Serial marriage and other quotes

The posting of quotes by human authors does not constitute agreement with either the quotes or their sources.

"Serial marriage is far more damaging to church and culture than gay marriage. We’ve just made our peace with the former and have turned our indignation and condemnation to the latter, partly because those involved aren’t our folks anyway." -- Someone named William at SBC Voices

"When you get to your wit’s end, you’ll find God lives there." -- Author unknown, quoted online by Jack Fenlon

"A guest preacher was speaking at my church some years ago. He began to name those issues upon which 21st century believers must take a stand in the present and immediate future: he listed personal integrity in money issues (including tax reporting), lying, adultery, failure to love each other…..with not a sound from the large congregation. He then mentioned homosexuality, and the congregation broke into loud “Amens” and stood clapping to their feet." -- Someone named Richard at SBC Voices

"Where there is life, there is hope." -- Unknown (lots of people)

"Tell me, and I’ll forget. Show me, and I’ll remember. Involve me, and I’ll understand." -- copied

"Those who wait until the eleventh hour to repent often die at ten thirty." -- Unknown

"For every man it is either Christ or eternal tragedy!" -- A. W. Tozer

"The New Testament church grew when Christians were in the minority, not the majority." -- Rachel Held Evans

"Christianity has died many times and risen again; for it had a god who knew the way out of the grave." -- G. K. Chesterton in The Everlasting Man

The apple tree, the apple tree

In Things the Bible Doesn’t Say (But You Thought It Did), Notre Dame professor Candida Moss wrote, "Most people grow up learning that Eve took an apple from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, gave it to Adam, leading to the ejection of humanity from the Garden of Eden. But there’s no apple in the Garden—there’s only a piece of fruit. The interpretation that it’s an apple sneaks in in the King James Version of the Bible."

Moss may have a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Yale, but I'm not too sure about her English comprehension. I've been reading the King James since I've been able to read the Bible, and never heard tell of such. Just to be sure, I ran several searches for the word "apple" in the KJV. I found "apple" or "apples" in 11 instances in the King James Bible -- none of which have any reference to Eve or Adam in the garden of Eden. There is no mention of the fruit that Adam and Eve ate being an apple found in the book of Genesis or any other place in the Bible (in any Bible versions I've examined). I wrote to ask her where she found this, but Moss didn't deign to answer. So...

After spending a good deal of time twiddling around online, I found something at Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange ("question and answer site for professors, theologians, and those interested in exegetical analysis of biblical texts"). A comment there directs to the Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible. On page 175 (Volume 1) it simply says, “Association of the tree in the garden of Eden (Gen. 3:1-19) seems to stem from an early mistaken identification of the tree of Song of S. 8:5 with the story.” That does not help much, and, curiously, I could not find any commentaries that make such an identification of the fruit. At any rate, Moss is wrong that the idea that the "forbidden fruit" as "an apple sneaks in in the King James Version of the Bible." It may have "snuck in" to someone's opinion about the Bible, but it is not in the Bible itself.

I did find 3 interesting suggestions for the source of the tradition among some Christians that the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was an apple tree.

The Latin language and a possible pun
The Latin word for evil is malum and the Latin word for apple is also malum. The words mali/malum are found in the Vulgate in Genesis 2 and 3 references to "good and evil" (boni et mali/bonum et malum). Compare to Song of Solomon 2:3 (sicut malum inter ligna silvarum). [Vulgate] If this is true, we would not expect to find any "early" (i.e. Hebrew) examples of this tradition regarding the apple, but post-Vulgate. In the Hebrew language the words for "evil" and "apple" are not closely related.

The generic meaning of apple in Old English
According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, "the Old English æppel apple [means] any kind of fruit; fruit in general" and in "Middle English and as late as 17c., it was a generic term for all fruit other than berries but including nuts..." (Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper). It would then have been natural for English speakers of this period to refer to the "apple" generically in writing or speaking of the fruit in Genesis 2 and 3, and this could have been passed down. If the association began here, we would not expect to find examples of the idea in other languages, but simply in English.

The use of "apple" by John Milton
The first edition of John Milton's epic poem "Paradise Lost" was published in 1667. It is about the biblical story of the fall of man, and refers to the "apple" in a couple of places.

For example, in 10.482-493:
Long had foretold, a fabric wonderful
Of absolute perfection. Therein man
Placed in a Paradise, by our exile
Made happy: Him by fraud I have seduced
From his Creator; and, the more to increase
Your wonder, with an apple; he, thereat
Offended, worth your laughter, hath given up
Both his beloved Man, and all his world,
To Sin and Death a prey, and so to us,
Without our hazard, labor, or alarm;
To range in, and to dwell, and over man
To rule, as over all he should have ruled.

Milton's poem could have been responsible for popularizing the connection of the apple with the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Even so, in 1667 he may have been using it in the more generic sense as opposed to actually meaning the apple as we know it -- Malus domestica.

In fine, if one means "apple" in an Old English sense of fruit generically then that is correct, but likely will be misunderstood. Most moderns think of something much more specific when they read or hear the word "apple". The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil had real edible fruit, but it was not an apple (Malus domestica). Each tree God created bore fruit after its own kind (Genesis 1:12) and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil had its own fruit.

Philpot on Practical atheists

"...practical atheists we daily prove ourselves to be. For instance, we profess to believe that God sees everything, and yet we are plotting and planning as though he saw nothing; we profess to know that God can do everything, and yet we are always cutting out schemes, and carving out contrivances, as though he were like the gods of the heathen, looking on and taking no notice; we profess to believe that God is everywhere present to relieve every difficulty and bring his people out of every trial, and yet when we get into the difficulty and into the trial, we speak, think, and act as though there were no such omnipresent God, who knows the circumstances of the case, and can stretch forth his hand to bring us out of it." -- J. C. Philpot

Soviet-style crackdown, 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 State-by-State Guide to the Most Hilarious (and Annoying) Slang Across the U.S. -- "The Yahoo Travel team and I polled locals across the country to find out what we say, how we say it, and what the heck it means."
• An Evangelical Response to 'Former' Evangelical Rachel Held Evans On Gay Marriage -- "Actually, those conservative evangelicals that Evans rails against chose to donate to World Vision when there were no media spotlight and no political activists and popular bloggers calling on them to do so. They gave to the poor when no one was looking because that is what God commands us, not what culture expects."
• Florida city wages soviet-style crackdown on churches -- "City officials were so concerned about one congregation that they dispatched a code enforcement officer cloaked in a hoodie to spy on a Southern Baptist church that was meeting in a coffee house."
• Judge blocks DC man from smoking in his own home -- "Smoke a cigarette in the privacy of your home? For one Washington, DC man, that’s no longer an option – at least for a while."
• Little boys allegedly banned from women's restroom -- "A sign taped to a door isn't going to stop me from being that mom who drags her embarrassed sons into the ladies room."
• Rachel Held Evans defends exit from evangelicalism For Episcopalians -- "As the religious landscape in the U.S. changes, Christians are going to have to learn to measure our success by something other than money and power."
• Tennessee Waitress Receives Tip That Brought Tears to Her Eyes -- "The unidentified diners had left a $36 tip on a bill that couldn't have been more than $30, Hudson told ABC News."
• What Every U.S. State is Best at -- "Image from Thrillist"
• What Every U.S. State is Worst at -- "...no two states are the same...but how can you know what makes North Dakota different from South Dakota..."

The Spirit of Christianity

"There are people who say they wish Christianity to remain as a spirit. They mean, very literally, that they wish it to remain as a ghost. But it is not going to remain as a ghost. What follows this process of apparent death is not the lingering of the shade; it is the resurrection of the body. These people are quite prepared to shed pious and reverential tears over the Sepulchre of the Son of Man; what they are not prepared for is the Son of God walking once more upon the hills of morning." -- G. K. Chesterton in The Everlasting Man

A priest, a rabbi and a minister

A priest, a rabbi and a minister decide to see who is best at his job. Converting people could sometimes be difficult, but the new challenge is to go into the woods, find a bear and try to convert it. They would meet in a coffee shop the next week and each tell his story.

The priest goes out into the wilderness and finds a bear. He reads from the catechism and the bear begins to slap him around. Quickly the priest grabs his holy water, sprinkles him with it while saying Hail Marys. The bear becomes as gentle as a lamb.

The pastor also goes out in the wilderness and finds a bear. He waves his Bible in the air and starts preaching to it. The bear grabs the pastor and they wrestle down the hill into a creek. Thinking fast, the pastor dunks the bear under the water and baptizes him in the name of Jesus- and he becomes as gentle as a lamb.

The priest and the pastor meet at the coffee shop to discuss their experiences. The rabbi doesn't show up. The priest tells his story proudly, noting that next week will be the bear's First Communion. The pastor also relates his tale, asserting they have diversified their membership down at the First Church. They then wonder out loud why the rabbi hasn't shown up. The barista tells them that she heard he is in the hospital.

The priest and the pastor hurry to the hospital to find their friend. When they reach his room, to their horror they find him bandaged from head to toe, and missing one arm. "What happened to you?" they inquire breathlessly.

After a few minutes of silence the rabbi spoke. "Well," he said, "Looking back on it, maybe I shouldn't have started with the circumcision!"

More "heaven tourism"

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

• 4 Reasons to Stop Obsessing about Heaven -- "His admission left me wondering why heavenly tourism gets so much attention. Christians might be less obsessed with heaven if we better grasped four things."
• Despite Warning Signs, Tyndale House Published a Pocket Edition of The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven in 2014 -- "The publication date is over two years after they became aware that Alex posted his comments about the deceptive nature of the book on a Facebook fan page for the book."
• Fabricated: 'I did not go to heaven' -- "Anytime you step away from the clear, revelatory, propositional statements of Scripture into your own experience, then you open yourself to every kind of weird existential idea out there."
• More Reasons Tyndale House Should Have Investigated Obvious Problems with The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven -- "...Tyndale’s process from the beginning was flawed."
• This Map Reveals Just How Unequal The So-Called Recovery Is -- "Over this period, the average income of the bottom 99 percent in the United States actually fell (by 0.4 percent)..."
• Tyndale House Publishers Knew the Malarkey Book Was a Fraud -- "For the record, Tyndale House Publishers knew full well more than two years ago that Kevin Malarkey's book contained fabricated stories..."

A Home in Heaven

I heard the following letter referenced on the radio this morning, and was impressed by it. The circumstances of the letter are this. John Todd was born in Rutland, Vermont, October 9, 1800. His parents afterward moved to Killingworth, Connecticut. When he was only six years old his father died. His mother, suffering from mental illness, was unable to care for the seven children. John went to live in North Killingworth with his father's youngest sister, Matilda Hamilton. When his aunt became seriously ill and expected to die, she wrote her nephew John -- now a Congregationalist minister -- about death. Below is the reply that John Todd sent his aunt Matilda Hamilton.

MY DEAR AUNT,--I am sorry to hear that you are feeble, perhaps I should say sick, and even that there is fear on your part that you are not to be better in this world. I am afraid that I shall make but a poor comforter in these circumstances, and yet I know there are waters enough in the wells of salvation, if I only knew how to draw them up. You send me word that you would be glad to see me, and, if possible, I shall come; but I am so situated by sicknesses that it may not be in my power. You also tell me that your life looks barren and dreary, and that you tremble at the coming of death. I am not going to try to cheer you by telling what you have done for the Master during your past life. But I want you to recall once circumstance, for the sake of illustrating what I want to say.

You remember that it is now thirty-five years since my father died, and left me, a little boy six years old, without a mother, without a home, and with nobody to care for me. It was then that you sent me word that you would take me and give me a home, and be as a mother to me. Everybody said, 'It's very kind in her to do that.' But I was too young to realize anything of that nature. It seemed to me a perfectly natural thing that you should do so. I wondered what kind of a house you lived in, and whether you had chickens and hens. At length the day was set when I was to go to you, ten miles off. What a long journey it seemed to me! And I well remember how disappointed I was that, instead of coming for me yourself, you sent old Caesar, the great, fat, black man to bring me to you. How my heart sunk within me when he came, and I was told that I was to ride on the horse behind him, sitting on the blanket! But he told me that 'old Kate was very gentle to little boys,' and that you said I might bring Echo, my little dog, with me. So we set out, just before night. Caesar took my bundle of clothing before him, and me behind him, and Echo ran beside us. But before long, before we got to your house, I began to feel tired. My legs ached, and I was tired of taking hold of Caesar. By-and-by the evening and the darkness came on, and I felt afraid; then we had a long piece of woods to go through. I had heard of bears and tigers and Indians, and did not know how many might be in the woods. Caesar, too, was so dark that I could not see him, and he jogged on without saying a word. He had no idea that I was afraid.

'Caesar, ain't we most there?' said I, in my terror.

'Yes, when we have got through these woods we shall see the candle in the house.' 

'Won't they be gone to bed? for it seemed to me it must be nearly morning. 

'Oh, no, they will be all ready to receive us.' 

But I trembled, and the tears ran down my face, and I wondered why I could not have somebody with me besides black Caesar.

But at last, after winding and turning, and going uphill and downhill, a long, long way, as it seemed to me, we came out of the woods, and then the stars shone; and I was told which light was in your house. And when we got there you came out, and gently took me in your arms as Caesar handed me down; and you called me your 'poor little boy,' and you led me gently in; and there was a blazing, warm fire, the bright light, and the table spread, and the supper all waiting for me! And that was my home! My eyes now fill with tears as I think it over. How you soothed me, and warmed me, and put me to bed in the strange room, and heard me say my prayers, and staid with me till I was fast asleep.

 

And now, my dear aunt, you see why I have recalled all this to your memory. Your heavenly Father will send for you--a dark messenger, it may be. And he will be your conductor, and carry you safely through the darkness of the way. He will not drop nor leave you, for he is a faithful servant. You need not feel afraid, for he knows the way, and will take you directly to your home. There the door will be open, and your dearest friend, the Lord Jesus Christ, will meet you and take you in, and the supper will be waiting, and the fires of love burning, and the light and glory of his presence all seen. What a welcome you will receive! And, perhaps, the memory of what you did for me will come back upon you, bringing waves of pure joy. At any rate, don't fear the dark passage, nor the dark messenger. Receive it all as the little child did, and you will find the home. My prayers will be for you till you are out of sight, and then I will look forward to meeting you again.

Ever, ever yours, most gratefully,JOHN TODD.

“Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His saints” 

Psalm 116:15

Note: I have seen several versions of "this letter" online, but the above is transcribed as recorded in John Todd: The Story of His Life Told Mainly by Himself (Edited by John E. Todd, New York, NY: Harper & Brothers: 1876 pp. 35-37). Some versions give evidence of simply being told from memory by someone else, and some may have been attempts to edit out certain comments and downsize the letter for effect. I have chosen to post what I believe to be the original endorsed by Todd himself.

Wilson's words

"If those who hate the Word of God can succeed in getting Christians to be embarrassed by any portion of the Word of God, then that portion will continually be employed as a battering ram against the godly principles that are currently under attack." -- Douglas Wilson

"Using the Bible as a grab bag from which to pick and choose the texts we find acceptable is hardly a scriptural worldview." -- Douglas Wilson

"We wrote as Christian apologists, but not the kind who apologize for being Christians." -- Douglas Wilson

Curiouser and curiouser

On the LGBT front, things just get curiouser and curiouser. CNN tells us that Planet Fitness revokes woman's membership after transgender complaint.

Yvette Cormier "went to the front desk after someone who looked like a 'man' entered the women's locker room while she was changing." The person at the front desk, rather than react like some of us might except, told Cormier that they had "no-judgment" policy. She warned others about this problem and in the end lost her own Planet Fitness membership. Planet Fitness allows people to choose which changing room they prefer -- based on "their sincere, self-reported gender identity." Any man who reports to the front desk that he would prefer to be a woman may use the women's dressing facilities? Apparently so! Now all the "Peeping Toms" know the policy as well.

McCall Gosselin, director of public relations at Planet Fitness's corporate office, claims, "Planet Fitness is committed to creating a nonintimidating, welcoming environment for our members. Our gender identity nondiscrimination policy states that members and guests may use all gym facilities based on their sincere self-reported gender identity."

So much for a non-intimidating environment for Yvette Cormier.

Stop the insanity!

Happy couples and other marriage quotes

The posting of quotes by human authors does not constitute agreement with either the quotes or their sources.

"I know some very happy couples who met through dating sites. A few are even married, to each other." -- Froma Harrop

"It is common for spouses to be attracted to other people—usually of the opposite sex, but sometimes of the same sex. Spouses who value their marriages do not act on those impulses." -- Janna Darnelle

"If sexual complementarity is optional for marriage, then almost every other norm that sets marriage apart is optional." -- Ryan T. Anderson

"Marriage...is based on the anthropological truth that men and women are different and complementary, the biological fact that reproduction depends on a man and a woman, and the social reality that each child needs both a mother and a father." -- Ryan T. Anderson

"If marriage were just intense emotional regard, marital norms would make no sense as a principled matter. There is no reason of principle that requires an emotional union to be permanent. Or limited to two persons. Or sexual, much less sexually exclusive (as opposed to “open”). Or inherently oriented to family life and shaped by its demands." -- Ryan T. Anderson

"A good marriage...depends on choosing to love, honor, and be faithful to one person, forsaking all others." -- Janna Darnelle

"A successful marriage is an edifice that must be rebuilt every day." -- Andre Maurois

"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person." -- Mignon McLaughlin

"We should be experts on our spouses’ strengths and not only their weaknesses." -- copied

"Nearly all marriages, even happy ones, are mistakes: in the sense that almost certainly (in a more perfect world, or even with a little more care in this very imperfect one) both partners might be found more suitable mates. But the real soul-mate is the one you are actually married to." -- J. R. R. Tolkien

To make a happy fire-side clime
To weans and wife,
That's the true pathos and sublime
Of human life.
--Robert Burns

Joy and Peace in Believing

Hymns, XLVIII. Joy and Peace in Believing. (Meter 7s.6s.D.)

1. Sometimes a light surprises
The Christian while he sings;
It is the Lord who rises
With healing in His wings;
When comforts are declining,
He grants the soul again
A season of clear shining,
To cheer it after rain.

2. In holy contemplation
We sweetly then pursue
The theme of God’s salvation,
And find it ever new;
Set free from present sorrow,
We cheerfully can say—
E’en let the unknown morrow
Bring with it what it may.

3. It can bring with it nothing,
But He will bear us through;
Who gives the lilies clothing,
Will clothe His people too:
Beneath the spreading heavens
No creature but is fed;
And He, who feeds the ravens,
Will give His children bread.

4. Though vine nor fig tree neither
Their wonted fruit shall bear;
Though all the fields should wither
Nor flocks nor herds be there;
Yet God the same abiding,
His praise shall tune my voice,
For, while in Him confiding,
I cannot but rejoice.

From Olney Hymns (1779) by William Cowper.

Radical Christianity 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.

• Andy Stanley: Even if you don't believe that Jesus is the Son of God, you will have a better life by following his teachings -- "...let's just teach people to come in and sing Rock and Roll music, and follow some of the red-letter teachings of Jesus about loving one-another, and people can walk out of here on Sunday mornings fulfilled, have a better life, and perhaps, the pockets of wolves like Andy Stanley will be lined with the dollar bills of these goats."
• Austria passes controversial reforms to 1912 Islam law -- "The bill, which is partly aimed at tackling Islamist radicalism, gives Muslims more legal security but bans foreign funding for mosques and imams."
• Christian Persecution Has Never Been Worse -- "Last year—2014—will go down in history as having the highest level of global persecution of Christians in the modern era."
• Five Reasons to Not Observe Lent -- "...just as celebrating July the Fourth makes sense for Americans but not for the English, the Chinese or the Lapps, so Ash Wednesday and Lent really make no sense to those who are Presbyterians, Baptists, or free church evangelicals."
• How States Can Stop Same-Sex Marriage: Interposition of the Lesser Magistrate -- "State governments and their constitutions are also governments, “ministers of God for our good.” We often forget this principle, but the nation was built on it."
• How TV made Christianity radical again -- "Pop culture may fancy itself a cosmopolitan industry, but movies and television often seem relatively baffled by people of faith."
• Obama Assumes Islam Is Like Christianity Rather Than Judaism -- "It is impossible to break through even the most superficial aspects of Islam when viewing it through the prism of a religion that resembles Christianity."
• Officer in gay pride parade incident speaks out -- "Eric Moutsos, 33, said Wednesday that he was unfairly branded a bigot despite simply asking to swap roles and work a different part of the parade in June 2014...he said he never refused to work the parade."
• Pastor Instructs His Governor from the Word of God -- "Here’s what I said to our governor yesterday..."
• Pew Research U.S. Religious Landscape Survey -- "...the number of Americans who report that they are members of Protestant denominations now stands at barely 51%."
• Religion’s Role in the History of Ideas -- "Why is it so hard for my very smart students to make this leap—not the leap of faith but the leap of historical imagination?"
• Rodeo rejects student's painting because of gun in artwork -- "...Chase Otts' parents were belatedly informed by the school his painting, which had been awarded a gold medal by the rodeo's district art contest judges had been rejected by the organization's art steering judges."
• Was Brian Williams a Victim of False Memory? -- There are numerous examples of people in the public eye “misremembering events.”
• What I Learned from Dean Smith -- "I care because there are too few people like him – people who earn the spotlight only to shun it, people who are so committed to the success of others that they find success, people who know when to step in and when to get out of the way, people who draw out the very best from everyone around them."
• When scripture makes us uneasy -- "I think part of the answer comes when we look at what Jesus says about the Old Testament Law."
• Why self-respecting atheists should ditch the New Atheists -- "I merely submit that the screechy fire-and-brimstone certainty that pervades so much modern atheist discourse is not justified by its logical underpinnings....I suggest a return to gentle decency of Carl Sagan, a man who was highly skeptical of religious claims, but did not seize the majesty of science to pummel his opponents."

Caution: Don't stop applauding

In The Gulag Archipelago, Russian author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn relates the following, which is well worth your time to read and spend some time thinking about it. 

A district Party conference was under way in Moscow Province. It was presided over by a new secretary of the District Party Committee, replacing one recently arrested. At the conclusion of the conference, a tribute to Comrade Stalin was called for. Of course, everyone stood up (just as everyone had leaped to his feet during the conference at every mention of his name). The small hall echoed with “stormy applause, rising to an ovation.” For three minutes, four minutes, five minutes, the “stormy applause, rising to an ovation” continued. But palms were getting sore and raised arms were already aching. And the older people were panting from exhaustion. It was becoming insufferably silly even to those who really adored Stalin. However, who would dare be the first to stop? The secretary of the District Party Committee could have done it. He was standing on the platform, and it was he who had just called for the ovation. But he was a newcomer. He had taken the place of a man who’d been arrested. He was afraid! After all, NKVD men were standing in the hall applauding and watching to see who quit first! And in that obscure, small hall, unknown to the Leader, the applause went on—-six, seven, eight minutes! They were done for! Their goose was cooked! They couldn’t stop now till they collapsed with heart attacks! At the rear of the hall, which was crowded, they could of course cheat a bit, clap less frequently, less vigorously, not so eagerly—-but up there with the presidium where everyone could see them? The director of the local paper factory, an independent and strong-minded man, stood with the presidium. Aware of all the falsity and all the impossibility of the situation, he still kept on applauding! Nine minutes! Ten! In anguish he watched the secretary of the District Party Committee, but the latter dared not stop. Insanity! To the last man! With make-believe enthusiasm on their faces, looking at each other with faint hope, the district leaders were just going to go on and on applauding till they fell where they stood, till they were carried out of the hall on stretchers! ...Then after eleven minutes, the director of the paper factory assumed a businesslike expression and sat down in his seat. And, oh, a miracle took place! Where had the universal, uninhibited, indescribable enthusiasm gone? To a man, everyone else stopped dead and sat down. They had been saved! The squirrel had been smart enough to jump off his revolving wheel.

That, however, was how they discovered who the independent people were. And that was how they went about eliminating them. That same night the factory director was arrested. They easily pasted ten years on him on the pretext of something quite different. But after he had signed Form 206, the final document of the interrogation, his interrogator reminded him: “Don’t ever be the first to stop applauding!”

Ethnodoxology 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.

• BassHymn -- "Learn your bass parts here! Find and click the link, watch and sing along!"
• “Doc” Dooley Obituary -- "...Gospel music was part of Doc’s life from an early age...By his late teens he began playing piano for professional gospel quartets, including the famous Stamps-Baxter Quartet."
• Don Hustad: Twentieth Century Musical Renaissance Man -- "During his ninety-four years (1918-2013), Hustad served with distinction as a musician, educator, author, organist, conductor, and professor."
• Ethnodoxology with Robin Harris -- "“Ethnodoxology” is a relatively new term (1997) that Dr. Harris defines as the “study of the worship of God by peoples around the world.”"
• FOR OR AGAINST: Style-Based Worship Services -- "...we will look at the plusses and minuses of churches leading style-based worship services."
• Glen Weldon Payne -- "Glen [Payne] and George [Younce] were the mainstays of the...Cathedrals...In 1999, Glen and George decided to retire the Cathedrals due to Glen’s age and George’s declining health. It was during their farewell tour that Glen became ill."
• Singing With Non-Baptist -- "They are willing to go to a singing convention with all the religious groups in town, but believe pulpit affiliation would be wrong. How can this be?"
• The Use of Hymns in Wedding Ceremonies -- "Religious Hymns can be a wonderful and important addition to any wedding ceremony."

Time change

Yesterday in the U.S. we experienced what we call a "time change" -- actually "time" stayed the same while we ran our clocks up an hour. From what I could find online, the first experiment with "Daylight Savings Time" occurred in Germany in 1916. It was first tried in the U.S. in 1918. Its appears that both cases were related to World War I and to conserve on the use (and cost) of artificial lighting. According to timeanddate.com, a few U.S. cities continued to use it after it was repealed up to the time it was re-instituted in 1942.

Yesterday at church we talked about a true time change, when God changed time for the battle at Gibeon.*

Joshua 10:13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.

This incident is a severe stumblingblock to moderns who have exalted science over scripture. It seems to be no cause for concern among those who believe God is greater than the universe He created.

* Another time change is recorded in Isaiah 38:8 - Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.

The Glory of the Cross

1. In the cross of Christ I glory, 
Towering o'er the wrecks of time; 
All the light of sacred story 
Gathers round its head sublime.

2. When the woes of life o'ertake me, 
Hopes deceive, and fears annoy, 
Never shall the cross forsake me. 
Lo! it glows with peace and joy. 

3. When the sun of bliss is beaming 
Light and love upon my way, 
From the cross the radiance streaming 
Adds more luster to the day. 

4. Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure, 
By the cross are sanctified; 
Peace is there that knows no measure, 
Joys that through all time abide. 

John Bowring (1825)

Unequal legs and other quotes

The posting of quotes by human authors does not constitute agreement with either the quotes or their sources.

"All men have unequal legs." -- Unknown

"If there is another god here in Alabama, then the liturgy is primarily the chanting of 'Roll Tide' or 'War Eagle'." -- Dave (last name unknown)

How would you like to hear "It doesn't matter what you take as long as it is medicine and you are sincere" advice from your doctor? -- Unknown

"Our beliefs do not change God's laws." -- Unknown

"Hell is getting your way for all eternity." -- Credited to C. S. Lewis

"Liberals claim to want to give a hearing to other views, but then are shocked and offended to discover that there are other views." -- Bill Buckley

"Storms are not sent to sink us, but to sanctify us." -- Unknown

"The lack of church discipline in one area of sin is not reason for turning a blind eye to sin of another sort. Repent of the first and act on the second." -- Les Prouty

"A preacher should not just love preaching, but those to whom he is preaching." -- copied

"Learn what is to be taken seriously and laugh at the rest." - Hermann Hesse

"The problem with the “living sacrifice” is that it keeps crawling off of the altar." (Romans 12:1) -- reported by Mike McInnis

All men are equal

“For religion all men are equal, as all pennies are equal, because the only value in any of them is that they bear the image of the King.” -- G. K. Chesterton

G. K. Chesterton wrote that it has often been said, though he did not say who said it, that "religion is the thing that makes the ordinary man feel extraordinary." Then he noted that "it is an equally important truth that religion is the thing that makes the extraordinary man feel ordinary."

Secular Age 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.

* Actually, that's not in the Bible -- "Most people who profess a deep love of the Bible have never actually read the book."
* Alabama Supreme Court blocks same-sex marriage -- "...Alabama law allows for 'marriage' between only one man and one woman. Alabama probate judges have a ministerial duty not to issue any marriage license contrary to this law. Nothing in the United States Constitution alters or overrides this duty."
* Americans Are Fleeing Religion and Republicans Are to Blame -- "Sociologists Michael Hout and Claude Fischer argue that the retreat from religious affiliation is, essentially, a retreat from the political right."
* Is God Like the Terrorists? -- "For those who form opinions about blog posts after reading only the title and opening sentence, my answer is no."
* ISIS: Christians Worse Than Murderers -- "ISIS is using a harsh interpretation of a verse in the Quran to justify its attacks on Christians."
* Marriage Matters, and Redefining It Has Social Costs -- "Everyone in this room is in favor of marriage equality."
* Oliphant vs. Pence -- "...the apostles did not view heathen religious devotion as proof of regeneration."
* Reflections on Martyrdom -- "Marched in funerary procession yet wearing orange jumpsuits as though they were inmates at a penitentiary were 21 men whose charge was belief in Jesus Christ."
* The Old School Gospel Herald website -- "The OldSchoolGospelHerald.com is the online repository of articles, documents, photos and notes and other written works of Elder Donald E. Martin, Sr. of Lake Panasoffkee, Florida."
* Time Salvation - A Novel Idea -- They "take the occasional use of a word and make it the general meaning of the word, turning things about, upside down, topsy turvy."
* Wash. floral artist’s home, savings at risk of state seizure after court ruling -- "The court claims that Stutzman’s referral of a long-time customer to another business for floral design and support for a same-sex ceremony violated Washington law."
* Why does the government consider this grandmother public enemy No. 1? -- "Stutzman’s run-in with the government came about after what she thought was an innocent conversation with longtime customer Robert Ingersoll back in 2013."
* Why the Secular Age Is Good for the Church -- "Maybe people would stop confusing “church” as being a place rather than a community if we stopped treating our buildings like our purpose for existing."
* 10 ways white people are more racist than they realize -- "Progressives like to believe they're enlightened, but they're no less vulnerable to their implicit biases."

God of Earth and Outer Space

“God of Earth and Outer Space” was written by Thad Roberts Jr. in 1970, and included in the 1975 Baptist Hymnal. Here is the hymn.

God of earth and outer space,
God of love and God of grace,
Bless the astronauts who fly,
As they soar beyond the sky.
God who flung the stars in space,
God who set the sun ablaze,
Fling the spacecraft thru the air,
Let man know your presence there.

God of atmosphere and air,
God of life and planets bare,
Use man’s courage and his skill
As he seeks your holy will.
God of depth and God of height,
God of darkness, God of light,
As man walks in outer space,
Teach him how to walk in grace.

God of man’s exploring mind,
God of wisdom, God of time,
Launch us from complacency
To a world in need of thee.
God of power, God of might,
God of rockets firing bright.
Hearts ignite and thrust within,
Love for Christ to share with men.

God of earth and outer space,
God who guides the human race,
Guide the lives of seeking youth
In their search for heav'nly truth.
God who reigns below, above,
God of universal love,
Love that gave Nativity,
Love that gave us Calvary.

This hymn has been "nominated" by several people as "the worst" or "the stupidest" hymn ever. Greg Adkins makes fun of it in his post The Baptist Hymnal, Hymn #20, All 4 verses, standing as we sing, writing "it is pretty amazing that someone was able to write a worship song including the words 'spacecraft', 'rocket', 'astronauts', 'outerspace', and 'thrust'." David Bruce Murray, author of Murray's Encyclopedia of Southern Gospel Music, calls it the Worst…Hymn…Ever….* He writes, "For me, the clear winner is hymn #20 from the 1975 version of the Baptist Hymnal...'God Of Earth And Outer Space'." It is apparent from some comments at David Murray's blog that the problem is not just with the words, but that they clearly have a distaste for minor music. The tune is Aberystwyth written by Joseph Parry in 1879.

In contrast Jonathan Pritchett writes In defense of “God of Earth and Outer Space”. He says "Not only should this song be sang more often, but we need more songs that combine themes of faith and science, creation, the sovereignty of God and His love revealed in Jesus Christ."

David Music notes that “God of Earth and Outer Space” and two other "space" hymns were written in the late 60 and early 70s -- "the most vigorous period of America's space exploration program" and that after "manned space flight began to be de-emphasized" these "hymns about space and its exploration quickly fell out of favor." ("I Will Sing the Wondrous Story": A History of Baptist Hymnody in North America, p. 473)

While a few things about the hymn strike me as a little odd, I suspect Music's observation best captures what happened. The song seemed relevant in the early 1970s, but after that it seemed a little weird to glorify God in the realm of space exploration. But the overall tenor of the hymn doesn't strike me as anywhere near hilarious, as is portrayed by some writers on the web.

Is this the "worst hymn ever" (as Murray)? Or does it combine themes that should be sung more often (as Pritchett)? Or does it fall somewhere in the middle? What do you think? 

* Murray qualifies his selection as a "worst" category choosing from hymns that made it into a popular hymnal.

Headscarf case 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.

* Artist claims he put reference to Monica Lewinsky's infamous blue dress in Bill Clinton painting that hangs in National Portrait Gallery -- "Shanks said because of the Lewinsky controversy, Clinton was the hardest person for him to paint."
* Flintlock from 1700s could land elderly NJ man in prison -- "The gun was unloaded and strictly possessed as a historical relic."
* History in Five: The Political Genius of James Madison (video) -- "...the political mastery and influence of James Madison through five key relationships; with Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and Dolley Madison."
* Jewish Schools and Synagogues in UK Warned to Increase Security Measures -- "The global picture of terrorist activity does give us heightened concern about the risk to the Jewish community in the U.K."
* Joint birthday party for NY couple married 82 years -- "The Journal News reports Duranord Veillard turned 108 on Saturday. His wife, Jeanne Veillard, won't turn 105 until May."
* Judicial Ban of ‘Conversion Therapy’ in New Jersey – A Denial of Free Choice -- "It is classic hypocrisy that some LGBT activists – who for years pleaded for “tolerance” for themselves to try to live as they chose to live now – refuse to tolerate the rights of others who try to live as they would choose to live by seeking psychotherapy."
* Kerry defends Israel before UN rights panel -- "Our hope is that the council will continue to shift its focus away from Israel and really focus on the bad human rights violators throughout the world."
* Native American Pictures from "Buffalo Bill's Wild West" -- "In 1898, photographer Gertrude Käsebier looked out of her studio window on Fifth Avenue in New York City and saw the cast of Buffalo Bill's Wild West parading past."
* The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens -- "E-readers and tablets are becoming more popular as such technologies improve, but research suggests that reading on paper still boasts unique advantages."
* The Supreme Court’s headscarf case: What type of notice is the “right” notice? -- "...the Supreme Court will try to determine if an employer can be held liable for refusing to hire an applicant based on a religious practice, if that employer isn’t given direct notice from an applicant that a religious accommodation is needed."
* Watchdog Group Releases Anti-Christian-Bigotry Map -- “...identifies 'more than 200 groups and organizations that openly display bigotry toward the Christian faith'.”

Carson's Conclusion

“Most pastors will not regularly preach to thousands, let alone tens of thousands. They will not write influential books, they will not supervise large staffs, and they will never see more than modest growth. They will plug away at their care for the aged, at their visitation, at their counseling, at their Bible studies, and preaching…Most of us—let us be frank—are ordinary pastors.” -- D.A. Carson, Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor

Help document locations, 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.

* 36th Annual Smith Memorial Sacred Harp Singing -- "New Harmony Community Center, Smith County, Texas"
* Help Document Sacred Harp Singing Location -- "We’re now trying to gather GPS coordinates for all the singing locations represented in the minutes. You can help us by submitting the coordinates for locations where singings have been held through a simple Google form."
* Lari Goss Passes Away -- "Legendary producer and arranger, Lari Goss, native of Cartersville, Georgia, passed away on January 10, 2015."
* Original Sacred Harp: Centennial Edition -- "The 'Original Sacred Harp: Centennial Edition' reprints the entire contents of the 1911 tunebook in meticulously reproduced facsimile, preserving the book’s quirky then-modern typographical style."
* Raymond C Hamrick obituary -- "His monument is his music..."
* Salvation and shape notes -- "Shape note singing represented a genuine peoples’ movement in music and piety."
* The Gospel Southern Style -- "The music is all bluegrass Davis said, and all the tunes are original!"
* Vocal Harps: Singers joined together for the annual Sacred Harp Sing at The Pioneer Museum of Alabama -- "The voices are prominent and complete the sounds that are Sacred Harp."
* Why They Don’t Sing on Sunday Anymore -- "It seems it’s paramount for church music to be more professional than participatory. The people in the pews know they pale in comparison to the loud voices at the microphones. Quality is worshipped."

The shelter

"For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: The secret of his tabernacle shall hide me: He shall set me upon a rock" (Psalm 27:1, 5).

"His promise is the sheltering in His pavillion and tabernacle, and all this is when troubles beset us and try us. Then we have the blessed and sweet promise that He sets us in the good and safe places, and even upon 'This Rock'." -- V. R. Harris

Pastor the people who are there: reprise

On the third on February I blogged about pastoring the people who are there rather than the imaginary people who are not. Two weeks ago I heard a prominent radio pastor unknowingly acknowledge this very thing. He spoke of his first church having only a "handful" of people on Sunday mornings -- 150! He complained that on bad weather days they might only have 75. Then he proudly stated that God showed him that this was not it. That is, that was not really what God had for him to do. He had bigger and better things in store for him. Now he pastors a church with a membership of around 15,000 and weekly worship attendance of about 5000 (not sure where the missing 10,000 are).

How sad for the poor "handful" of 150 church members that "God" and this preacher were not interested in! He was only biding his time there until he found the people "God" had not not given him yet. How much sadder that this scenario is replicated over and over again in modern American churches.

Dirty little secret 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.

* Another View on Obama's Comments on the Crusades, Slavery, and Jim Crow -- "He was wrong in assuming that all religions are the same at their core and in not illustrating what caused Christianity to recognize the error and to expunge it."
* Carjackers rob Baptist minister at gunpoint in front of St. Louis church -- "An associate minister at a Baptist church was robbed at gunpoint by carjackers Tuesday night as she sat in her idling SUV in front of the church, police say."
* Christians have waged their own ‘holy wars -- "The deeply pious Christian ruler Charlemagne, for instance, conquered and forcibly converted neighboring pagan peoples in the 700s, slaughtering thousands who resisted."
* Churches offer drive-by ashes -- "...the steady stream of worshippers...lined up in cars and in person at churches across the country Wednesday and waited for a priest to walk out and apply a cross of ashes on their foreheads."
* Don't Play the Lottery for Me!-- "The lottery is another opportunity to pierce your soul with many pangs, and lead your children into ruin."
* Gay Marriage, What Does Our Constitution Say? -- "The Constitution does not say it is against the law to rob a bank. The Constitution does not say it is against the law to murder your neighbor. The Constitution does not say it is against the law to sell or use drugs."
* How Jon Stewart turned lies into comedy and brainwashed a generation -- "Brian Williams lied about his personal exploits a few times. Jon Stewart was unabashedly and habitually dishonest."
* Hundreds of Indian Christians arrested during protest over church attacks -- "Though hate groups have targeted Indian Christians in the past, some experts say the BJP’s victory has bolstered their activities.
* Mother of four wins $188 million in Powerball, says first ‘purchase’ is to pay tithes-- "WTKR reports that Holmes’ portion of the $564 million jackpot is roughly $188 million."
* Terry Bradshaw: Wouldn't Have Won All Those Superbowls if Phil Robertson Hadn't Left Football to Hunt Ducks -- Phil with Terry Bradshaw
* The Dirty Little Secret: Most Gay Couples Aren't Monogamous -- "In writing about the subject, gay people emphasize the aspects of their relationships that sound most wholesome and straight-like..."

Benen's Bilge

In an opinion piece on The MaddowBlog, a "mad as a March Hare" MSNBC contributor named Steve Benen took aim at Rand Paul and then unloaded his six-shooter on Ron Paul. According to Benen's quirky commentary, the views of Ron Paul are bizarre, kooky, strange, fringe, ridiculous and off-the-wall. Surely if he uses enough adjectives some weak-minded readers will believe every word of it. But looking at Benen's background I'm sure I can find beliefs that are bizarre, conjectures that are kooky, stands that are strange, feelings that are fringe, reasoning that is ridiculous and opinion that is off-the-wall. 

Hey, Benen, instead of telling us how you feel, use your op ed to identify Paul's positions and then use logical arguments to counter them.  

[Disclaimer: I don't agree with all of either Paul's points of view, but they're far from the strangest politicians. And I'm the only person I know who doesn't have any odd opinions.]

When We Awake in His Likeness

"When We Awake in His Likeness" by O. P. Speirs

Psalm 17:15 As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.

1. We are trav'ling thru life's journey, 
Hope and fear are side by side, 
Hope to waken in His likeness 
And be satisfied.

2. Tis a hope we long have cherished,
Tis a stay whate'er betide, 
That we'll waken in His likeness, 
And be satisfied. 

3. When this weary life is over, 
When we've lain us down and died, 
And we waken in His likeness 
We'll be satisfied.

This probably the same O. P. Speirs mentioned in the Signs of the Times, December 1908. This O. P. Speirs lived in Claremont, California and was involved in the organization of the Little Flock Old School Predestinarian Baptist Church in October 1908. This may be the Oliver P. Speirs buried at Oak Park in Claremont, California.

This song appears in the Harp of Ages, No. 377, and the Old School Hymnal, No. 499.