Who Changed?

Here I am again--apologizing for our not posting anything new for many months now! Family, work, church, kid's sports, potty training, etc... have contributed to this most recent silence. I don't know that an apology is needed--these are far more important than any blog. Oh well, this is a short one but I have been chewing on it for a while now.

Here is what Pastor Jack Schaap, First Baptist Church of Hammond, and Hyles Anderson College believes regarding the Holy Scriptures in 2008:

"WE BELIEVE THE BIBLE is the Word of God. We believe in the King James Version of the Bible."

SCRIPTURES — "We believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration of the Bible. The Old and New Testament are definitely inspired word for word. We accept the Textus Receptus manuscripts from which came the King James Bible. The Scripture is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice."

REWIND APPROXIMATELY 100 YEARS...

Here is what James Gray had to say in 1909 regarding inspiration in The Fundamentals Volume 2 Chapter 1:

"Let it be stated further in this defnitional connection, that the record for whose inspiration we contend is the original record — the autographs or parchments of Moses, David, Daniel, Matthew, Paul or Peter, as the case may be, and not any particular translation or translations of them whatever. There is no translation absolutely without error, nor could there be, considering the infirmities of human copyists, unless God were pleased to perform a perpetual miracle to secure it."

One question begs asking--who changed their belief on the Holy Scriptures? Stay tuned for more to come...

PT

You Write the Caption!

On a much lighter note, let's play a fun game of "You Write the Caption" for this photo. I have a few that I jotted down already, but I want to see everyone's creative side before I reveal them! Let's keep it clean and above reproach now people!

PT Barnum

Numbers Are Still King in Hammond

Hello again everybody. I want to apologize for being gone again for such a long time. I have been very busy at work--a website redesign, safety program revamp, and usual business development duties. I have also been an assistant coach on my 9 year old son's basketball team. My 8 year old son has been playing basketball as well and my 20 month old girl is getting into everything!

I didn't want to pass on this opportunity since I have recently received an invitation to attend Pastor's School (this is where I copied this gem from) and a DVD with information on the meetings as well.

Obviously we take issue with a lot of what goes on in Hammond--one of our biggest problems is with their incessant penchant for NUMBERS. If you read the following article by Jack Schaap you will see this fetish clear as day. First Baptist Church of Hammond today is the same as the FBCH of Jack Hyles. Their self love is nauseating to me personally and it is comical to hear them define ministry success. I am looking forward to watching some of the morning sessions when Jack Schaap pontificates on what has "happened" to all the large independent fundamental churches of yesteryear!

Little does Jack Schaap realize it but it is entirely possible for the LORD to receive more glory from a bunch of "little" churches than from one "mega" church. I frankly don't care about mega churches--IMHO any church over 1,000 should be starting other churches all over their area instead of building the "mother church". Take a look at what our self proclaimed expert on "church growth" has to say:

"Do We Suffer From An Identity Crisis?"

"In 1976 Dr. Elmer Towns, dean of the Church Growth Institute at Liberty University, wrote a book about the largest Sunday schools in America. His purpose was to show what large churches were successfully doing which might help other churches to do their part in obeying the Great Commission as well. In his book, The 100 Largest Sunday Schools, he recorded 33 churches which today would be classified as mega churches. Of those 33 churches, 20 were independent Baptist churches. It seems we were moving on in obedience to the Lord.

During the same decade, my predecessor, former pastor, and mentor, Dr. Jack Hyles, made a short study of growing Baptist churches across America. His research revealed that the largest church of any kind in 14 different states was an independent Baptist church. It would appear, at least, that Baptists were on their way to doing what Baptists were supposed to do and that is reaching the lost with the Gospel, getting converts baptized, and teaching them to win others to Christ and to reproduce themselves spiritually.

At age 50, I stand over the midway point of my preaching career. Thirty-two years ago, I began my ministry amongst the most aggressive, growing, and influential pastors and churches. I have wondered to myself and asked my staff, “Where are independent Baptists 33 years later?” and the next obvious question, “Where are we going?”

I commissioned a team of my staff to do follow-up research on the same 14 churches that my predecessor researched over 30 years ago. I discovered that only one of the 14 still held the position of largest church in their state, and that is the church I pastor. I question not only where did the other 13 go, but also, what is the state of the church growth movement today? I do not make these statements to sit in judgment independent Baptists or of those who followed other church growth models, but rather to point out the obvious decline among those who over 33 years ago were very focused and successful.

It is my personal belief that Christ gave us the method and the model and the message. I am convinced that God would not give us such an important truth without giving us an example of how truth should be spread. Furthermore, there is both a consensus and confusion among church growth experts as to which model is successful, along with a tremendous hunger to find any method that will fill our pews. One of the most recent, oft-copied, contemporary models of church growth in America has admitted a failure in effectively discipling converts to a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.

Nearly all Christian groups would agree that a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ is one of our foundational goals. If a comparison were made of Christian models, one would find a strong thread of commonality with that message. What is often the discrepancy is the method and model used.

I think it is valid to ask, “Where have we gone, and where are we going? Have we given up on building effective churches that pattern the book of Acts? Have we left the highways and hedges where the lame, the halt, the maimed, and the blind still await our coming?”

To those of us who diligently study church growth, we find that some vacillate between a prosperity Gospel and deeper life with an occasional visit to a soul-winning ministry. It appears we are never quite able to find the balance and cadence of the Great Commission.

Have our morals shifted along with our models? I fear some of us have become distracted by our brothers’ ministries and have found that acting as judge of our fellow-laborer’s ministry is easier than acting as a soldier performing our Christian duties.

This year’s Pastor’s School will be revelatory and relevant! Join me each morning at Pastor’s School as we examine the facts and search the Scriptures and exalt the Savior."

--Dr. Jack Schaap

Hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into the fundyism from which we have come.

Matthew

The Precious Word of God

I found a very interesting article over at Sharper Iron. This young fellow by the name of Doug Smith hits the nail squarely on the head. We here at Bread and Circuses do not bash the KJV--it is a very good version that has been used by God, but we believe that there are other good versions with more modern language. We are wondering how long the false teaching of King James Onlyism will continue to be pushed among the hysterical fundamentalists. We are praying for a return to the historic and orthodox position on the Holy Scriptures--won't you join us? Check the article out here and enjoy!

PT Barnum

Predators: Home-Made Monsters

Voyle Glover is a friend of ours and has been a guest poster here at Bread and Circuses in the past. Here is a piece that he has recently finished and we thought that it would be a good read for everyone here.

Voyle Glover is an attorney in private practice in Lake County, Indiana. He’s a member of Lake Hills Baptist Church in Schererville, Indiana, is married to Trudy, and together they have three children. Attorney Glover is the author of "Protecting Your Church Against Sexual Predators" (Kregel), and has authored other books, articles, and columns over the years. His website, Brevia Notes, contains a wide assortment of his writings. He teaches on Wednesday evenings in his church, and also preaches in various churches from time to time.

You can find his most recent article here on his Brevia website--a very compelling article indeed. Check out some of his other articles as well--one of my favorites focuses on Christ's Crucifixion.

**Recently Voyle has had some health challenges and he is still recovering from heart surgery. Please keep Voyle, Trudy, and the entire Glover family in your prayers.


PT Barnum

To Change or Not To Change?

Sorry we have been so irregular in our posting lately--things have been extremely busy for us the past few months. With children in baseball practice, baseball games, football practice, and football games time is still very limited to invest in our blog.

All that being said, I wanted to revisit a comment from one of our previous posts concerning "change" and make sure that it did not get lost in the comments section. I meant to post this back in August, but things got very busy at work and home so I never got around to it. I want to clarify what I have observed at FBCH/HAC concerning their view of "change".

A young man who calls himself Jeremy has some venting to do over our criticisms of HAC/FBCH. You can find his comments under the "Old-Timer Religion" thread. He begins by quoting a portion of my last post taken from the Reformers by way of Mark Dever in his book, The Nine Marks of a Healthy Church. Here is the comment in its entirety and I will respond to it at the end.

**Disclaimer: I am not attacking Jeremy nor do I wish to lash out at him in any way, shape, or form. I just could not allow his comments to go unchallenged as I see them flawed on many levels. If you feel compelled to comment here please be sure to do so in a Christ-like spirit. I believe that Jeremy is probably a sincere follower of Christ just like I am--I simply wanted to set the record straight concerning his accusation that we are "making things up".

“We need God’s Word to be saved, but we also need it to continually challenge and shape us. His Word not only gives us life; it also gives us direction as it keeps molding and shaping us in the image of the God who is speaking to us." "For someone that sat under the ministry of FBCH for multiple decades (and apparently can't get through one blog about anything other than FBCH)you'd think that you'd understand the difference between Mark Dever's explanation of "changing" and Jack Hyles/Jack Schaap's explantion. The former is a continual shaping by God to be in his image. The latter is the determination to never change from the "doctrines" that DO NOT change. Of course, a perpetual desire to degrade, attack, and diminish the work of FBCH needs more fuel. Sometimes, you just make it up if it's not there, right? In your epic quest to portray IFB as man-centered and far from the humility and meekness of Christ, not once do I read a humble experience of learning that you've received from God. Nor do you admit your short comings. Your persistent criticism makes clear the mental "ivory tower" upon which you've placed your philosophies and doctrines over those of people with whom you disagree. Jack Schaap's actions may translate as pride and gaudy number exaltation to you, but what do your constant criticisms translate about you to others? I can't wait until FBCH falls, or changes to your thinking ... whichever you desire. Apparently, thanks to the learning I received on this site, it's the whole point of Christianity. Godspeed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Please understand that my comment is in no way an attempt to sway you, change you, or get back at you. I'm no better than you are. Consider it a friendly "venting". The best to you."

First of all I would like to address the assertion that the Reformers were talking about something entirely different than Schaap concerning "change". In all of my years at FBCH/HAC the great majority of the time that "change" was brought up it was in the context of changing from the "old paths". We heard places like Bob Jones University railed upon because of their "liberal" ways--can you imagine anyone thinking that a place like BJU is liberal? A casual survey of their website will prove otherwise to any reasonable investigator.

Nevertheless, to this day Pastor Schaap is throwing tantrums about Tennessee Temple University and how liberal they have gone--i.e. contemporary worship music, different Bible versions, and abandonment of certain dress standards. What many of the culturalists cannot grasp is that it is entirely possible for someone to be a sold out Christ-follower and not agree with them on music, Bible versions, the "old sawdust trail", dress standards, or a personality within larger Fundamentalism. Standards, associations, and preferences are NOT fundamentals of the faith--the fact that you don't change on silly cultural issues is not the same as not changing on the cardinal doctrines of our faith.

When FBCH puts up a billboard trumpeting themselves as an "unchanging church" they are referring to differences in worship style mostly and not to anything about doctrines that DO NOT change. If you think that this is not accurate you need only to listen to a few Sunday night sermons where Jack Schaap screeches about other colleges or ministries that are not still stuck in the 1950's like FBCH/HAC.

Pastors Hyles and Schaap usually reference "change" as a negative thing--rarely if ever are they talking about the core doctrines of our faith--usually they are referring to gray issues that although they may illicit bronx cheers from the rowdy Sunday evening college crowd they do not threaten the faith or Gospel that has been handed down to us.

I am saddened that this young man feels that we desire to see FBCH/HAC fall--I truly do not want them to fall but to reform. I desire to see them cease from their man-centered ways. I desire that Pastor Schaap begins to feed his flock by the expository preaching/teaching of the Word. I desire that those who attend FBCH would not need to get fed by radio preachers because of the spiritual malnutrition they experience from the pulpit ministry of FBCH. I desire that FBCH forsake the heresy of King James Onlyism in all of its forms and that they would go back to an orthodox position on the inspiration of Scripture that the original fundamentalists espoused. I do not have time to go on here--that is another post for another day.

The object of Christianity is not to see FBCH fall or change to my desires--the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Our lives are about so much more than this blog--if you haven't noticed we can go months without posting anything new. This blog was established for those who are "on the fence" in Hammond--it is certainly not for everyone and we have attempted to make that point clear.

It is simply smoke and mirrors to pretend that since we operate a blog that takes issue with the hysteric portion of fundamentalism it must be all that we do in our spare time. It is more of the same IFBx defense mechanism that rears its ugly head when one encounters this blog and others like it. What so often happens is the offended reader then jumps to a non sequitur, e.g., since the blog is primarily dealing with the constructive criticism of IFBx it must be all that the blog operators invest their time in...? We are not perfect by any stretch of the imagination--just ask our wives and friends who know us well. I do not take lightly when someone accuses us of "making things up".

We do hope that those who object to this blog will continue to visit and comment as they feel led. We know that they have few places where they can voice their dissent--we want this to be a place where people are free to disagree with a gracious spirit. I hope that "Jeremy" will come back again and vent here at Bread and Circuses in the near future.

To the praise of His glorious grace,

PT Barnum

Veto Power--Not Just For the POTUS

I was reminded recently of a teaching I encountered as a young lad smack in the middle of IFBxdom. This teaching is what some have come to call "veto power". I know, I know--you thought that only the President of the United States had this power--you were dead wrong. Some within IFBx believe that the pastor or some other Christian leader ought to hold "veto power" over the decisions in your life. I know this is a foreign concept to most of you who are reading this, but let me assure you that it is taught among the cultural fundamentalists.

I want to begin by saying that I believe in wise Christian counsel--I believe in the Scriptural principle of seeking guidance or counsel when an important decision lays in the balance.

Proverbs 11:14 tells us: "Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in abundance of counselors there is safety." Proverbs 15:22 explains: "Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed." Lastly, Proverbs 24:6 says: "For by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory." I believe that the Bible clearly teaches that it is our first priority to seek the LORD's guidance on everything. In those instances when we encounter a situation where God remains silent and we are struggling for peace, a group of wise Christian counselors is both a wise and scriptural principle.

All that being said, I recently picked up a copy of Christian Womanhood (a monthly magazine published by the ministries of the First Baptist Church of Hammond) and found an article that gave me pause. I believe that the lady who wrote this article is a fine Christian woman--I actually had the opportunity while in college of working with her and her family on an East Chicago bus route. My issue with this teaching is not directed at her personally and so I will withhold her name from this discussion.

Here is the paraphrased version of her story. She was a Hyles Anderson College student and away from home. She had been dating a man who I believe proposed to her and so she went in to see Pastor Hyles about it. She had already decided to adopt Pastor Hyles' teaching of "veto power" being held by ones pastor. Pastor Hyles listened as she explained the good news of her proposal--Pastor Hyles exercised his power of veto in this young lady's life and forbade her from accepting this marriage proposal. Later this same young lady met her husband and Pastor Hyles approved and they are still living happily ever after and working in the ministries of FBCH.

I love to hear stories about couples who have been married for 25, 30, 40, 50, and 60 years--we need more marriages like this in our culture today for sure! The only part of this story that I am taking issue with is the fact that this individual had given Pastor Hyles veto power in her life. I think everything worked out great for this particular lady, but I wonder how many other similar stories could be told with the exact opposite result?

I do not believe that FBC Hammond is a cult--I do believe that teachings like this about a pastor's "veto power" are unfortunately both cultic and unscriptural. I do not believe that every college student or member of FBCH has adopted this philosophy--I praise God for that. If you ever encounter someone trying to teach you this little-known doctrine run as fast as you can in the opposite direction!

PT Barnum

We Are Still Alive

It has been over 6 months since we have posted anything new--we never intended to be gone so long. We used to have over 100 visits to the big top on an average day--much of that traffic is now gone since we have neglected to keep things current.

We don't have anything ready just yet for a real post, but I wanted to check in and let anyone who cares know that although we may be sleeping--we are still alive! We will soon wake up and have some fresh takes in regards to hysteric fundyism.

To the praise of His glorious grace,

PT Barnum

Old Timer Religion

Recently I began to re-read a book I read for the first time a couple years ago. The book is “The Nine Marks of a Healthy Church” by Mark Dever. Mark is Senior Pastor of the Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC and executive director of 9Marks Ministries. I enjoyed the book the first time I read it and benefited greatly from his teaching on church membership and church discipline.

You may be wondering where I am going with this—hold on and I will explain. In my honest opinion, the book as a whole runs counter to most everything pushed in the world of the cultural fundamentalist. This is obviously not an exhaustive list but it is still extremely thought provoking. Just look at the chapter titles alone to see how far many in contemporary Fundamentalism have drifted. Expositional Preaching, Biblical Theology, The Gospel, A Biblical Understanding of Conversion, A Biblical Understanding of Evangelism, A Biblical Understanding of Church Membership, Biblical Church Discipline, A Concern for Discipleship and Growth and Biblical Church Leadership.

What especially caught my eye the other night was a paragraph on page 51 of chapter 1 on the subject of expositional preaching and its transforming power in the sanctification of the believer. Pastor Dever says:

“We need God’s Word to be saved, but we also need it to continually challenge and shape us. His Word not only gives us life; it also gives us direction as it keeps molding and shaping us in the image of the God who is speaking to us.
At the time of the Reformation the Roman Catholic Church had a Latin phrase that became something of a motto: semper idem. It means ‘always the same.’ Well, the Reformed churches, too, had a ‘semper’ motto: ecclesia reformata, simper reformanda secundum verbum Dei. ‘The church reformed, always being reformed according to the Word of God.’ A healthy church is a church that hears the Word of God and continues to hear the Word of God. And such a church is composed of individual Christians who hear the Word of God and continue to hear the Word of God, always being refashioned and reshaped by it, constantly being washed in the Word and sanctified by God’s truth.”

On a recent visit to the region I noticed a billboard that promoted First Baptist of Hammond as an "Unchanging Church for a Changing World". I remember hearing this kind of plug in the past used by churches to describe themselves. No doubt they want to set themselves apart from the seeker sensitive and ever changing churches of our day. In the past I would have never questioned this kind of statement but now when I see this it just hits me differently. You will notice that FBCH has also plastered this statement on the front page of their website.

I realize that to some this will seem petty, but I don't ever want to have the attitude that I have all the answers and a corner on God. Unfortunately this is an attitude that many in Fundamentalism exhibit regularly--especially on topics such as Bible versions, music, church polity, worship styles, matters of separation, etc... We should always want to be in a state of reformation--sensitive to the Spirit and constantly being transformed by the Word of God.



FBCH wants to wear the title "Unchanging Church for a Changing World" like a badge of honor--same old black Book, same old-fashioned preachin', same old tried and true methods and philosophies of ministry, etc... As Jack Schaap has said since taking over the old church downtown, "Same old stuff...just a heap more of it".

This is the kind of Fundamentalism that I want nothing to do with anymore--the kind that is arrogant and vitriolic--the kind that is man-centered and egomaniacal--the kind that is pragmatic, egocentric, and more concerned with empire building than Biblical Christianity.

**I do not wish to imply that Mark Dever has all the answers or that I think that ALL Fundamentalists fit my above description. I am simply reflecting on what I have observed on the fringes of Fundamentalism growing up at FBCH.

PT Barnum

Komen Race For The Cure

I know this is a little off topic--I feel like it is important enough to warrant this. As many of you know our mother, Linda Richards, was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 38--she fought the disease and put up with multiple versions of chemotherapy as well as radiation for more than 8 years. In 1996 at the age of 46 our mother went to be with the LORD--thank God for His Grace!

Over the past 10 years I have not really done anything in the way of raising money or helping to support the fight against breast cancer--I am not sure why I haven't, but for one reason or another I refused to get involved. On June 28th of last year, my wife and I were blessed with our third child and first daughter--Linda Lanae Richards. For some reason now I have begun to think about breast cancer in a completely different light--my mother is in the presence of the LORD right now, but this disease keeps affecting women the world over. I now view breast cancer as a disease that could potentially affect my wife or even my daughter, Lindi, and not necessarily a disease that is out of my life forever.

I am running in the 5K race coming up on April 21, 2007--if any of you would like to contribute to the fight against breast cancer feel free to follow this link if you so wish. Thanks for listening to me as I shared my thoughts.

God bless,

Pt Barnum

Another Former PBBC Student Speaks Out

I was perusing Sharper Iron the other day and noticed that someone else who attended PBBC back in the 70's commented on the Jack Schaap debacle. I suppose this is a follow up on our previous post "Pillsbury Baptist Bible College Defended"


Here is the link directly to his post regarding Pastor Schaap's sermon--very interesting.
IMHO, Pastor Schaap needs to realize that with modern inventions such as the internet all of his stories will be checked. Gone are the days of "just wingin'it" and being able to get away with it! May the LORD give us more preachers and pastors who break this mold and endeavor to preach the Word instead of building their legacy/image.

PT Barnum

Transforming Grace Indeed!

Recently, I read for the second time Transforming Grace by Jerry Bridges. I have found that the second time through any good book I am typically doubly blessed and this was certainly no exception.

Those who have read and enjoyed Bridges’ works will most likely agree with my assessment of him as both a tremendous author and communicator of Biblical truth. What makes Transforming Grace even more powerful is when one has a church background similar to mine and Matthew’s, i.e., one saturated with performance-based Christianity, unmitigated externalism, and what I think to be legalistic tendencies.

**DISCLAIMER: I would like to point out that I have used the word "legalistic" denoting the similarity to true legalism. I am fairly certain that even in Hammond, Indiana, they would deny that the externals earn them merit toward salvation.

The common thread, however, always seemed to be that the preacherboy-appearance, including a “right” haircut, and the IFBx-deemed appropriate neckwear all combine wonderfully to provide a faithful thermometer of one’s "spiritual temperature". I understand that is an exaggeration of sorts, albeit only slightly. It seemed to be forgotten that one of the most vocal enemies of our LORD Jesus during His earthly ministry was the sect of the Pharisees. These same “religious” Pharisees were noted for doing all the "right" things externally speaking but failed miserably in the spiritual disciplines that truly mattered to our LORD. We know from the gospel accounts that they held fast to the regulations laid out in the Mosaic law, yet their hearts were rotten with pride and self-reliance.

I would add that as a student at Hammond Baptist and Hyles-Anderson, only a few major issues were of importance and indicators of one’s love for God or lack thereof. Topping this list would be a close tie between whether a student had ever smoked or drank alcohol and what kind or haircut or hairstyle one wore. We were often told by our leadership how that a young person’s hairstyle was an overt indicator of that individual’s rebellion or their submission to authority...?! This was reinforced via the pulpit ministry in downtown Hammond where we often heard the stories from Pastor Hyles how he had NEVER tasted a even a drop of alcohol nor had he EVER smoked tobacco. He would often tell a story about how on a double date one evening his date and the other couple bodily forced him to the ground and attempted to pour whiskey down his gullet. The story ends with Pastor Hyles demanding them to take him home where he found his mother praying out loud for him to resist temptation. For him to have done so would have been to desecrate the Holy Spirit’s temple. Please do not misunderstand the preceding sentences as they are meant to demonstrate the overemphasis on what are thought by many to be gray areas in the Christian life and exalting them to an unnecessary status while ignoring what Bridges terms the “refined sins” in the Christian life, e.g., anger, pride, resentment, covetousness, etc. I do not at all intend to engage in debate about the use of alcohol or tobacco but would like to point out that the concept seemed to suggest that there was great spiritual merit in having never partaken of these indulgences. Never mind the selfishness and pride which so often go unchecked in the Christian life...! This has only begun to demonstrate the point that externals were so preeminent there.

I understand that the Galatian form of legalism dictated that specific works of the law were necessary for salvation in addition to faith in Christ, His substitutionary death, and resurrection. Nevertheless, as Bridges so aptly points out in his book, there are other forms of modern-day legalism and teachings that perpetuate legalistic thinking and tendencies. Bridges tackles these issues head-on in what I consider to be the most thought-provoking chapter in the book, chapter nine. He points out that legalism is anything we do or do not do to earn favor with God. There is so much that could be said here but I will only take the time and space to include this specific and powerful quotation from chapter nine, "Called To Be Free":

"Despite God's call to be free and His earnest admonition to resist all efforts to curtail it, there is very little emphasis in Christian circles today on the importance of Christian freedom. Just the opposite seems to be true. Instead of promoting freedom, we stress our rules of conformity. Instead of preaching living by grace, we preach living by performance. Instead of encouraging new believers to be conformed to Christ, we subtly insist that they be conformed to our particular style of Christian culture. We don't intend to do this and would earnestly deny we are. Yet that's the "bottom line" effect of most of our emphases in Christian circles today.

For example, many people would react negatively to my quoting only part of Galatians 5:12, "You , my brothers, were called to be free." Despite the fact that this statement is a complete sentence, they would say, "But that's not all of the verse. Go on to quote the remainder: 'But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.' " (We seem to forget that verse divisions were not inspired.)

The person who reacts that way has made my point. We are much more concerned about someone abusing his freedom than we are about his guarding it. We are more afraid of indulging the sinful nature than we are of falling into legalism. Yet legalism does indulge the sinful nature because it fosters self-righteousness and religious pride. It also diverts us from the real issues of the Christian life by focusing on external and sometimes trivial rules."

Another relevant case in point is something that was brought to my attention on the FFF recently. It is reported that a special meeting was held for men at a certain IFBx college for the express purpose of banning the practice of spiking their hair to any degree. This seems to picture so well the IFBx obsession with avoiding “worldly” external practices and making the avoidance of such paramount to true spirituality. Make no mistake, the LORD that we serve is holy and has called His children to holiness as well. What needs clarification, however, is how we would define holiness or sanctification if you will. The IFBx model is that of forced "external sanctification". That is, Christ likeness = maintaining the “right” appearance, avoidance of all “worldly” music (however that is defined), being present at all the regularly scheduled services of the “red-hot” church of which you are a member, going cold-turkey soul-winning at a scheduled time each week, etc. Interestingly enough, this IFBx model is simply that–- it is their model and not to be found in the canon of Scripture. I am reminded of the LORD’s words to the prophet Samuel upon the choosing of a new king for Israel, “...the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart."

In closing, I would like to encourage you to get a copy of Transforming Grace--- read it and reread it. I also was informed of a new title from IFBx Publishing put out in response to Bridges' works but only have the cover artwork for it...;)

Josh

Poetic License In The Pulpit

Growing up in IFBxdom, I have always been accustomed to hearing fantastic stories told during sermons. These seemingly innocent little tales became legends that I could recount nearly verbatim to my children even today. Most of these stories happened while "Preacher" was very young and living in a state far, far away or while he was out of state preaching at a special meeting. While I was in the thick of this, I completely believed every story that was told--I think there was something inside of me that wanted to believe that MY pastor would always tell the truth especially while preaching the Word of God to his people--now I am not so sure.

Once I left the realm of IFBx I began to wonder about these fantastic stories that were missing from the sermons at my new church. I began to re-listen to sermons and re-read portions of books written by my former pastor and those who patterned their ministries after him with a more discerning heart--I was troubled by what I found. I struggled with the notion that I must have been so gullible to believe such perfectly orchestrated illustrations. I even remembered how my IFBx pastor would comment after telling a fabulous story about how the reason some people thought he made those stories up was because they were not yielded to the Holy Spirit--if you were REALLY under the Spirit's guidance these things would happen in your life too! Does that sound at all like emotional manipulation to anyone else? I digress.

I can still remember the day when I told my wife for the first time that I did not believe all of Hyles' illustrations--needless to say she was absolutely shocked. I went on to tell her that I believed that he was lying and embellishing more often than telling the complete truth. After the initial "blasphemy"of such an accusation wore off, she slowly began to understand where I was coming from.

...fast forward to 2006

I had not really thought about this particular aspect of the IFBxers until recently. I rarely take the time to listen to sermons preached by IFBxers--I have had more than my fill of the yelling and storytelling even though it is quite entertaining at times. Having spent over 20 years under this kind of preaching and sitting in homiletics classes at HAC that teach this style, I have developed a certain resistance to it. I have heard the constant drone over the past few years how that things have changed in Hammond--here is yet another area where it seems like it is just more of the same only a heap more of it...!

All of this brings us to these basic questions: As a preacher of the Gospel is it OK to fib during a sermon (or anytime for that matter)? As a preacher of the Gospel is it OK to exaggerate during a sermon (or anytime for that matter)? As a preacher of the Gospel is it OK to embellish during a sermon (or anytime for that matter)? As a preacher of the Gospel is it OK to exaggerate, embellish, lie, or whatever else you want to call it as long as you motivate your listeners? Anyone who knows me or has read even a little bit of Bread and Circuses knows where I stand on this, but I am curious if anyone else following this story has a different take.

Personally I would take it a step farther and say that the typical topical style of preaching that is so prevalent among hysteric fundamentalists lends itself to this kind of perversion. Notice I did not say that ALL topical preaching includes lies--nor did I say that all stories or illustrations were wrong. What I mean is that the man-centered flavor of topical preaching that I enjoyed for all of my growing up years included countless lies, fibs, exaggerations, embellishments, or whatever other word you want to use--bottom line is that every man is commanded to speak the truth PERIOD.

Sadly, Hyles and Schaap are not the only ones who have told whoppers from behind the sacred desk. Recently I was told about a fabulous sermon that was preached recently during a chapel hour. The reason given for its appeal was that the preacher shared details about the 40 day fast he had just completed and the countless things he had given up recently to be more "holy". There are many clones and HAC graduates out there who are doing the same thing. Certainly there are preachers from other institutions and denominations who play loose with the truth--I am willing to bet that there is a much higher percentage from HAC circles who participate in this practice.
Many will give preachers a pass on this type of poetic license from the pulpit--I fail to see one shred of Scriptural reason to do so. Many will cry that the results are so awesome and the numbers motivated so large that these "little white lies" are inconsequential. Many especially among our hysteric fundamental brethren will shout that the end (an altar full of motivated people) justifies the means (a lie or two).

I completely disagree with all of the above excuses for lying based upon my understanding of Scripture. There is no such thing as a "white lie"--embellishment and exaggeration are tantamount to a bold faced lie.

PTB

Pillsbury Baptist Bible College Defended

Recently we made a post regarding a chapel sermon Pastor Jack Schaap preached in September of 2006 at Hyles-Anderson College. We touched on some troubling things that Pastor Schaap said about Pillsbury Baptist Bible College where he attended before transferring to HAC in the late 70's. Pastor Schaap has also included some of this story in his book entitled, "A Fresh Anointing" on pages 17-30. Sharper Iron picked up on this sermon as well and has an interesting thread in regards to its veracity here.

I had also mentioned that there were some people who actually attended PBBC when these events supposedly transpired. A couple of these men have added their comments to the above thread and you can check them out here, here, and here. Kevin Bauder who is President of Central Baptist Theological Seminary also addressed this particular sermon by Pastor Schaap in his most recent article which you can read here.

It is obvious that Pastor Schaap's predecessor used personal illustrations quite skillfully--most of them were unverifiable and therefore often accepted as true. It seems that Pastor Schaap has used a really exciting personal story that appears to be very easily disputed by those who were present at PBBC 30 years ago. Nowadays preachers who like to tell stories ought to consider that the internet makes verification or disputation of said whoppers very simple.

Is this just a case of different perspectives of the same event? Is it possible that this legend has grown simply because it happened 30 years ago? Is it likewise feasible that Pastor Schaap has embellished and lied only to make Hyles-Anderson appear to be a more superior college than PBBC?

As badly as I would like to comment in more detail here I will wait until some of you have a crack at it after reading the above refutations.

Ephesians 4:25 NKJB "Therefore, putting away lying, 'Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,' for we are members of one another."

PT Barnum

Kindred Hearts

Recently I came across this post at Paleoevangelical--if you have not noticed we link to this site under our "top shelf links" section. Take a look at the excerpt from Doug McLachlan's book, Reclaiming Authentic Fundamentalism. He has some great thoughts on what he refers to as "succeeding miserably". Many pastors and churches in the 60's, 70's, 80's, and even 90's did just that--now it is time to reap what was sown. I noticed he nailed a lot of the themes that we have been harping on here at Bread and Circuses. Here is the portion Ben cites from page 20 of Reclaiming Authentic Fundamentalism:

"For more than a quarter of a century, we have labored under the false assumption that bigness equals greatness and that success can be measured quantitatively. We are much more effective at counting numbers than weighing ideas. This is a form of secularization and an indication that we have bought into the affluence mentality of our day. We seem always to be thinking in terms of numbers, numbers, numbers! How much? How many? How big? This push has led to the disintegration of ethics in reporting statistics and represents a tragic failure to recognize that invisible spiritual growth cannot be accurately gauged by mechanical measuring devices. Moreover, it forms the ground of pragmatism which has invaded so much of Christian ministry. The trouble with pragmatism is that it works: it attracts large crowds. But under its influence, we end up "succeeding miserably" because we are not succeeding Biblically.

In many cases the result has been the development of a philosophy of ministry which revolves around a celebrity focus (the star of the show who attracts the crowd) who functions as a corporate executive manipulating and then discarding his people in his relentless advance toward statistical superiority. All too often, evangelism in this context has been reduced to humanism as the Spirit and the Word are set aside while the Gospel is packaged and marketed almost as though it were a plastic toy."

• Numbers, numbers, numbers...
• Salvation = plastic toy to give away...
• Philosophy of ministry centered around iconic egomaniac...
• True success in ministry always equated with implementation of pragmatic methodologies...
  

Does any of this ring any bells? I feel like I have discovered a kindred heart living up in the northernmost parts of Minnesota! After discovering this snippet, I made haste to ebay and found a copy of Reclaiming Authentic Fundamentalism--I should have it within the week and cannot wait to dig in.

I am sure that Dr. McLachlan and I would not agree on every issue facing the current generation of fundamentalism--no doubt I will find out that I am off on some things when I grow older and wiser. I do believe that he has a very keen insight into his own generation and that he has no patience with the outer fringes of what we affectionately call, "Hysterical Fundamentalism". My prayer is that more and more people will begin to utterly reject cultural fundamentalism and embrace a Christ-centered and authentic historic fundamentalism--this is the purpose for our blog.

Take the time and check out the above links--you may even want to bookmark Paleoevangelical and check back regularly to see what is on Ben's mind.

PT Barnum

Get Your Gear Here!

Sorry we have not posted in a while, but things have been very busy around the big top! The animals need our constant care and those who would shut down this circus are doubling their efforts. We have done some shuffling of responsibilities here at Bread and Circuses, but we intend to continue to bring you relevant tidbits--some novel and others very serious.

Here is something I happened upon while checking out the Jack Hyles Web Page. This is a Cafe Press store with nothing but Hyles stuff. Coffee mugs, mouse pads, T-shirts, sweatshirts, and duffel bags! I have a few people in mind who will be on the other end of a wonderful gag gift this Christmas! Enjoy and we will be back with a real post very soon.

God bless!

Phineas

Leaving the IFBx* Fold

Recently I received an email with a link to this article by my friend, Voyle Glover. I enjoy his articles and this one is worth sharing. If you have not had a chance to check out the link on our sidebar to his website, Brevia Notes, I would encourage you to bookmark it and read some of his material. You can find it here.

It is never easy when we feel like we have disappointed someone we dearly love--my wife and I still have to battle some of these feelings of nostalgia. Nobody wants their family to believe that they are out of God's plan for their lives or that they have left the faith. The sooner we realize that our loyalties are to our LORD and Savior and not men the better off we will be. The bottom line is that although it is not easy to leave a church or ministry where we have put down roots, sometimes it is necessary. I want to encourage anyone reading this who is going through these difficult times to press on prayerfully--there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel! Feel free to email us in confidence and we will pray with you along the way!

Phineas

Leaving the IFBX Fold

by Voyle A. Glover

Leaving a church where one has put nearly twenty years of roots down is not an easy task. I was reminded of the difficulties recently when, during a discussion with a friend, he mentioned a certain couple who were in the process of leaving their church, an Independent Fundamental Baptist church which has a philosophy and doctrinal perspectives, coupled with certain standards, which defy grace, whilst purporting to embrace traditional Christianity. In short, what I and others have come to call IFBx.

I thought of the incredibly difficult journey ahead for them.

When I left the First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana in 1987, I knew, without anyone telling me, that I had been corrupted. I knew that. I wasn’t sure how corrupted, nor was I sure exactly where. I just knew that the God I’d learned about as a new Christian was not the same God I learned about in the nearly twenty years I’d spent in that church. I knew that many of the things I'd heard propounded as being the truths of God were, in fact, highly suspect.

It took some time, prayer, and an in-depth immersion into the Word of God for me to regain my spiritual equilibrium and for God to cleanse me from so many things that were either flat-out error, or were, in some instances, nonsensical; and not a few things that were simply the preferences of a man which had no biblical basis.

For example, I recall one evening service in my new church, less than a year or so after we’d left, when a lady stood up to sing a song. Suddenly, there was background music (a tape) and some background singers (also on the tape) who were singing along with her.

My thoughts were instantly negative. I did not like it. I did not feel that it belonged in church (a singer with backgrounded music). However, by this time, I’d developed a little mental routine when I had negative reactions to something or someone in the church. This time, it was a silent conversation with myself and went something like this:

Why is this wrong?
Well, it just is. The music tape is wrong.
Is the music bad?
No.
Are the words bad?
No.
If folks were there playing musical instruments, or an orchestra, would that be wrong?
No.
If the background singers were there, would that be wrong?
No.
Why then is this wrong?

This was a thought process that went very quickly and as I did the analysis, I realized I could posit no biblical justification for the position. I also quickly realized that I’d adopted the preferences of a man and given them spiritual significance, to wit, using a background tape for a singer was “wrong,” which meant it was not pleasing to God, which meant it was sin. (I found it fascinating on one level that I'd adopted this man's preferences so completely as to actually have strong feelings of it being sinful for a singer to use a background tape.)

But the difficult issues for me and others like myself (and which will come for virtually all those who leave an IFBx church) came from teachings that had been imprinted onto our psyche such that these ideas were infused into our spiritual makeup. Our perspective was that any church that deviated from these teachings was liberal and no place for a “good fundamental Baptist.” These teachings were wide-ranging, some taking on the trappings of doctrine, while others were imbued with doctrine-like importance.

There are five primary issues that every IFBx’r will run into when he or she leaves the IFBx fold. Those issues are, in about this order of importance: (1) is the church a red-hot “soul winning” church?; (2) Does the church permit the wearing of pants on women?; (3) Do the men all have short hair; (4) Is the music without a beat and non-contemporary Christian (CCM)?; and (5) Does the church prohibit attendance at the movie theater (watching them at home on video was all right)? While there are others, those are what I call the “Five Spiritual Straight-jackets.” It is not an exclusive list and in some churches, there may be other "major" issues of importance. (Today, in that same church I left, for example, the issue of the exclusive use of the KJV Bible is an absolute.) Once you’ve been sewed up in these spiritual straight-jackets, getting your mind and spirit free from them can be a feat worthy of the best efforts of Houdini.

The place of “soul winning” was, in terms of importance, almost up there with the doctrine of salvation. A Christian who didn’t go “soul winning” on a regular basis was considered more than just unspiritual, but was deemed unworthy of the name Christian. And if one dared voice opposition to this activity, such a person was probably not saved. Going out and knocking on doors was seen to be an activity that revealed the true spiritual nature of an individual. One could not be a spiritual Christian and neglect this activity.

Imagine the inner conflicts of a church member who leaves the IFBx fold and enters a church were there is not an emphasis on door-to-door “soul winning,” but emphasizes instead, a wide array of evangelistic methods, which, while permitting an individual church member to utilize such a method, does not actively promote such a method amongst its members. Or imagine an IFBx church member who comes into a church and immediately sees some of the women dressed in slacks, or one who comes to a Wednesday service and sees some of the women in jeans. Or they hear a solo is sung by a member who is a bit more contemporary than the usual fare. Or suppose the pianist’s hair is a bit long. The list is long. It is not uncommon in IFBx circles for preferences to on a level with doctrine.

It is almost a certainty that a former IFBx church member whose mind is still in the mold that was set so long ago, will recoil within from such things. It will be an automatic reaction caused by a conditioning very similar to the methods used on Pavlov's dog. (A dog was trained to salivatate when a bell was rung.) They will see so many negatives and never comprehend that they've been programmed to react that way.

For such Christians, a myriad of questions will arise within his or her mind. They will question why they left, whether it was the will of God, whether they are going to be chastened for it, whether they’ve been deceived by Satan, and on and on. They will begin second-guessing themselves. This is a process that may be instant, i.e., on the first visit to another church, or it might take months; and in some instances, it may surface years later because those issues were never resolved but instead, had been submerged. The mold was still in place, still shaping the mental focus and perspective without them realizing it until one day they sprang back in full force.

They left the IFBx fold but had not managed to leave the mold.

They left the particular IFBx church but the shaped doctrines, philosophies and standards had not left them. It was what brought them back, or in some instances, brought them such conflict as to negate their enjoyment of their new church (and their effectiveness there, as well).

Many Christians who leave the IFBx fold become very conflicted, some become bitter, some abandon church, being unwilling to return to the fold they left, unable to extract themselves from the mold into which they’ve been cast, and unwilling therefore to accept the “liberal” standards of the new church they had hoped to attend. There are some who stick it out in the new church, but become very critical, possessed of a spiritual smugness, and feeling they have a superior understanding of the way God would want the church run in certain areas (such as “soul winning” or the musical program). They can create havoc in their new church and are often the cause of much dissension within a church as they seek to impose their “more spiritual” ways upon the church. When they have resistance, they view this as coming from liberals, weak Christians who should have no say in running the church. Their own actions are perceived as being on a spiritual level and thus, justified actions. These individuals will continue their campaign unabated, even relentless, demanding conformity to the "biblical standards" to which they are accustomed and which they believe every "real" Christian church must adopt. It can and often does, get very ugly. It can and has caused church splits.

SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR THOSE WHO LEAVE THE WORLD OF IFBx

Here are some “musts” for you if you’re someone who is attempting to come out of the IFBx world. They worked for me and have worked for many others. If you don’t do this, then the odds are you’ll either return, or you’ll have a miserable existence in whatever non-IFBx church you join, such that eventually you’ll probably leave it; or you’ll just shut down spiritually because of the inner conflicts that keep arising, or you'll end up causing great contention within that church.

1. Get into the Word of God and ask God to show you TRUTH. Claim the promises of God. It is His will that we know truth and you have every right to expect God to lead you into His truth.

2. Assume that you have been corrupted. You don’t need to determine where or how. God will reveal that to you. Just adopt an attitude that is willing to (a) admit your error when it is revealed to you; and (b) allow yourself to be taught of the Lord. You have to have a teachable spirit.

Then sit back and expect God to open your eyes and show you things. Don’t be afraid to read books by men or women who you ordinarily might not read. Remember, YOU ARE ON A QUEST FOR TRUTH. Nothing else matters. You are not looking for the opinions of others. You are looking for God to reveal truth to you. Pray for guidance over every book you read, including the Bible. He will do that through His Word, through the teaching and preaching of others and by prayer. Bottom line is: God will show you truth. Are you willing to let Him lead you where that truth will take you? Never be afraid to learn truth. Never be afraid to go wherever truth leads, even if it leads your version of truth over the cliffs and onto the rocks.

3. Be patient. Do not be quick to make up your mind about things, either positive or negative. Cleansing comes slowly. Things that have been taught to you for years, things that are impressed on your spiritual psyche, are not easily erased. It is difficult for anyone to admit he or she has been wrong and has embraced error for years. For years, we labored under the notion that we had the truth. It is difficult to come to the conclusion that we embraced a lie. Trust me when I tell you that it takes the grace of God to overcome this.

4. Get off your high horse. Do not be offended at what you view as worldly Christians. In the IFBx world, spirituality is determined by a manifestation of externals, to wit, appearance, souls won, participation in “soul winning” and obedience to the pastor and leaders. In your new world, the spirituality of other Christians is often not readily visible until you examine their lives, where you will often find good deeds that are often unheralded; and good works that are not fancy, which lack the “wow” factor, and aren’t always on the “cup of cold water” level. But they are consistent, day by day good works that come from a heart and life that is sincere and loves God. Learn to examine their fruit without a critical spirit and without demanding to know the number of souls won that week. Be patient with people. Allow judgment of their spirituality to come from God, not you. God will judge the merit of their works. God has not blessed you with a closet full of blue ribbons to hand out in spiritual judging events you may wish to hold.

5. Pray constantly. Ask God to show you yourself. Ask God to reveal the real you to you. Ask God to open your eyes and to make you spiritual, to make you humble, to give you wisdom and understanding. Ask God to allow you to be used to help in the work of this new church in whatever role He chooses (as opposed to your volunteering to do “X” because you’re so good at doing “X”). In short, surrender to God and accept your place in this new church as a field in which God has placed you. Be prepared to help the weak Christians there, to mentor, to pray for, to teach, to reach out and help in whatever way God deems fit to use you in His service there. In short, BE A SERVANT THERE, not a Chief. If you view half the congregation as weak or liberal, then assume it is a mission field and you're there to serve God to be salt.

That’s it. If you’ll do those things and adopt that perspective, you’ll have joy, you’ll interact with the people there without being so judgmental and Pharisaical that no one can stand to be around you; and best of all, God will use you. You may never enjoy the music program as much as you did in your IFBx church, but you’ll learn to appreciate some of the new music and you’ll come to understand that the music program is designed for others besides yourself and that your preferences are not what governs the music program. You’ll realize that music that leaves you cold or “bothers” you is blessing someone else and lifting their hearts to God. You’ll actually accept the fact that tastes in music are very wide ranging and what blesses your soul may put someone else to sleep.

A final thought. This has not been an essay designed to “lure” anyone from their IFBx church and it certainly is not meant to be a critique of IFBx churches. (That would take more time and space than I care to devote.) It is simply designed to be a help for those of you who, for one reason or another, have decided that you no longer care to associate yourself with such a church. Realize that you have been psychologically imprinted far more than you know. If you’re going to break free, realize that true freedom lies in God, not in a book, not in a sermon or teachings and not in an essay such as this. These are merely tools God may use in His working to bring you along the path to liberty.

But that freedom ultimately lies in Christ.

You can move towards it and into it, or you can creep backwards into the cave of darkness from whence you came. It really is your call.

May your journey be blessed of God.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
* IFBx is an abbreviation for what we refer to as the cultural or hysteric fundamentalists, not to be confused with the true branch of orthodox historic fundamentalism known still as IFB. Some common denominators of IFBx have already been touched on in Voyle's article and are as follows: extreme adulation/borderline worship of pastors, leaders, or other preachers; extreme and militant KJVOnly positions; arrogant "preaching" that is more screeching than anything else and void of much Biblical content; light on theology but heavy on "soulwinning" which usually amounts to little more than coercion without any regard to the work of the Holy Spirit of God. This is only the short definition. ;)

More Tall Tales From HAC

I received an email a couple of weeks ago from one of our readers who had found a real gem of a sermon on the Hyles Anderson College website. I understand that this sermon is preached in a chapel setting, but you must get a load of the perfect stories and illustrations used. I highly recommend putting your waders on before wasting 5o minutes or so on this jewel--if you have some time to kill and won't blame me when it is over, have a listen to it here.

P.S. Sorry we have been so slack in posting lately--Josh is buried in seminary classes and I have a newborn, 6.5 and 8 year old in the house. I have recently had some communication with someone who was actually at Pillsbury when all of these stories supposedly happened. I am going to protect his identity, but I will let you know what I find out soon.

Feel free to post some of your thoughts after listening to this stuff--I still cannot believe that I used to be able to sit through this kind of garbage without busting a gut--sad to say the least. What I also find interesting is that I don't remember ever hearing most of these stories--now they are suddenly crystal clear and able to be shared with the masses. I am looking forward to more of these stories--Pastor Schaap makes his father-in-law seem almost dull with his storytelling prowess...! Truly entertaining.

ENJOY!

Phineas

***DISCLAIMER: Josh and I in no way, shape, or form endorse the heavy metal band from Sweden known as The Storyteller.

Circus Blogroll II

We wanted to focus our attention on a couple more of the blogs that we link to here at Bread and Circuses. I want to assure everyone that we are simply going in the random order by which they are listed on our sidebar--we love all of these blogs and brethren equally in the LORD!

The World From Our Window is a blog that we became familiar with after meeting Mike Hess over on the FFF. Mike and I went to Hyles-Anderson College in the mid-90's. We were all stirring up a hornet's nest over on the FFF and Mike emailed me. At that time Mike was blogging with Ken Fields at The World From Our Window, but has recently ventured out on his own over at Extreme Fundamental Makeover which we highlighted a few weeks ago. Now there are four contributors--Ken Fields, Don Fields, Matthew Sims and Mike Hess. Most of the posting is done by Ken Fields who is a pastor in Illinois and Matthew Sims who is a student at Geneva Reformed Seminary near Greenville, SC. Many of you are already familiar with this site, but if you are not I would highly recommend that you check it daily for some really good stuff!

Fundamentally Reformed is a blog that we found through the old Texas Baptist Underground. Many of you will remember this blog by James Spurgeon that actually inspired our blog here at B&C. Bob Hayton spent some years under the influence of Fairhaven Baptist in Chesterton, Indiana. You will enjoy his analysis of the Cultural Baptists and some of his experiences at Fairhaven. I remember Fairhaven well--we used to play them in soccer while I was a student at Hyles High. As far as cultural fundies go, even the Hylesites thought that the Fairhavenites were strict! Now that ought to tell you something! Bob is currently a member of Bethlehem Baptist Church pastored by John Piper. If you enjoy Bread and Circuses you will no doubt find the postings over at Fundamentally Reformed both edifying and enjoyable.

Both of these blogs are committed to endeavor to bring more glory and honor to our LORD Jesus Christ. You may not agree with every single jot and tittle, but you will agree that these brethren are sincere in their desire to follow the Word of God and exalt the name of Christ. I thank the LORD for these blogs and pray that they will continue to shine as a light of discernment during these dark times.

We will be highlighting the other blogs and sites that we link to in the very near future. Our next post will be coming soon and it grieves our hearts to visit this particular topic yet again--stay tuned and keep your eyes peeled for our next blog entry.

Phineas

"The Duke" and the Cultural Fundies

Psalm 138:6 "For though the LORD is exalted, Yet He regards the lowly, But the haughty He knows from afar."

We want to get things back on track here at Bread and Circuses--the last couple of weeks have been filled with laughter and sadness over the man-worship going on among those on the fringes of Christian Fundamentalism. As I thought and meditated on this tragic philosophy, I came across a couple of articles that stirred my thoughts.

If you are looking for the headquarters of the Cultural Fundamentalists, you need look no further than First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana. Recently I had the joy of reading a blog article that reminded me of the many years I spent smack-dab in the middle of IFBXdom. I found this article by way of Sharper Iron and it was written by Dr. Sean Michael Lucas of Covenant Theological Seminary in Saint Louis, Missouri. Dr. Lucas is a BJU and Westminster Theological Seminary graduate and conservative Presbyterian. He was commenting on the recent Youth Conference video that we highlighted a few weeks ago--his comments reached back into my memory banks and brought to thought some themes that I heard on a regular basis growing up as a hysterical Baptist. He mentioned the connection he has noticed between some Fundamentalists and their typical cult-like following of a "muscular personality". If you have not read his post yet I would highly recommend that you give it your attention.

FBCH was and still is led by a pastor who loves to invoke his similarities to a "rootin' tootin' cowboy" or "spiritual renegade". There was and still are certain elements of machismo and imperiousness, not to mention the standard braggadocio and swagger that goes along with being the "biggest and best in the world." The stories I heard growing up were of Jack Hyles, Lee Roberson, John Rice, and Lester Roloff being "kicked out" of the SBC. Another story I heard ad nauseum was that "Preacher x" was a sissy because he wore a dress to lecture his church on Sunday morning. Often times "Preacher x's" name was changed to reflect a woman's name in order to incite more hootin' and hollerin' from the crowd. Pastor Hyles would say things about how the pulpit was his and if he wanted to split his britches on his pulpit that it was his business--the deacons were to stay out of his preachin' or else there was going to be a gunfight at sundown in Dodge! There was one bit Jack Hyles did where he would say "some of you here think I shouldn't call names when I'm preachin'...OK then don't you ever do it!" The idea that Hyles was a rebel with a cause--to save America and your future children and grandchildren from the evils of everything not associated with his empire--was pushed on a regular basis. Now FBCHers are fed a steady diet of these same old Hyles stories as well as legends of Pastor Schaap and his adventures at Pillsbury Baptist Bible College--Pastor Schaap wanted the power of God and these dead and dry "neos" ran him off because he was a zealous soulwinner!? Someone really ought to produce a full length movie about these men--the comedic value would be priceless!

Some of you may wonder why all the emphasis on Jack Hyles since he has been dead and gone for years--first of all, it is the culturalists who keep bringing up his "legacy". The Youth Conference video is a perfect example, but not an isolated incident. Secondly, you would be hard pressed to listen to a sermon by Jack Schaap and NOT find a reference to Jack Hyles and his "legacy"--his muscular memory is still very powerful to those in IFBXdom and Pastor Schaap takes every opportunity to keep that alive. What is most troubling is the fact that Pastor Schaap is also perceived as a muscular personality in his own rite. I would encourage everyone here to take the time to listen to some of his sermons at the Baptist City website.

I am an independent baptistic neo-fundamentalist--I do not identify anymore with the muscular personalities on the fringes of Fundamentalism and their silly personal fiefdoms as Dr. Lucas described them. I believe that man-centered philosophies of ministry and muscular personalities are intrinsically linked to one another--these teachings should be abhorred and denounced with vigor by Christ followers whenever and wherever they are detected.

Psalm 12:3 NASB "May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that makes great boasts,"

Phineas