Theology in a Box

A box has a bottom, four sides, and a top. It can only hold so much, and then it is full. Often our theological approach is similar to a box. We pack our theology nicely and neatly in a little box and are then satisfied. But if our box is full, we cannot learn from God’s word. We cannot grow. In opposition to our approach, Peter said we should grow both in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 3:18)

Happy Birthday, Isaac

Isaac Watts was born on this day, 344 years ago.

Watts was born in Southampton, England on this day July 17, 1674. He fell under conviction in 1688 and learned to trust Christ in a personal way a year later.

Watts preached his first sermon on this day, 320 years ago.

After attaining his education under more difficult circumstances, Watts became a preacher. He gave his first sermon on this day, his birthday, July 17, 1698, at Mark Lane in London.

Watts remains one of the most influential hymn writers of the English-speaking world – so much so that he is often referred to as “the Father of English Hymnody.”

Psalm singing had fallen into a sad state and church leaders were seriously questioning what to do. Watts boldly called for a new kind of psalm, rewritten in light of the New Testament gospel. “We preach the gospel and pray in Christ’s name, and then check the aroused devotions of Christians by giving out a song of the old dispensation.”

One of Watts’s most well-known hymns is Crucifixion to the World by the Death of Christ, which he related to Galatians 6:14 (But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.). It is purported that Charles Wesley said that he would give up all his own hymns for this one.

1. When I survey the wondrous cross

On which the Prince of glory dy’d,

My richest gain I count but loss,

And pour contempt on all my pride.

2. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,

Save in the death of Christ my God:

All the vain things that charm me most,

I sacrifice them to thy blood.

3. See from his head, his hands, his feet,

Sorrow and love flow mingled down!

Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,

Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

4. His dying crimson, like a robe,

Spreads o’er his body on the tree;

Then am I dead to all the globe,

And all the globe is dead to me.

5. Were the whole realm of nature mine,

That were a present far too small;

Love so amazing, so divine,

Demands my soul, my life, my all.

• When I Survey Wondrous Cross, lined version, led by Elder Otis Buell.
• When I Survey Wondrous Cross, sung at Mars Hill Primitive Baptist Church in Hoboken, Georgia in 2007.
• When I Survey Wondrous Cross, sung at Temple Baptist Church in Powell, Tennessee.

10 Things I Would Do, 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 Things I Would Do More Often If I Were Pastoring Again -- "5. Wash feet. I don’t see this act as an ordinance of the church, but I do see it as an act of public service and humility. Sometimes, a leader simply needs to show his love by serving others."
• A Great Pro-Protestant Argument against Sacred Tradition from Ross Douthat -- "Everybody’s a fundamentalist. Everybody has an intellectual baseline, a bedrock of axioms lying directly on top of the hot magma of their loves."
• An Overview of Acts -- "Acts 1:8 is key to understanding and outlining Acts."
• And the Dishonorable Mention Goes to... -- "But not so with Judas. Though he and the other apostles cast out demons and preached the kingdom of God, he is never recorded in a positive light when his name is explicitly mentioned in Scripture."
• Bombshell: FEC Records Indicate Hillary Campaign Illegally Laundered $84 Million -- "The mainstream media took no notice of a federal court filing that exposes a $84 million money-laundering conspiracy Democrats executed during the 2016 presidential election."
• Cold case solved after 32 years when murder suspect turns self in — despite no police leads -- "In July 2017, he went to police in Santa Barbara, California, intending to turn himself in but got cold feet about confessing to the cold case and left before officers could interview him."
• Inconsistent Translation in the King James Bible -- "Actually, there is no such principle of uniform translation. There is no accepted principle that states that clear understanding requires a particular word in one language to always be translated into a particular word in another language."
• Jimmy Carter Says Jesus Would Approve of Gay Marriage, Abortion -- "This isn’t, however, the first time that Carter has said such things. He made these claims in 2015 as well."
• Not My President? -- "In short, if the president is my president, then I ought to want him or her to succeed. Granted, success has to be measured against an accurate standard..."
• Peter Masters on False Teachers -- "Peter Masters might just be one of the most stalwart, scholarly and faithful confessional Baptists on the planet."
• Rev. Andrew Tribble, Pioneer -- "From the Register of Kentucky State Historical Society, May, 1926), pp. 187-190" (read free online)
• Southern Baptist officials knew of sexual abuse allegations 11 years before leader’s arrest -- "Anne Marie Miller speaks about her relationship with a youth pastor she now describes as a pedophile."
• Thank God for ... Government? -- "There is a fine line between the legitimate—even needed—criticism of a failed policy, and the caustic critique driven merely by egoism, partisan tribalism, or score-settling."
• The Democratic Party left me behind — and I'm not alone -- "I’m no Trump supporter, but I’ve been horrified and repulsed by the political and cultural left’s hatred, demonization and mistreatment of President Trump, his family, his administration officials and his voters, which is even worse (if that’s possible) than what the right did to President Obama."
• The eccentric nature of religious freedom and true dissent -- "True freedom, by default, brings eccentricity. At one point, Baptists themselves were viewed as an eccentric people."
• The Human Cost of Sweden’s Welfare State -- "A group of women berated my friend in a public park because her 2-year-old son wasn’t in day care."
• Why Americans prefer a Bible in their hands to one at their finger tips -- "Americans are online for everything nowadays, but evidence shows most prefer paper and ink to read the Good Book."
• Why We Should Mourn for the Copts, But Not Assume They’re Christians -- "Until the murder of 21 Egyptians in February of 2015, the International Mission Board (IMB) of the Southern Baptist Convention listed the Coptic Christians as an “unreached people group” in need of Evangelism. After that event, in Southern Baptist leaders were publicly mourning the death of our “brothers and sisters,” and after Pulpit & Pen linked those articles at the IMB accordingly, the organization scrubbed all references and deleted all articles relating to Coptic Christians and their status as spiritually lost. (Regardless of the religion of those twenty-one people, the world should be outraged.)"
• Why you might want to wrap your car key fob in foil -- "Cybersecurity experts say privately that anyone who knows anything about the ease of auto and personal data hacking practices safe fob storage."

Panting after the smiles of God

So long as the world smiles, and they have all that heart can wish, so long as they are buoyed up by the hypocrite’s hope, and lulled asleep by the soft breezes of flattery, they are well satisfied to sail down the stream of a dead profession. But it is not so with the living soul; he is at times panting after the smiles of God; he is thirsting after his manifested presence; he feels dissatisfied with the world, and all that it presents, if he cannot find the Lord, and does not enjoy the light of his countenance. Where this is experienced, it stamps a man as having the grace of God in his heart.

J. C. Philpot (1802–1869)

Strait is the way

Hymn 161 in Book 2 of Hymns and Spiritual Songs by Isaac Watts

1. Strait is the way, the door is strait 
that leads to joys on high;
’Tis but a few that find the gate, 
while crowds mistake and die.

2. Beloved self must be denied, 
the mind and will renewed;
Passion suppressed, and patience tried, 
and vain desires subdued.

3. Flesh is a dangerous foe to grace; 
where it prevails and rules;
Flesh must be humbled, pride abased, 
lest they destroy our souls.

4. The love of gold be banished hence,
that vile idolatry,
And every member, every sense,
in sweet subjection lie.

5. The tongue, that most unruly power,
requires a strong restraint;
We must be watchful every hour,
and pray, but never faint.

6. Lord! can a feeble, helpless worm 
fulfill a task so hard?
Thy grace must all my work perform, 
and give the free reward.

Hazelelponi is remembered

The unusual and intriguing name Hazelelponi occurs just one time in the Bible, in 1 Chronicles 4:3: And these were of the father of Etam; Jezreel, and Ishma, and Idbash: and the name of their sister was Hazelelponi.

We barely know who she was. We know she was a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob, of the tribe of Judah, the daughter of Etam, sister of Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash. That’s all.

We are not sure what her name means. Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon says it means “give shade, thou that turnest to me.” Jones’ Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names has “the shadow looking at me.” Hitchcock’s Bible Names Dictionary has “sorrow of countenance.” All the Women of the Bible says it means either “Deliver me, O God who regardest me,” or “the deliverance of the God who regardeth me.” The “authorities” do not agree.

We are sure that God remembers her. We are sure because his word mentions her. We are sure because of the nature of God. The Lord knows all things. The Lord knoweth them that are his, and the very hairs of your head are all numbered. It is encouraging to find these little reminders of God knowing the otherwise unknown, and God remembering the otherwise unremembered.

Random KJV Quotes

“When you quote the KJV, you don’t have to tell people you’re quoting the Bible. They just know.” – Mark L. Ward

“A native speaker of English who has never read a word of the King James Bible is verging on the barbarian.” – Richard Dawkins

“[The King James Bible]’s  subject is majesty, not tyranny, and it’s political purpose was unifying and enfolding, to elide the kingliness of God with the godliness of kings, to make royal power and divine glory into one invisible garment which could be wrapped around the nation as a whole. Its grandeur of phrasing and the deep slow music of its rhythms – far more evident here than in any Bible the sixteenth century had produced – were conscious embodiments
of regal glory.” – Adam Nicolson in God’s Secretaries

“They took from Tyndale because Tyndale had done well, not perfectly and not always with an ear for the richness of the language, but with a passion for clarity which the Jacobean scholars shared. What virtue was there in newness when the old was so good?” – Adam Nicolson

“Much of English-speaking Christianity has sent the King James Version to that part of the forest where trees fall with no one to hear them.” – Mark L. Ward

“It is far easier to learn a few obscure words than to scrap the standard and allow unbelievers and heretics to manipulate newer versions as have happened.” – Russell Kelly

“I have quite a few different Bibles. Having rejected my parents’ religion, I still think the King James Bible is the most important work of literature in English. None of us can help being influenced by it.” – Ken Follett

“The scholars who produced this masterpiece...forged an enduring link, literary and religious, between the English-speaking people of the world.” – Winston Churchill

“The translation was extraordinarily well done because to the translators what they were translating was not merely a curious collection of ancient books written by different authors in different stages of culture, but the word of God divinely revealed through His chosen and expressly inspired scribes.” – George Bernard Shaw

The Seven Points of Vaughanism

The history of Christianity and its simple gospel message seems to have long been cursed with a soteriological debate regarding Divine sovereignty and human responsibility. Many historians would trace its origins to Augustine and Pelagius over 1600 years ago. I say “cursed” not because the relationship of Divine sovereignty and human responsibility is unimportant. No, “cursed” because the debate has descended into theological bloviating on theological minutiae that the theological bloviaters do not understand – and do not understand that they do not understand! Trying to screw down their theology as tight as possible, they miss the command to simply preach the gospel and leave the salvation to God. No! We must know and understand the ordo salutis [i] and other depths that only God understands – and we must make sure everyone else understands what we don’t understand just the way we (don’t) understand it! Never mind that “the essence of Christian maturity” might be “to have a high tolerance for ambiguity.”[ii]

So into the fray steps this bloviater to bloviate about the subject. Like everyone else, I don’t much know what I’m talking about either, but I am satisfied with some of the ambiguities. That satisfaction does not mean that I can’t or don’t enjoy the discussion and debate. For many years I have been intrigued by it and its intricacies. I have posted on the soteriological positions of Calvinism, Arminianism, Traditionalism (or Extensivism), Unlimited Atonement, and other points in between. I have posted about tulips, roses, poinsettias, lillies, even daisies – so much so that some might say I am obsessed with “Five Points”.

Calvinism’s and Arminianism’s acrostics normally focus on five points – either the TULIP, its “synonyms” or its “antonyms.” I cannot be satisfied with the sufficiency of “five points,” so I have developed the “Seven Points of Vaughanism.”[iii] (While preparing for this post, I discovered that two years ago, in an attempt to make a brief soteriological statement, I had posted another seven points about which I had forgotten. I’ll compare these two later and see about a possible merger. J )

* The Seven Points of Vaughanism *

1. Hereditary depravity and hereditary death: Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
2. Human inability: John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
3. Human ability, God given and Christ received: John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
4. Sufficient and efficient atonement: 1 Timothy 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
5. Gracious faith, a gift: Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
6. Inner witness: Romans 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
7. Divine preservation: John 10:28 and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

A “non-standard” soteriological view is often caricatured as Calvinism by non-Calvinists, and as Arminianism by Calvinists. So be it. Nevertheless, I am satisfied with that ambiguity and think it may even be an indicator of being on the right track! I hold the following soteriological truths to be biblically-evident. God undertook from eternity to deliver man from sin. In time Jesus died as a sacrifice to save all who believe. The Spirit draws men to Christ. Under and only under that conviction they can become both willing and able to believe in Christ. All those who believe are born again, are justified through faith, and are kept by the power of God unto salvation.

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[i] The ordo salutis is Latin for “order of salvation.”

[ii] Don’t know the origin, but I have often heard this stated by radio preacher Steve Brown. Of the primitivistic (not just Primitive) Baptists in the Appalachias, Deborah McCauley writes, “they accept ambiguity – running deep and broad – as an indisputable fact of life. They do not feel driven to resolve it in their preaching with semantically fancy footwork that artificially overcomes ambiguity by forcing all the pieces to fit together neatly...” (Appalachian Mountain Religion: A History, Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1995, p. 95). Roughly, “primitivism” believes that the New Testament provides a pattern for the church that can be reproduced by faithful adherence to the New Testament.

[iii] I used another spelling of our family name – Vaughan – simply because it yields itself to a three-syllable pronunciation of a theological system, Vaugh-an-ism, as does Calvinism. (“I’ll bet you think this song is about you, don’t you.” Carly Simon) The “seven points” are subject to revision as the Bible requires.

New Fanny Crosby Hymns

Fanny Crosby: Newly Discovered Hymns and Songs -- "Several of her unpublished writings were discovered in recent years. Through a collaboration of today's finest songwriters, 21 songs were completed and are a part of this project. The Erwins were chosen to sing a new song called "Calmly Resting in the Lord," that is featured on this cd, along with songs from other groups like Ernie Haase and Signature Sound, Legacy Five, Triumphant Quartet, The Booth Brothers, The Collingsworth Family, and many others. The cd was officially released on March 23, 2018."

Well, not quite today new. I read the above last night, and this was the first I remember hearing about these undiscovered hymns of Fanny Crosby. Nevertheless Baptist Press reported on them over two years ago, in January 2016.

Fanny Crosby's lost lyrics now expanding her legacy -- "Fanny Crosby's hymns have impacted lives for Christ worldwide for generations, but until recently 2,700 of them were overlooked in an archive, unsung and unpublished. Now on the album "Blessed Assurance: The New Hymns of Fanny Crosby," some of those forgotten lyrics have come to life..."

Another Level of Meaning, 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.

• Another Level of Meaning for Those Asking What Rap Means -- "Folk culture has the capacity to limit extremes, since it is the expression of the values and aspirations of a community. Popular culture, on the other hand, presupposes the absence of a community of belief or conviction."
• Bound Together: What Makes an Effective Pairing of Text and Tune -- "Instead of painting the emotions in the text, I have found that a Sacred Harp tune more often uses melodic shape, rhythm, and even harmony to accentuate important words in the poetry."
• Example Video of a Gospel-Shaped Service -- "When I teach or write on this subject, I regularly receive questions regarding specifics of what a service like this looks like."
• Explanation of my comments about Reformed rap on the NCFIC panel -- "I’m not on a vendetta against rap to the exclusion of other forms of music. In fact, I equally condemn for use in expressing God’s truth some forms of music from within my own background and sub-culture."
• Pop Music and Twinkies -- "May conservative Christians pause long enough in our denunciations of pop music to wonder out loud what our biggest problem with it is?"
• Proving the Music Issue in the Worship War: Is there Holy Hip Hop? -- "Should we argue about music?  Are there any authoritative arguments against rap music for worship?  Is rap music actually permissible and appropriate for worshiping God?"
• Shape-Note Singing in Mississippi: A Preliminary History -- "As African American literacy increased, black singers established their own singing schools and conventions."
• Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame announces Class of 2018 Inductees -- "The Southern Gospel Music Association (SGMA) is pleased to announce the Class of 2018 SGMA Hall of Fame Inductees: Norman Wilson, Tracy Stuffle, Mark Trammell, and Ann Downing."
• The Hollow Square and the Intriguing World of Sacred Harp Singing -- "The world is full of undiscovered treasure."
• The Zwinglian Option (A certain way to end the worship wars) -- "Think about it. Take away the music and we have little left to fight about."
• What Rap Means -- "Without denying that music bears culturally conventional meaning, musical forms nonetheless carry meaning apart from their cultural situation."

News today

All 12 boys and soccer coach rescued from Thai cave

After more than two weeks trapped inside a cave complex in northern Thailand, all 12 boys and their soccer coach have finally been rescued.

The last four members of the youth soccer team and their coach were pulled out of the cave on Tuesday afternoon, the third day of a huge international operation to save them.

President Trump Nominates Brett Kavanaugh for the U.S. Supreme Court

Age was an important factor in making Trump’s Supreme Court list; Kavanaugh is 53 years old, which would guarantee a measure of longevity on the court, if he is approved by Congress.

Identifying and Exposing False Teachers and False Teaching

“Judge not, that ye be not judged” (Matthew 7:1) is a favorite text of those who judge others for judging! [i] In the extreme, it is used to shut down all forms of discernment and division. Yet the very context of Jesus’s statement requires that one be able to discern what is holy (v. 6), who is a false prophet, a wolf in sheep’s clothing (v. 15), and the difference between good trees bearing good fruit and corrupt trees bearing evil fruit (vs. 16-20). Often it is the false prophets bearing evil fruit who want no one judging – that they might not be exposed for what they are. Nevertheless, the Bible bears evidence throughout that false teachers and false teachings should be identified and exposed as such. Those who teach false doctrine publicly are candidates for public rebuke. The teaching and examples of the New Testament demonstrate that faithful stewardship includes exposing error.

Jesus exposed the errors of the religious teachers and leaders of his day. The Gospel of Matthew records both John the Baptist and Jesus calling the Pharisees a “generation of vipers” and denouncing their errors (Matthew 3:7; Matthew 12:34). Jesus identified the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees as a leaven that spreads and corrupts (Matthew 16:12), as well as how many of the overtly religious made “the word of God of none effect” through their traditions (Mark 7:13). He excoriated those who do their works to be seen of men (Matthew 6:1-5; Matthew 23:4-7).

Paul denounced false faith and faulty practice, even naming names. He labeled Hymenaeus and Philetus as erring from the truth and falsely teaching about the resurrection (2 Timothy 2:17-18). He called out Demas for loving the world and deserting the faith (2 Timothy 4:10). Alexander the coppersmith withstood the truth. Paul named him and warned Timothy about him (2 Timothy 4:14-15). John pointed out Diotrephes as one who loved preeminence and withstood him (3 John 1:9).

The Lord, through John’s writing, commended the church at Ephesus for judging certain false apostles and determining they were liars (Revelation 2:2). Paul advised the Thessalonians to withdraw from those walking disorderly rather than walking after the tradition they had been taught (2 Thessalonians 3:6). Unrepentant unreformed heretics are rejected (Titus 3:10). When a teacher falsifies the gospel, Paul goes so far to say of such an one, “let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8-9).

The censure of false preachers and teachers should not be taken lightly. Too often one proceeds without the facts, or in the spirit of censoriousness Jesus denounced. [ii] The proper response is not to say or do nothing. We should be slow to speak (James 1:19-20), have the facts first (Ephesians 4:29), and then and only then proceed with wisdom and fortitude – as did the early disciples of our Lord. Let us “judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24) and then say so.

---

[i] Jesus here speaks of the critic, “one given to harsh or captious judgment” (Merriam-Webster). The censorious spirit finds fault in others and not in self.

[ii] And often the censure derives from personal pet pursuits with little or no support from scripture.

Tribalism

Alan Jacobs, as quoted by Mark Ward.

Typically when we use the word [“tribalism”], we use it to refer to a malformation of group identity, a group identity in which loyalty…to the people that you perceive as your in-group overrides everything else…And so I think, if, for instance, you’re the sort of person who can be appropriately critical of your own in-group, and you can, at times, call people to account for higher and better standards of behavior, then that’s an indication of a group identity that is not tribalist, but if you defend what your people do no matter what…that’s…tribalism.

Herzliebster Jesu, or, Ah, holy Jesus

The hymn “Herzliebster Jesu! du hast nichts verbrochen” was written byJohann Heermann in 1630, and translated into English by Robert Bridges (named poet laureate of England in 1913). The tune Herzliebster Jesu is by German composer Johann Crüger.

1. Ah, holy Jesus, how hast thou offended,
that we to judge thee have in hate pretended?
By foes derided, by thine own rejected,
O most afflicted!

2. Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon thee?
Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone thee!
'Twas I, Lord Jesus, I it was denied thee;
I crucified thee.

3. Lo, the Good Shepherd for the sheep is offered;
the slave hath sinned, and the Son hath suffered.
For our atonement, while we nothing heeded,
God interceded.

4. For me, kind Jesus, was thy incarnation,
thy mortal sorrow, and thy life's oblation;
thy death of anguish and thy bitter passion,
for my salvation.

5. Therefore, kind Jesus, since I cannot pay thee,
I do adore thee, and will ever pray thee,
think on thy pity and thy love unswerving,
not my deserving.

From The Messenger:

Johann Heermann took his inspiration for “Ah, Holy Jesus” from a Latin text attributed to either Augustine (354-430) or Jean de Fecamp (c.1000-1079). The poetry was originally published in a fifteenth-century devotional book entitled Meditationes sanctorum patrum. Heermann’s hymn version first appeared in his Devoti Musica Cordis, ca. 1630.

See also Congregational Singing, “Reason & Tools for Traditional Hymnody”.

DAISY: the Five Points of Arminianism

In a previous post I linked to a soteriological acronym called "Daisy." The link is no longer good, so I found the information and am posting it below.

ARMINIANISM: DAISY*

D: Diminished depravity – Humanity is depraved, but God uses prevenient grace to restore man’s ability to respond to Him.
A: Abrogated election – God bases His election on His foreknowledge of those who freely choose Him.
I: Impersonal atonement – Christ died for everyone, making salvation possible for everyone.
S: Sedentary grace – God calls everyone to salvation, but many freely reject it.
Y: Yieldable justification – The saved can fall from grace and lose their salvation.

*The DAISY acronym is much harder to pin down as there are several different versions (I’ll discuss another when analyzing Arminianism). Also, many Arminians do not like the acrostic. Several versions of DAISY have been pushed by Calvinists as caricatures of Arminian theology. Many Calvinists seem to also enjoy making the lame joke that the Arminian flower is a daisy because they pull the petals off saying, “God loves me. He loves me not.”

My Books

Updated alphabetical and chronological lists of books and pamphlets by Robert L. Vaughn; some with previews

Alphabetical

• A Better Paradigm for the Study of Baptist History? with Mark Osgatharp, Nathan Finn, 2009
• A Biblical Marriage: What is It?, 2012
• A Brief History of Old Prospect Baptist Church, 1984
• A Directory of Gospel Singings held in East Texas, 2012
• A History of Smyrna Baptist Church, 1873-2008 by J. W. Griffith, 1978, revised & updated by R. L. Vaughn, 2008
• A Message of Divine Judgment: Old Bad Edom meets Obadiah, 2013
• A Sheaf of Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs, 2009
• American Baptist Association: a Survey and Census of its Churches and Associations, 2001
• Angus McAllister Stewart: “Man of God, Friend of All Mankind,” and the Founding Father of the Free Will Baptist Church in Texas, 2017
• Approaching 150: A Brief History of the East Texas Musical Convention and Sacred Harp in East Texas, 2005
• Baptist Doctrine: Foot-Washing (The Doctrine of Feet Washing), 1984
• Before Pentecost: the Origin of the Church, 1996
• Controversial Subjects: Book One, 1996
• Defining Division: the Bonham and Fort Worth Councils of 1902, 2002
• For Such a Time as This. Esther: a Book of Providence, 2012
• Have the Preeminence: an Introduction to Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, 2008
• History of the Old Prospect Baptist Church, Sand Flat, Rusk County, Texas, 2014
• Isaiah: Introduction and Study Helps, 2016
• Jonah: Prejudice for a People, Pity for a Gourd, 2009
• Materials Toward a History of Feet Washing among the Baptists, 2008
• Minutes of the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, Rusk County, Texas: October 1867 to November 1871, 2006
• Put That on Mine Account: a Commentary on Paul’s letter to Philemon, 2008
• Rethinkin’ Our Thinkin’: Thoughts on Sacred Harp “Myths”, 2012
• Some Suggested Tunes for A Sheaf of Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs, 2009
• Songs Before Unknown: a Companion to The Sacred Harp, Revised Cooper Edition, 2012, 2015
• Speaking in Tongues and the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, 2009
• Still Struggling On: More of My Poems and Hymns, 2013
• Struggle On: Some of My Poems and Hymns, 2009
• Sub-groups within the Baptist Denomination in the United States, Canada, and the British Isles, 2004
• Thaptology: Toward a Christian Theology of the Disposition of the Dead, 2015
• The Elder unto the Elect Lady and unto Gaius: a Commentary on John’s 2nd & 3rd Epistles, 2010
• The Harper’s Index: a Metrical Index of the B. F. White Sacred Harp 2000 Revised Edition, 2002
• The Saints’ Alphabet: In Praise of God’s Word (A Brief Introduction to Psalm 119), 2014
• Triads: a Compendiary Commentary on the General Epistle of Jude, 2008
• Unaffiliated Landmark Baptist Churches Survey: a Listing of Unaffiliated Independent Landmark Baptist Churches, 2001
• Washing Missionary Baptist Feet in East Texas, 2006

Chronological

• A Brief History of Old Prospect Baptist Church, 1984
• Baptist Doctrine: Foot-Washing (The Doctrine of Feet Washing), 1984
• Before Pentecost: the Origin of the Church, 1996
• Controversial Subjects: Book One, 1996
• American Baptist Association: a Survey and Census of its Churches and Associations, 2001
• Unaffiliated Landmark Baptist Churches Survey: a Listing of Unaffiliated Independent Landmark Baptist Churches, 2001
• Defining Division: the Bonham and Fort Worth Councils of 1902, 2002
• The Harper’s Index: a Metrical Index of the B. F. White Sacred Harp 2000 Revised Edition, 2002
• Sub-groups within the Baptist Denomination in the United States, Canada, and the British Isles, 2004
• Approaching 150: A Brief History of the East Texas Musical Convention and Sacred Harp in East Texas, 2005
• Minutes of the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, Rusk County, Texas: October 1867 to November 1871, 2006
• Washing Missionary Baptist Feet in East Texas, 2006
• A History of Smyrna Baptist Church, 1873-2008 by J. W. Griffith, 1978, revised & updated by R. L. Vaughn, 2008
• Have the Preeminence: an Introduction to Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, 2008
• Materials Toward a History of Feet Washing among the Baptists, 2008
• Put That on Mine Account: a Commentary on Paul’s letter to Philemon, 2008
• Triads: a Compendiary Commentary on the General Epistle of Jude, 2008
• A Better Paradigm for the Study of Baptist History? with Mark Osgatharp, Nathan Finn, 2009
• A Sheaf of Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs, 2009
• Jonah: Prejudice for a People, Pity for a Gourd, 2009
• Some Suggested Tunes for A Sheaf of Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs, 2009
• Speaking in Tongues and the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, 2009
• Struggle On: Some of My Poems and Hymns, 2009
• The Elder unto the Elect Lady and unto Gaius: a Commentary on John’s 2nd & 3rd Epistles, 2010
• A Biblical Marriage: What is It?, 2012
• A Directory of Gospel Singings held in East Texas, 2012
• For Such a Time as This. Esther: a Book of Providence, 2012
• Rethinkin’ Our Thinkin’: Thoughts on Sacred Harp “Myths”, 2012
• A Message of Divine Judgment: Old Bad Edom meets Obadiah, 2013
• Still Struggling On: More of My Poems and Hymns, 2013
• History of the Old Prospect Baptist Church, Sand Flat, Rusk County, Texas, 2014
• The Saints’ Alphabet: In Praise of God’s Word (A Brief Introduction to Psalm 119), 2014
• Songs Before Unknown: a Companion to The Sacred Harp, Revised Cooper Edition, 2012, 2015
• Thaptology: Toward a Christian Theology of the Disposition of the Dead, 2015
• Isaiah: Introduction and Study Helps, 2016
• Angus McAllister Stewart: “Man of God, Friend of All Mankind,” and the Founding Father of the Free Will Baptist Church in Texas, 2017

5 Relationships, 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.

• 5 Relationships Every Christian Needs -- "A “Barnabas” is a peer, a friend who encourages you to be faithful to God."
• A Puritan Father and Son on the Proper Treatment of Wives -- "Matthew Henry..., whose exposition of the entire Bible is still in print today, found it instructive that God formed woman from the side of man."
• A Theology of Wine -- "Who drank wine in the Bible? Almost everyone."
• Confessions of a Recovering Pragmatic Pastor -- "To my surprise I discovered that the Bible actually had a lot to say about how to do church, far more than pragmatists want to admit...It lays out a robust theological vision for local church ministry, centered on the gospel, with very practical implications."
• Does Baptism Wash Away Sins? -- "People who believe in baptismal regeneration, including those in the Stone-Campbell movement, appeal to [Acts 22:16] as evidence that baptism washes away sins."
• Pennies from heaven? Overlooked provision in Republican tax bill has churches on edge -- "A largely overlooked provision in a massive tax bill signed into law six months ago requires churches and other non-profits to begin paying a 21 percent tax on fringe benefits such as employee parking..."
• Thai cave rescue: Boys from soccer team trapped asking about 2018 World Cup results -- "Video of the boys from inside the cave surfaced recently, showing each of them smiling, flashing peace signs and telling the world they're in good health."
• The Bible and the American Temperance Movement: Text, Context, and Pretext "Though the phrase 'total abstinence' originally referred to the forswearing of only distilled liquors, it eventually became shorthand for the creed 'total abstinence from all that can intoxicate.'"
• The Faith of John the Baptist -- "John the Baptist became quite the popular figure as more and more came to him, but he remembered his mission and didn’t seek anything more."
• The Juicy Truth of Biblical Wine -- "After examining the Biblical words for wine, the process and use of wine in Bible times, and the Biblical view of wine, one can designate two different types of wine in Scripture."
• The Lord’s Supper: Close, Closed, or In-Between? -- "Feel free to try to convince me with Biblical, exegetical, and theological arguments to leave my mediating position one way or the other in the comment section—or to support me in my mediation."
• The Lord's Supper: Wine or Welch's? -- "Both wine and grape juice are made from the same fruit and visually present the same message of Christ's blood. So, does it really matter whether we use juice or wine for the sacrament?"
• Unleavened Bread and Unleavened Drink -- "Any stage of the fruit of the vine, short of wine, produces a polluted picture. It is ONLY by the process of fermentation that the impurities of grape juice are completely removed."

Nietzsche is dead

In 1882 Friedrich Nietzsche announced, “God is dead.” And God laughed. 18 years later God announced, “Nietzsche is dead.” And Nietzsche died.

Church history, Spurgeon, and Wine

In studying the topic of wine in biblical times – and comparing to the teetotal viewpoint of many Baptist in the United States – I wondered what story that church history told about wine.[i] My conclusion is similar to that presented by Edward H. Jewett in The Two-Wine Theory Discussed by Two Hundred and Eighty-six Clergymen. The “two-wine” theory (and its companion idea that any positive biblical references to wine must actually mean fresh grape juice instead of fermented juice) is a mere youth in church history, a quirky child born out of the Prohibition movement. This is not to say that views of temperance or even abstinence are new – but this odd way of supporting them is.

Initially the modern temperance movement was a stand for moderation, and in particular targeted the distilled liquors with high alcohol content. Eventually it moved to total abstinence. The slogan of the women of the Anti-Saloon League became “lips that touch liquor shall not touch ours.”[ii]

The evolution of the views of England’s “Prince of Preachers,” Charles Haddon Spurgeon, mirror the evolution of the views of many a Baptist on the temperance/abstinence question. In 1865 he clearly states he is not a teetotaler (though he recommends that children be “brought up to abstain from alcoholic liquors”).[iii]

In 1877, Spurgeon reviewed The Wines of the Bible: an Examination and Refutation of the Unfermented Wine Theory by A. M. Wilson in his paper The Sword and the Trowel.[iv] Wilson’s book refuted the new-fangled idea that there could be any such thing as “unfermented wine.” Spurgeon recommended the book and agreed with Wilson. Spurgeon writes,

“‘UNFERMENTED wine’ is a non-existent liquid. Mr. Wilson has so fully proved this that it will require considerable hardihood to attempt a reply...Mr. Wilson has written the thick volume now before us to settle the matter, and we believe that he establishes beyond reasonable debate that the wines of the Bible were intoxicating, and that our Lord did not ordain jelly or syrup, or cherry juice to be the emblem of his sacrifice.”[v]

Nevertheless, within ten years Spurgeon’s Metropolitan Tabernacle was using “unfermented wine” at the Lord’s table! In response to the question raised as to what they used at their communion services, Spurgeon wrote in June of 1887,

“We use Frank Wright’s unfermented wine at the Tabernacle, and have never used any other unfermented wine…Mr. Wright’s is the pure juice of the grape…So far as we are concerned, we use no wine but that produced by Messrs. Frank Wright, Mundy, and Co.”[vi]

Because of this evolution, various isolated citations may be used to show that Spurgeon supported the drinking of wine and its use in communion – or that he opposed it both as a beverage and in communion! Church history shows us some interesting information, but the Bible is our sole rule of faith and practice. To attempt to prove temperance and especially total abstinence by odd twistings of the Bible is both weird and shameful. Reasons to abstain from the use of beverages containing alcohol may be biblically supported without resorting to eisegesis.[vii]

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[i] I shall hope to later put together some of that evidence in a blog post.

[ii] There was even a song, The Lips That Touch Liquor Shall Never Touch Mine.

[iii] As cited in Spurgeon: Prince of Preachers by Lewis A. Drummond (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1992), p. 449. Drummond says that in his early years Spurgeon “enjoyed a pint of ale or a glass of wine in the evening” (p. 439) but “later in life Spurgeon did ‘take the pledge’ and became a teetotaler.” (p. 449)

[iv] London: Hamilton, Adams & Co., 1877

[v] Unfermented Wine

[vi] The Autobiography of Charles H. Spurgeon, Compiled from His Diary, Letters, and Records by His Wife and His Private Secretary, Vol. IV 1878-1892, Susannah Thompson Spurgeon, Chicago, IL: Fleming H. Revell, 1900, p. 135

[vii] For example, our concern for weaker brothers and sisters (1 Corinthians 8:13; Romans 14:2), wisely-applied caution (Proverbs 20:1), avoiding the power and subjugation of this element (1 Corinthians 6:12), and in all these deferring the minor concern of what we drink to the greater issues of life (Matthew 6:25). My interpretation of the facts scattered throughout the entire Bible is that drunkenness is absolutely condemned but any restriction against drinking wine is not absolute.