Pets in Paradise, 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.

* 10 Amazing Historical Conflicts That Are Completely Forgotten -- "...history is full of thousands of fascinating conflicts that most have never heard about."

* Archaeologists reveal layout of medieval city at Old Sarum -- "A research team of students and academics carried out a geophysical survey of the ancient monument, scanning ground at the site with state-of-the-art equipment to map the remains of buried structures."

* Burning death inquiry eyes woman's last hours -- "Authorities were reviewing Jessica Chambers' cellphone records and talking to possible witnesses..."

* Colorado Professor Forces Students to Say Anti-American Pledge; University to Investigate -- "I pledge allegiance to and wrap myself in the flag of the United States Against Anything Un-American and to the Republicans for which it stands..."

* Do Pets Go to Heaven? -- "...some become so attached that they yearn to be with their pets throughout eternity."

* Gay Christians choosing celibacy emerge from the shadows -- "When Eve Tushnet converted to Catholicism in 1998, she thought she might be the world’s first celibate Catholic lesbian."
* George F. Will commentary: ‘Offensive’ speech is still protected speech in U.S. -- "The Constitution does not permit the government to decide which types of otherwise protected speech are sufficiently offensive to require protection for the unwilling listener or viewer. Rather...the burden normally falls upon the viewer to avoid further bombardment of his sensibilities simply by averting his eyes."

* Parents angry after school tells 13-year-olds they can have sex, choose gender -- “Our daughter took this course two years ago, after being provided the opportunity to opt out of the class...After completing the course, it was apparent that some of what was ‘taught’ went beyond what was represented on the opt-out form.”

* Pope Francis: Animals Go To Heaven -- "One day we will see our animals again in eternity of Christ. Paradise is open to all God’s creatures."

* Religion, polygamy at heart of Utah couple’s divorce and custody dispute -- "A Utah woman is fighting a temporary court order barring her from talking to her children about her fundamentalist Mormon beliefs, including polygamy."

* Science Says Couples With One Habit Stay Together Longer -- "...a decade of social science research suggests that partners who show they care about the little things activate a two-way feedback system that helps both members of a relationship feel closer and more fulfilled."

* The Ferguson Riots and the Tale of Two Americas -- "Most Americans are puzzled by the events centered on Ferguson, Mo."

So much for tolerance

"Intolerance in the name of tolerance is hypocrisy." -- Marco Rubio

* Army Punishes Chaplain For Discussing His Personal Faith During Suicide Prevention Training -- "It is outrageous that an Army chaplain would have his career threatened because he cared so much about his soldiers that he opened up to them about his personal struggles..."
* Atlanta Fire Chief Suspended Without Pay for Calling Homosexuality 'Sexual Perversion' in Book About Christian Values -- "Cochran, who first served as fire chief in 2008, began the month-long suspension this week and city officials are said to be considering further disciplinary action."
* International Human Trafficking Conference Cancelled Because Organizer is Christian Abortion Opponent -- "...three days before the beginning of the conference, the conference was cancelled because ...Mrs. Ruth Nordström...had defended a midwife in a freedom of conscience issue."
* Red Cross volunteer, 71, axed over gay marriage protest -- "The church-going pensioner received his dismissal letter after holding a one-man protest outside his local cathedral."
* Trinity Western grad 'attacked' for being Christian in job rejection -- "Bethany Paquette claims her application to work in Canada's North for Amaruk Wilderness Corp was rejected because she's Christian."

The intolerant tolerants do not tolerate any kind of discrimination except the kind of discrimination that they like to tolerate. The above are examples of the intolerant tolerant. In succumbing to the viewpoint that every viewpoint is legitimate, every viewpoint becomes legitimate except the viewpoint that will not admit that every viewpoint is legitimate.

All the above are examples linked I have noticed on the internet recently. They are posted for your viewing pleasure. That does not mean that I feel the same about each incident. For example (most of you probably won't agree, but) I believe that a private employer like Amaruk Wilderness Corporation should be able to refuse to hire someone who is Christian if they don't want to hire them for that reason. They nevertheless seem to be hypocrites who think that only their kind of viewpoint discrimination is legitimate and certainly not the views of Trinity Western College and its students. It appears that they enjoyed being extremely obnoxious about the rejection. Interestingly, they retreated to a position "solely based on the fact that she did not meet the minimum requirements" to be hired by them!

On the other hand, if government entities such as a city or the Army are going to be viewpoint neutral, that neutrality should extend to defend the views of Kelvin Cochran and Joe Lawhorn, as well as their detractors.

So much for tolerance. So, instead, how about protection of speech and viewpoints that we don't like and cannot tolerate? (For more information, please see the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.)

Know the Heretics, and other book reviews

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

* Book Review: ‘American Apocalypse’ -- "Sutton, a historian at Washington State University, argues that this form of evangelicalism, a precursor to today’s religious right, did not, as most histories have maintained, isolate itself from political affairs."
* Book Review: Come Out of Her My People by C.J. Koster -- "While "Come Out of Her My People" contains some good information and great Scripture verses, it also employs fallacious reasoning, reaching and subtle twists to come to their conclusions."
* Book Review: 'Hardball Religion' by Wade Burleson -- "...readers who are unfamiliar with the events recorded do not always receive full background or sufficient context."
* Book Review: Know the Heretics -- "Who was Pelagius and why should the members of my church bother to find out? Why should we be interested in Arius’s ideas about Jesus Christ..."
* Book Review of Distinctly Baptist: Proclaiming  Identity in a New Generation -- "This text is unique in that it is really a collection of sermon manuscripts."
* Book Reviews, A Distinctively Baptist Church: Renewing your Church in Practice -- "Based on the premise in these post-modern days that many Baptists have either forgotten or neglected what it means to be a Baptist..."
* Book Reviews: Heaven Is For Real -- "Embarking on a short tour of the afterlife is all the rage, it seems."
* Man Realizes Dream of Becoming a Doctor Despite Cerebral Palsy -- (As much or more bio as book review)
* Victory through the Lamb: A Guide to Revelation in Plain Language – Book Review -- "Mark Wilson has provided a readable and helpful survey of the Book of Revelation with accompanying stories of faithful saints and martyrs...My concerns about the book are based on what I view as questionable hermeneutics and eschatology."

Hawker's heart

"All my springs are in thee."—Psalm lxxxvii. 7.

"Jesus is the source, the fountain, the author, the finisher of all our mercies; for every thing of life and salvation, of grace and glory, flow from him, centre in him; and therefore in him and from him, as the source of blessedness, all our springs must flow. In him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily ." 

-- Robert Hawker - 1753-1827

Marriage, mostly

The posting of links and quotes does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked or the comments quoted.

"Marriage is not created by the state, nor is it created by the church. Marriage precedes both church and state, and both are responsible to recognize it wherever it happens." -- John Stonestreet

"It is not good to repent of a sickness and it is not good to treat a sin." -- Karl Menninger (To replace sin with pathology, and repentance with recovery, makes you unable to deal with sin as a spiritual problem.)

"You are only thankful when you realize it is all a gift." -- copied

"Marriage is but one of the channels God uses to enable us to taste how deeply satisfying His thirst-quenching grace can be." -- Sinclair B. Ferguson

"Common sense isn't common except to the believer." -- Steve Brown

"As God by creation made two of one, so again by marriage He made one of two." -- Thomas Adam

"I want my marriage to be like the Earth -- full of life and revolving around the Son." -- Jennifer Smith

* Americans share views on marriage, church and state roles -- "Six in 10 say the government should not define or regulate marriage."
* Arguing Against Gay Marriage -- "The vast majority of Americans no longer believe in the authority of Scripture. So how do we argue against gay marriage in a way that our neighbors can understand?"
* Christian With Christian Message Refused Service by 13 Pro-homosexual Bakers -- "It was the baker’s dozen of discrimination."
* Investing in Hope: Speaking of sin -- "Many of us find it difficult to talk about sin these days, even in church services. It’s just not in vogue in modern America."
* Marriage crisis predated gay marriage, ERLC speakers say -- "...Albert Mohler opened the event by saying the crisis regarding the biblical, traditional definition of marriage as a permanent union of a man and a woman began “with the heterosexual subversion of marriage.”
* The Inconsistent Stance of Christians on Marriage -- "Sexual immorality is sexual immorality. The Lord does not value one sin over the other. He literally hates divorce."
* The scandal of evangelical silence on divorce -- "If I asked you to name the “hot button” social issues of concern to Christians...what probably wouldn’t come to mind is the high incidence of divorce."
* To Go or Not to Go: Why We Shouldn't take 'The Marriage Pledge' Too Soon -- "...Ephraim Radner and Christopher Seitz have offered what they refer to as “The Marriage Pledge,” calling clergy of all stripes to no longer sign government documents of civil marriage."

Pay or pay

Yahoo and others are reporting this story: 21-Year-Old Sues Parents for College Tuition — and Wins.

This is a sad situation at several levels. But what are the implications of courts making the decision that parents must pay for their child's college education? Sounds positively ludicrous to me.

Philpot's Portions

"The Apostle declares, "He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit" (1 Cor. 6:17). If, then, we are joined to the Lord, in other words, have a union with him, this is the closest of all unions. A man and his wife are one flesh, but Jesus and the saint are one spirit. If possessed of this we are one spirit with him; we understand what he says; we have the mind of Christ; we love what he loves, and hate what he hates. But out of this spiritual union flows communion with him, intercourse with him, communications from him, and the whole of that divine work upon the heart whereby the two spirits become one. The Spirit of Christ in his glorious Person and the Spirit of Christ in a believing heart meet together, and meeting together as two drops of rain running down a pane of glass, or two drops of oil, kiss into each other, and are no longer two but one. Now if you have been ever blest with a manifestation of Christ, your spirit has melted into his, and you have felt that sweet union and communion with him that you saw as with his eyes, heard as with his ears, felt as with his heart, and spoke as with his tongue."

-- J. C. Philpot - 1802-1869

Fish Fry and Fasola, 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.

* Article on Sacred Harp Composer Raymond C. Hamrick in Georgia Music News -- "In addition to his seven songs in The Sacred Harp, 1991 Edition, one hundred of Hamrick’s shape-note compositions are collected in The Georgian Harmony (2010)."
* Fifth Sunday Singing -- "Minutes from alternative sources singing at Lin and Benny’s..."
* Fish Fry and Fasola: The Harrods Creek/Bob Meek Memorial Convention -- "The weekend started with our traditional Fish FRYday at Vine Street Baptist Church."
* Gathering Spaces: Shape Note Singing, the Tradition -- "In the early 1980s a group of people started getting together to sing shape note music in Madison."
* Music in African American Culture -- "A distinctive feature of shapenote singing is that the singers sing the note names—do-re-mi-a-sol-la-ti-do—before singing the words to the song."
* O Holy Night -- "A cappella rendition of “O Holy Night”"
* Performing Community: the Place of Music, Race and Gender in Producing Appalachian Space -- "Traditional, participatory music is a powerful medium through which people express and shape their ideas about identity, mobility, social relations, and belonging, and through which people are in turn shaped."
* Sacred Harp Singing Finds a Way Back to the Mainstream -- "He sat on the steps listening to the sounds that were so unique and so captivating, even at age 12, he knew it was his music."
* Shape Note: America’s Oldest Music Now Sung Around the World -- "Unbeknownst to many, the oldest form of written music in America is gaining international appeal."
* Singing Convention Attracts Thousands -- "The Macon County Singing Convention, five thousand strong, visited Lafayette Sunday."

Conversation, and other quotes

"Prejudice and mistreatment never moves away, but it does move around." -- Bart Barber

"We do not deliberate, for we have decided. To be for ever holding the truth of God, as though it might yet turn out to be a lie, were to lose all the comfort of it." -- Charles Spurgeon

"There are some things which do not need an “ongoing conversation” -- because God has already spoken." -- Mike Leake

"God has spoken. Therefore, every other conversation must be subservient to His conversation." -- Mike Leake

"Think as wise men do, but speak as the common people do." -- Aristotle

"Men stumble over the truth from time to time, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened." – Winston Churchill

"When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear." -- Thomas Sowell

"Proud ignorance is no better than proud knowledge." -- Douglas Wilson

The New Generation (in 1929)

"The only thing recognized in matters of morals, the only standard for the definition and measure of God and things divine will be personal experience. Those who attempt to bind the conscience, direct the soul, and set before it a definite concept of God and a fixed line of conduct in respect to Him and to one another will be looked upon, not only as narrow bigots, but as intolerable tyrants, as criminal hinderers to all true knowledge. The new generation is intoxicated with the rallying cry of 'self-expression.'"

I. M. Haldeman, in Why I Am Opposed To Modernism, 1929

Not just gay issues, 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.

* CDC: Circumcision benefits outweigh risks -- "The thinking on circumcision has swung wildly over the years...By one estimate, only 25 percent of U.S. male newborns were circumcised in 1900."
* Dear Evangelicals: You’re Being Had -- "The trouble is, you’re trying to solve cultural problems with political solutions—because politicians have convinced you to do so."
* Ethiopia Destroys Evangelical Church Building; 100 Christians Forced Underground -- "The Y Semay Birihan Church, or Heaven’s Light Church, was demolished last week by Shenkore district police in the heavily Islamic city of Harar..."
* How To Stock A Probiotic Pantry -- "Your gut is teeming with trillions of bacteria that help you digest food as well as thwart intruders — and it turns out, you can give those friendly bacteria a boost by adding probiotics to your body."
* Michael Brown's stepdad investigated for comments -- "...police are trying to determine whether Brown's stepfather, Louis Head, was attempting to incite a riot on Nov. 24 when he screamed "Burn this ---- down" to a crowd of protesters..."
* Not just gay issues: Why hundreds of congregations made final break with mainline denominations -- "Departing Presbyterian leaders...concerns included claims that the denomination was overly politicized and weakening biblical authority and traditional teaching on the divinity of Jesus."
* Shocking Footage: Rick Warren Embraces Roman Catholicism -- "Rick Warren...did this truly astounding promotional video for the Vatican, discussing what Protestants and the Roman Catholic Church had in common and how we could participate in shared causes."

Dangers of the Internet

In "Computers: Their Use and Abuse," Shaun Willcock points out some of the dangers the internet* poses:

* Firstly, it is a threat to your time.  How easily, how quickly, it can become all-absorbing, and before you know it you have idled away hours of precious time.

* Secondly, it is a place of great temptation. Well over half the world’s internet use is for accessing pornography. The devastating effects of porn are wreaking havoc across all societies.

* Thirdly, it is riddled with false doctrine and false religion...Not every website is sound. Not every “fact” is truly a fact.  It is astounding how gullible people are.

* Fourthly,...it can so easily cause an absolute information overload...They are constantly taking in information. Their heads swirl with information. They never relax. 

* which he also points out can be an amazing and wonderful tool

Backwards towns

People not from East Texas often think that our people and our places are backwards. Sometimes our towns are too! In the county where I work -- Nacogdoches County -- and just to the south of where I live -- in Rusk County -- we have three towns whose names were created by spelling a name backwards -- Mahl, Reklaw, and Sacul. 

Reklaw and Sacul are results of changing the names to suit the postal service. Reklaw was intended to be Walker, for Margaret Walker. She donated the land for the town site. But there was a Walker, Texas elsewhere (where, I don't know), and they resubmitted the name, simply spelling it backwards. The same with Sacul. The town site was laid out on land that was owned by the Lucas family. But there was already a Lucas in Collin County, Texas. The application for a post office was accepted when resubmitted as Sacul.

Mahl (rhymes with "ball") was founded circa 1902 when the Texas & New Orleans Railroad was brought through this area. This name looks funny forwards or backwards! It is supposed to be the reversal of the last name of a T &NO railroad official -- Lham. Though Mahl once had a school, two stores, a church, a blacksmith shop, and a cotton gin, only the church and (very small) cemetery remain. 

These are the "backwards towns" I know of. I searched online and found a few more:

* Byspot, Texas. According to Bob Bowman, Byspot (in San Jacinto County) was a community named by J. O. H. Bennett for his wife Topsy. Topsy B. (first name and initial from last name) was spelled backward. Probably never much more than a logging and farming community, Byspot nevertheless had a post office until 1921. 
* Notla, Texas in Ochiltree County began as Half-Way "in 1906, when Bud Westerfield and Frank L. Hamilton purchased land in that vicinity." A few years after Hamilton moved to his land in 1916, a post office was obtained under the name Notla. That was a backward spelling of Alton -- for the Alton Grocery Company of Enid, Oklahoma, of which Hamilton was a part owner. (from tshaonline.com)
* Remlig, Texas in Jasper County in now considered a "ghost town". A mill town was established here by Alexander Gilmer in 1905. A post office was established that year with the reversed spelling of Gilmer's name -- since there was already a Gilmer, Texas in Upshur County. (from tshaonline.com)
* Saxet, Texas. Yes, there was once a Texas town that was Texas spelled backwards. Saxet, in Shelby County, developed around a spur of the Santa Fe railroad line. After the spur was removed the community eventually died out.
  
Semordnilap (palindromes spelled backward) was coined by Martin Gardner to name/stand for words that spell a different word backwards (e.g. stressed/desserts). Some have used this term to refer to town names developed by spelling a word in reverse -- though there is some difference between the two ideas. Others call such words "reversible anagrams." Regardless, the development of town names by spelling other words backwards has a unique and interesting history.

Do you know other town names that were created by spelling another name in reverse?

Note 1: In searching the total of Find-A-Grave (all countries) I did not find the last name "Lham" listed.
Note 2: Of these towns, Notla in not in East Texas. Ochiltree County is in the Panhandle, bordering...wait for it...Texas County, Oklahoma.

Pulpit silence, and other quotes

"This silence from the pulpit has surely contributed to the sexual chaos we are in (as well as our capitulation to pervasive behaviors). The Church’s influence over sexual norms has waned greatly in the past thirty years. Our views on everything from masturbation to premarital sex to homosexuality have radically changed. Exhorting people to experience and enjoy a sexual union only in the confines of a permanent union between a man and a woman is viewed as archaic; it is generally maligned today." -- John Johnson in The Golden Rule and Hookup Culture

"The reason we [Christians] have lost the culture war is that we set out to win it." -- Bob Browning

"A desperate man is that one who has been stripped of all optimism and has one last hope. Those who are brought to such a place seek help in none other and shall surely find that for which they seek." -- Mike McInnis

“I got my heart's desire, and there my troubles began.” -- Lev Grossman

"Jesus did not become God. God became Jesus." -- copied

"There are just some ways of doing things that are not suitable for godly worship." -- Wayne Walker

"The only thing I can't resist is temptation." -- Oscar Wilde

"Forgiveness is never free." -- copied

"Why buy the cow if you get the milk for free?" -- copied

"In biblical studies you have to recognize that the Holy Spirit just might have led other believers to see a few things too." -- David Lutzweiler

"Enough water eventually wears down the rock." -- copied

"Who dares to teach must never cease to learn." -- John Cotton Dana

"Rare indeed are men whose mirrors reflect no flaws." -- copied

“Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed.” -- Francis Bacon

Christian Kids Beheaded, 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.

* Catholic Bishops: Obama's 'Gender Identity' Order Is Anti-Church -- "At least one strictly Orthodox Jewish group, Agudath Israel of America, has also lobbied against the order..."
* Christian farm owners will no longer host wedding ceremonies after gay couple's lawsuit -- "'They have chosen to stay true to their religious convictions,' says attorney."
* Christian Kids Beheaded By ISIS Monsters -- "The brutality isn’t limited to children under 15. Islamic terrorists also cut the throats of Yazidi babies. In one village, they killed more than 100 children and have sold girls as sex slaves for $172."
* FBC Decatur, Ga., elects openly gay deacon -- "A flagship Cooperative Baptist Fellowship congregation in Atlanta voted Nov. 23 to approve a slate of deacons including an openly gay man in a committed, same-sex relationship."
* Five items Congress deleted from Madison’s original Bill of Rights -- "There were some very significant deletions as his proposed list went through the House and Senate, and Madison himself took part in the decisions to edit out some of his own ideas."
* Is It Time to Write the Eulogy?: The Future of Seminary Education -- "There are countless reasons for the crisis, some of them as old as the professional preparation of clergy itself."
* LGBT Strikes Again: Comply or Die -- "...the LGBT leadership insists the world embrace their chosen sexual paths, or face hostile intimidation and expensive legal battles."
* Plano Passes Radical LGBT Anti-Religious Freedom Ordinance -- "Late last night, the Plano City Council held its first and only public hearing and voted, 5-3, to pass a new controversial non-discrimination ordinance."
* Triple slaying touches three Florida Baptist churches -- "One lost its pastor, another is consoling a pastor whose daughter is now a widow and a third has family connections to the murder suspect."
* What If Atheists Were Defined By Their Actions? -- "Neil deGrasse Tyson...has as much interest in meeting with other people to discuss their absence of belief in God as in meeting with non-golfers to talk about their absence of a passion for watching golf."
* When Congress last used its powers to declare war -- "...in total, war declarations were declared by Congress in the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Spanish-American War, World War I and World War II."

Steve's smarts

"When a dog plays checkers, you don't criticize his game -- you're just surprised that he can play at all!" -- Steve Brown

Challies cautions

"Embarking on a short tour of the afterlife is all the rage, it seems...If you struggle believing what the Bible says, but learn to find security in the testimony of a toddler, well, I feel sorry for you. And I do not mean this in a condescending way. If God’s Word is not sufficient for you, if the testimony of his Spirit, given to believers, is not enough for you, you will not find any true hope in the unproven tales of a child." -- Tim Challies

Something from C. S.

C. S. Lewis’ words: “You cannot go on ‘seeing through’ things forever. The whole point of seeing through something is to see something through it. It is good that a window should be transparent, because the street or the garden beyond is opaque. How if you saw through the garden too? It is no use trying to ‘see through’ first principles. If you see through everything, then everything is transparent. But a wholly transparent world is an invisible world. To ‘see through’ all things is the same as not to see.”

A variety of music blogs

Below is a collection of music blogs, of a few different varieties. A few a devoted almost entirely to music, while some others by musicians who blog about whatever strikes their fancy. Some are mostly for announcements, some for news and some for musical topics. Perhaps you will find something that interests you. The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked.

* Charlottesville Sacred Harp Singers
* Lauren's Southern Gospel Blog
* Leland Paul Kusmer
* Relevant Reverence
* Singing Church
* Swain's Musings
* The European Bluegrass Blog
* The Gospel According to Torrence
* The Gospel Blog
* Yankee Gospel Girl

Latest Sacred Harp and music quotes

"I've known all along that I'm exactly the guy that William Little and William Smith invented the shapes for." -- Robert McKay

"The music evens out differences between people, and you begin to accept people for who they are." -- Bill Caldwell ("You can't sing at the top of your lungs for six hours a day and share meals with people and then worry about arguing or anything,")

"Singing is the understanding, but really and truly, we sing the way it was sung back ... years ago." -- Dewey Williams

"It almost seemed you could stand up and walk on it." -- Buell Cobb

"These were not professional singers, just bold ones. And my goodness, were they loud!" -- Jim Grey

"The sound is always better than the sum of its parts." -- Jim Grey

"You write what you feel." -- Raymond Hamrick

"Music can cure things medication can't." -- copied

"Some tunes go to your heart, and others only to your feet." -- Marcus Peavy

Songs to a heavy heart, and other book reviews

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

* A Case for the Miraculous? Review of Miracles by Eric Metaxas -- "The fine-tuning argument is clearly Metaxas’s favorite."
* Book Note: "Baptism: Three Views", David F. Wright (ed) -- "If you are interested in the debates surrounding Christian baptism (with a Protestant context), this book is must..."

* Book Review - Baptism in the Early Church: History, Theology and Liturgy in the First Five Centuries -- "Baptism in the Early Church is without a doubt the most exhaustive examination ever written about the baptismal teachings and practices of the earliest Christians."

* Book Review - Becoming God's True Woman -- "The book’s primary purpose is to encourage women in the face of feminism in the world—as well as feminist leanings in the church..."

* Book Reviews: Don’t Sing Songs to a Heavy Heart -- "Instead of ignoring suffering, denying pain or seeking to “cheer up” the grieving, Christians are most like Jesus when they help bear the burdens of people who are hurting."

* Book Review: ‘George Washington’s Secret Six’ -- "“Washington did not really outfight the British, he simply outspied us!”"

* Dianne Wilkinson Autobiography to Be Released -- "If you love gospel music, you will find a multitude of tidbits of information you never knew from behind the scenes of the gospel music industry.
* God Moments in an Ordinary Life - Debra Talley - Book Review -- "Debra opens up and shares special moments of her life."
* Unbroken: Zamperini’s War -- "That story encompasses an aspect of the American experience during World War II — the cruelty of the Japanese — that, in an era of Toyotas and Sonys and Hideki Matsui, has been almost entirely forgotten."

Meanwhile, in the Confederate States...

While police officers were no billed in border state Missouri and Union state New York, in the old Confederacy a white South Carolina police chief was indicted Wednesday,* charged with murder in the death of an unarmed black man in Eutawville, S.C. 

Yes, that title and byline is meant to be provocative and get your attention. It is meant to suggest (again) that all things are not as simple as they seem when it comes to discussions of police officers, racism and the world in which we live. Not as simple, geographically. Not as simple in how they are often reported. Not as simple, period. Interestingly the Journal article also reports:

Combs is the third officer in South Carolina to be charged this year for an on-duty shooting. A white police officer in North Augusta was charged with misconduct in office in August in the shooting death of a 68-year-old unarmed black man at his home after a chase. A state trooper was charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature in September when he shot an unarmed black man he had pulled over as the man reached in his car to get his wallet. That shooting was captured on the trooper’s dashboard camera and shown around the world. Both officers are awaiting trials.

* the same day a grand jury in New York decided against charging an officer in the choking death of Eric Garner

A little history

This morning I read Rejecting separate but equal again by David Prince and Rubén Cabrera. It is a very thoughtful article that passes along some good points. For examples:

The church of Jesus Christ is the community of Christ-redeemed image bearers from every tribe, tongue, and nation who will ultimately be gathered in the consummated kingdom of Christ. A local church is an already visible outpost of the kingdom of Christ. A local church provides a vertical display of gospel reconciliation (God-to-man) but also a display of horizontal gospel reconciliation (man-to-man).

Our ethnic and racial identity must be reshaped by the gospel and subordinate to our shared identity in Christ.

Unfortunately, it also passes along an historically uninformed assessment of the existence of segregated churches. They reference "the historically sinful refusal of white evangelicals in America to include African-Americans led to segregated white and black churches."

First, I believe it is historically inaccurate to reduce the existence of racially segregated churches to one cause or reason. These churches, in different times and eras, can be shown to have arisen for different reasons.

Second, the idea that the chief cause of segregated churches was whites not allowing blacks in the churches is incorrect. White attitudes toward blacks, and what might agree with what Prince and Cabrera call "paternalistic ethos" are an underlying cause. I haven't researched the Northern churches very much in this regard. But in the South, before the end of slavery whites and blacks attended the same churches together. It was the new found freedom and the exercise thereof that caused blacks to desire to have their own churches. The white push-back against this new feeling no doubt exacerbated the problem. This is what I have seen in most church and associational minutes that I have examined. The general mindset is that after emancipation the whites kicked their former slaves out of the churches. That is not a clear portrayal of what happened. In this short post I don't have time to look at all the ins and outs of the matter. But suffice it to say that this is a more complicated matter that many make overly simplistic.

Finally, I'm not sure why they injected the word "evangelical" into the statement describing the churches.

Skip church, 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.

* Atheist 'skip church' Christmas billboards: Offensive free speech? -- "An atheist group is sponsoring billboards in several Southern US cities: Dear Santa, all I want for Christmas is to skip church..."

* Baptism: What's On My Bookshelves -- "While I am not endorsing all the information in the books listed, here are some of the books, along with the Bible, that are on my bookshelves."
* Canon Andrew White: Christian children beheaded for refusing to convert to Islam -- "Islamic State turned up and said to the children, you say the words that you will follow Mohammed. The children, all under 15, four of them, said no, we love Yesua, we have always loved Yesua, we have always followed Yesua, Yesua has always been with us. They said, 'Say the words.' They said, 'No, we can't.' They chopped all their heads off."

* Glen Stassen: Living the Sermon on the Mount -- "During the 1960s Stassen was active in the civil rights movement and in the 1970s he added the study of peace issues to his activist resume."

* I Don’t Understand the Evangelical Response to Ferguson -- "Am I a racist because I believe that the people who burn down buildings after they’ve looted the businesses within them should be arrested on the spot and placed before a jury trial to receive a fair and just penalty for their crime?"
* I’m Not Black, But... -- "I’m not black, but I am a lot of other things. All of them influence my reaction to the death of Eric Garner..."

* Introductory/Promotional Statement of the Galilee Griggs Association -- "The Galilee Griggs Memorial District Association—which was the original official name—is the combination of two Associations. The Griggs Memorial Baptist Association...and...the Galilee Baptist Association"
* Mark Wahlberg should not be pardoned -- "...Wahlberg wants a formal pardon from the state of Massachusetts."

* Reverse Tanning: What It Is and Why It's Huge In South Korea -- "White tanning is as much a paradox as it is a misnomer (seriously, that name makes no sense)."

* Best Seller -- The New York Times Best Sellers Book List

* The Recipe For Creationism -- "Since May 2013, Jonathan Hill, professor of sociology at Calvin College, has been working on a BioLogos-funded study of the beliefs of Americans on issues of human origins."

* The Water That Divides: Baptism and Baptists -- "Baptism divides Baptists (and baptistic churches using Packer’s definition in the quote above) from almost all other denominations."

* What’s the Big Deal With Race? -- "First, racial injustice is, at its core, a sin problem."

Fruit from Ferguson

I've read some news and several opinion pieces (from all sides) about the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, but haven't commented about it. From this vantage point, though, I have a thought about the name calling of racism. In his Is Truth Racist?, J. D. Hall makes a point that "accusations of racism are the very reason why people refuse to speak the painful truth on important issues." Hall may be more acerbic where we would prefer more irenic, but I think he got this right. I had previously been contemplating this point on accusations of racism and I agree with Hall. 

"Accusations of racism" are often too quickly trotted out, and often in a way that is both bullying and counterproductive. The accusation has the effect of stifling a conversation that needs to take place -- one in which both sides need to speak honestly and freely. A free and honest conversation will lead toward solutions, whereas bullying leads to clamming up, conformity and covering up the problem. In the American context, "racism" is most often leveled against whites. Most modern white Americans would rather be called anything than a racist. When the "R" word is leveled against them, they will likely back out of a conversation and/or pretend to agree. But there is talking and listening to be done on both sides. What is said may be tactful, but it must be honest. We should never act in such a way to shut down someone's honest assessment of race relations and its problems.

In the front of my Bible I have written a saying: "A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still." If this is true (and it is) then we should never bully someone into agreeing with us, but try to bring them along to the right with truth and logic. There is an almost hidden principle within Paul's discussion of eating meat offered to idols. It is this: do not try to get someone to violate his or her conscience by submitting to your conscience. If this is true (and it is) then the solemn duty of the Christian is to convince, not to coerce. May it ever be so.

Many Faiths, 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.

* Santa Claus saw your Instagram pictures

* ​Civil War Maps Show How Sherman's March Rescued Lincoln's Presidency -- "By 1864, the Union Army's victories in Vicksburg and Gettysburg were overshadowed by growing criticism of the president's leadership and the failure to capture Richmond."
* Ferguson and the Soft Bigotry of America’s Leading Evangelicals -- "In their race to win the racial sensitivity award, what they’re demonstrating is the soft bigotry of low expectations."
* It's Really Richard: DNA Confirms King's Remains -- "Battled-scarred bones found under an English parking lot two years ago really do belong to the medieval King Richard III..."
* Many Faiths, Common View on Marriage: Men and Women Are Created for Each Other -- "Those who promote what they call marriage equality have unjustly appropriated the language and the mantle of the black struggle in the United States, the civil rights movement."
* The John Hanson Story -- "In November 1781, John Hanson became the first President of the United States in Congress Assembled, under the Articles of Confederation."

* The Time Ohio and Michigan Almost Went to War -- "Now Ohio and Michigan citizens channel their border war tensions onto the college football gridiron."

* Why Charles Barkley supports the Ferguson grand jury decision -- "I can’t believe anything I hear on television anymore. And, that’s why I don’t like talking about race issues with the media anymore, because they (the media) love this stuff, and lead people to jump to conclusions. The media shouldn’t do that. They never do that when black people kill each other."

* Why abortions have fallen to their lowest rate since Roe v. Wade -- "...apparently because unmarried women are no longer afraid of bearing children out of wedlock."

Vincent Redman Thornton

Georgia Baptist minister Vincent Redman Thornton has long been of particular interest to me. He lived near and pastored my ancestors before they moved from Georgia to Texas. A great-great uncle, Vincent Thornton Vaughn, was even named after him. Here are a couple of excerpts about Thornton from J. H. Campbell’s Georgia Baptists (the entire bio can be read at the link below).

First is a somewhat humorous anecdote regarding a couple of overnight stays of A. C. Dayton. “At his home [Elder Thornton] dispensed a liberal farmer-like hospitality, being always glad to receive his friends, and enjoying their society and conversation with rare zest. But he required a conformity to the usages of his household, which to some was a serious impediment to the enjoyment of his hospitality. An instance may be stated in reference to that most excellent and distinguished brother, Dr. A. C. Dayton, author of Theodosia Ernest, etc. The first time he visited Georgia, he came as a Bible agent. After spending a day or two at Penfield, he was advised to go to Thornton’s, who could give him full information in regard to the churches in Burke and Jefferson counties. Thornton received him gladly, and enjoyed his society. But at eight o’clock he had worship and went to bed, dismissing Dayton in about these words, ‘Brother Dayton, you can go to your room up stairs, where you shall have fire and candles, but I always go to bed at eight.’ Theodosia went to his room well enough pleased with his part of the arrangement and sat up pretty late writing. What was his horror, however, to be disturbed next morning by a servant coming in at four o’clock to make a fire, summoning him to prayers and breakfast. About two months afterwards, having finished his tour in the lower counties, Dayton again visited Thornton, was again gladly welcomed and kindly entertained, and was once more sent to bed at eight o’clock and called up at four. That day, a little after sunrise, as good brother Davis, of Greensboro’, (whose house was a free Baptist hotel,) was going to breakfast, he heard a call at the gate. It was from Dr. Dayton, who had come nine miles from Thornton on one of the coldest winter mornings. ‘Brother Dayton, I am glad to see you. Breakfast is just ready; come in and eat with us.’ ‘Well,’ replied Dayton, ‘I ate breakfast last night at brother Thornton’s, but I’ll take a little more, as it’s morning now.’ Dayton never went to Thornton’s again, though the latter never knew that it was his anti-lucan repast that drove him off.” [From Georgia Baptists: Historical and Biographical, J. H. Campbell, 1874, pp. 342-343]

Next is the memorial of him in 1856 by the committee on deceased ministers at Georgia Baptist Association (written by H. H. Tucker, then President of Mercer University). “Endowed by nature with a mind of remarkable power, he had enriched it with large stores of that knowledge which is above all knowledge most useful to a preacher of the gospel. If his intellectual endowments were not varied, they were certainly profound. Some one has remarked, that ‘a man of one book is always to be dreaded.’ If thorough acquaintance with a human production so arms a man for the conflicts of life, what must be the power of him whose one book is the Bible? Brother Thornton was emphatically a man of the Bible. Few other books claimed his attention; yet he had one other favorite. The writings of the learned John Gill were his constant study. Perhaps few men have ever made themselves so thoroughly familiar with the voluminous works of that author as the subject of this notice. As might be inferred from what has just been stated, brother Thornton was a zealous advocate of the precious doctrines of grace. There are those who love these doctrines, but who preach them in a form half disguised, as if to apologize for what some are pleased to call their severity. Brother Thornton preached them boldly. The most startling issues to which they give rise he did not avoid, nor half avoid, but stated them fully and fearlessly, and met them with surprising ability and ease. Perhaps the most remarkable feature in his preaching was the apparently effortless manner in which he explained and defended, with irresistible argument, the great doctrines of the cross. He has gone to his reward, but we dare to believe that he has not changed his theology. Grace was his theme while among us, and grace is his theme now that he is among the angels.” [From Georgia Baptists: Historical and Biographical, pp. 344-345]

Yodeling Schoolgirl, and other music links

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

* Blackwood Brothers Quartet Celebrate 80th Anniversary -- "As the group celebrates its 80-year anniversary in 2014, the Blackwood Brothers Quartet is releasing its Forever-80th Anniversary Recording project on Tuesday, November 18, 2014."
* Christmas Playlist Take 2 -- "All of these aren't your traditional Christmas songs, but ones that I enjoy from various artists."
* Congregational Singing: Lightning Rod or Spiritual Discipline? -- "Worship music becomes a lightning rod for congregational discontent."
* Douglas and Caine Find 'Present Joys' In The Sacred Harp Songbook -- "The virtuoso jazz musicians perform from their new album of duets. It features hymns based on a tradition called shape-note singing, which dates to the early 1800s."
* Psalters Workshop -- "The centerpiece of The Workshop is our metrical Psalters."
* Sacred Harp’s “Yodeling Schoolgirl”: The Story of “Little Lorraine” -- "Without a doubt, the most recognizable face to Sacred Harp singers today is that of a little girl leading a song, one arm raised and holding in the other a large rectangular songbook. "
* Singing the Sacred Harp -- "These were not professional singers, just bold ones. And my goodness, were they loud...The sound is always better than the sum of its parts."
* Songs and Hymns at Center for Church Music -- "The hymns are not just words or notes. As you sing them, they become a means of expression that can literally change your life."
* The Controversial Organ -- "When you study history, you realize that forms and expressions of worship have always been changing."
* This Monty Python Song Is Played at More British Funerals Than Any Religious Tune -- "The Telegraph noted that the growing age of Baby Boomers -- who came of age adoring Monty Python -- is a main reason for the song’s popularity in funerals."

Mother and The Sacred Harp

Last week Sacred Harp singer Raymond Hamrick passed away. He was 99 years old. My mother is 99 years old as well. She was born a couple of months before Mr. Hamrick. This connection got me to thinking about Mother and The Sacred Harp.

Like Mr. Hamrick, she has a life-long (99-year) history with The Sacred Harp. Unlike Mr. Hamrick, she was not a singer and will leave lasting memories on but few Sacred Harp singers. Mother was born into a community full of singers and singing. When she was young there was a monthly Sunday afternoon singing, as well as an annual singing. Her great Uncle Joe (Joseph Andrew) Chapman (grandfather's uncle) was a leading figure in the community singings and keyed the music until his health no longer permitted him to participate. Her Uncle Joe (Joseph C.) Chapman (grandfather's brother) was an active singer who also served as an area agent for the early Cooper editions of The Sacred Harp before his untimely death in 1912. "Daddy Bob" Chapman (mother's father) was also an active singer in his youth, though some circumstances of his later life seems to have driven his primary singing venue to the front porch.

It was there on that front porch that granddaddy would lay down on an old straight back chair, pull out his song book and sing the songs of the old Sacred Harp. It was there on that front porch that he tried to interest his little girl (Mother was the baby of the family) in singing those old songs. Mother remembers that she was more interested in running around playing than stopping to sing with her Daddy, as he belted out the likes of fa-fa-la-la-fa-fa-sol-fa-la; fa-fa-la-sol-fa-fa-fa; Saviour visit thy plantation, Grant us, Lord, a gracious rain.

As long as I can remember Mother has been hard of hearing, which has progressed to almost zero hearing without a hearing aid at the present. She was never an active singer even before that. But she has attended, supported, cooked for and been a permanent fixture of singings in Rusk County -- both Sacred Harp and "little book" -- for nine decades. Probably only a small cadre of singers now living even know who she is.

She hardly ever leaves her house now. One of her complaints before she stopped going to church services was that "they never sing the old songs." Now, understand, this church doesn't use any book that was printed after 1960 (54 years ago)! So "old" and "new" is quite relative here. When she complained that they don't sing the old songs, she means she didn't hear enough of the old songs from her youth -- meaning mostly the old church songs that are also common to The Sacred Harp.

She loves the old Harp songs, but, as she didn't mind complaining about the church's repertoire of songs, she also didn't mind noticing that there were some songs she didn't like. If I'm careful, you'll never hear me complain about any Sacred Harp song. I may have better and best categories, but I don't call any of them bad. Mother wasn't worried about such niceties. I don't remember now which songs she didn't like -- perhaps because I didn't want to hear negative comments about any of the old Sacred Harp songs -- but I do remember that she complained about one because it seemed like they were singing the same thing over and over and over. What would she think of the contemporary choruses??

Granddaddy probably thought he was unsuccessful in teaching his little girl to sing, but even today she will randomly burst into fa-fa-la-la-fa-fa-sol-fa-la; fa-fa-la-sol-fa-fa-fa -- well remembered after all those years even if her hearing won't let her hit just the right pitch intervals. Several months ago after a particular session of Mother lamenting about not hearing the old songs, I went and got my Sacred Harp book and we sat there in the two easy chairs and sang many of "the old songs". She sang along as best her hearing would allow, and I do believe that if I added up all the 56 years I've known her, that is the most singing I've ever heard from my Mother.

These thoughts may not mean much to those who don't know Mother, and I may express my meaning in a stumbling way. But I guess, apart from just reminiscing, I mostly aim to say that Sacred Harp needs both its Raymond Hamricks and its back seat supporters who may live and die unnoticed except to those who know them best.

Death of Molly Appleberry

Mary Othelia Hilton Appleberry, "Miss Molly" as we knew her, was born May 18, 1921 in Sheridan, Wyoming and died November 30, 2014 in Nacogdoches, Texas at age 93. 

Molly may not be that well known throughout the Sacred Harp community. She didn't grow up singing Sacred Harp, but found it in the sunset years of her life after her retirement. She enjoyed it no less for the lateness of this discovery. "Miss Molly" was a fixture at our East Texas singings for several years, until her husband's health required their moving into The Arbor assisted-living community. We have missed her pleasing demeanor and smiling face in our singings for several years, and now she is gone. 

 Molly Hilton married Bert Appleberry in 1944. She found her calling in teaching, beginning in 1942 in a one-room schoolhouse in Apple Valley, California, and retiring in 1990 after 20 years in the elementary education department at Stephen F. Austion State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. 

Molly was preceded in death by her husband Bert. She was a member of Nacogdoches' First United Methodist Church. She will be interred in the Sunset Memorial Park. 

One of her favorite songs was No. 40: 
Blow ye the trumpet, blow, 
The gladly solemn sound; 
Let all the nations know, 
To earth’s remotest bound: 
The year of jubilee is come; 
Return, ye ransomed sinners, home.

Articles from SoloChristo

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

Some interesting articles and links from SoloChristo.com

* A Baptist's Examination of Col. 2:11-12 -- "Not a few paedobaptist writers have turned to Col. 2:11-12 to support their contention that the N.T. ordinance of baptism has now taken the place or moved into the room of circumcision."
* Are seminaries legitimate? A Critical Look at Modern Theological Education -- "...numerous inherent problems exist within the seminary system."
* Hospitality vs. Entertaining -- "Hospitality, on the other hand, is not about impressing anyone."
* Is Attending Church A Spectator Event? -- "When most Christians think of attending church, they usually think of sitting silently in their pews and observing the ministry of a select and highly privileged few."
* Plural Elders: An Apologetic -- "Each local church is to exist under the leadership of a plurality of elders..."
* The Abrahamic Covenant and Baptism -- "As circumcision was administered to the natural seed of Abraham, so baptism is to be administered to the spiritual seed of Abraham, that is believers in Christ, who have received the true circumcision, that of the heart, through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit."
* The Age-Integrated Church -- "Cornerstone Word of Life Church 'Where Families Come First'" one telephone book advertisement screams. Interestingly enough right below the "Where Families Come First" appears a line that reads "ABLAZE' Youth Ministry 7PM" and the message "Nursery and Children's Ministry Available All Services."
* Tithing? A New Covenant Look At An Old Covenant Practice -- "The New Testament principle is giving from the heart, cheerfully, out of love and in light of Christ's sacrifice."
* Why We Still Need Hymns: The Formative Power Of Worship -- "Hymns are mini-meditations on the "paradoxes" of the gospel that drive us to worship."

An open letter to...

DEAR ABBY: I have read your column off and on for many years. Not for advice, but more as entertainment. Perhaps it's good to know that others have more problems solving their problems that I do. Whatever the reason, I feel tempted to check out your column when I see it in a newspaper. Back on November 16, in the Henderson Daily News you ran a letter from and answer to HELD BACK IN OHIO. In that answer you wrote, beginning "You and Caitlyn are adults in your 40s" and concluding, "...you should be mature enough to discuss this with her without involving me."

I got a good chuckle and a wise idea from that. I've been watching your column closely since that time. I have some advice for you. Make "you should be mature enough to discuss this without involving me" a stock answer. It is good advice and will work with about 75% of your queries perhaps many more. Of course, it may not be too good for the future of your column once people find out they should be mature enough to solve problems on their own!! But try it; perhaps you'll like it. -- JUST TRYING TO HELP