Sensationalist headline

Waffle House Denies Waitress $1,000 Tip -- A Waffle House spokesman explains, "When a guest makes a tip of this size, it is our procedure to refund the tip amount and ask the guest to make the tip in either cash or a check. We follow this procedure in the event the customer decides to dispute the credit card charge and ask for a refund for the tip amount at a later date."

Huffington Post does (at best) a poor job -- and at worst an extremely irresponsible one-- reporting on Waffle House denying one of their waitresses a $1,000 tip. The headline would make you think that Waffle House kept $1000 intended for the waitress. But they simply have a sound business policy and followed their policy. The waitress got the $1000 tip and won't have to worry about later returning it via a customer disputing a credit card charge. Don't anyone be mad at Waffle House. They have a good policy that protects the wait-staff, their business and even the customer.

Such irresponsible reporting makes one wonder whether the reporter or someone else at Huff Post owns stock in Huddle House!?!

A hymn for today

How deep the Father's love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure.

How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory.

Behold the man upon a cross
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers.

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished.

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection.

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom.

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom.

Posted in the Sovereign Grace Forum

Do Christians make the least faithful spouses?

This morning I linked the Huff Post article, Christians Make The Least Faithful Spouses, According To A New Survey.

The survey was conducted by Ashley Madison. Ashley Madison is a dating website "for people already in relationships." According to Wikipedia, "Ashley Madison is an online dating service and social networking service marketed to people who are already in a relationship with the slogan 'Life is short. Have an affair'."  It further states that the service has over 21 million members in 30 countries.  Supposedly they "sought to discover the link between religion and infidelity by asking 105,000 of its members about their religious affiliation."

I fear that the article is far too accurate to be simply be cast off by Christians, but far too "messy" to yield up any quickly consumed conclusions.

First of all, many Christians are unfaithful to their spouses.

But, second, the very nature of the website makes the answers of those surveyed suspect. They are unfaithful and probably lying to their spouses, so whether we can get much accurate and faithful data from them is questionable.

Third, where were most of the people polled located? For example, are they in primarily "Christian" countries?

Finally, it does not take into account self-reporting and the "definition" of what a Christian really is. If the respondents are in primarily "Christian" there is a likelihood of nominal attachment to a religion. IOW, they say they are Christians because they aren't atheists or Muslims or Buddhists, their parents were Christians and so on. This survey may tell us a lot about all the sorts of people who claim the Christian name, but little about those who are actively trying to live out their faith. There are (at least in the United States & western world) lots of nominal Christians. On the other hand, there are not likely many "nominal" atheists.

Just something to think about.

Soldiers, Surveys and Southern Baptists

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

* Bowe Bergdahl’s Former Roommates Paint Different Picture of Controversial Soldier -- "Sherry Horton knows a different Bergdahl than the one the world has come to see in the chilling proof of life videos the Taliban released."
* CBO Quietly Drops Forecast That Obamacare Will Cut the Deficit -- "One of the Obama administration's major selling points in passing the Affordable Care Act in 2010 was a Congressional Budget Office forecast that the controversial legislation would reduce the deficit by more than $120 billion over the coming decade."
* Christians Make The Least Faithful Spouses, According To A New Survey -- "Having faith doesn't necessarily mean you're faithful... to your spouse."
* Last of original group of Navajo Code Talkers dies -- "The language he once was punished for speaking in school became Chester Nez's primary weapon in World War II."
* Parent: Why I can’t 'in good conscience' leave my kids in public school -- "The MCAT is approximately five hours and ten minutes to get into medical school. And the state of Florida thinks it’s okay to subject our small children to fourteen hours stressful and strenuous testing?...I cannot, in good conscience, allow them to be the guinea pigs for a curriculum that has not been proven and pawns in the high-stakes testing game."
* Poll: 42% of Americans Believe God Created Humans 10,000 Years Ago -- "...for Americans who attend church weekly, 69% think God created humans in their present form within the last 10,000 years, and for those who attend church “nearly weekly/monthly,” 47% believe that God created humans within the last 10,000 years."
* Relentless Incompetence: Americans Are Giving Up on Obama -- "When leadership fails, people stop following. It appears in the sixth year of the Barack Obama presidency, that moment has arrived."
* Southern Baptist pastor accepts his gay son, changes his church -- "In August of 2013, on a sunny day at the beach, I realized I no longer believed in the traditional teachings regarding homosexuality."
* Woman buried alive after worst first date ever -- "...El Houari was an undiagnosed diabetic and had been in a diabetic coma when she was placed in the makeshift grave."

I asked

I asked for strength and God gave me difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for wisdom and God gave me problems to solve.
I asked for prosperity and God gave me brawn and brains to work.
I asked for courage and God gave me dangers to overcome.
I asked for patience and God placed me in situations where I was forced to wait.
I asked for love and God gave me troubled people to help.
I asked for favors and God gave me opportunities.
I asked for everything so I could enjoy life. 
He gave me life so I could enjoy everything.
I received nothing I wanted. I received everything I needed.

-- Author Unknown

Next linkin

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

* 3 weak password strategies—and one that works -- "Passwords are your first line of defense against online predators...To be strong, it should be long, complex and use symbols, letters, and numbers."
* 25 Words That Are Their Own Opposites -- " “Because of the agency’s oversight, the corporation’s behavior was sanctioned.” Does that mean...?"
* A drag queen was behind USPS Harvey Milk stamp -- "Honoring predator Harvey Milk on a U.S. postage stamp is disturbing to say the least. Harvey Milk was a very disreputable man and used his charm and power to prey on young boys with emotional problems and drug addiction."
* Atheists lose latest legal fight over ‘In God We Trust’ -- "Atheists lost their case against the “In God We Trust” motto on the nation’s currency Wednesday (May 28)."
* Beards, Beer and Baptists -- "A Charleston Southern University associate professor was fired on Friday after his likeness appeared on a beer can...Roof had his picture taken at the 2013 Beard and Moustache National Championships by photographer Greg Anderson. Holy City Brewing went on to use that picture on their Chucktown Follicle Brown Ale cans. Roof says Holy City Brewing never attempted to contact him."
* Bowe Bergdahl No Hero To Fellow Soldiers -- "Some veterans and soldiers are calling him a deserter."
* Five Reasons Why Most Southern Baptist Churches Baptize Almost No Millennials -- "...according to a recent report by a special task force of pastors, the baptism drought in America's largest evangelical denomination—which counts 15.7 million members and 5.8 million Sunday worshipers—is worst among millennials."
* Fundamentalists Protest Harvey Milk Stamp, Accuse LGBT Activist of Pedophilia -- "The stamp was unveiled on Wednesday at a White House ceremony a week after Harvey Milk Day."
* How Obama needlessly bungled the case of Bowe Bergdahl -- "Among other errors and deceptions, the administration played up the service of a soldier who has been accused of desertion."
* How to Find Out if Any of Your Ancestors Were Famous – or Infamous -- "...most people who set out to research their roots find the experience interesting, exciting, and hugely rewarding. Chances are, there are many remarkable characters—both heroes and villains—in your family line."
* Middle School Teacher Suspended For Showing Video About White Actors Wearing Blackface -- "History is history. We need to educate our kids to see how far we’ve come in America. How is that racism?"
* The Least Popular Books of the Bible -- "The 10 least-read books of the Bible on BibleGateway.com"
* Why Lighter-Hued Butterflies and Dragonflies Are Faring Better Than Their Darker Counterparts -- "The lighter-colored butterflies...fare better in the heat than their darker peers, whose coloring absorbs more sunlight. Lighter-colored insects can deflect light to avoid overheating."

Sandy Valley and a preacher eating peanuts

Deacon Drew Drewery had to put his elderly mother in the nursing home. Last week her pastor Nebbish Peacock paid her a visit. When he got there, the dear old Sister was sleeping. Reverend Peacock had driven all the way up to Hayden Bluff and didn't want to make a return trip again too soon. He decided she might not sleep too long, so he sat in a chair in her room to wait. While he was waiting he thumbed through some magazines that were on a table. He noticed some peanuts sitting in a bowl next to them. As he waited and read, he chomped on the peanuts.

When Sister Drewery finally woke up, she and the reverend had a fine visit. As he prepared to go, Nebbish realized that he'd absent-mindedly eaten all of this old Sister's peanuts. He apologized profusely, repeating nervously, "I'm so sorry, I've eaten all of your peanuts!"

"That's okay, reverend," Sister Drewery replied. "After I suck off the chocolate, I don't want them anymore. I can't chew the nuts anyway."

Start linkin

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

* 8 Numbers Identity Thieves Want to Steal From You -- "You probably realize that identity thieves are after your email addresses and passwords, but that’s not all they want."
* “Baptists, Just Without the Baptisms -- "A task force of Southern Baptist ministers reports its finding on the sect's declining rate of dunkings, saying, 'We have a spiritual problem.'"
* Franklin Graham Is the Worst Thing to Happen to God in a While --"In a speech at the Family Research Council’s Watchmen on the Wall, Graham made it his business to remind the audience of pastors about the people God hates."
* Highland Baptist to perform same-sex marriages -- "...Deacons have decided Louisville's Highland Baptist Church will perform marriages for same-sex couples, though the full congregation has not voted on the issue."
* Study: King Richard III maligned as hunchback -- "Richard III died in 1485, the last English king killed on a battlefield."
* The scoliosis of Richard III, last Plantagenet King of England: diagnosis and clinical significance -- "Richard III was king of England from 1483 to 1485, after declaring his nephew, Edward V, illegitimate."

Quoteth

"Genealogy, begins as an interest, becomes a hobby, continues as an avocation and in the last stages, is an incurable disease." -- copied

"One who feels no pride in ancestors is unworthy to be remembered by descendants." -- copied

"Movies may not reflect reality, but they powerfully condition what we desire, expect and feel we deserve from it." -- Ann Hornaday

"The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race." -- John Roberts

"There is more real pleasure, satisfaction, and happiness in half an hour with God...than in all the delights of sin, all the lusts of the flesh, all the pride of life, and all the amusements that the world has ever devised..." -- J. C. Philpot

"God wants you to love people more than He wants you to fix people." -- Steve Brown

"You can't bed with skunks and expect to smell like roses." -- Traditional proverb

"You have to remember that babies are fresh from God." -- Sue Hillman (foster parent)

"Truth is still truth, even if no one believes it."

Dueling politicians

* A future American president’s deadly duel -- "On this day in 1806, future President Andrew Jackson nearly died in a duel when he killed his opponent, a fellow plantation owner."

No less than the blood

Ye are bought with a price. - 1 Corinthians 6:20

"How deep, how dreadful, of what awful magnitude, of how black a dye, of how ingrained a stamp must sin be, to need such an atonement--no less than the blood of him who was the Son of God--to put it away." -- J. C. Philpot

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
   Robert Lowery

Lotsa Links

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

* 11 Healthiest Foods in the World -- "Grown without chemicals and loaded with nutrition, these 11 foods will keep you (and the planet) healthy for life.
* Blaming NRA over killings shows no amount of laws enough for anti-gunners -- "...no amount of 'gun control', for which California has been hailed as a leader by citizen disarmament groups, will ever be enough for them."
* British court orders Richard III to be buried in Leicester -- "Britain's High Court ordered on Friday that king Richard III should be buried in a cathedral in Leicester, the city where his remains were found under a car park two years ago."
* Doctors Think Emergency Room Visits Are Going To Explode Under Obamacare -- "One of the major selling points of the Affordable Care Act was its theoretical potential to reduce costly emergency room visits, given the law's access to coverage.
* In a final videotaped message, a sad reflection of the sexist stories we so often see on screen -- "Movies may not reflect reality, but they powerfully condition what we desire, expect and feel we deserve from it."
* Is Gay Marriage Unstoppable? -- "...in Justice Scalia’s world, people get gay-married. In Justice Kennedy’s, gay (and straight) people get married. The distinction is subtle but makes a tremendous difference."
* Pakistan woman stoned to death by family for marrying man she loved -- "All the suspects except her father escaped. He admitted killing his daughter, Cheema said, and explained it was a matter of honor."
* Remains of 40 Confederate soldiers discovered in Virginia cemetery -- "Their remains sat, unmarked, in shallow graves at the Old City Cemetery in Lynchburg, Va., for decades."
* Sharia Law Interrupts a Woman's Wedding -- "Seventeen women were detained for several hours. The team of men who held them gave the reason as listening to loud music and not wearing Islamic dress."
* Sharing Finances in a Marriage: 5 Stats You Should Know -- "Here are a few statistics on marriage and finances, some of which may surprise you."
* Sudanese Christian shackled while awaiting death sentence, husband says -- "Meriam Ibrahim, 26, who is eight months pregnant, was sentenced to death last Thursday after being convicted of apostasy."
* The Kissing Cousins of Divorce and Heresy -- "As a pastor of more than 20 years, my heart breaks every time I hear of a couple splitting up."

Memorial Day

"Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) — established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that Decoration Day should be observed on May 30. It is believed that date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country."

For more Memorial Day History see the Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs site.

The use of the voice

"When man was created he was blessed in many ways above other creatures; one blessing in particular was the voice with which to speak, and sing hymns of love and adoration to the Creator. He who uses not the voice given him, deprives himself of much pleasure, and is guilty of the sin of omission. Nothing short of the use of the voice to the fullest extent will suffice." -- "B. L. Vaughn, Singer and Instructor in Vocal Music" (Benjamin Lewis Vaughn, 1885--1912)

The Edge of Links

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

* 19 Words That Will Make People Like You More -- "First impressions can lead to lasting impressions."
* How to See Yourself as the Web Sees You: 5 Tips -- "Searching for yourself on the Web is not just an activity of the vain and shallow. It is an important tool in managing your career and your personal life.
* Mega Church Pastor: Obama Legacy is that He Destroyed the Experiment Called America -- "I do not recall in my lifetime anything remotely close to what we are seeing. For the law enforcer in Washington D.C., the chief in America, to tell the Attorneys General across the states that you don’t have to enforce the law if you don’t like it. That is beyond anything I was taught in school. Rule of law and consent of the governed has been lost."
* Pope Francis says half of marriages today are invalid -- "To much fanfare in the press, Pope Francis has started a 'dialogue' about the Catholic Church's marriage practices."
* Researchers Who Provided Key Evidence For Gluten Sensitivity Have Now Thoroughly Shown That It Doesn't Exist -- "Since gluten is a protein found in any normal diet, Gibson was unsatisfied with his finding. He wanted to find out why the gluten seemed to be causing this reaction and if there could be something else going on."
* Scientists Rebut White House Global Warming Claims -- "The scientists do not have any affiliation with any particular organization and have worked together pro bono for several years."
* The actress who helped Lincoln defeat the Confederacy -- "Pauline Cushman donned disguises, dodged death and secretly slipped behind enemy lines as a Civil War spy."

Tulips, Roses, Poinsettias and Lilies: a veritable theological garden

Several years ago I posted on Calvinism and other acrostics. Since that time I’ve noticed a few other theological acronyms blooming. Here’s some of the old and new.

The oldest and most established flower, of course, is the Tulip.
* The Five Points of Calvinism

Others that have appeared in the soteriological hot bed, though not necessarily flourished, include:

Roses
* “Roses” (an Alternative to TULIP)

Two different Daisies (one of which sounds more like a caricature of Arminian theology than a flower planted by an Arminian)
* The Five Points of Arminianism
* DAISY: The 5 Points of Arminianism

The Lily
* Malcolm Yarnell’s Lily

Lilac (an “Arminian” list also crafted by a Calvinist)
* The Poisonous Petals of the Arminian LILAC

As if Calvinism needed another, there is always the Aster:
Absolute predestination
Specific atonement
Total inability
Effectual calling
Reliable promise

Perhaps the best supported of the new acronyms is the Poinsettia, sporting many more than the traditional five petals.
* Doctrinal Statement -- “Poinsettia: a new flower in the soteriological garden”

Search for 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 Tech Terms You Might Be Pronouncing Incorrectly -- "To ensure that you don’t come off sounding silly next time you’re chatting with nerds, we’ve compiled this guide on how to properly pronounce some of the terms popular in tech and tech culture."
* 17-year-old high school student beats sitting W.Va. lawmaker in primary -- "A week before her high school graduation, Saira Blair was barely old enough to vote when she unseated a West Virginia lawmaker almost four times her age."
* A Castrated Language Is A Weaker Language -- "A castrated  or neutered language is a weaker language and a weaker language leads toward more weakness."
* Arkansas judge strengthens ruling striking down gay marriage ban -- "The state's initial appeals of Piazza's ruling were rejected on Wednesday by the Arkansas Supreme Court, which said it had no jurisdiction until the lower court's finding was finalized and formally entered."
* Coalition Of Black Pastors Speaks Out Against Gay Marriage -- "A coalition of black pastors have condemned gay marriage, saying it's incorrect to compare the fight for equal marriage rights to the civil rights movement."
* New Paltz Students Find $40K in a Couch -- "So that's why this $20 couch was so lumpy
* 'Pro-choice' Is Just a Propaganda Term -- "Pro-abortionists are fit to be tied over the Missouri Legislature's approval of a bill that requires women to wait 72 hours after first seeing a doctor before having an abortion...opponents of the bill, in keeping with the practice of pro-abortionists never to find any argument too preposterous to assert, said the longer waiting period would push women further into pregnancy before an abortion, which could increase their risk."
* School integration slipping 60 years after Brown -- "For black students, the South now is the least segregated section of America...more than half of black students in New York, Illinois, Maryland and Michigan attend schools where 90 percent or more are minority."
* What does the Extent of the Atonement have to do with Baptist Ecclesiology? -- "Wellum showed from a biblical-theological reading of Scripture, with emphasis on Christ’s  priestly office and New Covenant mediation, how Christ’s death relates to the subjects of particular redemption and Baptist ecclesiology."

We are called Baptists

We are called Baptists. A name which was once better understood than at present, once applied exclusively to the followers of the Lamb of God, but now prostituted in many instances, as a cognomen to conceal the murderous spirit of those who “have gone in the way of Cain, ran greedily after the error of Balaam, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.” (Jude 11) The first man that ever bore the Baptist name was beheaded by the decree of Herod, and from the day he suffered, to the present, the history of the people to whom that name legitimately belongs, may be traced in characters of blood.

-- Gilbert Beebe, Signs of the Times, June 15, 1844

Thoughts on same-sex marriage

Some comments from a Michigan black pastors' coalition, and two links:

"The fact that American media or other factions erroneously characterize the traditional meaning of 'marriage' as being on par with the civil rights deprivations of Black Americans does not make it so."

"A person’s sexuality and sexual preferences, however, are not their state of being, or even an immutable aspect of who they are, as race is," it reads. "The truth of the matter is that it is merely activity in which they engage. The state has no responsibility to promote any person’s sexual proclivities, whether heterosexual, homosexual, or otherwise."

"All states routinely require certain qualifications to obtain a marriage license and disallow certain individuals who do not meet those qualifications. States discriminate against first cousins, for example, by not allowing them to marry. States discriminate against bigamists, polygamists, and polyamorists in the licensing of marriage, and it is within the states’ right to do so."

• Federal judge rules Idaho's same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional -- "A federal magistrate judge, Candy Dale, has ruled that Idaho's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional."
• The Mirage of Same-Sex Marriage -- "This indeed is a complicated ruling."

Contemplation of God by Simpson

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God” (1 John 3:1)

Consider four truths: God’s love is –

Eternal – it is without beginning and end. ‘In love, having predestined us’ (Eph 1:4-5). ‘Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee’ (Jer 31:3).

Sovereign – it is without external influence. ‘Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated’ (Rom 9:13). ‘According to the good pleasure of his will’ (Eph 1:4)

Immutable –it is without change. ‘strong as death…many waters cannot quench it’ (SS 8:6-7). ‘having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end’ (John 13:1). ‘Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?’(Rom 8:35)

Gracious – it is without condition. ‘God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son’ (Jn 3:16). God’s definite love rested on the fulfillment of one condition: the obedience of Christ unto death. The Father was satisfied with everything concerning His Son; likewise, He was satisfied with His elect.

Christ didn’t die to make God love them; rather, Christ died because God loved them. His love sent the Son; and love moved the Son to give His life. The ultimate purpose of all God did in behalf of those chosen before the foundation of the world was for “the praise of the glory of his grace” (Eph 1:6). The imputation of Christ’s righteous work resulted in the elect being forgiven from sin, redeemed from the Law’s curse, justified from condemnation, and adopted as God’s children. John said, God “bestowed” love and “called” us His “sons”. This relationship isn’t by natural birth or human decision. It came by declaration and Christ’s finished work.

---T. David Simpson