Last week was an interesting one for those who keep up with evangelical news; after seeing and reading so much, I am trying to decide which patriocentricity-related topic to write about first! For those who are familiar with the Independent Fundamental Baptist church movement, the name Jack Hyles is a popular one. For those who don’t know who he is, he pastored the 50,000 member First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana for many years, was the head of Hyles-Anderson College, and his formula for church planting has been followed by hundreds of pastors through the years. Until last week, his son-in-law, Jack Schaap, was the senior pastor in that same church but was dismissed when it was discovered that he had had a sexual relationship with a girl who was 16 years old at the time. (More on this subject later this week as the story is related to other complementarians.) However, here is an amazing testimony of Jack Hyles’ daughter, Linda, and her own take on growing up in this sort of environment. I specifically thought of all the hypocrisy we have seen within the patricentric camp and have long wondered how the kids in these circles are fairing.For those who are wondering, Linda is a Christian and is a popular retreat speaker in Christian circles. This presentation was for the secular TEDS group and, though is doesn’t proclaim the Gospel in word, after reading more information about Linda, I believe this is an amazing picture of what God’s amazing grace can do in the life of a believer, even one whose sad life has been so marred by the sin of those who are supposed to love and care for those entrusted to their care!
17 Responses to another reason to keep our eyes on Jesus and not man
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What a great story she has! Praise God that she’s been able to overcome the abuse and distorted truth that has happened in her life. I am sure that she’s an inspiration to many women and men who are trying to get out of an over-controlling church environment.
I just watched this video clip today, and was amazed by it as well. We were around these circles.
In fact, my husband’s best man in our wedding plays a major role at Hyles-Anderson college, some sort of director…still. I went on his facebook page, and he is still very positive about the church and college!
My question about Linda though, is I was reading on a forum that she is into Hawaiian Shamanism. I don’t know where they got that info. Seeing that you have read more information and concluded she is a Christian, I would love it if you could share that information.
Another criticism of this video has been that she said her dad owned much of the building. Other posters said they belonged to the ministry of the church. She also said her dad pastored 50,000 people, but Jack Schaap’s ministry is 15,000…quite a big difference.
I am not doubting her testimony in the least, but that’s what the “critics” are saying. That she is bitter, and is blowing up more than what really happened.
I am aware that this is a tactic of abusers, to discredit testimonies…but I just wonder what documentation there is to disprove the critics??
Well, I give up! Earlier today I read where Linda is a believer but cannot for the life of me retrace my steps to find this. I would appreciate anyone posting here what they know, one way or the other!
What I understood is that there are 40,000 to 50,000 members in his church but only 15,000 attend the weekly meetings. Given their view of emphasizing soul-winning as opposed to discipling, this would make sense.
So excited to see Linda speaking out about those years!!! You mentioned in your article “I wondered how the kids in these circles are faring”….I was a kid in those circles too (I remember sitting in school chapel while the Hyles-Anderson college rep went on and on about how their school was the only one where we would get the truth!)
I’m a 38 year old homeschooling mom who was so thankful to find your blog about a year ago because it provides some balance and sanity to this mom’s world of trying to navigate the homeschooling community given my unique background. I find myself avoiding anything that smacks of unbalanced patriarchy or legalism….which means I’m unfortunately avoiding much of the homeschooling community!!
Linda, particularly given her high-profile family, was very brave to talk about her upbringing. I can only imagine the wrath that will rain down on her now after doing so. I don’t know if she’s a Christian – many people who were raised in these circles end up turning their back on any faith at all because it’s too difficult to find the gold in a mine filled with rubble. But any exposure we can give to this cult will end up helping the Truth shine through.
So thanks Linda for sharing, and thank YOU for posting!
I went to a Independent Fundamentalist Baptist school. They made rules about so many things and even would go so far as to measure the girls skirts to make sure they were the proper length. Many of my classmates turned away from God and their lives fell apart some time after we graduated from high school. Those of us who did not go to the church associated with the school were shunned in high school because there were things going on we felt were wrong. I don’t remember the details, but it was not a good thing.
I never liked attending high school there, elementary didn’t have much impact, but the legalism/hypocrisy from the high school has affected me into adulthood. Interesting thing is now they only have the elementary school because of a principal and his sexual sin with a minor who is now in jail.
This is so damaging to others and there is no grace in this type of environment! In reading this blog in the past year, I now understand why several of my classmates just turned away from God. Thank you for making these topics available and the discussions are so helpful!
Olivia, and Kris,
thanks for the encouragement and so glad you are here and part of the conversation!
Wow,unbelievable…the secret life of her father, Jack Hyles, and how he turned the children to hate their mother. All the secrets they had to keep. A tragic childhood, indeed, and all in the name of Jesus. Very, very sad. A church…not what we generally associate with the word ‘cult’, yet very true in this situation.
Do you think that people who are in this particular brand of IFB churches (Hyles/Anderson/Schaap) know about all or any of this? And if they were confronted with this wickedness, would there be a mass exodus or a mass cover-up?
I do agree that documentation to disprove the critics is a very good idea.
Susie
Susie, I first heard this about Hyles about 20 years ago and remember a group of pastors who sought to deal with it and brought it all to light. Don’t know how much made it down to the local churches but they keep on sending their kids to the college in spite of it all. And I imagine that ALL Hyles students are required to attend that church.
There will be people that question stuff and leave. But as a majority, they are in full support of the man. It was total brainwashing.
My husband and I went to another IFB Bible College, but Hyles-Anderson was “friends” with our college. My husband met his best friend at our Bible College, and he left his senior year to attend and finish at Hyles-Anderson.
He is still there, 12 years later. He enthusiastically tells stories about the place that made me cringe. For instance, he was the Summer Camp director one year, and Hyles came by for a visit. Hyles told all the workers if they would jump in the lake he would buy them a new suit. They were already wearing suits…and probably expensive ones. My husband’s friend said, he would do anything for Jack Hyles.
I also read a book put out by their publication, and in it, the author told a story about how he wanted to buy a certain house and went and asked Jack Hyles if he should Jack Hyles said no. So he didn’t buy it! Then the house sold. His wife was really sad, because it was her favorite. So they waited…about five more years, and the house went up for sale again…at a lesser price. About $2,000 less. Nothing significant. So he again, went and asked Jack Hyles if he should buy the house. Jack Hyles response was almost sounded like the guy was stupid for asking his opinion. But he said, “Do what you want”
So he bought the house. Then he said he was thankful he obeyed “preacher” so he could get a better deal on the house.
Another book I read, about a married couple, whose husband had colon cancer. He was dying fast, and the doctors told him to go home and make him comfortable. But someone told them there was an alternative treatment center that would take him.
The wife called Jack Hyles, and asked him what she should do. She thought it would be best to take him home and spend time with their boys, and keep it a positive experience.
He told he to try everything she could and fight. She obeyed!
What proceeded in the rest of the book was a horrible account of his torturous treatment in the alternative center. Now. I am all for alternative treatment. But it was obvious in the book that he only had about a couple of weeks to live. Even alternative people will tell you, that once you reach that stage, and have already been through Chemo, there is not a very good chance of alternative treatments working.
They finally got him home and he died about 4 days later, in a coma state. His boys didn’t get to spend his last “good” moments with him. His wife was right…but they obeyed preacher!!
Even my husband’s best friend was asked by his home church to come and be the song leader after the previous one stepped down. He went and asked Hyles “permission” to go. Hyles said no. So that was his answer.
Could tell more crazy stories!
PS. I do think some of them know about the “rumors”, but they believe whole-heatedly in the man, and ministry, and chose never believed it. Or if they knew anything and wanted to do something about it, they were threatened in some way.
Also, several years ago, we were attending an IFB church, of another “camp”, and our Pastor got up and said that he had a heavy heart. He had, had a phone call right before church started that morning, from a deacon of a very large, prominent, and popular IFB church. He said if he said the name of the church, we would all know. But the deacon disclosed to him horrible wicked sin that had been going on within the ministry for 30 plus years. That there were terrible lies and secrets to cover it up. Terrible sins that went several layers deep.
The Deacon called and asked for counsel from our Pastor. Our Pastor told him, he needed to do the obvious thing. But the man was too scared. He was scared of the repercussions on himself and his family, if he were to bring things to light.
I looked over at my husband and whispered “Hyles-Anderson??”, and my husband said he didn’t know.
But when this broke out with Jack Schaap, my mind immediately went to that time, that our Pastor stood up in front of the congregationa, almost in tears, and told this.
Also, must apologize for all the typos…I have been distracted a lot while writing those comments.
Thinking about this….
I never cease to be amazed at what people will do because some guru has told them to do it! I truly think this is the fruit of teaching kids to never question authority. In all sincerity, I am thankful to have come of age during the 60′s and 70′s when the opposite was true. I think the reason I survived my education without succumbing to much of the humanistic mindset was because of this. And I might add that asking questions is always what gets me in trouble!
If you go back and read how children were trained in pre-Nazi Germany, you can understand why and how Hitler was able to come to power. We now see the same things about authority are being taught in churches….the SGM come to mind as well as the hierarchy within reformed Presbyterian circles and their ideas of kingdom key keeping along with this IFB nonsense. I have noticed that just since the SGM stuff came to a head, there has been a plethora of articles written about church authority, as if clamping down on church members is the solution. I know there are some who believe that is true.
One other reason I believe people put up with this stuff……the sense of community is greater than standing for truth. So is being liked. Last night Clay and I were talking about this very thing and he reminded me of a story from years ago. We were in a church where the pastor and the church elders were having disagreements. While there was no smoking gun, no unconfessed sin that would require removal of a pastor, still there were a couple men who really wanted the pastor gone. Clay was on the church board at the time and was privy to the discussions but truly thought that the differences could and ought to be fixed. The board chairman who was the “church boss,” as we call them (there is one in every church) was determined to get the pastor out and decided to call for a “vote of confidence” among the board members, which was not even constitutional but since when does a church constitution mean anything? Before the night of that vote, Clay had spoken with some of the others on the board who agreed with him, one man in particular. They all said that they would vote to support the pastor and would ask the elders to make every attempt to work on their relationship with him. (Their angst was over silly things, for one, wanting the pastor to raise the flag every morning!) The night came and the request for a vote. Clay listened as each person, including EVERY SINGLE ONE who had purposed to support the pastor cast their vote with the chairman. Clay came home that night and said “I now know what it means to stand alone.” What had happened? Well, in retrospect, it was peer pressure and wanting to be liked and an unwillingness to stand against the status quo. It was a turning point for both of us in how we perceived human nature. We learned that NEVER can we expect anyone, no matter what they tell you behind the scenes, to have your back! Let me tell you, peer pressure for adults is every bit as big a deal as it is with our kids! An aside to this story: that was also a turning point for that pastor and his family. They were forced out of the church, the church chairman himself too big of a coward to do the deed asked Clay if he would go to the pastor alone and ask for his resignation! Ultimately, the pastor’s wife died of cancer, several of his kids left the faith, and the pastor took his own life. Saddest ministry story ever. Of course there were many factors in all of it, but we saw the seeds of despair and disappointment planted in that one meeting.
Karen
The video, and the stories shared here, are stunning. There as suggestion, in one of the many recent comments, that a lack of church structure/hierarchy/denominational accountability would make it easier for abuse of all kinds to flourish. That makes sense.
However, we have had problems in C of E and Catholic churches with abusive clergy, and those churches have a structure.
When I try to watch the video it says this video is private. Did they take it down?
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Sentencing for Jack Schaap this Wednesday morning, March 20. He is still “in denial” per this memorandum…
www dot chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-jack-schaap-sentencing-memorandum-20130314,0,4467793.htmlpage