One path is the services of United Baptist, Primitive Baptist, and Old Regular Baptist churches in the geographical areas my ancestors lived--Appalachia.
Out of curiosity Bob, have you ever gone to a PB or ORB service?
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One path is the services of United Baptist, Primitive Baptist, and Old Regular Baptist churches in the geographical areas my ancestors lived--Appalachia.
I just want to make sure I get it right.....The Arminian position is that salvation is accomplished through the combined efforts of God (who takes the initiative) and man (who must respond) & its man's response that is the determining factor.
so to conclude the Arminian position ....human decision making holds a center place in salvation & the result is a theology that is not exclusively God-centered but focused in the direction of the self.
Do I have that correct?
God bless you Willis.
I feel the same way you do.
I personally despise rap and rock in the church- I really do.
I just don't think there is anything necessarily spiritual about Southern Gospel either.
I don't think songs like "Mansion over the Hilltop" are very spiritual. This song falls in a genre and generation of music that praises blessings more than the Blesser.
I don't think songs that sound like a Gaither Homecoming are superior in any way.
My problem with stated "Old Time Religion" is that I actually think we LOST ground during those mythical good ol' days.
I think emphases on what man gets out of the deal (Heaven, healing, etc...) above the One who has given us all good gifts has dumped us in the shallow mess we are in today.
Read the lyrics of Isaac Watts and Augustus Toplady and Charles Wesley (a devout Arminian) and compare them to the- and I mean this- WORTHLESS lyrics found in MOST of the songs that fill the old Red Back Church Hymnal.
It was that shallow crud that cost us our culture, imo.
There was a horrible sacrifice of the deep things of God for toe-tapping "Wingin' My Way Back Home" and "Holding up that Ladder that I'm Climbing On" mess.
And it was exactly THOSE days that most people refer to when they speak of "OTR".
Good stuff, Bob- thanks.
I do want to know though- What about those clips do you believe gives you a glimpse into old time religion?
Thank you for your kind comments.
I did go back and edit my post, and there may be an answer to the above question in those edited comments.
Here are a few ramblings that may--or may not--answer your question.
. . .
In my opinion, spirituality and religion should be experienced, rather than analyzed and outlined. I guess that is why I am Arminian. As the music in the four clips rolls along, my soul rolls along and comes in contact with Christ. I feel Christ in me, or rather I feel myself in the body of Christ. It is the music and the experiences hinted at by the words in the song that do this. Words carry more than a dictionary definition. They carry along personal experiences in our memories and these remembered experiences move us to a higher level.
One similarity may be found when we try to "get into" prayer with God. At first, we may only be saying words or listening to a still small voice--but as the prayer continues we become aware that we are touching the presence of Christ. And when we open our eyes and the surroundings begin to flood over the peace of our prayer, we go on with our day, retaining a glimpse of the peace of our prayer, as well as the instructions we received during that prayer.
Maybe I am rambling too much and the theological sensibilities of some of our forum members will attack me for something they do not understand or cannot articulate or do not find agreement because of things they have been taught, read, or experienced themselves. I ask God's blessings on all of us.
I do not want to discuss this any more, as I have many chores to do today.
Thanks again for the kind words.
...Bob
I pointed out your "expectations" (i.e, your "hypothesis"; your premise), and how you indicated that you didn't receive the responses you were expecting (specifically, the "fundy brethren" vehemently defending certain ideas; and "IFBers ranting and raving").That is not the part I am talking about, Don. I have not denied that I am criticizing IFBers who have said philosophy.
It is the other part that you have not proven.
You said I came in with a faulty premise- prove it.
I pointed out your "expectations" (i.e, your "hypothesis"; your premise), and how you indicated that you didn't receive the responses you were expecting (specifically, the "fundy brethren" vehemently defending certain ideas; and "IFBers ranting and raving").
So-where are the vehement arguments? Where are the rants and raves?
The onus here is not on me, Luke; you made a denigrating and derogatory post against IFBers. Yet I see nothing in this thread that supports your "expectations." Thus, your premise (that you expected certain types of responses) appears to be flawed.
Please feel free to correct me, show me the posts of IFBers vehemently arguing against you, and IFBers ranting and raving. The burden of proof is on you, my friend.
Spin it any way you want, Luke. You started this thread expecting a fight; you didn't get one. Thus, your hypothesis was flawed.My hypothesis was that the often venerated idea of "Old Time Religion" is a myth.
That was my hypothesis.
I was going to purport that those very days were the days when we began to lose this country and culture of ours.
What I was expecting in response to my efforts to prove my hypothesis was several IFB guys ranting and raving about the things I enunciated.
I have not had that which tells me that either those guys are gone from here, are now very infrequent visitors or cannot support their notion of "Old Time Religion".
You have not, nor have I nor anyone else proven that my hypothesis stated above is flawed. In point of fact this thread has seemed to shift in favor of my hypothesis so far as general consensus is concerned.
Spin it any way you want, Luke. You started this thread expecting a fight; you didn't get one. Thus, your hypothesis was flawed.
You also left out one extremely viable possibility:
1) They're gone
2) They're infrequent visitors
3) They can't support a particular notion
4) They don't exist in the population numbers you expected, and the majority don't believe what you proposed.
Luke, Luke, Luke. You just hate being wrong, don't you? Your original hypothesis was in error because no one disagreed with you.My hypothesis is stated in the first two or three pages. I'll find the post if you like.
Just because I expected fall out from the proof of my hypothesis has nothing to do with anything.
Hypothesis: chicken bone left in vinegar will become like rubber in one week.
What other expectations I have: The vinegar will turn from clear to a tea color in the process of me proving my hypothesis.
Hypothesis: OTR is a myth.
What other expectations I have: IFBers will rant and rave in the process of me proving my hypothesis.
Conclusion: Hypothesis is sound. My expectations of what might occur in the process of the experiment were flawed.
Got it?
No spinning there- just good old fashioned logic and common sense.
That is possible. But that is not my hypothesis in starting this thread.
However, I will say that here in the South they are VERY numerous.
Neither here nor there. I've lived in Mississippi, and attended independent fundamental baptist churches there. I know what you're trying to say; but you're still committing the error of over-generalization.However, I will say that here in the South they are VERY numerous.
Amen. :thumbs:Old time religion--
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:7, KJB)
Luke, Luke, Luke. You just hate being wrong, don't you? Your original hypothesis was in error because no one disagreed with you.
You stated in your opening post that "old time religion" isn't the thing it's purported to be in some circles; but in the post that I called you on, you very clearly stated the expected outcome of your first post: You expected IFBers to vehemently argue against you, and you expected IFBers to rant and rave. You didn't get either.
In other words, you purposely introduced a thread expecting a certain combative response; yet, you didn't get that response. Instead, you got a reasoned, amicable discussion about the definition of your original topic.
Instead of focusing on the fact that you got a reasonable discussion about your topic, you chose to post on the fact that you didn't get your expected combative response.
Instead of focusing on the positive outcome of this thread, you *chose* to focus on the lack of negativity, and in so doing, were derogatory towards your Christian brethren.
The lack of disagreement is where you're in error. You further compounded the error by being derogatory towards fellow Christians.
Here are my expectations: I expect you to continue to claim that you were right, and have committed no error. I do not expect you to apologize to your fellow Christians. My expectations are simple: I expect you to continue being Luke.
To use the South as your basis for justification...well, it's flawed. That's like saying everyone likes grits.
Rather than try to answer your question, please allow me to direct you to A Treatise of the Faith and Practices of the National Association of Free Will Baptists or go to the website of the Society of Evangelical Arminians (SEA).
...Bob