Selah, a word

The word “Selah” occurs 71 times in the Book of Psalms (in 39 different psalms) and 3 times in the prayer of Habakkuk in chapter 3.

I cannot expound on its meaning, since I do not know. However, I was taught that it meant “to pause,” to rest or pause. Since it is associated with psalms/songs, perhaps it is reasonable to believe that “selah” is a musical notation [i] – a time of reflection while one rests or pauses from to the singing and/or playing.

---

[i] Habakkuk chapter 3 is a prayer “upon Shigionoth… To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.”

Greek texts, wise and otherwise

“Traditional Text Positions Explained,” a post by Robert Truelove at Text and Canon (on Facebook) identifies five of what he calls “Traditional Text Positions.” Though some are new in some ways, I believe he considers them all “traditional” in the sense that they are Byzantine text positions. Here are the five:

1. “Majority Text.” This is a position based on the readings of the majority of texts, which he identified with Farstad and Hodges.

2. “Byzantine Priority.” This he distinguished because the readings that cannot be decided by the majority are still decided within the Byzantine family (whereas position 1 above does not always do so). He identifies this position with Maurice Robinson.

3. “F35.” All the correct readings of the inspired text come from within Family 35. This is the position of Wilbur Pickering. It also seems this position is founded on providential preservation, whereas the first two emphasize evidence and reason rather than preservation.

4. “Textus Receptus Priority.” This position accepts the Textus Receptus as the text we should use, the one that should be the standard, while recognizing there might be some problems and errors (but that they should be dealt with in teaching, rather than an ever-changing text). Truelove said this was his position.

5. “Textus Receptus Only.” This position accepts that the Greek text is providentially preserved in the Textus Receptus.

[Note: these are my attempts to remember and fairly represent what he said.]

On the Critical Text side, Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California identifies on their web site three different Critical Text positions.

1. “Thorough-going eclectic.” These folks reject any consideration of external evidence such as manuscript families, date of manuscript and so on. They concentrate all of their energies on internal consideration for a literary analysis of the text.

2. “Westcott-Hort.” Westcott and Hort suggested that the Alexandrian family of manuscripts are the oldest and thus preferred. They also concluded that external evidence, that is, manuscript families, outweighs internal evidence and that the Alexandrian variant, all other factors being equal, is the one preferred.

3. “Balanced eclectic.” This “balanced” position holds that each text type is to be evaluated independently without premeditated bias. It also posits that internal and external evidences are to be considered equally. It basically suggests that each textual variant is to be investigated thoroughly and considered on its own merits.

[Note: All the above about critical texts is a quote from the Grace website. I believe the terminology “reasoned eclectic” is relatively the same position as their “balanced eclectic.” 

There is another position (not listed above) that James E. Snapp Jr describes as “equitable eclecticism.”

Are the positions as stated above valid? Helpful? Confusing? Complete or incomplete?

Facts of the day

Special fact of the day: Kentaji Brown Jackson makes judicial history.       

During the 2020 presidential primary, Joe Biden made a promise (at a debate in February 2020) to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court if he had the opportunity. He has delivered on that promise. On Thursday April 7, 2022, Senators of the United States voted 53-47 to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court. Jackson will be the first Black woman ever to sit in this Court.[i] She obviously is well schooled in law. I disagree with her judicial philosophy, which appears to be mainly of the “living Constitution” school where one creates things like the right to abortion that is not dealt with in the Constitution.

Mad fact of the day: the first black woman judge and defining women.

Ketanji Brown Jackson sidestepped a question from Senator Marsha Blackburn about defining what is a woman, with her now infamous “I’m not a biologist” comment.[ii] Despite this, Ketanji Brown Jackson knows that she is a woman. President Joe Biden knows that Ketanji Brown Jackson is a woman. 100 senators know that Ketanji Brown Jackson is a woman. The public who voted for Biden because of this promise knows that Ketanji Brown Jackson is a woman. Yes, even the radical left who pretend they cannot define what a woman is knows that Ketanji Brown Jackson is a woman.

Despite their deafening dissimulation on the definition of a woman, even transgender allies and “trans” women and really know what a woman is. When a man claims he is a woman trapped in a man’s body, what does he usually do? He takes female hormones. He has his male genitalia removed and replaced with simulated female genitalia. He gets augmentation mammoplasty, as well as other surgeries such as facial feminization, chondrolaryngoplasty (to reduce the Adam’s apple), and voice feminization surgery. He wears feminine clothing and changes his name from one that sounds masculine to one that sounds feminine. Bruce Jenner becomes Caitlyn Jenner. Richard Levine becomes Rachel Levine. They say that they do not know what a woman is, yet know how to try to appear like other women. Everybody pretends they are women while calling them “trans” women, a tacit admission that they really are not women.

“A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him, saying, ‘You are mad; you are not like us.’”

---

[i] Both the Executive and Legislative Branches of the the United States have a voice in the composition of the U. S. Supreme Court. The President nominates a person to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court. The Senate, by a simple majority, votes to confirm the nominee.
[ii] Senator Marsha Blackburn: “Can you provide a definition for the word woman?” Nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson: “No. I can’t. Not in this context. I’m not a biologist.”

1 Corinthians 14:34-35, thoughts and references

“Paul’s goal was to establish order, not to silence women,” concluded Philip J. Abbott in his Master’s Thesis “Bringing Order to 1 Cor 14:34-35.” 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 is a sometimes-attacked, sometimes-avoided, somewhat controversial passage. To those who reject the inspiration and authority of scripture, it is a cultural anachronism with no place in modern society. To those who accept the inspiration and authority of scripture while trying to fit in society, it is a thorn in the side. To all who take the Bible seriously, it can be a difficult passage. I do not expect to resolve the difficulties, but would like to investigate the text a bit.

Two contextual outlines

Worship in the Church (I Corinthians 11:2-14:40)

Men and Women in Worship: How they Dress (11:2-16)

 Order in Worship: worship through eating the Lord’s Supper (11:17-34)

Gifts and the Nature of the Body (12:1-30)

The Hymn of Love (12:31-14:1)

Spiritual Gifts and the Upbuilding of the Body (14:1-25)

Order in Worship: worship through speaking the Word (14:26-33a)

Women and Men in Worship: How they Speak (14:33b-36)

Concluding Summary and Appeal (14:37-40)

The outline above is adapted from Kenneth E. Bailey, Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes: Cultural Studies in 1 Corinthians (Downer’s Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2011), 409. 

Worship in the Church, a Chiastic Outline (I Corinthians 11:2-14:40)

Introduction: Apostolic traditions and worship (11:2)

Men and Women in worship: How they dress (11:3-16)

                        Order in Worship: worship through eating the Lord’s Supper (11:17-34)

Spiritual Gifts and the nature of the body (12:1-30)

The Hymn of Greatest Gift, Love (12:31-14:1)

Spiritual Gifts and the edifying of the body (14:1-25)

Order in Worship: worship through speaking the word (14:26-33a)

Women and Men in worship: How they speak (14:33b-36)

Conclusion: The Lord’s command and worship (14:37-40)

Kenneth E. Bailey, Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes: Cultural Studies in 1 Corinthians (Downer’s Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2011), 409. The outline above is another adapted from Bailey.

I Corinthians 14:26-40

 

How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God. Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant. Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. Let all things be done decently and in order.

Other verses that are/may be relevant:

• Acts 18:26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.
• 1 Corinthians 1:11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
• 1 Corinthians 11:5 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.
• 1 Corinthians 12:11 but all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
• 1 Corinthians 14:26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.

We should not bind what God has not bound, neither loose what God has not loosed. This means we need a sincere and certain look at this text, with an open heart and mind – void of the outcome for which we might wish. These verses cause irritation to the egalitarian who want no restrictions on the women’s voices in church. These verses cause discomfort to the complementarian who does not know how much silence to advocate, but does not advocate a total silencing of women in church.

 

Some of the ideas about this text, probably most of them:

• The text of 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 is an interpolation, not part of Paul’s original writing
• The command only applied to the specific situation in Corinth
• The command only applies to judging of prophecies
• The command only applies to speaking in tongues
• The command means absolute silence, an absolute rule in the church assembly
• “Let your women keep silence” is a Corinthian slogan which Paul quotes and refutes
• The Greek verb sigao / σιγατωσαν refers to a silence determined by the context
• The silence of the text applies only to married women

A few points about contextual silence

For women to say “amen” with others (Psalm 106:48; 1 Corinthians 14:16), to answer questions (Acts 5:7-8), to sing with the church (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16), etc. (Acts 18:26), is accepted by most churches. Therefore, few think this means absolute silence.

1. The speakers in tongues are told (vv. 27-28):

• if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence (σιγάτω) in the church

2. The prophets are told (vv. 29-30):

• If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace (σιγάτω).

3. The women (with husbands) are told (vv. 34-35):

• Let your women keep silence (σιγάτωσαν) in the churches

A quote from Clement of Alexandria, in The Instructor, Book 3

Going to Church.

Woman and man are to go to church decently attired, with natural step, embracing silence, possessing unfeigned love, pure in body, pure in heart, fit to pray to God. Let the woman observe this, further. Let her be entirely covered, unless she happen to be at home. For that style of dress is grave, and protects from being gazed at. And she will never fall, who puts before her eyes modesty, and her shawl; nor will she invite another to fall into sin by uncovering her face. For this is the wish of the Word, since it is becoming for her to pray veiled.

 

They say that the wife of Aeneas, through excess of propriety, did not, even in her terror at the capture of Troy, uncover herself; but, though fleeing from the conflagration, remained veiled.

What others write

• 1 Corinthians 14:33b-38 as a Pauline Quotation-Refutation Device by Kirk MacGregor
• 1 Corinthians 14:34: Did God Really Say...?
• Do Women Have to Keep Silent in the Church?
• Does Paul Require the Complete Silence of Women in Church: A Study of 1 Corinthians 14:33b-35
• “Is 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 a Marginal Comment or a Quotation? A Response to Kirk MacGregor
• Must Women Be Silent in Churches? (1 Corinthians 14:34)
• Orderly Participation or Silenced Women? Clashing Views on Decent Worship in 1 Corinthians 14
• “Silent in the Churches”: On the Role of Women in 1 Corinthians 14:33b-36
• Why Were Women Told to Keep Silent in Church?
• Women Silent in Church?
• Women “Should Remain Silent” - A Study of 1 Corinthians 14:34-35

Recent book finds

I recently happened across these at Archive.org.

• Eastern European Baptist History: New Perspectives, by Sharyl Corrado; Toivo Pilli, editors. Czech Republic: International Baptist Theological Seminary of the European Baptist Federation, 2007
• Hebraisms in the Authorized Version of the Bible, by William Rosenau, Baltimore, MD: The Friedenwald Company, 1903
• Historical Vindications: a Discourse on the Province and Uses of Baptist History, by Sewall Sylvester Cutting. Boston, MA: Gould and Lincoln, 1859
• Indiana Baptist History, 1798-1908, by William Taylor Stott. Franklin, IN: W. T. Stott, 1908
• Lectures on Baptist History, by William R. Williams. Philadelphia, PA: American Baptist Publication Society, 1877
• Memory and Hope: Strands of Canadian Baptist History, by David T. Priestley, editor. Waterloo, Ontario: Published for the Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion, 1996
• R. C. Buckner’s Life of Faith and Works, Comprising the Story of the Career of the Preacher, Editor, Presiding Officer, Philanthropist, and Founder of Buckner Orphans Home, by James Britton Cranfill and James Lafayette Walker. Dallas, TX: Buckner Orphans Home, 1915
• The Baptist History of South Dakota, by Thomas Miles Shanafelt. Sioux Falls, SD: South Dakota Baptist Convention, 1899
• The Gospel Ship (Baptist Hymns & White Spirituals From The Southern Mountains), by New World Records (NW 294), 1977 (Samples)
• The New Testament of our Lord Iesus Christ: translated out of Greeke by Theod. Beza, by Beza, Joachim Camerarius, Pierre Loyseleur de Villiers, Laurence Tomson, and Franciscus Junius the Elder. London: Deputies of Christopher Barker, Printer to the Queenes most Excellent Majestie, 1599
• The Small Sects in America: an Authentic Study of Almost 300 Little-Known Religious Groups, by Elmer Talmage Clark. New York, NY: Abingdon Press, 1949
• Theodore Beza: the Counsellor of the French Reformation, 1519-1605, by Henry Martyn Baird, New York, NY: Burt Franklin, 1899/1970

American Madness

Anthony the Great of Egypt, as recorded in The Sayings of the Desert Fathers, said, “A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him, saying, ‘You are mad; you are not like us.’”

After the chief medical officer at the New York City Department of Health issued the tweet quoted below, for what did the Department of Health apologize?

“The urgency of this moment is clear. Mortality rates of birthing people are too high, and babies born to Black and Puerto Rican mothers in this city are three times more likely to die in their first year of life than babies born to non-Hispanic White birthing people.”

They apologized for “inadvertently” gendering Black and Puerto Rican birthing people!

I am not a biologist, but I know that all “birthing people” are women. I am not a dictionary, but I know that women who give birth are mothers.

Preaching voices, code switching, and naysayers

On the 28th of March, one of the clown princes of the Baptist Board posted a weird comment About the worst Baptist preacher I ever heard.[i] There are several interesting takeaways.

The “style” of the “worst Baptist preacher” who is referenced might be referred to as chanting or intoning. It was once much more common than it is today. We Baptists share this style as part of the heritage from our Separate Baptist ancestry, in my opinion (though subject to revision if new information of which I am unaware is revealed).[ii]

The original post and many of the comments judge that preacher and his preaching by their personal opinions rather than the content of the message. (Only the original poster has actually heard him; everyone else was commenting gratuitously). Rather than hearing the message and searching the scriptures whether these things are so, the preaching is outright dismissed because the hearers do not approve of the way the preacher talks. As far as I can tell, the scriptures teach us to judge a message by its conformity to the word of God. The preached word is the word to the extent that it agrees with the living Word (Jesus Christ) and the written word (the Bible). (Cf. e.g. Romans 10:17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 4:2.)

Additionally, there is the judgment of the heart of the message bearer based on observing externals. “I believe he’s quite a sham.” “Deliberately using poor grammer & pronunciation is a sham…People in this area don’t talk that way…And the grunting every few words is certainly a sham…All phony as a $3 bill…he only does it when he preaches, which is LESS-THAN-HONEST, & anyone preaching should be honest as possible.” One confirms, “it’s still a pretense. They should talk the same on Sunday as they do the rest of the week, without putting on a show with their language.” Another chimes in “My wife and I all the time laugh at people who have preacher speak.”

There is little doubt that some preachers “put on a show.” That is not confined to a particular “style” of preaching, or to preachers who speak with a different accent, grammar, or vocabulary. The naysayers do not take into account several possible factors.

There are different views on what constitutes proper decorum in the pulpit (much based on pragmatism rather that biblical precept and example). There is both taught and learned behavior in preaching (i.e., how one preaches, stylewise). There is no doubt that some of us have beneath the surface “learned behavior” that is considered our “normal” when it comes to preaching. There is room for discussion of whether it is actually good or bad without calling it a sham, dishonest, put on, a performance, or a show. I honestly do not think a majority of preachers “talk the same on Sunday as they do the rest of the week” – whether for good or bad or indifferent reasons. Preaching is readily viewed as different from “normal” speech, as well as different from “normal” oratory. It is speaking on behalf of God and his word.

The naysayers may have it backwards! This man’s preaching may reflect his innate grammar and vocabulary, and what is his “normal” way of speaking.[iii] His “other” speech may reflect his learned behavior – a way to get along in a culture distinct from his church culture. People who move in two different “cultures” may have two ways of speaking. I work in an education industry setting, and when I am around administrators, I may speak differently than I do around my family, my friends, and the people I work with on a daily basis. If any of it is a “put on” or a “sham” it would actually be when I am apprehensive and make an effort to sound a little more intelligent than I figure I usually sound, on average.[iv]

I likely have a family voice, a work voice, a preaching voice, and even a writing voice.[v] More times than not, I try to write a little more “scholarly” than the sound of my voice and the patterns of my speech! However, when the occasion warrants, I may bring out the voice (or part of it) that reflects the way I grew up speaking, like Who You Gonna Believe?[vi] I ain’t gonna apologize for it when I do.

Sending conflicting and contradictory messages is deceitful. Speaking with “different voices” in different contexts is not. It is a “normal” part of human interaction. Yes, some preachers may put on a show. If you are familiar with the case and know what you are talking about, that can be one thing. If not, don’t assume or presume that you have some grand gnostic knowledge that, like a rabbit’s foot, lets you know that a certain “style” of preaching that you do not like is showmanship, and that the preaching “style” you like is the real deal. It’s simply not that simple, and you may be displaying some of your own ignorance.

---

[i] Its oddity is reflected in the first reply, “Ummm ok? we have no idea what you are talking about, nor whom?” In addition, the original poster hoodwinks the readers by writing, “I can excuse his being KJVO.” This person is all over the internet opposing both the King James Bible and King James Version Onlyism, putting a bold question mark on his faint claim.
[ii] I am not aware that this style of preaching has a consistently common or regular name. It has been referred to a chanting, intonation, singsong preaching – as well as many less than complimentary terms. Stephen Garrett has copied several good quotes in his blog titled Singsong Preaching. H. B. Charles and Ralph D. West refer to the black experience of this preaching as the Celebrating, Whooping, Intoning Tradition. You can hear a bit of this style in this sermon closing of H. B. Charles, Jr., pastor of Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church at Jacksonville/Orange Park, Florida.
[iii] I searched and found radio messages by the unnamed preacher in question. Yes, his style may seem unusual to those unfamiliar with folks who preach this way. Most preachers I know do not preach in this style. On the other hand, I am quite familiar with it. To me, his preaching does not sound at all contrived or dishonest. It is just a man preaching the way he knows to preach. Dislike it if you will, but do not charge him with fakery on that account.
[iv] The speaking voice we use when we are comfortable and uninhibited is most likely our “normal” voice (though speaking of a “normal” voice in most cases may be a bit misleading). Many urban people think that rural-sounding speakers are not as educated as they are. Accent does not equal education level. However, some people adapt their speech patterns consistently to what they think should reflect their levels of education. Others do not care. Additionally, I know a person from England living in East Texas who learned and changed speech patterns in order to avoid the accent’s constant calling attention to itself.
[v] The online article “Appalachian Code Switching” gives an interesting perspective about how, when, and why people might change their speech patterns. “An Expert Explains Why Your Voice Changes in Different Situations” is also interesting, discussing how people use different voices to achieve different interactions. In addition “Finding the Right Tone of Voice in Communication” discusses how we use different tones of voice in different situations, such as motivation, humor, questioning, etc. (This latter article is about training oneself to use the “apt” tone, but we nevertheless learn and practice much of that subconscious through experience.)
[vi] I originally wrote that back in the 1980s, and (if I remember correctly) actually adapted some (much?) of the speech of the article “up” a bit when I posted it on my blog in 2016.

Hear me roar

Yesterday, David Moye of HuffPo told us that Representative Madison Cawthorn’s Definition of a Woman Gets Thoroughly Mocked. What Moye failed to explain is that the only thing the Twitters can do is mock, because they are unable to answer Cawthorn’s argument!

USA Today also jumped into the I-can’t-tell-if-she’s-a-woman fray (particularly in defense of Justice Nominee Kentaji Brown Jackson’s “I’m not a biologist” comment) asserting that even “a competent biologist would not be able to offer a definitive answer” to the question of what is a woman.[i] That is politically correct mumbo-jumbo. Medical examiners regularly verify whether unidentified bodies are those of men or women, and forensic anthropologists identify whether thousand-year-old bones are those of men or women. It just does not sit well with the agenda of the woke crowd to be able to identify a living person as male or female.[ii]

When I was a young man (still in school, 1971), Helen Reddy knew she was a woman, and challenged us “hear me roar.” Today she’ll need to take that back; “we” can’t tell anymore.

Lord, help us.

---

[i] Oddly, most dictionaries are still able to tell us what a woman is: “an adult female human being.” And a human female is “a person bearing two X chromosomes in the cell nuclei.” This is surprisingly similar to Cawthorn’s definition, “XX chromosomes…” No telling how long the radical wokesters will allow dictionaries to continue to define woman this way.
[i] Since they must be allowed to “self”-identify.

Andy Crouch: Why physical books, 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 Crouch: Why physical books are better than digital screens -- “If you are reading this book in physical form, you may well remember, hours or days from now, where on the page and how far into the book this very sentence was found...”
• CDC Makes Huge Change to Pediatric COVID Data Used in Media Scare Pieces, Citing ‘Coding Logic Error’ -- “On March 15, 2022, data on deaths were adjusted after resolving a coding logic error. This resulted in decreased death counts across all demographic categories.”
• DeTransitioners Flood Social Media With Testimony, Photos: ‘The Darkest Time In My Life’ -- “The stories will not be easy to accept – medical scandals never are. But that doesn’t mean they should be ignored. Quite the contrary, actually.”
• Duck Duck Gone: DuckDuckGo goes WOKE to censor search content -- “DuckDuckGo’s decision has also encouraged some users to start using Brave, another privacy-focused search engine.”
• Editions of the King James Version and the Criticism of Not Updating It -- “No one on my side of this issue talks about updating the King James Version.”
• First Baptist Church of Marshallville, Macon County, Org. 1848 -- “By the 1840s, Marshallville was at the crossroads of north-south and east-west travel routes, bringing business to the small town. In 1850, the Southwest Railroad laid tracks through here...”
• Here Are 6 Expert-Approved Sleep Habits That Will Keep You From Waking Up In The Middle Of The Night For Good -- “At the end of the day, it’s important to remember to be kind to yourself during this process, since it might take time to get your sleep back on track.”
• HuffPo Writer Thinks She Has The Solution To Higher Gas Prices, Gets Absolutely Wrecked In The Replies -- “Newsflash, Ann, most folks can’t afford your solutions. They are totally impractical for hundreds of millions of Americans.”
• Is Evolution ‘Fake Science’? -- “...if evolution explains everything, does it really explain anything?...according to the BioLogos article, isn’t that one of the characteristics of pseudoscience?”
• Is The Freedom Convoy White Supremacist? -- “...the most insulting thing about Justin Trudeau’s history with black Canadians is that I can’t count how many times he’s suggested we’re stupid.”
• ‘James’ or ‘Jacob’ in the NT? -- “Needless to say, the choice of this spelling is not royalist flattery; for Tyndale was no flatterer of kings.”
• Nearly Half Of IRS Audits Target Poorest Taxpayers, Report Finds -- “The poorest families in the study were audited at five times the rate of other Americans...This unfortunate situation is not new. History is just repeating itself.”
• Rand Paul introduces amendment to eliminate Fauci’s position as NIAID director -- “This will create accountability and oversight into a taxpayer funded position that has largely abused its power, and has been responsible for many failures and misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
• Saint Paula Is No Exemplar of the Faith -- “Barr holds forth ‘Saint Paula’ as an exemplar of a more liberated womanhood. She presents Paula as a positive contrast to the narrow teaching of the complementarian woman...”
• Texas Supreme Court Deals ‘Devastating’ Blow To Pro-Abortion Supporters -- “When there is a heartbeat the doctor can detect, the doctor cannot take that life in an abortion. That’s all the bill is about.”
• The Five Cases in the Greek Language -- “...Greek has five different cases. In the English language, a noun’s placement in a sentence doesn’t really impact the way a word looks.”
• The Rise of White Nationalist Hispanics -- “Our website was made for stories like these...our comedic brothers over at The Babylon Bee can't hold a candle to reality anymore”
• The Three Most Important Words I Learned in Seminary: “Textual, Epochal, Canonical” -- “I’m persuaded that unless we learn how to read Scripture along these three horizons—textual, epochal, canonical—we’ll miss the power and wisdom of Christ that’s found in the whole counsel of God.”
• The walls of Jericho -- “Jericho was once thought to be a ‘Bible problem’ because of the seeming disagreement between archaeology and the Bible. When the archaeology is correctly interpreted, however, just the opposite is the case.”
• What Democrats don’t get about gas prices -- “The left thinks oil companies set oil price. Oil companies don’t set prices. If they did, they wouldn’t have let oil prices go negative in 2020.”
• Why Reformed Christians Are Vulnerable To Social Justice -- “Many young Christians didn’t learn how to understand justice from Scripture. So in college, they learned how to understand justice from culture. And now...they interpret Scripture through culture, not culture through Scripture.”

The Holy Book in a burning grave

The devilish imps did strive to have
For the Holy Book a burning grave,
But all their travail was in vain,
God multiplied it quick again.
The pope and devil are scared and wondered,
Their gold burns one, but makes a hundred.

This refers to the Bishop of London paying for New Testaments in order to burn them, and the “money that Tyndale received from Tonstall enabled him to publish a new and superior edition.” The editor of says this poem was on an ancient painting in his possession, of the martyrdom of Tyndale.

The Works of John Bunyan: (Volume 3) Allegorical, Figurative, and Symbolical, p. 3

A Mighty Fortress is our God

“A mighty fortress is our God” sometimes is called “the battle hymn of the Reformation.” Martin Luther (1483-1546), German theologian and priest who broke with the Roman Catholic Church 1517-1519, wrote these words circa 1529 (Julian, p. 323). The words are associated with the 46th Psalm. Luther’s hymn speaks of God as our bulwark, our fortress, our place of protection, and our source of assurance. We do battle with moral and spiritual forces of evil. Three enemies are mentioned, the flesh (our own strength), the devil (our ancient foe, Prince of Darkness), and the world (earthly powers) God is our fortress. In him we find safety and protection. God’s truth abides. His word that endures forever.

Frederick Henry Hedge translated this hymn from the German into English circa 1852 (Julian, p. 324), and his translation is the one most commonly appearing in English hymn books. Hedge was born at Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1805. He served as a Unitarian pastor, as well a professor of Ecclesiastical History at Cambridge, and a professor of German Literature at Harvard. He died in 1890 and is buried at the Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.

1. A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper he, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and pow’r are great, and, armed with cruel hate
On earth is not his equal.

2. Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is he:
Lord Sabaoth, his name, from age to age the same,
And he must win the battle.

3. And though this world with devils filled should threaten to undo us;
We will not fear, for God hath willed his truth to triumph through us.
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him:
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

4. That word above all earthly pow’rs, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also:
The body they may kill; God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.

Martin Luther became an Augustinian monk, a professor at the University of Wittenberg, and a leader for reformation in the Catholic Church – which resulted in a break from Rome, and what we now call the Protestant Reformation. Luther translated the Bible into German.

The old hymn is paired almost always with the tune Ein Feste Burg, a name derived from the German first line of the hymn – Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott.

In other words, a to v

• aquamation, noun. (scientific name - Alkaline Hydrolysis) A process for the disposition of a dead body using water, lye, and heat, as an alternative to burial or cremation.
• apogee, noun. The point in the orbit of an object (such as a satellite) orbiting the earth that is at the greatest distance from the center of the earth; the farthest or highest point.
• axiopistos, adjective. (Greek αξιόπιστος) In reference to the Bible, trustworthy.
• cuddy wifter, noun. A left-handed person.
• dowager, noun. A widow holding property or a title from her deceased husband; a dignified elderly woman.
• fatuous, adjective. Foolish; silly and pointless.
• fawn, verb. To court favor by a cringing or flattering manner.
• feckless, adjective. Lacking initiative or strength of character; careless, irresponsible.
• glossator, noun. Aa person who writes glosses; glossarist; one of the medieval interpreters of the Roman and canon laws.
• grifter, noun. A person who engages in petty or small-scale swindling.
• incivility, noun. Rude or unsociable speech or behavior.
• interrobang, noun. A nonstandard punctuation mark (‽), combining a question mark and exclamation point, used to indicate a question expressed in an exclamatory manner.
• inveigle, verb. To win over by wiles; to acquire by ingenuity or flattery.
• luminary, noun. A person who inspires or influences others, especially one prominent in a particular sphere; a natural light-giving body, especially the sun or moon.
• netizen, noun. An active participant in the online community of the Internet.
• oligarchy, noun. A small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution; a country governed by an oligarchy; government by an oligarchy.
• oligopoly, noun. A state of limited competition, in which a market is shared by a small number of producers or sellers.
• onomastics, noun. The study of the history and origin of proper names, especially personal names.
• perigee, noun. The point in the orbit of an object (such as a satellite) orbiting the earth that is nearest to the center of the earth.
• posh, adjective. Elegant or stylishly luxurious.
• proscribe, verb. Forbid, especially by law; denounce or condemn.
• sophister, noun. A specious, unsound, or fallacious reasoner.
• subliminal, adjective. (of a stimulus or mental process) Below the threshold of sensation or consciousness; perceived by or affecting someone's mind without their being aware of it.
• sublunary, adjective. Of, relating to, or characteristic of the terrestrial world; belonging to this world as contrasted with a better or more spiritual one.
• superbia, noun. The Latin word for “pride.”
• tone-deaf, adjective. Unable to perceive differences of musical pitch accurately; having or showing an obtuse insensitivity or lack of perception particularly in matters of public sentiment, opinion, or taste.
• toyetic, adjective. Of a film, television program, cartoon character, or the like: that lends itself to the marketing of related merchandise, such as toys, games, costumes, etc.
• voluminous, adjective. Of great size, quantity, volume, or extent; (of clothing or drapery) loose and ample; (of writing) very lengthy and full.

The Antikythera Mechanism, and other links

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

• 10 Gravestone Clues to Find Your Ancestors -- “This gravestone from Narracan Cemetery in the Shire of Baw Baw, Victoria, Australia lists the cause of death for most of the family members.”
• Are Your Kids Going To Grow Up To Be Democrats? Know The Warning Signs -- “If you see any of these signs, now you have time to disown your children and write them out of your will before they donate their inheritance to Kamala Harris or something.” (satire)
• Associate Justice Clarence Thomas Wants the Supreme Court To Look At Facebook’s “Broad Immunity” -- “Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act passed in 1196 provides social media sites and other internet providers immunity from lawsuits that arise from something posted by a user.”
• Ben Stratton: Feedback with Don Neagle on 3/4/22 -- “Listen to Ben Stratton of the J. H. Spencer Historical Society, a radio interview on Logan County Baptist History (Select ‘Podcasts’ and then search for ‘Feedback w Don Neagle’ on 3/4/22)”
• Debunked Transitional Fossils Are the Tip of the Iceberg -- “...the pattern of the fossil record is consistently one of sudden appearance, and evolutionists have yet to successfully construct a single robustly populated series of gradually transitioning fossils that move chronologically from one form to a distinctly different morphology.”
• Dogtrot House, Tattnall County -- “Located southeast of Reidsville, this dogtrot is an amazing survivor. From my perspective, these are getting harder and harder to find.”
• EXCLUSIVE: In Leaked Audio Former NIH Director/New Biden Science Adviser Laughs Over Threatening Unemployment to Force Vaccines, Blames Trump For Covid Deaths -- “Former head of the NIH, FRancis Collins, appointed as President Bidens new science adviser, has consistently maintained that he plays a nonpartisan role in the federal government.”
• Florida Boarding House was Known for its Biscuits -- “The house sat along an important travel route for cattlemen who were moving their stocks to the markets in Jacksonville.”
• Florida Education Bill, CS/CS/HB 1557 -- “An act relating to parental rights in education; amending s. 1001.42, F.S.; requiring district school boards to adopt procedures that comport with certain provisions of law for notifying a student’s parent of specified information...”
• Friedhof Lauterbrunnen -- “Friedhof Lauterbrunnen, the village cemetery, is located near the highest waterfall in Switzerland, Mürrenbach Fall, cascading 1,638 feet off the cliffside.”
• Historic Rural Churches of Georgia -- “Partners for Sacred Places has honored Historic Rural Churches with a juried award.”
• How Church Discipline Aims at Heaven -- “The church cannot worship God while living in sin. Scripture warns us that if we live in sin, God will not hear our prayers (Ps. 66:18).”
• How the Federal Government Used Evangelical Leaders to Spread COVID Propaganda to Churches -- “But the pro-life Christian framing was sure to win Collins a hearing among an audience with deep religious convictions about the evil of abortion.”
• How Tim Keller & Russell Moore Became Grifters for Masks & Vaccines -- “Megan Basham, a reporter for the Daily Wire recently wrote an article exposing how Francis Collins and the NIH co-opted evangelical leaders like Tim Keller and Russell Moore, influencing them to support the establishment narrative on masks and the COVID vaccines.” (interview)
• Pterosaurs Didn’t Have Feathers -- “Moreover, the very existence of preserved dinosaur and pterosaur skin fibers is itself a strong argument that these creatures did not live millions of years ago.”
• Textual Criticism and the End of Biblical Inerrancy -- “I have to admit I was stunned by what happened; I had never expected to see an evangelical try to convince people that there were errors in the Bible.”
• The Antikythera Mechanism: Testament to ancient human genius -- “Our work reveals the Antikythera Mechanism as a beautiful conception, translated by superb engineering into a device of genius. It challenges all our preconceptions about the technological capabilities of the ancient Greeks.”
• The Best Defense of the Bible is the Bible -- “When ones faith depends upon the veracity of the academic and not upon the Bible alone, one is building upon sand.”
• The Lord Gave the Word: A Study in the History of the Biblical Text -- “The Bible is the eternal Word of God. It has been given by God to man that it might be the absolute, supreme, authoritative, infallible, and unchangeable standard for faith and practice.”
• The Myth of a Christian Baby Daddy -- “A man who fathers a child, and commits himself to a course of life which involves shirking the responsibility of raising and providing for that child, and his mother, is committed to a life which involves a permanent and ongoing intentional rebellion against God.”
• Utah, stick this in your pipe and smoke it! Idaho is the ‘least sinful’ state in U.S. -- “WalletHub says it compared all of the states ‘across 47 key indicators of immoral or illicit behavior. Our data set ranges from violent crimes per capita to excessive drinking to the share of the population with gambling disorders.’”
• WaPo columnist says “fans of Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill have a new favorite word: ‘grooming’” ... and I think someone hit a nerve. -- “Most of the bill reads like this; it’s basically a parents’ rights manifesto requiring transparency and parental involvement, which is probably what many leftists really object to.”
• Why There Are Just Four Gospels in the Bible -- “But there is one final aspect of the explanation for a ‘fourfold Gospel,’ and it is the one I suggested could give us the ‘most direct path’ to the answer: the self-authenticating power of these Gospels themselves.”

Special Alabamian Stanley Smith, 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.

• Criteria for Evaluating Christian Music -- “A recommendation for corporate worship is based on the song’s message, biblical accuracy, outsider interpretation, and inherent glorification of God, alongside its ability to lead others to proclaim to God His value and worth.”
• Denson Brothers/Sacred Harp Music -- “The ‘Denson Book’ is the most widely used of the hardback ‘old song’ books.”
• Dolly Parton ‘respectfully’ removes herself from Rock & Roll Hall of Fame consideration -- “I don’t feel that I have earned the right.”
• East Texas Sacred Harp Singing Convention returns to Henderson -- “The East Texas Sacred Harp Singing Convention was organized in 1855 and is the second-oldest continuous singing convention in the United States.”
• Nine Reasons People Aren’t Singing in Worship -- “...in the vast pool of new songs, many are not suitable for congregational singing by virtue of their rhythms (too difficult for the average singer) or too wide of a range (consider the average singer—not the vocal superstar on stage).”
• Noises in the Forest: a brief history of some music from East Texas -- “Interviews with six individuals from the Nacogdoches area that highlight how music developed in Deep East Texas over the last several decades.” (A key is the word some; interesting, but misses a lot of important music history of East Texas.)
• Singer and ‘Braxton Family Values’ star Traci Braxton dies at 50 of cancer -- “We have come to a time where we must inform the public that after a year of privately undergoing a series of treatment for Esophageal cancer our beloved Traci Braxton has gone on to glory.”
• Seven Special Alabamians to be honored at the 2022 Celebration of Alabama Arts Ceremony -- “Stanley’s gracious, unassuming manner belies his influence on the community of Sacred Harp singers and the degree to which he has strengthened the tradition.”
• The Theology and Place of Music in Worship -- “Contemporary culture and modern technology bring new possibilities and new challenges to the music ministry of the church.”

Parachurch organizations, 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.)

“Parachurch organizations—they’re just another oxcart.” -- Bobby Mitchell

“A true Christian is one who has not only peace of conscience, but war within. He may be known by his warfare as well as by his peace.” -- J. C. Ryle

“If faith cannot rest on the Word of God it has nothing on which to to rest.” -- Iain Murray

“When ones faith depends upon the veracity of the academic and not upon the Bible alone, one is building upon sand.” -- Robert Truelove

“Are we to swallow the notion that the only way to recover the words of God is to leave God out of the project?” -- Peter Van Kleeck, Jr.

“God is the God of the waves and the billows, and they are still his when they come over us.” -- Amy Carmichael (1867-1951)

“I have learned to kiss the waves that throw me against the Rock of Ages.” -- Charles H. Spurgeon

“Science is not infallible; God is infallible.” -- Megan Basham

“You can’t break God’s promises by leaning on them.” -- Unknown

“The Christian is supposed to love his neighbor, and since his wife is his nearest neighbor, she should be his deepest love.” -- Martin Luther

“God has not trusted our own lives to our own keeping, for our life is hid with Christ in God.” -- Gilbert Beebe

“I am in favor of taking the New Testament, after allowing for parables, prophecies, and figurative expression, as it reads.” -- Samuel Trott

“I may not understand what Jesus Christ says, but it is dangerous to say that therefore he was mistaken in what he said.” -- Oswald Chambers

“It is well to understand that we are to be ‘first pure, then peaceable.’ Our peaceableness is never to be a compact with sin, or tolerance of evil.” -- Charles H. Spurgeon, Mornings and Evenings