Monday, October 17, 2011

Secret of the High Five

According to Wikipedia the high five is a celebratory hand gesture that occurs when two people simultaneously raise one hand, about head high, and push, slide or slap the flat of their palm and hand against the palm and flat hand of their partner. The gesture is often preceded verbally by the phrase "Give me five" or "High five".

Unknown to most of the world, is the fact that John Calvin created this "signal" to secretly confirm the belief in the five points of Calvinism in the public square. Below is a painting of John Calvin high-five-ing William Farel, who is just outside the painting.


Arminians use this gesture without knowing the significance behind it.
Below is a photo of two Arminians after a successful snake-handling service.


"High five" was also used by Jonathan Edwards, A.W. Pink and Corky Velveeta.
So next time someone says, "Gimme five"...explain the origin and be on your way.
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23 comments:

  1. DawgOctober 17, 2011 at 1:45 AM

    I never knew....now I do!

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  2. stranger.strange.landOctober 17, 2011 at 3:06 AM

    So, what do they do after an unsuccessful snake-handling service?

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  3. stranger.strange.landOctober 17, 2011 at 3:31 AM

    Looks kinda-like Calvin has two right hands. I always wondered how he was able to accomplish so much writing in his life. : ) (No offence to lefties)

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  4. Linda M AuOctober 17, 2011 at 3:58 AM

    Hey, stranger.strange.land -- That's the OTHER guy's hand. :)

    So, if you're a four-point Calvinist, do you tuck your thumb under and yell, "High-Four!" instead?

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  5. Eddie EddingsOctober 17, 2011 at 5:29 AM

    A tip of the helmet to Chris Hensley who wrote and suggested I do something with the "high five".

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  6. AnonymousOctober 17, 2011 at 8:16 AM

    I knew it,....the world stole our signal...lol..although I would not have believed it of Calvin until I saw your picture of him, must have been quite a liberal in his day.

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  7. Paul LatourOctober 17, 2011 at 8:48 AM

    Hilarious! :D)

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  8. HelenOctober 17, 2011 at 12:25 PM

    My computer has for several months had a serious aversion to CC.The title of the most recent post appears, but then it won't let me scroll down for what seems like eternity, with baited breath.Same happens if I click on headings/links to older posts (The suspense is killing me/teaching me patience and a sense of proportion.) So, when I read "high five", I immediately started thinking TULIP-ey thoughts...I was not disappointed. It seems that corny and depraved minds think alike...

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  9. HelenOctober 17, 2011 at 12:28 PM

    PS: My Computer only seems to have an aversion to CC, it does not misbehave with any other site!

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  10. Chris HensleyOctober 17, 2011 at 1:36 PM

    Linda, four point Calvinists tuck their thumb under the fingers and give a fist bump.

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  11. PersisOctober 17, 2011 at 3:06 PM

    Like. :)

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  12. Eddie EddingsOctober 17, 2011 at 4:58 PM

    Thanks Helen for the info on your trouble with CC on your 'puter.

    Is anyone else having similar problems with my blog?

    If not, then Helen's computer must have been previously owned by either an Arminian or an Emergent.

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  13. HelenOctober 17, 2011 at 5:13 PM

    Is there such a thing as a LOW FIVE? I think I know what this symbolises.....

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  14. stranger.strange.landOctober 17, 2011 at 6:48 PM

    How 'bout a "HIGH TEN"
    (The five points plus the five solas)

    Just don't make it look like you're playing "patty-cake." That would be SO un-Calvinistic.

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  15. stranger.strange.landOctober 17, 2011 at 7:01 PM

    @ Linda M Au (Linda M Gold?)

    Ah. That would explain the different colored sleeve.

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  16. stranger.strange.landOctober 17, 2011 at 7:06 PM

    But the picture also reminded me of an episode from the old t.v. program The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, where Maynard G. Krebbs thought that one of his hands was on backwards.

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  17. The BlainemonsterOctober 17, 2011 at 7:30 PM

    Soooooo when are we gonna start making fake chrome badges in the shape of an upraised hand to stick on our trunk lids?

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  18. AnonymousOctober 17, 2011 at 8:14 PM

    I have heard that Calvin also invented the hand slap game and rhyme of "Miss Mary Mack"...


    No problems on my computer except for user errors...

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  19. LesOctober 18, 2011 at 12:29 AM

    Will I get $7000 if I high five with Corky?

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  20. Eddie EddingsOctober 18, 2011 at 5:33 AM

    Only if it's your birthday.

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  21. Jake HermanOctober 19, 2011 at 12:50 AM

    Hmmpf. Calvinists would never have had their precious five points if we Arminians hadn't come up with ours first. Still, it is too bad that they were the ones to think of the "high-five." It should have been ours.

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  22. Arminius OsteenOctober 19, 2011 at 5:15 AM

    Jake, that's where the "low five" came into being.

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  23. HelenOctober 19, 2011 at 12:59 PM

    @ Jake & "Arminius Osteen" (!?*!)- Thought so!

    Eddie said (re my computer gremlins): "it must have been previously owned by an Arminian or an Emergent."
    Actually, it's worse than that; it was/is owned by my husband who appears to be a Roman Catholic.
    Please pray everyone

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