Featured John R. Rice and IFB Evangelism

John, don't leave us. I am not what would normally be thought of as IFB, but I so appreciate you and your family. And I appreciated your grandfather, too.

You have many friends here on the BB. I suggest that we all come to your defense against attack.

 

Uh....ditto!

 

To John of Japan For EVERYONE To SEE

John...I hope you will not withdraw from this Board because it needs you and people like you in order to keep a sense of balance and have the influence of seasoned Christian gentlemen and statesman such as yourself. I highly value and thank the Lord for the perspective you bring to the table in the arguments and debates that go on in this community of faith on the Baptist Board. Please don't go.
That said...I can understand why you might want to. It must be difficult having to sit there and watch people here vilify people that you are either directly related too, or have had a significant influence in your life. None of the men that have been blasted in this thread (and I have heard them all preach too) were perfect men because there is no such thing....but I dare say that most, if not all of them (collectively) won more souls to Christ in their lifetimes than ALL OF US PUT TOGETHER. Anything they got wrong has ALREADY been made right since EVERYONE OF THEM (Rice, Hatch, Hyles, Hutson, and I'll add a few.....Gray, Roloff, DeHaan, Sightler, Lakin and Oliver B.Greene...to name a few...they were all men of great influence in the Kingdom while HERE)..EVERYONE OF THEM is now in the very presence of our dear Saviour and has made eternal AMENDS for anything they might have been wrong about HERE. I have had a few Christian "heroes" that I have sadly had to watch FALL and that was a disappointment....but that gave me nor anyone else the right to BE THEIR JUDGE. What it did do was make me examine MYSELF closer so that maybe...just MAYBE...with God's help I wouldn't make the same errors and commit the same sins. It is to MY SHAME that as a Christian man who has been saved for the better part of 36 years, I have never, to my own knowledge, EVER won a soul to faith in Christ as far as I know. I have planted plenty of "seeds"....but never won anybody that I know of. If it wasn't a sin to "envy" others, I might be tempted to envy any or all of the men listed above. I'm just not good at face-to-face confrontational stuff. Pray for me...that has been a source of doubt and pain to me for years.
Anyway...please don't go...stay! You know it is easy for the naysayers here to take "pot-shots" at dead men. They don't talk back. This Board needs you. Thanks for all you do.

Bro.Greg:saint:

 

John of Japan- I hope that you will not leave. Your wisdom of years and the balance of your perspective that you bring to BB are appreciated by many who are interested in more than just picking a fight and firing off insults.

 

I thought a spouse isn't a spouse until after the vows are said.

Congratulations to you and your fiancee.

 

Thanks much for the encouragement, Tom. I've always deeply appreciated you here on the BB.

Thanks also for the encouraging words from Annsni, revmitchell, Gregory Perry Sr. and Arbo. I didn't write my post with the idea in mind of getting people to stroke my ego, regardless of what my recent critics think. As far as I know (but only the Lord knows completely) I've never had that motive here. I just wanted to let my friends here know my thoughts. Part of it is that the wife and I are just weary all around. We've been here a long time, and this country is very hard-hearted. And the dollar has been so weak for so many years that we make it by just barely.

No need to write back about this, folks--just getting it off my chest. The Lord is good and uplifts us and meets all our needs.

 

You know, here I am an (sometimes hated) IFB pastor. And we are criticized for being separatists and anti-this and anti-that. But I don't see the need of tearing preachers or other believers down. To the best of my memory I've never participated in the threads here that tear down different preachers, even someone I disagree strongly with.

I knew Curtis Hutson, who preached at my ordination service. He was not theologically educated, being only a postman who was called to preach, so I take criticisms of his theology with that in mind. He wasn't sophisticated in that direction. He made some blunders in his ministry, but loved the Lord and loved to see people saved.

I knew Jack Hyles, and had some differences with him. (For one thing, I wouldn't sign his "100% Hyles" statement.) But he preached the Gospel to the end, even if folks don't like how he did it.

I didn't know personally the other men you mee ntioned, but I'll just quote the Word: "Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth" (Rom. 14:4).

Grandpa Rice loved Ps. 119:63--"I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts." I think that verse should rule the BB. So I'll cheer on Evangelisy6589 and this thread. At least he's out there trying to win folks for the Lord!

 

I'd bet He already has

I think a lot of people here would have problems with Dr. Hyles considering the things history has now revealed about him and his deeds but even he had a better day before he went awry. At one time I considered him a hero of sorts but not anymore. Yet....I'll bet there are some people in heaven because of the Gospel he preached at some point. The point is God is his Judge.....NOT US!
I like some of the methods of WOTM and I particularly like watching them do the "Good Person Test" using the 10 commandments that makes people face what they really are (sinners)....but I don't care for all of the Nazarene theology that Ray Comfort probably holds too. I'm not gonna argue the point though....only say that I agree with John that we ought to all be thankful and supportive where possible when folks are out trying to win others to the Lord. Of course...that said....we don't "yoke up" or join hands with people such as the Catholics, the Mormons, the JW's, the 7th day Adventists or other such cultic groups that are out there proselytizing USEING the name of Jesus to try to suck people into their false religions. As for Dr. Hyles...in MY opinion...the Gospel he preached right up until his "departure" was...as far as I know...the Virgin Birth of Christ, His Perfect life, and His Death, Burial, Resurrection and Ascension...and salvation by grace through faith in THAT (if THAT is NOT true, I'm SURE someone here WILL correct me). That doesn't excuse the wrong he did. That is between him and God. If you go to 1st Baptist Hammond today...I'm sure that is the Gospel message they still preach. I'd bet there will still be people saved there by hearing THAT message...as long as it is still preached...whether WE like the place or not. May God help them to get their house in order. In the meantime...we (myself included) better make sure OUR'S is as it should be.....amen??

Bro.Greg:saint:

 

If you'll read my post again, all I said was he preached the Gospel. And the Apostle Paul rejoiced that anyone preached the Gospel, including his enemies, even when the motives were wrong: "What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice" (Phil. 1:18).

I said I knew him and had my own problems with him. When accusations rose against him I read the books and articles and was, in a very small way, involved as I stated. I am aware of his problems and still rejoice that he preached the Gospel.

 

not familiar with him , was/is he part of the Chick ministries type mindset?

 

Jack Hyles (1926-2001) was not directly connected in any way with Chick. He was an IFB pastor who built the First Baptist of Hammond, IN, into a mega-church in the 1960s and '70's. He emphasized soul-winning with the Romans Road, had a massive bus ministry, and founded Hyles-Anderson College with the financial backing of millionaire Russell Anderson.

He was a close friend of my grandfather's, but after Granddad passed on in 1980 Hyles changed in a lot of ways. In particular he became radical KJVO, something I disagree with.

In '89 he was accused of having an affair with his secretary, which caused a firestorm in IFB circles. He survived as pastor, but lost a lot of influence among fundamentalists by his insistence that people come out 100% on his side.