Tag: Jack Hyles

The Dave Douglass Interview and Owning Your Mistakes

On By Dave MallinakIn Hot Topics, Independent Baptists, Issues Facing the Church, Legalism

I listened with mixed feelings to the Dave Douglass interview on the Recovering Fundamentalist Podcast. I attended Hyles-Anderson College in the 1989-90 school year, and Douglass was on staff then, though I didn’t interact with him. I loved my year at Hyles and mourned over leaving. So, when I saw the RFP advertisements for the Dave Douglass interview, I was intrigued. I had not heard that he resigned as President of Hyles-Anderson. I wondered what he might have to say about his reasons for leaving. Given that he was going public on the RFP, I assumed he would give an account of God’s work to show him the error of the ministry at Hyles.

It took Douglass about 38 minutes to get to his “grace awakening” (as the RFP called it), and thanks to a question from J.C. Groves, Douglass began to discuss his rejection of “legalism.” Of course, legalism is the driving focus of the Recovering Fundamentalist Podcast, according to its mission statement.

We exist to help and encourage those whose lives have been negatively affected by fundamentalist legalism in the church and to challenge those who promote tradition over Scripture.

I wasn’t surprised to hear the discussion head to legalism. But overall, I found Douglass’ answers unsatisfactory on several levels. I understand that there might be some sensitivity to the discussion. But since the podcast aims to drive conversation, I want to join this one. I don’t object to the way the RFP handled the interview. They didn’t set out to debate Douglass, and they did ask him good questions. They have indicated that they are trying to be reasonable and recognize when people are taking steps in the right direction, and I appreciate that.

Continue reading “The Dave Douglass Interview and Owning Your Mistakes” →

The Ooze From the Hyles Dumpster

On By Dave MallinakIn Hot Topics, Independent Baptists, Issues Facing the Church, Justice1 Comment

A week ago, the Fundamental Baptist Podcast, hosted by David Baker, posted an episode in which Dave Hyles refuted his sister Linda’s now-famous claims about her father Jack Hyles. This has been a long time coming. Linda gave her TED talk in 2012 – more than a dozen years ago. So one might wonder why Dave waited so long to answer it. Maybe he had other affairs to attend to…

https://youtube.com/watch?v=SDg8LqJFwXA%3Fsi%3DYwK6GAx7Us_pMx-E

There is a reason why we keep our dumpsters out of sight, far removed from our places of business. Besides those especially ripe fragrances that surround it, we find ourselves stepping carefully, the closer we get, lest we step into a puddle that wasn’t caused by any rain. The liquids that ooze out from beneath the dumpster have a way of staying on your shoes, and nobody wants to track that around.

Even so, it seems impossible to come near the Hyles airspace without getting a little dumpster jam on your clothes. It’s a stench you can’t shake, and nobody wants to smell like that. And the Fundamental Baptist Podcast is like a steaming mess of toxic fumes. As just one sample of the rotting mess from this podcast, neither David Baker nor Dave Hyles believes repentance to be a necessary step to restoration – “We start the restoration process before they repent.” Vintage. Don’t nobody look at 2 Corinthians 7:8-12.

Continue reading “The Ooze From the Hyles Dumpster” →

Touch Not Mine Anointed

On By Dave MallinakIn Independent Baptists, Issues Facing the Church, Pastors, Wildcard Wednesdays

And when they went from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people; He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes, Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.  (I Chronicles 16:20-22)

Growing up in the Hyles’ wing of fundamentalism, I heard the “touch not mine anointed” sermon preached more times than I care to say.  Always it was used to warn anyone who dared oppose the preacher. 

When God providentially removed me from that world, I stopped hearing that preached.  I didn’t catch on right away – though if I remember correctly, my first post-Hyles pastor corrected that view, pointing out that the Bible had Israel in mind, not the preacher.  Over the past twenty-five-plus years, I have spent little time thinking about this specific notion.  But currently, I am preaching through I Samuel, where David refused to raise a hand against Saul, so it has come to mind once again.

Serious students of God’s Word know that the Bible never describes the pastor as the “anointed” of the Lord, nor does “touch not mine anointed” refer to a pastor.  I don’t find a single reference where the Bible hints that the pastor is the Lord’s anointed.  In 2 Corinthians 1:21, Paul reminds the Corinthians,

Continue reading “Touch Not Mine Anointed” →