10 Reasons, and other reviews

Last Wednesday, I gave some of my impressions of Two Books on the Atonement. Today I am following up with some book reviews of these and other books on the atonement. The posting of book reviews does not constitute endorsement of either the books or book reviews that are linked.

• Atonement in the Apocalypse -- This publisher page includes book and author information, with some brief reviews.
• Book Review: Christ Crucified: Understanding the Atonement, by Donald Macleod -- "those who raise the question of the cross as divine child abuse, or repudiate the idea of penal substitution need to engage with Macleod’s writing, and not the straw men representations of the doctrine of the atonement often cited in their arguments."
• Book Review: Defending Substitution: An Essay on Atonement in Paul -- "Defending Substitution is a compelling, rich, and lucid presentation of substitution in 1 Corinthians 15 and Romans 5."
• Book Review: “In My Place Condemned He Stood” -- "The doctrine of the penal substitutionary atonement is falling on hard times. Modern day theologians, pastors, and people in the pew view the idea of penal substitution as something completely horrific and foreign to the teachings of Scripture."
• Book Review: The Nature of the Atonement: Four Views -- "Looking over this list, one of the first things that comes to mind is that the selection of perspectives seems a bit random."
• J. Denny Weaver, The Nonviolent Atonement -- "He works from the assumption that Christology and atonement must reject violence, substitutionary or not."
• N. T. Wright Reconsiders the Meaning of Jesus’s Death -- "Bearing these caveats in mind, I found The Day the Revolution Began exhilarating and stimulating."
• Review: From Heaven He Came and Sought Her: Definite Atonement in Historical, Biblical, Theological, and Pastoral Perspective -- "...the multiple chapters from a wide selection of biblical scholars, theologians, and pastors provide the strength of twenty-three witnesses, not just one."
• Review: The Cross of Christ -- "...this book by John Stott...is a combination of theological clarity and pastoral application that help one deeply root one’s understanding of the work of Christ on the cross not only in belief but in Christian devotion and practice."
• The Atonement of God: Building Your Theology on a Crucivision of God (book review) -- "Overall, this is a great book.  If you are looking to study the atonement and its differing views, then I would highly recommend this book."
• The Final Word on the Extent of the Atonement? (Review of David Allen's book) -- "The first praiseworthy aspect of this work is the clarity of the introduction, which orients the reader to the many different questions that fall under the doctrine of the atonement."
• 10 Reasons You Should Read Fleming Rutledge’s ‘The Crucifixion’ -- "For all the disagreements I have with The Crucifixion on these and many other issues, Fleming Rutledge has richly explored the dimensions of Christ crucified."

4 Common Myths, 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.

• 4 Common Myths of Christians Rationalizing Cohabiting -- In 2016, approximately 18 million adults in the U.S. were in cohabiting relationships.
• 5 ‘Fake News’ Stories People Believe About Early Christianity -- "“Fake news” isn’t a new phenomenon, though. There’s quite a bit of fake news out there regarding the person of Jesus, the origins of the church, and the development of the Bible."
• American College of Pediatrics reaches decision: Transgenderism of children is child abuse -- "The American College of Pediatricians urges educators and legislators to reject all policies that condition children to accept as normal a life of chemical and surgical impersonation of the opposite sex."
• For Culturally Illiterate Science Reporters, Canaanite DNA Yields Occasion to Slap Bible Around -- "The original headline...should be, “Ancient DNA confirms biblical account…”"
• Hazel the Dog -- "When I come home from work, she kinda rolls her eyes and gives me a look like "Oh, it's you again." and goes back to sleep."
• He was his wife’s caretaker for decades but got dementia -- "So it was troubling when, on the evening of July 29, Karl Tarnowski and his wife found the elderly couple’s home empty, and their Chevy Tahoe gone."
• How Should Churches Respond To Unwed Mothers? -- "We humans so easily preach about immortality, sometimes forgetting to separate sin from the fruits of sin."
• How to Make Fun of Nazis -- "By undercutting the gravitas white supremacists are trying to accrue, humorous counterprotests may blunt the events’ usefulness for recruitment."
• If We’re Tearing Down White Supremacy, Start With Planned Parenthood -- "It is a rich if tragic irony that the same progressives denouncing Richard Spencer and demanding that municipal statues be torn down for their alleged white supremacist qualities are themselves closely aligned with a white supremacist-tied group."
• NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll Aug. 16, 2017 -- "African-Americans who said they think Confederate statues should remain: 44%"
• Oldest American celebrates 114th birthday in Pennsylvania -- "Gibson was born in South Carolina in 1903..."
• Pastor: Actions of many Christians today would 'frighten Jesus' -- "Where were the conservative evangelical Christians during these high-profile meltdowns? I don’t know, but one thing is certain: we didn’t hear nearly as much from them as we did about the president’s transgender military move."
• Planned Parenthood Admits To Performing Illegal Abortions. If Congress Can’t Defund Them, It’s Worthless -- "Not only does Planned Parenthood receive federal funding it doesn’t need, there’s now proof they perform illegal abortions."
• Racial Reconciliation, the Gospel, and the Church -- "Race was one kind of social construct in the biblical world, and it is another kind of social construct today."
• Slaveholding Examined in the Light of the Holy Bible -- "By William Henry Brisbane, New York, NY: The American and Foreign Anti-slavery Society, 1849"
• The Book of Revelation is Practical and Applicable -- "Revelation is written to encourage Christians to stand firm for Christ and not compromise even when we are surrounded by deceptive worldviews and religions, infiltrated by false prophets and teachers, lured by tempting wealth and pleasure, and threatened with economic pressure and violent persecution."
• The Church Didn't Have A Side In Charlottesville -- "...what was on display in Charlottesville was not a simplistic good versus evil confrontation...what was really going on was a more basic evil versus evil fight. It should go without saying that in a clash between evils, the church does not have a horse to back."
• The Problem with Christus Victor -- "An increasingly popular view of the atonement forces the question: What are we saved from?"
• This Man Spent Decades Befriending KKK Members. Hundreds Have Left the Group Because of Him -- "...decades ago 58-year-old Blues musician Daryl Davis learned the most effective way to get a Klansman to give up his hood: friendship."
• U.S. Still Paying a Civil War Pension -- "A North Carolina woman is the daughter of a Civil War veteran, and still collects his benefits."
• 'What kind of society do you want to live in?': Inside the country where Down syndrome is disappearing -- "Since the birth of her daughter, Ingadottir has become an activist for the rights of people with Down syndrome."

Jesus, good above all other

1. Jesus, good above all other,
Gentle Child of gentle mother,
In a stable born our Brother,
Give us grace to persevere.

2. Jesus, cradled in a manger,
For us facing every danger,
Living as a homeless Stranger,
Make we Thee our King most dear.

3. Jesus, for Thy people dying,
Risen Master, death defying,
Lord in Heaven, Thy grace supplying,
Keep us by Thine altar near.

4. Jesus, who our sorrows bearest,
All our thoughts and hopes Thou sharest,
Thou to man the truth declarest;
Help us all Thy truth to hear.

5. Lord, in all our doings guide us;
Pride and hate shall ne’er divide us;
We’ll go on with Thee beside us,
And with joy we’ll persevere!

Written by Percy Dearmer, and published in The English Hymnal (London: Oxford University Press, 1906)

Enemies of enemies aren't necessarily friends

Fighting Nazis doesn’t make ‘antifa’ the good guys by Jonah Goldberg warns us that those who oppose some things we oppose may not be on "our side." Here's an excerpt (read it all):

The antifa crowd has a very similar agenda with regard to American liberalism. These goons and thugs oppose free speech, celebrate violence, despise dissent and have little use for anything else in the American political tradition. But many liberals, particularly in the media, are victims of the same kind of confusion that vexed so much of American liberalism in the 20th century. Because antifa suddenly has the (alt-)right enemies, they must be the good guys. 

They’re not. And that’s why this debate is so toxically stupid. Fine, antifa isn’t as bad as the KKK. Who cares? Since when is being less bad than the Klan a major moral accomplishment?

Amyraldism, Fullerism, or Hypothetical Generalism

The Amyraldian, or Amyraldism, follows the teachings of Moyse Amyraut, who, according to Curt Daniel, “posited that Christ died for all men because of universal grace. Christ died equally for all in order to provide a basis for the universal part of the Covenant of Grace. This provision was universal, but the application was particular and limited to the elect. Amyraut felt that this was the view of Calvin and the early Reformers.” This is also called Hypothetical Universalism (but the general atonement version of Hypothetical Universalism appears to be different from Amyraut’s Hypothetical Universalism, in my opinion). “The theory basically is…two kinds of grace: universal grace for all men and special grace only for the elect. Because of universal grace and the universal aspect of the Covenant of Grace, it is hypothetically possible for the heathen to be saved without hearing the Gospel…in fact none of these have ever been saved because it is only through the Gospel that saving faith is given. Further, God is said to have two wills: a universal conditional will and a particular unconditional will.” 

The view of Andrew Fuller (Fullerism) seems to accord well with Amyraldism (or Amyraldianism) and is often so called. Fuller reasoned that on the one hand, Christ died to atone for all men; and on the other hand, as the Father saw in advance that no one would wish to accept Christ of their own free will, He only guaranteed that certain sinners would follow their inner sense of duty and repent and believe. Christ still died for all men, though His Father restricted salvation to the elect. The thought that “Christ’s death is sufficient for all, but efficient for only the elect” is part of this system.

Of Statues and Such

With the discussion of the removal of Confederate markers and such a hot topic in the news, I offer the following few links of online stories and opinions that are out there.

• Al Sharpton: Let’s Abandon The Jefferson Monument Because He Owned Slaves -- "...activist Al Sharpton called for the federal government to cease maintaining the Jefferson Memorial in Washington DC."
• Alabama moves to protect Confederate monuments -- "Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey...signed legislation that will preempt cities and counties from removing monuments to the Confederacy from public property..."
• Commentary: Why just Confederates? Many through history committed atrocities -- "And Abraham Lincoln cannot be given a pass, as he authorized the 1862 Pacific Railway Act, instigating a systematic program of either extermination or relocation of the Plains Indians, precipitating the Plains Indian Wars."
• Confederate Monuments and Controversy -- "Wrestling with our history, particularly in the case of the Confederacy and slavery, is painful precisely because the monuments attempt to give meaning to that sad chapter of our story, but there’s also so much left unsaid."
• Fallen Statues and the Arrogance of Moral Superiority -- "I am far less concerned with the statues than I am intrigued by how those statues have revealed a strain of moral arrogance within the American populace."
• Former Bucs head coach Tony Dungy joins effort to move Tampa Confederate statue -- "Hillsborough County, Florida had reached an agreement last month to move Memoria in Aeterna, a statue commemorating the Confederacy, from its current location in downtown Tampa to a family cemetery in Brandon, Florida."
• Fremont, Seattle: Story of the Statue of Lenin -- "Lewis Carpenter found the sculpture lying face down after it was toppled...Carpenter mortgaged his house to acquire the sculpture..."
• "Hamilton" star: Maybe Washington, Jefferson Statues Should Come Down -- "Leslie Odom Jr...thinks removing George Washington and Thomas Jefferson statues is worthy of discussion."
• Here's what Robert E. Lee thought about Confederate monuments -- "Lee believed countries that erased visible signs of civil war recovered from conflicts quicker."
• New Orleans Southern Baptists: Take Those Confederate Monuments Down -- "Two prominent New Orleans Southern Baptist pastors...support the removal of monuments and statues commemorating the Confederacy and white supremacy."
• Seven arrested in toppling of Confederate statue in North Carolina -- "The Confederate Soldiers Monument was pulled down during a Monday protest at the old Durham County Courthouse to show solidarity with anti-racist activists after last weekend's deadly clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia."
• Small group calls for removal of Fremont's Lenin statue -- "On Wednesday afternoon, a small group had gathered in front of the monument in Fremont calling for its removal."
• Take the Statues Down -- "A multi-ethnic democracy requires grappling honestly with the past—and recognizing the symbols of the Confederacy for what they are."
• The Battle Over Confederate Monuments in New Orleans -- "... there is a valid, if lesser, risk in removing the Confederate monuments: the possibility that their absence is too neatly exculpatory..."
• The Stubborn Persistence of Confederate Monuments -- "A new report identifies some 1,500 memorials to the Civil War’s losing cause, from schools to state holidays, ranging from the Deep South to the Pacific Northwest."
• Where Do Confederate Statues Go After They’re Removed? -- "The mayor has suggested the statues be relocated to Confederate cemeteries in other states."
• Where Will the Removal of Confederate Monuments Stop? -- "An eminent historian explains why taking down Civil War statues doesn’t erase history—and why statues to slaveholding Founding Fathers aren’t next."

Two Books on the Atonement

I recently purchased two books on the Atonement – Atonement in the Apocalypse: an Exposé of the Defeat of Evil by Robert W. Canoy and The Extent of the Atonement: a Historical and Critical Review by David Lewis Allen. Though written on the same broad topic, they are very unalike.

Robert W. Canoy, the author of Atonement in the Apocalypse, is Dean and Professor of Christian Theology at the School of Divinity of Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. 

David L. Allen, the author of The Extent of the Atonement, “serves as the Dean of the School of Theology, Professor of Preaching, Director of the Center for Expository Preaching, and holds the George W. Truett Chair of Pastoral Ministry at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.”

The Extent of the Atonement

The Extent of the Atonement: a Historical and Critical Review by David Lewis Allen is a very large book of 848 pages that I will probably never sit down and read through, but rather use as a reference work. But it will be a good reference. Brian Abasciano says, “Allen’s tome is now the book to own on the extent of the atonement and the place to turn for support of unlimited atonement and refutation of limited atonement” and Nathan Finn adds that it “is the most extensive treatment of this topic that has been written—certainly by a Baptist.”

David L. Allen, the author of The Extent of the Atonement, “serves as the Dean of the School of Theology, Professor of Preaching, Director of the Center for Expository Preaching, and holds the George W. Truett Chair of Pastoral Ministry at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.”

In this book David Allen makes a case for an atonement that is universal in its extent. He further asserts that universal atonement has been the majority view of Christians throughout all church history. Following the introduction, Allen’s book is divided in three parts: “The Extent of the Atonement in Church History,” from early church to the modern era; “The Extent of the Atonement in the Baptist Tradition,” from the English General and Particular Baptists to Baptists in America and Southern Baptists in particular;[i] “The Extent of the Atonement: a Critical Review,” which is about 110 pages of detailed review of the book From Heaven He Came and Sought Her. I really appreciate the chronological arrangement of historical sections. Since I don’t own From Heaven He Came and Sought Her, the last third provides the least interest to me. Allen concludes with “Why Belief in Unlimited Atonement Matters.”

I originally resisted the idea of purchasing the book, considering the topic and cost – but relented when I understood this would be a good historical reference work. Allen sets out with a focus and difficult task, realizing “space prohibits the citations of quotations in full context” he nevertheless “attempted to give enough context where possible to minimize mischaracterization and to maximize objectivity.” He focuses on primary source material which “must be consulted whenever possible...We must objectively listen to historical theology, and the only to do this is to read carefully the primary sources and those who have engaged the primary sources...I will be referencing numerous quotations as evidence of a particular author’s view on the extent of the atonement...I have attempted, where possible, to use quotations only from primary sources.” (p. xvi ) His focus on primary source material yields odd results at times. With Richard Furman he states that Furman changed his view from limited atonement to unlimited atonement with no quotations, merely footnoting a reference to Winds of Doctrines by Wiley W. Richards. On Jesse Mercer, rather than citing Mercer giving his own view of the atonement, he quotes Mercer talking about the views of others regarding the atonement. Nevertheless, over the whole range of the book, there are lots of quotes from primary sources.

While David Allen is scholarly and thorough, he is not without bias, stating, “My ultimate goal in this work is simple: to demonstrate historically, and then biblically and theologically, why universal atonement is a more excellent way...” At times this view may cause him to see some Christians as closer to his viewpoint, while researchers with opposite bias may see them as closer to their viewpoint. Such is life. This also explains his focus on the unlimited sufficiency of the atonement over the limited efficacy of the atonement (that is, some hold both these points in tension and Allen categorizes them on “his side”). In my opinion, this produces a strange conglomeration of a category that embraces everything from 4-point Calvinism to Universal Salvation and all points in between. This nevertheless fits within the overall purpose of Allen’s tome.

With Jeff Johnson I can agree that “regardless of whether we agree or disagree with Allen’s critical conclusions, I believe we will all agree that he has written a valuable book.”

---

[i] Allen is a Southern Baptist, which explains his focus on the atonement theology in the Southern Baptist Convention.

Atonement in the Apocalypse

Atonement in the Apocalypse: an Exposé of the Defeat of Evil by Robert W. Canoy is a reasonably short and focused work, which narrows the topic of the atonement to its relation to the book of Revelation. It does not deal with the atonement in ways that many typical books on the atonement will – e.g., limited atonement, general atonement, etc.. It only delves lightly into the eschatology of Revelation, in places in might be pertinent to the main topic.

Robert W. Canoy, the author of Atonement in the Apocalypse, is Dean and Professor of Christian Theology at the School of Divinity of Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina.

I was excited when I saw an advertisement for Atonement in the Apocalypse in my inbox. I am interested in this subject, and am not aware of another book that focuses so particularly on it. Canoy's and the book's connections to Smyth & Helwys and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship put a slight damper on the excitement. I knew it would come out of the moderate to liberal field. Because of its particular focus I nevertheless wanted to read it and purchased it. I wasn’t aware of another book like it.[i] This is a topic I wish to explore further and appreciate Canoy’s contribution.

In the beginning Canoy writes on the subject of the atonement and how that fits within the genre of Revelation (Apocalyptic, Prophesy, Epistle). In chapters 2 and 3 he deals with atonement language and metaphors used in Revelation (such as Temple, altar, Lamb, etc.). Chapter 5 might be called the heart of the book, the defeat of the Great Red Dragon as the exposé of evil. In the final chapter Canoy offers theological conclusions with implications for Christian living.

view of atonement?

Danny West says Atonement in the Apocalypse is “written with clarity for both scholars and laypersons in mind.” I believe that is a fair assessment. For example, Canoy’s placement of the Greek text in sentences following the English translation can be read by those who can do so, or simply ignored by those who cannot.[ii] Mitchell Reddish writes, “Canoy’s work in the result of informed exegesis, critical dialogue with other scholars, and theological reflection on the significance of John’s understanding of the redemptive work of God.” To my taste there was far too much interaction with/quoting of other scholars, which to me became tiresome after a point.

My overall assessment is “somewhat disappointing.” The uniqueness of the topic gets the book a recommendation I might not otherwise give. Canoy’s atonement view gets the reader a warning. Be aware. I guess I was naïve and not expecting the so-called “Christus Victor” view of the atonement to be promoted in the book.[iii] This aspect left me confused in the beginning until I realized what he was saying. Be careful. I actually have no problem with “Christus Victor” other than when it is used to deny and substitute for penal and substitutionary aspects of the atonement.

Finally, I was disappointed that this book coming out of the academic field included no index. This is a deficiency that should be corrected in future printings.

---

[i] There are many things of which I am not aware, so there may be other books, even many, of this genre. Searching around the World Wide Web yields evidence that Loren L. Johns’s chapter on “Atonement and Sacrifice in the Book of Revelation” in The Work of Jesus Christ in Anabaptist Perspective: Essays in Honor of J. Denny Weaver (edited by Alain Epp Weaver and Gerald J. Mast, Telford, PA: Cascadia Publishing House, 2008) and Weaver’s own The Nonviolent Atonement (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001) deal with this topic.

[ii] The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition, Michael W. Holmes, editor, Lexham Press, 2011-13

[iii] For more information, see Christus Victor: The Salvation of God and the Cross of Christ and The Problem with Christus Victor.

Online shape note song books

Several years ago I posted links to Old song books online. Here are some more shape note song books I have found online since then.

• Class, Choir and Congregation: for Singing Schools, Conventions, Normal Schools, Chorus Choirs and Congregations, A. J. Showalter, editor (Dalton, GA: A. J. Showalter Co., 1888)
• Dortch's Gospel Voices, No. 1: for Sunday Schools, Church Services, Gospel and Evangelistic Meetings, Young People's Societies, Etc., David Elijah Dortch, editor (Nashville, TN: The Southwestern Company, 1900)
• Favorite Songs and Hymns: a Complete Church Hymnal, Homer F. Morris, et al., editors (Dallas, TX: Stamps-Baxter Music & Printing Co., 1939)
• Happy Praise: Our Second 1956 Book for Singing Schools, Conventions, Etc., J. R. Baxter, Jr., et al., editors (Dallas, TX: Stamps-Baxter Music & Printing Co., 1956)
• New Life; or, Songs and Tunes for Sunday Schools, Prayer Meetings, and Revival Occasions, R. M. McIntosh, W. G. E. Cunningham, editors (Nashville, TN: Southern Methodist Publishing House, 1879)
• Songs of Zion: the New Official Hymnal of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, W., T. Dale, New York, NY: A. S. Barnes Co., 1915
• Sweet Fields of Eden: for the Sabbath School, John Harrison Tenney, Aldine S. Kieffer, William B. Blake, editors (Dayton, VA: Ruebush, Kieffer & Co., 1882)
• The Temple Star: for Singing-Schools, Conventions, Choirs, Day-Schools and Musical Societies, B. C. Unseld, Aldine S. Kieffer, editors (Singer's Glen, VA: Ruebush, Kieffer & Co., 1878)

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

Early church devotion; Translation/Paraphrase by Gerard Moultrie (1864)

1. Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.

2. King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.

3. Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.

4. At His feet the six winged seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia, Alleluia,
Alleluia, Lord Most High!

Philpot devotional: Light in the darkness

"Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness." Psalm 112:4

We often get into such dark paths, that we seem altogether out of the secret, and feel as if there were no more grace in our souls, than in one altogether dead in trespasses and sins. And whether we look back at the past, or view the present, or turn our eyes to the future, one dark cloud seems to rest upon the whole; nor can we, with all our searching, find to our satisfaction that we have one spark of true religion, or one atom of grace, or one grain of vital godliness, or any trace that the Spirit of God has touched our consciences with his finger.

Now, when we are in this dark, benighted state, we want light; we want the blessed Sun of righteousness to arise; we want the south wind to blow a heavenly gale, and drive the mists away; we want the clouds to part, and the light of God's countenance to shine into our souls, so as to shew us where we are, and what we are, and make it clear, that base and vile as we are, yet that we are interested in the love of the Father, the blood of the Son, and the teachings of the Holy Ghost. And when his word begins to distil like the rain and to drop like the dew, when the Lord himself is pleased to speak home one sweet testimony, one little word, one kind intimation—what a change it makes! The clouds break away, the fog clears off, the mists dissolve, and the soul becomes sweetly persuaded of its interest in the blood and love of the Lamb.

J. C. Philpot (1802-1869)

Throwing the ball back and forth

Below is a link to a post by Dave Miller and a response by Edward Dingess:

Racial Reconciliation Dodgeball – Responsibility and Solutions -- "I have watched with dismay as many in our midst have played what seems to me to be a form of dodgeball with issues related to racial reconciliation."

Thoughts on Dave Miller’s Racial Reconciliation Dodgeball in the SBC -- "Dave Miller lists three responses to the racial issue that he calls dodgeball responses."

The chains of ecclesiastical bondage, and other quotes

The posting of quotes by human authors does not constitute agreement with either the quotes or their sources. (I try to confirm the sources that I give, but may miss on occasion; please verify if possible.)

"The chains of ecclesiastical bondage are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken." -- Richard V. Clearwaters

"Like edged tools in the hands of children, feigned arguments are always likely to do more evil than good." -- Jesse Mercer

"The more I lied for the purpose of showing that I lied, the more convinced became they that I was a paragon of veracity." -- Léo Taxil

"There is no limit to human stupidity." -- Léo Taxil

"For Christians what it means to 'win' has been redefined by the cross." -- Eugene Boring

"God does not exist outside of time, He just cannot be measured by time. Time is a measurement of things that have a beginning and an ending point." -- Mark Fenison

"The cross is the cornerstone, capstone, touchstone, and loadstone of Christianity." -- David Lewis Allen

"The miracle of Christ's sacrificial death is that the priest and the victim have become one." -- Fleming Rutledge

"God chose not the clever strategies of the politically oriented, neither the sophisticated arguments of the philosophers, nor even the oratory skills of the talented rhetoricians to save the lost; rather, he chose the foolishness of preaching." -- Edward Dingess

Why Christians Are Abandoning the Orphanage

Worth thinking about:

Why Christians Are Abandoning the Orphanage -- “A new focus on the family is changing how Christians care for abandoned and neglected children.”

“What was designed as a temporary solution to address a crisis became a permanent problem,” Ruslan Maliuta, international facilitator of World Without Orphans said. The temporary solution is the orphanage, while the goal should be to get the children out of orphanages and into families.

In the last century, Christian organizations proliferated orphanages as a quick solution to swelling numbers of abandoned children in poor countries where corrupt or inefficient governments weren’t providing adequate social services. That has left Christians today as the dominant provider of orphan care in much of the world.

Even in early 20th-century America, “the church had a leading role in building orphanages to take care of children,” said Jerry Haag, president of the 112-year-old Florida Baptist Children’s Homes (FBCH). “They didn’t have parents who could take care of them through the Depression era.”According to WWO, orphans were historically defined by the loss of both parents, usually through death. UNICEF eventually broadened the definition to include children who have lost only one parent—a definition that would seem to have support in the Bible, which uses the words “orphan” and “fatherless” interchangeably.

Good News began efforts to strengthen biological families, accepting children only as a last resort. It also worked to remove any parental rights over abandoned children, enabling them to be moved into foster care or adopted. With the church’s encouragement, families from churches in and around their city have adopted more than 100 children. (Dudnik and his wife, Tamara, adopted Sergey.)

God’s freedom and ours

I recently read God’s freedom and ours: 10 points for thinking about Calvinism by Curtis Freeman. Freeman is neither Predestinarian nor Calvinist, so I found a couple of his statements particularly intriguing and well-worded.

• No one is as free as they think, nor is God as un-free as most people are comfortable with.
• God is not just one agent acting among other agents, but rather is the condition, cause and course of all freedom.

William Bell Gillham

Last Monday Rachel Hall posted about a tune book of which I had not heard, by William Bell Gillham, the Aeolian Lyrist: a New Collection of Psalm and Hymn tunes adapted to the Various Metres in General Use; with a few Anthems and Set Pieces, W. B. Gillham, Cincinnati, OH: Applegate and Co., 1853.

"In 1854 [apparently, 1853, rlv] William B. Gillham, Columbia, Tennessee, published the Aeolian Lyrist (printed by Applegate & Co., Cincinnati, and by the Cumberland Presbyterian Board in Louisville) in shapes the three novel ones of which are described as follows..."

"My mother had a cousin, the Rev. Wm. B. Gillham, at one time pastor of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Columbia, Tenn., and author of a music book, "The Aeolian Lyrist," who had a similar experience to my own. He was brought up in the same church I was [Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church], and was educated in that church for the ministry. But when he took up the study of theology and began to compare his Confession of Faith with the Bible, with its plain "whosoever will" doctrines, as he afterwards wrote me, he had not been a Calvinist, and so entered the ministry of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, placing himself under the care of the Tennessee Presbytery, which presbytery I also joined in April, 1870, at Athens, Ala., being licensed by this same presbytery in April, 1872, at Madison, Madison County, Alabama." -- From page 6 in The Difference in Creedal Statement Between the Confessions of Faith of the Presbyterian Church, U. S. A., and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church; Accompanied by An Earnest Plea for the Perpetuation of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church with its " Whosoever Will " Doctrines, William Thomas Dale, Franklin, TN: W. T. Dale, 1905

"MALE AND FEMALE SCHOOL.  Vernon, Alabama.
"The Trustees of the Vernon High School take pleasure in announcing that they have made an arrangement with REV. W. B. GILLHAM to take charge of their Institution for the ensuing school year – to commence on the 1st Monday in November.  Mr. Gillham’s long and successful experience as educator of the youth of both sexes warrant us in giving him our highest endorsement and soliciting for our School a liberal patronage..." -- From The Vernon Pioneer, February 23, 1877

A couple of Gillham's songs can be seen in Songs of Zion: the New Official Hymnal of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church by W., T. Dale. 

• YONGST C.M., No. 21 on page 17
• EXPIATION L.M., No. 73 on page 46 (written by Gillham and arranged by Dale)
• GILLHAM C.M., No. 243 on page 138 is written by W. T. Dale and (probably) named for W. B. Gillham

Lollards and such

Haphazard historical habitats I've hit upon:

• An Ecclesiastical History, Ancient and Modern, Volume III -- Johann Lorenz Mosheim, translated by Archibald Maclaine
• Historic background and annals of the Swiss and German pioneer settlers of southeastern Pennsylvania, and of their remote ancestors, from the middle of the dark ages, down to the time of the revolutionary war -- "In 1315 a Waldensean teacher called Lolhard at his trial in Austria said he could find 80,000 persons who believed in his religion."
• Martyrs Mirror of the Defenseless Christians -- "Martyrs Mirror, the classic 1660 Dutch religious history, memorializes the godly lives and glorious deaths of thousands of early Christians, especially European Anabaptist martyrs between 1524 and 1660."
• Singleness in Modern Culture -- "The pastor is preaching marriage to the skies, while seemingly forgetting that roughly 30% of his congregation is, in point of fact, unmarried."
• The Twelve Conclusions of the Lollards -- "The text that follows is literally translated from the Middle English, at the cost of some archaisms and obscurities, a few of which are explained in italicized glosses."

Series on the call to preach

While searching online for information written on the call to preach, I found this three-part series at 9Marks. It was written by Bobby Jamieson, of whom the blurb says is a PhD student in New Testament at the University of Cambridge, and had served as assistant editor for 9Marks. Linking this series is not an endorsement of all the views of Jamieson, but I think you will find it interesting. I hope to follow up with something of my own on the subject.

The Double Presumption of Calling to Ministry -- "Calling language typically refers to a sense of divine guidance: “I think God is calling me to do this”."
Eldering, Economics, and Calling to Ministry -- "But there’s a wrinkle in this fabric: not all elders are paid, so not all elders serve full-time. In fact, Paul commended his own example of bi-vocational ministry to the Ephesian elders."
Reframing “Calling”: Words to Churches and Aspiring Pastors -- "I think one of modern evangelicals’ most damaging, widespread assumptions is that the only real ministry is done by those who do it full-time."

America’s point-man, 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.

• America’s point-man on religious liberty is contentious -- "Why Sam Brownback divides religion-watchers."
• Archaeology team uncovers new evidence of ancient Christianity in Kazakhstan -- "The new discoveries provide context for the previously discovered stones and identify an associated Christian community."
• Ben Shapiro: Why The Left Protects Islam -- "Why does the left seek to support radical Islam so ardently? Because the left believes that the quickest way to destroy Western civilization is no longer class warfare but multicultural warfare: Simply ally with groups that hate the prevailing system and work with them to take it down."
• GOP bill would ease enforcement against political activity by churches -- "House Republicans added a provision to a spending bill that would bar funds for the IRS to enforce the law prohibiting churches and other nonprofits from endorsing political candidates."
• How Embedding Women With Contraception May Keep Them In Poverty -- "...if that which is holding back poor young women is unplanned pregnancy, and poor young men aren’t subject to the same constraints, then they ought to be miles ahead of their sisters and girlfriends. But they’re not..."
• Pulling down Confederate statues does nothing to change society -- "The whole enterprise of taking down statuary to appease the ideological passions of a talkative handful is silly...This business of digging up the dead and exhibiting their shortcomings has no predictable end."
• Selfies and Divorce in the Digital Age-- "Divorce is one of the ugliest words in the English language. Its specter haunts countless marriages."
• That Ye May Marvel, or, The Significance of Bible Numbers-- "It is nowhere stated in so many words that THREE stands for the resurrection, FOUR for the first creation, FIVE for grace, EIGHT for the new birth."
• The Meaning of "KOSMOS" in John 3:16-- "The word "kosmos," and its English equivalent "world," is not used with a uniform significance in the New Testament. Very far from it. It is used in quite a number of different ways."
• Three Fundamentalists I Have Known -- "Why these three? It was through reading both about these men and what they wrote that I became a fundamentalist."
• Three Reasons God is a Cessationist -- "6000 years at least of world history and only 200 years where people could do miracles?"
• Too Good Not to Share-- "The Gospel of Jesus is too good not to share."
• What Makes a Baptist Church an Independent Baptist Church?-- "Some believe that all Baptist churches are the same and believe and practice the same thing."
• Why Christians Are Abandoning the Orphanage -- "A new focus on the family is changing how Christians care for abandoned and neglected children."
• Your atheism isn't going to keep your kids from believing in God -- "...in any case, the data does suggest that religion has a somewhat easier time transmitting across generations than irreligion does."

Philpot: Perplexed, but not in despair

"Perplexed, but not in despair." 2 Corinthians 4:8

Oh! what a mercy, amidst every degree of inward or outward perplexity, to be out of the reach of Giant Despair; not to be shut up in the iron cage; not to be abandoned, as Judas or Ahithophel, to utter desperation and suicide, and, after a long life of profession, concerning faith to make awful shipwreck!

Now the child of God, with all his doubts, fears, sinkings, misgivings, and trying perplexities is never really and truly in despair. He may tread so near the borders of that black country that it may almost be debateable land whether he is walking in despair or upon the borders of it; for I believe many children of God have at times come to the solemn conclusion that there is no hope for them, for they cannot see how they can be saved or have their aggravated sins pardoned.

And though this be not black despair, nor such utter, irremediable desperation as seized Saul and Judas, for there still is a "Who can tell?" yet it certainly is walking very near the borders of that dark and terrible land. I cannot tell, nor do I believe any can, how low a child of God may sink, or how long he may continue under the terrors of the Almighty; but we have the warrant of God's word to believe that he is never given up to utter despair, for the Lord holds up his feet from falling into that terrible pit, and being cast into that sea to which there is neither bottom nor shore.

J. C. Philpot (1802-1869)

After death, what then?

The question “After death, what then?” primarily turns minds toward the answer, “heaven or hell.” As Charles Wesley wrote in his Hymn 59 in Hymns for Children (1763): “Soon as from earth I go, What will become of me? Eternal happiness or woe Must then my portion be!”

A secondary, yet important, concern is “What will I leave behind?” Sunday during my sermon I thought of the following song by Sherrill Brown,[i] but could only remember the distinct question. It is not in our church book, but I found it in the Mull’s Singing Convention Book, No. 5.

1. After I leave for worlds unknown, over the border line;

Never again on earth to roam, what will I leave behind?

2. Will I be missed by those I love, or have I been unkind?

Have I been true to God above, what will I leave behind?

3. This is my prayer, O Lord, today, let me be wholly Thine;

And when I am called from earth away, let heaven then be mine.

Chorus: Leave behind, yes, leave behind, what will I leave behind?

After I leave for worlds unknown, what will I leave behind?

Will I leave behind care or unconcern?

Jerusalem’s king Hezekiah, during the last 15 years of his life, is an interesting case study of one’s attitude toward a future of which he will not be part. 2 Kings 20:19 records his response to Isaiah’s prophecy that the wealth of the kings would Judah would be carried into Babylon, as well as his male descendants being carried into captivity and made eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. “Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?” His response is a mixed signal. “Good is the word of the Lord” expresses resignation to the will of God. But it is tinctured with a bit of “après moi le deluge” – what happens after his disappearance matters little to him.[ii] Hezekiah has gratitude of the “peace and truth” in his days but thinks little on the consequences to his descendants. Hezekiah may find peace in the facts that (1) postponement of judgment is evidence of God’s mercy; (2) the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy assures Hezekiah he will have male offspring to sit upon his throne; and (3) there is some rest for the nation, since their current struggles will not be immediately followed by another. Yet Hezekiah is a study in contrast. When he found his future was shorty ending in death, he turned his face to the wall and prayed and cried and sought God. When he found Judah’s future end in defeat by Babylon, he simply agreed to it.

In contrast Joseph, also resigning to the good word of the Lord, made future plans in what seems a strange request. One who had spent 93 years of his life in Egypt and only 17 in the promised land (Genesis 37:2) identified himself and his future – even the future of his bones – with God’s people and God’s promise, “God will surely visit you.” Hebrews 11:22 – “By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.” Compare Genesis 50:24-26. We should have some concern for the future of our families, our churches, our countries, our world. When I am dead, all else is not dead. God’s work is this world is much larger in time than my little threescore and ten. What I can, I should “pass it on.” See 2 Timothy 2:2.

Will I leave behind a witness, good or bad?

If we are remembered, we will leave behind some witness, whether it be good or whether it be bad. Adolf Hitler in a sense still speaks to us. His witness is evil, “turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways.” (Cf. Psalm 37:38.)

Abel, the first recorded man to physically die, killed by his brother, is an example of a lasting witness for good. Hebrews 11:4 – “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.” As Watts says, “The living know that they must die; But all the dead forgotten lie.” But some of the dead are remembered – what they did, what they wrote, what is written about them, what is said of them. By his faith and offering Abel has something to speak to us. By serving God now, in the time he has given us, we may have something good to say after we are gone. Of David it is said, “he had served his own generation by the will of God” Acts 13:36. God’s principle sets the future in the minds of the past, that they prepare a witness for it. See Psalm 78:4-7.

We do not know what the future holds. Someday God will bring the time of this old world to a close. He shall do so as he pleases, but in the meantime we should not live if all of time is wrapped up in us. Consider, when you are gone, “What will I leave behind?”

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[i] Copyright 1958, Stamps Quartet Music Co., Inc., Dallas, Texas in Happy Songs: Our First 1958 Book for Singing Conventions, Singing Schools, Sunday Schools, Etc., John T,. Cook, editor; Here are two versions that can be heard on YouTube, by the Chestnut Grove Quartet and Elder Jason Lowery. Other songs by Brown include “A Little Touch of Heaven,” “God Will Wipe Our Tears Away,” and “I Will Meet You There.”

[ii] “Après moi le deluge” is a French expression meaning “after me (let) the deluge (come).” The phrase is usually attributed to King Louis XVI. It refers to the excessive lifestyles of the French aristocracy and its continuing detriment to France. Let the deluge come; it makes no difference to me. So Hezekiah seems to suggest that what happens after his death matters little if the kingdom can enjoy good days under his rule.