Amazing Grace

I never knew that the hymn Amazing Grace had six verses originally. What I knew was that we usually sang four or five and a last verse that didn’t seem to fit. So this past Sunday when we sang six, with that last not seeming to fit, I decided look at the author in the hymnal. Well it seems I knew John Newton wrote the lyrics but that last verse wasn’t his!!! It said it was from A Collection of Sacred Ballads. 

I’ve always been disturbed about this verse because it changes the whole flow of Newton’s thought, jumping from “I/me” to “we/we’ve.” This time I pointed that out to my wife and she said, “It sounds like a blog post.” I agreed, so here is some education about that non-Newton verse.

Let’s start with the original lyrics by John Newton:

1.

Amazing grace (how sweet the sound)

That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.

2.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,

And grace my fears relieved;

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed!

3.

Through many dangers, toils, and snares

I have already come:

'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,

And grace will lead me home.

4. 

The Lord has promised good to me,

His word my hope secures;

He will my shield and portion be

As long as life endures.

5.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,

And mortal life shall cease:

I shall possess, within the veil,

A life of joy and peace.

6.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,

The sun forbear to shine;

But God, who called me here below,

Will be forever mine.

Too many hymnals stop with the fourth (and sometimes the 5th) verse and add this verse not written by Newton: 

When we've been there ten thousand years,

Bright shining as the sun,

We've no less days to sing God's praise,

Than when we first begun.

With a wee bit of research, this is what I found. The verse shows up in the book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and, according to Wikipedia, had been passed down orally in African-American communities for at least 50 years. It was one of between 50 and 70 verses of a song titled "Jerusalem, My Happy Home", which was first published in a 1790 book called A Collection of Sacred Ballads.

I really wish that non-Newton verse was left out and kept Newton’s verses.

There you have it—a thought for today!

Old Time Calvinism

[John] Knox and his lieutenants also imposed the new rules of the Calvinist Sabbath on Scottish Society: no working (people could be arrested for plucking a chicken on Sunday), no dancing, and no playing of the pipes. Gambling, cajrdplaying, and the theater were banned. No one could move out of a parish without written permission of the minister. The Kirk wiped out all traditional forms of collective fun, such as Carnival, Maytime celebrations, mumming, and Passion plays. Fornication brought punishment and exile; adultery meant death. The church courts, or kirk-sessions, enforced the law with scourges, pillories, branks (a padlocked iron helmet that forced an iron plate into the mouth of a convicted liar of blasphemer), ducking stools, banishment, and, in the case of witches or those possessed by the devil, burning at the stake.

Arthur Herman, How the Scots Invented the Modern World, pg.16

Ah, Calvinists! Sounds very much like a cult with a lot of un-Christian teachings and behaviors.

False Teaching Women To AVOID!!

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day

This is how I dress for St. Patrick's Day, and for any Irish-themed festival, funeral or graveside service. Hard to see but the bonnet is a green Irish caubeen.

Atheism

"The Chosen" Heresies

 

Bits and Pieces

This will be my last post for a while because I’m working on a project to post at a later date.

Now, just a reminder about the Papist church: throughout at least 14th through 17th centuries the church executed (often after torture) those who denied Papist teachings. And yet that church claims to be the one Christ started and that they are the ones who have the truth. Yeh, I’m sure Christ would say torture and execute those who disagree with you.

Not about apologetics, but a thought-provoking article nevertheless.

Learn how to rebut people abusing Scripture to support illegal immigration. Even the Pope abuses it.

Protestor Gnosticism and Its New Apostles. Thought-provoking.

Exposing the False History of the WTBTS. Jehovah’s Witnesses are not really witnesses for Jehovah—they are just another cult of false teachings.

False teacher Paula White (unfortunately Pres.Trump advisor) claims to have seen God’s face. Wait a minute, doesn’t Exodus 33:20 say that no one can see God’s faith and live?

I’m going to no longer continue posting over and over about the same false teachers unless it’s something unusual. I think all my readers, and those who may find my blog, will be able to find a listed false teacher and learn everything one needs to know.

Faith Healers?

     

Yes, Catholics WORSHIP Mary!

Good and Ugly

GOOD

Where Have All The Good Men Gone?

Were the days of Genesis 1 really 24-hour days? Definitely.

Annihilation or Eternal Conscious Punishment?  The doctrine of Hell.

We Need to Be Reminded Once Again that Jesus Was Not a Palestinian. The Muslims and their supporters keep making this lying claim. Here’s ammunition to refute them.

UGLY

Liberal theology is just secular humanism using theological terms. Francis Schaeffer.

The Episcopal Church is an excellent example of what Schaeffer was pointing to.

The WORST Blasphemies of 2025

“David”—a movie.  When Mormons are in charge, don’t be surprised if it’s fowled up.

John Piper encouraged Somali fraud scandal—and more problems.

Shawn Bolz Is One Cog in the False Prophetic Wheel: A Conversation with Justin Peters

Bill Johnson & Bethel’s #1 Heresy: The Kenosis

Here’s a longer article examining Bethel, demonstrating that Christians should have noting to do with Bill’s Johnson heresy and blasphemy.

Mike Signorelli definitely needs to be avoided.

Jen Wilkin—again! Only the biblically ignorant will follow her.

Kenneth Copeland continued to prove he’s a minion of Satan. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was proved to be demon-possessed. And yet people still follow him!