graves after his resurrection.”

An Imaginative Conservative, and other reviews

The posting of book or film reviews does not constitute endorsement of the products, reviews, or sites that are linked.

• An Imaginative Conservative’s “Man of the House” -- “The theme of Man of the House, not the only one but the one that makes it timely, is that the Great Progressive Fallacy—the individual is the moral center of the culture, and that the state is the individual’s protector—serves only the forces of destruction.”
• Book Review: Another Gospel? By Alisa Childers -- “The target reader of Another Gospel? is obviously someone who is in the same position in which Alisa found herself, a person wrestling with the questions and challenges of progressive Christianity.”
• Book Review: Joel Beeke, Striving Against Satan: Knowing the Enemy--His Weakness, His Strategy, His Defeat -- “Listen, here. You can read the review on my academia.edu page here.”
• Book Review: Revolutionary Monsters, Five Men Who Turned Liberation into Tyranny -- “Revolutionary Monsters presents a collective biography of five modern day revolutionaries who came into power calling for the liberation of the people only to end up killing millions of people in the name of revolution.”
• Book Review: The Household and the War for the Cosmos by C. R. Wiley -- “Wiley...notes that the simple act of having a family is itself a statement of hope, and that our contemporary barren nations suggest the despair that has filled the void created by atheism and the dissolution of the household.”
• Christianity for People Who Aren’t Christians by James Emery White -- “White’s goal is twofold. He wants to explain Christianity to people who have little or no knowledge of it, and answers some of the most common questions about Christian faith.”
• Nothing to Fear by Barry C. Black -- “The book is broken down into seven parts which coincide with seven principles that Jesus gave His disciples before sending them into the world to spread the Gospel.”
• Red and Blue Christian Disunity: A Review of Yancey and Quosigk’s One Faith No Longer -- “But the most interesting section by far was the progressive Christian interviews...the interviewees expressed ‘a humanistic ethic of social justice.’”
• Review: In Pursuit of Love, by Rebecca Bender -- “Here’s the one thing that struck me hardest: I could’ve passed Rebecca on the street. I didn’t know. And I never stopped to think...”
• Review: ‘Live Not By Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents’ by Rod Dreher -- “Dreher wants to build an underground resistance of true Christianity that will withstand whatever cultural pressures and suffering may arrive.”
• What people are saying about “Shaped Notes” -- “Larnelle Harris has inspired people around the world with his unique singing gift. But wait until you read about the surprising journey that God took him on. Your own life will be touched by his story!”
• 3 Surprises from New Research on ‘Progressive’ and ‘Conservative’ Christians -- “Progressive Christians are more likely to establish their identity through politics, while conservative Christians find their identity in theology.”

Tonight and tomorrow night

Watch the Earth’s shadow cover most November’s Frost Moon -- “See what happens when the Sun, Earth, and the Moon imperfectly align during this deep partial lunar eclipse. The Earth’s dark, umbral shadow will cover almost 97% of the Full Moon’s surface.”

Equality

John Shore is a progressive blogger who advocates the “full and equal” acceptance of LGBT people “within Christianity.” In 2012 he posted an article which I later found and responded to briefly. Though he says “take God at his word,” regarding homosexuality his piece shows a peculiar propensity to shift and shade the Bible when it speaks on that topic, while holding the helm steady when the Bible condemns the kind of behaviour he loves to hate.

He made a point in a way with which I agreed:

“Heterosexual Christians are being unbiblical by using the clobber passages as justification for applying absolute standards of morality to homosexual ‘sins’ that they themselves are not tempted to commit, while at the same time accepting for themselves a standard of relative morality for those sins listed in the clobber passages that they do routinely commit.”[i]

I agree with Shore’s assessment. Often we condemn the sins of others while dismissing our own. It is the height of hypocrisy for heterosexual Christians to condemn homosexual sexual sin while excusing heterosexual sexual sin. This is all too common in some churches. Jesus warns us to think soberly, “…why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?”

I do not agree with Shore’s solution. He thinks that condemning homosexuality based on the Bible is “the morally incorrect choice.”  His solution drops biblical standards of morality as they apply to homosexual sins. A consistent application of his approach would mean no sins should be “clobbered” – even those sins he loves to hate. I doubt he would like that end game.

The biblical solution is to turn the word of God loose. Let the Bible hit the sins of each and every one of us right where we live – adultery, anger, arrogance, backbiting, boasting, cheating, covetousness, deceit, disobedience to parents, divorce, drunkenness, envy, fornication, gluttony, gossip, hate, homosexuality, idolatry, ignoring widows and orphans, jealousy, lust, lying, maliciousness, man-stealing, murder, pedophilia, pride, prostitution, racism, seditions, sloth, strife, theft, treachery, trickery, whoremongering, woman-stealing, witchcraft, xenophobia. We will all be better for equal clobbering of sins. Jesus does not say that we cannot and should not help others remove their “motes.” If we cannot say there is a mote but must pretend all is well, all help is lost! However, “Thou hypocrite,” first and foremost “cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” A large dose of humility works well, seeing all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

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[i] Notably, he puts the homosexual’s “sins” in “quotes” – while not favoring to do the same for the “sins” of conservative heterosexual Christians.

Your trope is what I say it is

…and it means what I say it means.

At times, it appears that Baptist News Global would have us believe that they stand for religion and rise above politics. However, the latter certainly is not true – they just oppose a popular political trend of evangelical Christian politics.[i] With the article, Why is there a boom in enrollment at private Christian schools? Here’s one critical theory: Race., there comes a far-left professor (referencing a New York Times article) to trash the popularity – that is, the supposed reason for the popularity – of private Christian schools. [Humorously, were it not a serious issue, this “Baptist” site chides CBMW for mentioning mentioning a specific small church with a gender inclusive statement, but does not blink an eye when this author mentions specific small evangelical schools to illustrate his point. What’s up with that? All’s fair in war, I suppose, when it is your war and you make the rules. Consistency might be a jewel were it not for the swine’s snout.]

The author, Rodney W. Kennedy, is an interim pastor of Emmanuel Freidens Federated Church and an instructor at Palmer Theological Seminary. He self-describes as a “Catholic Baptist” (whatever that means) and is one who despises evangelical Christian influence in American politics and education. He is author of The Immaculate Mistake: How Evangelicals Gave Birth to Donald Trump.

On the general subject of parental involvement in public education, Kennedy quickly quotes a professor with a PhD who says that he is not qualified to tell schools how to teach his own kids. That may be true of him, but that does not mean the average parent should think he or she is not qualified. Parents are guardians, mentors, educators, spiritual guides, and many other things to their children. God made it so. (e.g. Deut. 6:6-8; Deut. 11:18-20; Prov. 22:6; Eph. 6:4; 1 Tim. 5:14) Let us not settle for less.

Kennedy creates a narrative that identifies conservative evangelicalism with American populism – which he denominates racist – and he then marches forward painting the Christian school boom with the same tainted brush. He looks in the heart (where you may have previously assumed only God could look), and finds that evangelicals at heart have a race problem. It cannot be otherwise, for regardless of what anyone says, he knows what he hears. They cannot mean anything else, for he has already determined what they mean.

Though his thesis is that racism is the engine driving the Christian school boom, and Critical Race Theory the fuel, Kennedy throws the terminology around while carefully avoiding defining it. To be fair, Critical Race Theory is a moving target that can take pages upon pages to define and discuss.[ii] It is something that means different things to different people. Yet he takes advantage of this defect, trotting out the words for effect.

Bottom line from what I read – and I’ll take Kennedy’s tactic, that what he says means what I say he says – white people are racists. All of them. Without exception. If they are doing something – including private Christian schooling – then that something is racist. Of course, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, lest we find that some African-Americans also attend private Christian schools. Evangelical ones at that. Or myriad other issues that belie his premise. Maybe it would be better to have an honest discussion in which each listen to the other.

---

[i] In One Faith No Longer, George Yancey and Ashlee Quosigk suggest that this is because progressives believe they can bring about social change through political action more than through religious commitment.
[ii] The core of Critical Race Theory is that racism is inherent in everything American – law, society, education, religion, etc. Ultimately, all these must be overthrown to correct the course, at least according to this theory. This helps explain why they can believe that just teaching math and grammar can be racist. In turn, many deny the allegations that this is being taught! For just one example, the White House and the National School Boards Association interacted before the NSBA sent a letter to the Biden administration likening concerned parents to domestic terrorists – a letter from which the White House and Attorney General, after backlash, tried to extricate themselves. See also Yes, Virginia, critical race theory is in K-12 schools. Here are 20 examples.

Progressive and Conservative

...in politics and in Christianity

At “The Gospel Coalition,” Trevin Wax, in 3 Surprises from New Research on ‘Progressive’ and ‘Conservative’ Christians, highlights a new book – One Faith No Longer: the Transformation of Christianity in Red and Blue America. The authors are George Yancey and Ashlee Quosigk, published this year (2021) by the New York University Press. Looks very interesting. Here are some excerpts from the book, interspersed with a few comments.

“Based on this research we highlight here that progressive Christians emphasize political values relating to social justice issues as they determine who is part of their in-group; they tend to be less concerned about theological agreement. Conservative Christians, however, do not put strong emphasis on political agreement in order to determine if you are one of them—their major concern is whether you agree with them on core theological points. The bottom line we seek to illuminate in this book is that progressive and conservative Christians use entirely different factors for determining their social identity and moral values.” (page 4)

Yancey and Quosigk “argue that the ways in which these two groups deal with questions of meaning are so different that it is time to regard them as distinct religious groups rather than as subgroups under the same religious umbrella.” (page 4)

“...the divide between theologically progressive and conservative Christians is so great that one can realistically think of them as completely different religious groups.” (page 5)

They begin in the “Introduction” contrasting two sons of prominent Southern Baptist preachers – Franklin Graham (Billy Graham) and Jonathan Merritt (James Merritt). How different Christians construct their social identities “help them to determine whom to include and whom to exclude as part of their social circles.” (page 3)

In their definitions of conservative and progressive Christians, the authors use theological rather than political criteria. Conservative Christians believe that the Bible is the inerrant word of God and that Jesus is the only way of salvation. Progressive Christians reject the Bible as the inerrant word of God and deny that Jesus is the only way of salvation.

“A substantial part of how progressive Christians identify themselves is by exposing clearly what they are not—namely, conservative Christians.” (page 17)

Because of their approach, progressives easily accept non-Christians (members of diverse religious and non-religious groups such as Muslims and atheists) in their political circles if those non-Christians are politically progressive, while at the same time being very intolerant of conservative Christians!

Political quips and 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.)

“I don’t approve of political jokes...I’ve seen too many of them get elected.”

“Life is hard, but it’s harder when you’re stupid.” -- Senator John Neely Kennedy, Louisiana

“I don’t know why we have to give money to countries that hate us; looks like they should be able to hate us for free.” -- Senator John Neely Kennedy, Louisiana

“Name three things that don’t hang themselves — Christmas ornaments, drywall, and Jeffrey Epstein.” -- Senator John Neely Kennedy, Louisiana

“There is no credit to being a comedian, when you have the whole Government working for you. All you have to do is report the facts. I don’t even have to exaggerate.” -- Will Rogers

“Instead of politicians, let the monkeys govern the countries; at least they will steal only the bananas!” -- Mehmet Murat ildan

“British politics, as the world knows, is a joke. Yet it’s rarely funny.” -- Steven Patrick Morrissey

“The difference between a politician and a statesman is that a politician thinks about the next election while the statesman think about the next generation.” -- James Freeman Clarke

“Divide and rule, the politician cries; Unite and lead, is watchword of the wise.” -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“If we can but prevent the government from wasting the labours of the people, under the pretence of taking care of them, they must become happy.” -- Thomas Jefferson

If contempt of Congress is a crime, how will the average American citizen stay out of jail?

Upon the ruins of our wisdom

“Another fruit and effect of this divine teaching is, to cut in pieces, and root up all our fleshly wisdom, strength, and righteousness. God never means to patch a new piece upon an old garment; he never intends to let our wisdom, our strength, our righteousness have any union with his – it must all be torn to pieces – it must all be plucked up by the roots, that a new wisdom, a new strength, and a new righteousness may arise upon its ruins. But until the Lord is pleased to teach us, we never can part with our own righteousness, never give up our own wisdom, never abandon our own strength. These things are a part and parcel of ourselves, so ingrained within us, so innate in us, so growing with our growth, that we cannot willingly part with an atom of them until the Lord himself breaks them up, and plucks them away.

Then as he brings into our souls some spiritual knowledge of our own dreadful corruptions and horrible wickedness, our RIGHTEOUSNESS crumbles away at the divine touch – as he leads us to see and feel our ignorance and folly in a thousand instances, and how unable we are to understand anything aright but by divine teaching, our WISDOM fades away – and as he shows us our inability to resist temptation and overcome sin, by any exertion of our own, our STRENGTH gradually departs, and we become like Samson, when his locks were cut off.

“Upon the ruins, then, of our own wisdom, righteousness, and strength, does God build up Christ’s wisdom, Christ’s righteousness, and Christ’s strength – as Jesus said to his servant Paul, ‘My strength is made perfect in weakness;’ and this brought him to that wonderful conclusion, ‘Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.’ 2 Corinthians 12:9. But only so far as we are favored with this special teaching are we brought to pass a solemn sentence of condemnation upon our own wisdom, strength, and righteousness, and feelingly seek after the Lord’s.”

J. C. Philpot, from Heavenly Teaching

Death warrant

“Death, with his warrant in his hand” is not one of the more common hymns in our church repertoire. It nevertheless tells the true tale that it is appointed unto men once to die. For the Christian, the enemy death can be welcomed as a friend, since Jesus Christ by his death furnishes it to usher us into his presence. The words were possibly written by William Billings, to  pair with his tune Lebanon (or Funeral Hymn), first published in 1770 in The New-England Psalm-Singer (page 95). The tune is A minor, with the words in common meter. (Billings includes the musical direction divoto — devout, with religious emotion.)

1. Death, with his warrant in his hand,
Comes rushing on amain
We must obey the summons then
Return to dust again.

2. Hail, king of terrors, welcome death
Thou’rt pleasing to mine eye;
In spite of thee I shall arise
Above the ethereal sky.

Finding Closure On Find a Grave, 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 West Texas Gem -- “On a searing summer afternoon, I found myself strolling down Concho Avenue in the heart of San Angelo’s historic district.”
• Anxious Parents Demand Answers After Texas Nurses Accidentally Give Little Boys the ‘Wrong’ COVID Vaccine -- “And yet despite the troubling implications, the incident hasn’t made its way through the national media the way a human interest story like this normally would.”
• Facts Don’t Care About Your Diversity Training Certificate—A Critique of Credentialism -- “There is little evidence that a smart normal citizen, capable of effective analysis of empirical data, cannot criticize the work of academic or journalistic ‘experts’ in most fields—or any reason that he or she should be intimidated by these title-holders.”
• Finding Closure On Find a Grave® -- “The Fekete family in Hungary hadn’t known Vilmos was at the mine and had no news of the disaster. They were just left to wonder why they never heard from him again.”
• Focus on Texas: Funny Signs -- “There’s no other place like this place anywhere near this place, so this must be the place.”
• Footnotes in Texas History: Biography of a Word -- “Samuel Maverick, born in South Carolina, first demonstrated his nonconformist nature shortly after he arrived in San Antonio in 1835.”
• Regeneron’s antibody drug shows protection against COVID-19 for up to 8 months -- “Data showed that Regeneron’s drug has the potential to provide long-lasting immunity from COVID-19 infection, making it particularly helpful for immunocompromised people and those unresponsive to vaccines.”
• Systems of Belief -- “Going Green is a new religion whose belief is that by limiting carbon emissions, mankind can save planet earth and all life subsisting on it.”
• Take a Hike and Enjoy Nature at Texas State Parks -- “Even beginning hikers can explore the parks’ accessible trails and enjoy the colors of fall as many of the beautiful deciduous tree leaves change to yellow, red, orange, and purple.”
• The Alchemy of Egg Whites -- “It was mostly about the reward of pie, but I’m getting ahead of myself.”
• The Sweet Life: Heritage Syrup Festival Celebrates Folk Traditions -- “The city of Henderson and people from Rusk County revived the folk tradition of syrup making more than 30 years ago when they brought the annual Heritage Syrup Festival to life.”
• Welcome Home Ceremonies Honor Vietnam Veterans -- “Vietnam veterans came home to a country of citizens with reactions that ranged from complete apathy to those that took their anger over the war out on the men who served. It was a burden they did not deserve.”

Like the potato, 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 man who has nothing to boast of but his illustrious ancestry is like the potato – the best part under the ground.” -- Thomas Overbury

“You ought not give out tracts if you are not making the right tracks with your life.” -- Heard

“There is a faith that refuses deliverance as well as a faith that brings deliverance.” -- Peter Connolly

“Preaching is more than information transfer. It’s spiritual surgery, an act of love as we cut and stitch up the saints God has entrusted to our care.” -- Collin Hansen

“The truth as it is in Christ, is man’s most blessed heritage.” -- J. B. Gambrell

“The act of feet washing requires a stoop which the old man in every Christian feels a repugnance to make.” -- From the circular letter of the Contentnea Baptist Association, 1836

“God’s discipline is always defined.” -- Steve Brown

“I’m not old; I’ve just been young for a very long time!” -- Heard

“If I wake up tomorrow, great! If not, even better!” -- Leo R. “Hawkeye” Stanley

“Our measures of ministry success reflect all of the values and metrics of the world and none of the values of God.” -- Phillip Powers

“It is never safe to jump at conclusions – you may get a nasty fall.” -- Uncredited, copied from an old newspaper

“It is never safe to argue with temptation – you might as well debate with a rattlesnake.” -- Uncredited, copied from an old newspaper

“I write plain truths, in plain language, for plain people.” -- John Angell James

Questions about deacons

The following questions have been asked about deacons. I will attempt to answer.

1. Should deacons be ordained? Yes, deacons should be ordained. There is a clear correlation between the office of deacon and the function of the seven in Acts Chapter 6. The office of deacon originated in the sequence of events referred to there. This included ordination, that is, the laying-on-of-hands by the apostles.

The work of deacons in Acts 6 is:

• to solve a problem that arose in the church fellowship (6:1)
• to help preserve the harmony of the church (6:1-3)
• to free the apostles from administrative duties in order to give full attention to prayer and the ministry of the word (6:2,4)

The position of deacons in Acts 6 is:

• an elected position – i.e. one appointed by the church, not a position to which one appoints himself (6:3,5; the apostles and church body take the initiative, not the seven individuals)
• a qualified position – men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom (6:3; Cf. 1 Timothy 3:8-13, which has spiritual, moral, and familial qualifications)
• an ordained position – i.e. one initiated by prayer and laying-on-of-hands (6:6)

2. Should deacons be elected for a limited term (such as one year, or three years), or should deacons be given unlimited terms? Selecting deacons for a limited term seems to be a popular contemporary concept, possibly based on pragmatism. In 1857, J. M. Pendleton wrote, “Let deacons be chosen for an indefinite period and then let them be solemnly ordained according to the example given in Acts vi.6.”[i] This reflects past practice often ignored in recent times. In biblical times, “they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.” In the 21st century, they that have used the office of a deacon well are soon removed and replaced with someone else. I find no biblical requisite to limit the length of service of deacons.

3. What are the duties of deacons? Deacons fulfill a servant role in the church body. 1 Timothy Chapter 3 lists some striking similarities in the qualifications for bishops and deacons. It also has some discernible differences, evidently related to their different roles. The functionary appellation “bishop” means overseer, implying general oversight over the spiritual well-being of the congregation. The functional appellation “deacon” means servant, attendant, implying a service-oriented ministry. Their primary role is to minister to the temporal and physical needs of the congregation – while the pastors minister to spiritual needs in the arena of preaching and teaching.[ii] Such functions include benevolence (e.g. administering funds and goods, or other assistance to the needy, widows, orphans), business (e.g. finances, such as collecting, counting, and recording the offerings), and the building, if a church has one (e.g. overseeing repairs, cleaning, and function of the facilities).

4. Should families be assigned to a certain deacon? This is something of which I had never heard until a few years ago – although it has likely been practiced for much longer. Some call this the Deacon Family Ministry Plan or Deacon-Family Plan. The plan divides up the church membership, evenly assigned between the deacons – so that each specific deacon checks on, contacts, visits, and helps specific persons or families. It is reasonable that some kind of organization is needed and used amongst the deacons for carrying out their work – especially in larger congregations. So this is not a matter of right vs. wrong. However, this way of organizing the work may have its positives, but could have some practical negatives – such as creating bias and favoritism,[iii] as well as limiting the deacons’ knowledge of and help to all the members of the entire congregation.

In addition, I would add that the office of deacon is a creature of the local church. It is not necessary to reordain a deacon who moves from one church to another church. On the other hand, one local church is not required to recognize the deacons of another church (that is, to receive that member in the office a deacon). Of course, this is true of bishops (elders) as well. One church does not have to recognize a preacher they feel is neither called nor qualified.

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[i] Church Manual Designed for the Use in Baptist Churches, J. M. Pendleton, 1867, p. 36.
[ii] This is not to say that deacons cannot have any ministry in teaching, or that preachers can never help with the physical needs of their congregation. The Greek word διακονος means a servant, attendant – one who renders service to another or executes the commands of another.
[iii] For example, a complaint that our deacon does not do as good of a job as their deacon! Rotation rather than assignment could allay this problem.

C. R. Powell: Where He Comes From and Where He Goes, Nobody Knows

Where He Comes From and Where He Goes, Nobody Knows

In studying the history of the Baptist Missionary Association of Oklahoma, I came across an enigmatic figure in the person of Charles R. Powell. Powell seems to have been a prominent minister among the Landmark Baptists and in the General Association of Baptists in the United States of America – yet I have only found information on him covering roughly two decades, 1896-1916. I cannot find him in any census, thus do not know when or where he was born, where he comes from. I cannot locate him after he exits the stage from Little Rock, Arkansas in 1916, thus not knowing where he goes. Posting here today, I hope I might find that “nobody knows” is inaccurate, that somebody knows who he was, where he came from and where he went.

Powell’s connection to my study was that I found him in late 1912 as editor of the Sword and Trowel in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Sword and Trowel was published by Western Publishing Company (of which Powell served as secretary and manager), and in connection with the reorganized Baptist Missionary Association of Oklahoma.[i] The paper was a neat production of 16 pages (except what was possibly the last issue), but died an early death – spanning from its first issue in September until Powell resigned in December. In the December 19 issue, Powell uses nearly 4-1/2 pages (of eight pages) explaining that he has changed his alignments and has “fought my last battle for we have been calling Landmarkism.” “My readers must allow me to be tedious and lengthy in my last article in a Landmark Baptist paper.”[ii] He scores Ben M. Bogard and J. A. Scarboro as liars who must rule or ruin, and says that the only thing the General Association leaders permit “is a fight on Conventions.”[iii] While generally excoriating the leaders of the General Association, the specific problem lies in his defense of missionary I. N. Yohannon against J. A. Scarboro at the meeting at Bay Springs, Mississippi beginning December 3, 1912 .[iv] (Which defense was unsuccessful.) Powell does not indicate what he might do, though he suggests he might look for a home among the Convention Baptists.[v] G. W. Crawford describes the paper and editor this way:

A paper was launched. C. R. Powel was the editor of this paper and its name was “The Sword and Trowel.”

This paper was owned by a bunch of stockholders. I give a few names here of the stockholders of this paper: R. V. Thompson, Bob Thompson, C. R. Powell, Uriah Farthing and myself. There were others, but I do not have their names at hand. This was the breeziest paper I ever saw. It lived for awhile and then died. I will not mention the cause of its death, and its nature.

Poor Charley and the paper went down but we went right on with our work.

Powell (in my knowledge) first crops up in Jefferson, Texas in 1904, where he was pastor of the First Baptist Church. In his swan song in the Sword and Trowel, Powell says he was “born into the Kingdom and called into the ministry in Texas sixteen years ago last August.” His preaching thus begins about 1896 in Texas. This suggests he might be from Texas, but does not say so. He further notes that at the end of the fourth year of ministry (circa 1900), he entered Baylor University. Later, being ostracized as a “church party” Baptist at Baylor, he left before finishing. Powell went to Jefferson upon the recommendation of S. A. Hayden, who had been a pastor there.[vi] He left in 1905, going into evangelistic work. The Jimplecute says, “Rev. C. R. Powell and family moved to Jacksonville this week.[vii]”

Powell’s foray into newspaper work began during his time at Jefferson. While at Jefferson bought half interest in the Baptist Echo, then owned by E. A. Puthuff and J. M. Newburn.[viii] He participated in organizing the General Association of Baptists in the United States of America in 1905. In this capacity, he became editor of the Arkansas Baptist. The Arkansas Baptist temporarily merged with the Baptist Flag after the death of J. N. Hall, then reestablished itself in April 1906, with W. R. Cross, president, and C. R. Powell, editor and business manager (recently come from Texas).[ix] “Powell was a good editor…” but “In three years Powell became dissatisfied and the company [Baptist Publishing Company, rlv] accepted his resignation.”[x] According to Powell, he was dissatisfied with the “bossiness” of W. R. Cross. About this time, Powell served as treasurer of the General Association and became editor of the Baptist Mission Bulletin.[xi]

In Arkansas, C. R. Powell actively participated in the Anti-Saloon league. He was elected Field Secretary of the Arkansas Anti-Saloon League in 1909.[xii] After his return to Arkansas from Oklahoma, he served on the board of trustees of the Anti-Saloon League in 1915.[xiii] After 1916, he disappears from my sight. Though I have not yet found him in any census, he does appear in some of the Little Rock, Arkansas city directories. He lived at 3206 Wright Ave through 1915, and then the 1916 city directory has “Powell, Rev Chas R moved to Halstead Ark.”[xiv] After than point, I do not know where he goes.

This little piece well exhausts what I know about C. R. Powell – except that he debated Socialist Dick Maple in 1909, and that he lost his six-year old daughter to typhoid in 1904.[xv] He seems to have been a popular and respected minister and editor in the Landmark movement, as least up until 1912. When Powell started the Sword and Trowel, J. B. Sellman wrote, “The paper is the best I have seen in some time, and C. R. Powell is by far the best paper-man I know. It seems as though God had made him specially for newspaper work. He is wise in thought, bold in expression, and honest in purpose.”[xvi]

It is my hope that someone who knows where C. R. Powell came from and where he went will see this, and inform us more about this man of whom I currently know so little.

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[i] See, for example, Sword and Trowel, Thursday, September 26, 1912, p. 9.
[ii] “Powell Quits and Explains,” Sword and Trowel, Thursday, December 19, 1912, p. 1.
[iii] “All Landmarkers are not mean as the leaders whose names I have mentioned.” Sword and Trowel, December 19, 1912, p. 4.
[iv] Sword and Trowel, December 19, 1912, pp. 3-4. Powell had previously written, “If Bro. Scarboro is guilty of trying to boss Yohannon there are those in the Baptist General Association who will take care of the matter and avenge the missionary…” Sword and Trowel, October 31, 1912, p. 1.
[v] Incidentally, his signature at the end of the article gives his location as “Little Rock, Ark.” not Oklahoma City as in the masthead. One of the stockholders wrote, “Bro. Powell has taken no advantage of us in any way, and the above statement goes in with my permission and regrets.” “A Statement,” Uriah Farthing, Sword and Trowel, p. 5.
[vi] S. A. Hayden pastored First Baptist Jefferson approximately, 1878-1883.
[vii] Jefferson Jimplecute (Jefferson, Texas) Saturday, January 6, 1905, p. 5.
[viii] He apparently bought Newburn’s interest, since Puthuff remained.
[ix] The Life and Works of Benjamin Marcus Bogard, Foreman and Payne, Little Rock, AR: Seminary Press, 1966, p. 202; Western Christian Advocate, Wednesday, April 18, 1906, p. 3.
[x] Life and Works of Bogard, p. 202.
[xi] Baptist and Reflector, Thursday, June 24, 1909, p. 9.
[xii] The Arkansas Democrat, Saturday, April 17, 1909, p. 3. This article describes him as former editor of the Baptist Advance, which is incorrect. It was the Arkansas Baptist, as we note above.
[xiii] The Arkansas Gazette, Wednesday, January 20, 1915, p. 10.
[xiv] Little Rock and Argenta City Directory, Vol. XIV, 1916, Polk’s Southern Directory Co., Pubs. (at Ancestry.com)
[xv] Baptist and Reflector, March 4, 1909, p. 12; The Daily Arkansas Democrat, June 10, 1909, p. 9; Jefferson Jimplecute, August 13, 1904, p. 5.
[xvi] “From J. B. Sellman,” Sword and Trowel, Thursday, September 26, 1912, p. 10.

Gleanings on the Oklahoma State Association and New Convention

Various bits and pieces related to what has already been posted:

General Association of Indian and Oklahoma Territories

“…the Landmark Baptists in Oklahoma...were known as the Baptist Missionary Association of Oklahoma (B.M.A.O.), having been organized in 1912 from the General Association of Indian and Oklahoma Territories, which in turn had been formed in 1904.”[i] [actually 1903, apparently, rlv]. The A. Nunnery Movement in Oklahoma, Roger D. Hebard, 1944, p. 206

The name of the Oklahoma State Landmark Baptist Association, 1912-1925 – Baptist Missionary Association of Oklahoma[ii]

The Oklahoma Baptist (official paper of this body, 1922-1924, E. C. Gillentine, editor) describes itself as “the property of the Baptist Churches composing the Baptist Missionary Association of Oklahoma...” For example, The Oklahoma Baptist (Alex, Oklahoma), Monday, December 1, 1924, p. 6

“…the Landmark Baptists in Oklahoma...were known as the Baptist Missionary Association of Oklahoma (B.M.A.O.), having been organized in 1912…” Roger D. Hebard, 1944, p. 206

“The name ‘Oklahoma State Association’ appearing above was the popular title of the Baptist Missionary Association of Oklahoma.” Hebard, pp. 220-21

The fate of the Baptist Convention of Oklahoma

“Likewise, the Baptist Convention of Oklahoma can scarcely be said to have survived its organizer. The little convention of widely scattered rural churches still exists (1943) in name only. No published minutes of its convention sessions are available since the merger of 1925 and no organized mission work or benevolent enterprise is known to the writer after diligent inquiry and search.”[iii] Hebard, p. 10

“…the A. Nunnery Movement in Oklahoma can be said to have come to its close with the demise of its founder and the stilling of its voice.” Hebard, p. 254

Previous posts on Baptists in Oklahoma (and a map)

• Map of the Indian and Oklahoma territories, 1892
• Oklahoma Baptist State Association: “the only one of its kind”
• The Oklahoma Baptist State Association, again
• The Oklahoma Landmark Baptist State Association, again
• Constitution of the Baptist Convention of Oklahoma
• What happened to the Baptist Convention of Oklahoma?

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[i] This body seems to receive little or no mention in most Oklahoma Baptist histories. The most detail I have found thus far is in the History of the Baptist General Assembly of Oklahoma and Other Beginnings from 1903 to 1982, Baptist General Assembly of Oklahoma Historical Committee (T. L. Duren, editor).

[ii] After the split of the Baptist General Association of Oklahoma in 1951, the minority side resumed using the name Baptist Missionary Association of Oklahoma. 

[iii] Though some churches may have thought of themselves at “BCO” churches, it seems that no organization as such existed in 1943. Some churches may have gone back to the Baptist General Assembly of Oklahoma, some to the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, while others may have lined up with the Orthodox Baptist movement or simply ceased affiliating with any organized association, convention, or fellowship. Nunnery’s own Ninth Street Baptist Church was described as unaffiliated in 1941, and in 1945 joined the local association aligned with the BGCO.

Reformation Day, a little late

While revelers, secularists, Catholics, and others celebrate All Hallows’ Eve (Halloween), some staunch Protestants and a few Protestant-leaning Baptists celebrate Reformation Day as a religious holiday on October 31st. 9-Marks seems to have posted several articles in recognition of the day. I do not agree with all in them, but I recommend the 3 following as worth reading.

• Four Ways the Reformation Changed Church History -- “Despite what the Catholic Church said, paedobaptism cannot confer grace and is not salvific. No one, by mere happenstance of his or her birth, is wrought in spiritual privilege.”
• Should Pastors Today Care about the Reformation? -- “...a growing knowledge of historical theology accomplishes wonders in destroying the illusion that insightful and rigorous exegesis began in the nineteenth or twentieth century.”
• Wise Men are Men, and Truth is Truth -- “We must sheepishly admit that none of our heroes is perfect, and that “warts and all” is the only sane way to embrace another human being.”

A Decision or a New Birth, 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 Decision or a New Birth -- “To believe in Christ is to receive Him, but believing in Christ is not a mere decision one makes as he makes scores of other decisions in life.”
• Biographies of Baptists related to the FBFI -- “Mostly links to books you can buy, with a PDF or two.”
• Great Resignation sets off ‘vicious cycle’: As more people quit, exhausted colleagues also head for the exit -- “The departure of so many colleagues is leaving employees who have stayed with their companies struggling to handle more work and wondering whether they’re earning enough to make it worthwhile.”
• Hog wanders into Texas roadway at night, causing fatal car crash, Texas officials say -- “...feral hogs reside in almost every county in Texas, except El Paso County, the state’s westernmost territory, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.”
• Mayo Clinic Study: Americans with J&J COVID Vaccine 3.7 Times More Likely to Develop Blood Clots Than Average Person -- “At 15 days after vaccination, the researchers found 8.65 cases per 100,000 person-years. That rate is 3.7 times higher than the rate researchers found during their 14-year analysis of the general population.”
• Must Churches Follow Mask Mandates? -- “Moral authority and moral obligation are two sides of one coin. So it is in every domain. I’m obligated to obey you only as far as God has authorized you.”
• Old Baptist Books -- “Links to history and other books written by older Baptists.”
• On Pastoral Tenure as Covenant -- “An employer/employee model that is driven by consumeristic expectations fundamentally lacks the virtues of grace that should define the church’s life together.”
• Sample Request for Religious Accommodation -- “Liberty Council sample request to apply for religious accommodation related to the Covid-19 vaccine.”
• Scripture Song Book -- “Contained in the pages of this book are Scriptures that have been put to music. Most of the Scriptures are sung word for word.”
• Steer clear of social media quizzes -- “The creators of these quizzes...want everyone to engage whimsically with them. Because in truth, many are phishing attempts at your personal data.”
• Students Walk Out After District Reportedly Covered Up Rape -- “Leaked emails from May 28 show that county officials knew about the attacks and said nothing to their constituents.”
• The King James Bible: The Monarch of all Books! -- “Until relatively recently, the King James Version was what English-speaking people meant when they spoke of ‘the Bible.’”
• Thomas Armitage: Baptist Pastor, Historian, and Leader -- “Thomas Armitage’s ministry defied common wisdom. His English birth, his parents’ untimely death, and his Methodist rearing all made it unlikely that he would become one of the most influential Baptist pastors in nineteenth‐century America.”
• UK study finds vaccinated people easily transmit Delta variant in households --“ Our findings provide important insights into...why the Delta variant is continuing to cause high COVID-19 case numbers around the world, even in countries with high vaccination rates.”
• ‘We Got to Take These M*********ers Out’: Professor Says of White People -- “The idea that there is more differences between groups than there is between individuals is actually the fundamental racist idea.”
• What We Lose When We Lose Thomas Jefferson -- “It’s no coincidence that former Council member (now Assemblyman) Charles Barron, who began the campaign to remove the Jefferson statue twenty years ago, is among the most antisemitic figures in city politics.”
• Who is Primarily A Cappella? -- “We are an independent music company specializing in vocal music with an emphasis on vocal harmony.”