But, of course, I'm not telling you anything you don't already know.If you and your client really want to do the right thing, you'll face the fact that First Baptist Church has had a cancer growing in it for nearly 50 years. You may have convinced your following in the past twenty years that 'it did not happen if they did not see it,' but God has seen every moment of those years, and my faith will not let [me] believe that He will let you go unpunished. 12:9). I thank God for giving me the sense to decide not to become one of the neurotic puppets you employ. We can see men, but we cant see the Lord except through faith, and the preacher who is not walking by faith in Gods Word will be a man pleaser. I mean, absolutely, purely shocking. And they still perpetuate his legacy: the strict rules, the undying loyalty, and they still try to keep all the secrets (Linda Murphreys testimony at the TEDxOjaiChange event in Ojai, California, April 5, 2012).POLICY: Way of Lifes content falls into two categories: sharable and non-sharable. Even Southern gospel music was sick and sinful and of the devil, says Busby. There should have been a cry against him from every Bible-believing Baptist pulpit in America. His influence was vast. Busby is far from the only person to compare First Baptist to a cult. When she put that curtain that went across the wall, it probably stuck out a good four feet from the wall and it went all the way across, so you had to go behind the curtain to see the door after she put that up. Joseph D. Combs, 63 I went to him twice about things I had heard about Dave. By sifilings. Many people have an attitude of, S. Note: You may want to go get the tissue box before watch. Oh! . In facthe turned to Johnny Colsten, one of the men on the stage with himId like for you, if you dont mind, to drink this.. I was embarrassed and humiliated that he said that, because David had kissed every other girl in the church, too, and they were all sitting there laughing. Former pastor of Temecula Valley Baptist Church, Temecula, California, Convicted in 1999 of molesting a 14-year-old girl. His dads philosophy is if I didnt see it I dont believe it. In the beginning1959, in this caseJack Hyles arrived at the First Baptist Church of Hammond as a skinny, charismatic Bible thumper with a Southern-fried drawl and a couple of cheap suits. And even to our adult years, he owned us. These items have taken years to produce at enormous expense in time and money, and we need the income from the sale of these to help fund the ministry. There will be nothing swept under any rug. Founded in 1887, sleepy First Baptist had a mostly well-to-do congregation, many of whom commuted to jobs in Chicago. A truly just man will. Despite two eyewitness accounts, Ballenger denied the charge, was released on bond, and returned to the church. I think back to the utter immorality of the fundamentalist sect that ran by high school and college. Yes, they havent slept together in probably 25 years, they dont share the same bedroom, they dont speak. You could see their family from our back door. Hated her. You only know about him from a distance and years later. Previous Post FWOTW: 1611Skirts.com Next Post The Coup de Grce. Four years ago, he pleaded guilty to felony stalking of a 14-year-old girl while pastor of Central Baptist Church in East Chicago. Im sure that I was marked as an outsider, even though I had taken the advice of former members and worn a suit and tie. Lowest rating: 1 . . . By this letter I wish to express my thoughts on the role you have played in these events over the past fifteen-plus years. I mean when I was dating David, the books that Hyles has written on teenagers and dating, we never did one thing that he taught. Its hard to believe. Denied bond, he awaits sentencing in the Porter County Jail; the minimum term is ten years. For example, after Schaaps conviction, many church members blamed his victim as a temptress. (A poster for one appearance called the Hyleses The Worlds Greatest Men.). There were references to secret meetings with him in different places (Nischik, The Wizard of God: My Life With Jack Hyles, pp. YES. . Nevertheless, the story of First Baptist is epic enough to rival the most sordid Old Testament tale. ________________There was definitely a door between their offices [Jack Hyles and Jenny Nischiks offices]. Wearing a gray blazer, a red patterned tie, and dark pants, clutching a Bible in his left hand, he stopped in front of the TV cameras and planted a long kiss on his wife, Cindy, 52. [As to why the people at First Baptist allowed these things to go on] the only thing I can tell you is that you are so totally brainwashed. And his dad would get up and preach this and browbeat everybody to death to do their kids that way, but David didnt have to live that way. I anxiously await the day that I can say with all honesty, "They did the right thing". - Receive these reports by email For a pastor to develop a romantic relationship with a church member is gross, gross abuse of his position and of his solemn marital vows. With your own insecurities and personal failures as your driving force, you have quite simply played havoc with an entire church, some of my dearest friends and worst of all, my family. Back at First Baptist, prayers for Brother Schaap have been asked for and received. I was threatened with physical harm, death threats. His office was broken into. Here are just eight of the men affiliated with First Baptist Church or educated at Hyles-Andersonmost of them pastorswho scattered around the nation committing crimes. The case remains unsolved; Paul Ciolino, a former DCFS investigator now in private practice, says he is still pursuing leads. The last point is just as unscriptural and wrong and dangerous as the first. Linda Murphrey. In an incredibly short amount of time I have healed much and think I would surprise even you with the strength I have gained. There was no question who would succeed him: Hyles had been grooming his son-in-law Jack Schaap ever since his own sons prospects had plummeted. By this letter I wish to express my thoughts on the role you have played in these events over the past fifteen-plus years. He built her family a beautiful home right around the corner from our house. About 1,000 students are currently enrolled, down from 2,700 in its heyday, according to admissions director Joe Peete, who gave a Chicago intern a tour of the premises in late October. You call him an adulterer. This preacher, who had held Hyles up as his hero for 20 years and loved the man deeply and prayed for him passionately, approached him in fear and trembling about the matter of the door. He owned our lives, and we didnt dare cross him, because we were too afraid we would lose everything. I would just sit there, and he would say, My son David and Paula never single dated, and I would look at David and start laughing and think, This is hilarious; I cant believe that he gets up and says this. His dad gave me six months of sex counseling before David and I got married, and I could nail him just with that and what he said to me. These are sharable. I take my hat off to Linda Murprhey and applaud her moral courage. This is why the atheist doesnt believe in God and why the devoted Roman Catholic doesnt believe his church is apostate. 594 thoughts on "Breaking Free: Linda Hyles Murphrey Speaks At TEDxOjaiChange" Comment navigation. My older brother became another version of my father. I pulled onto Sibley Avenue and headed toward the church, a mammoth red-brick structure hard by the railroad tracks that takes up an entire city block and looks from some angles more like a big-box store than a house of worship. By the time he took charge of the 44-member Miller Road Baptist Church in Garland, Texas, in 1952, he was a full-fledged, fire-breathing, stem-winding spellbinder, blessed with a booming preachers voice, a savants recall of the Bible, and a charisma that could almost magically levitate people from their seats to surrender their lives to the Savior. I anxiously await the day that I can say with all honesty, "They did the right thing".Judy Nischik JohnsonTHE TESTIMONY OF JACK HYLES DAUGHTER-IN-LAWThe following are excerpts fromDave Colemans Interview with Paula Hyles PoloncoFirst wife of Jack Hyles son, DaveNovember 1, 1989Did Davids dad know that he was adulterous before we went to Texas? He taught us that to please him we had to keep all the secrets. That reknown enabled Hyles to begin crisscrossing the country as the de facto leader of a loose coalition of Independent Fundamentalist Baptist churches. It really is astonishing, says Jeri Massi, a researcher from Raleigh, North Carolina, who has been documenting the sexual abuse of children in Christian fundamentalism since 2001. At Ballengers sentencing hearingdelayed three years by appeals, during which time he resumed working in the bus ministrytwo women testified that Ballenger also molested them when they were young. This is what happens,when people worship a man,instead of God.We are all human and all capable of commiting horrendous sinwhich is why we must always keep our eyes turned upon Jesus. Instead of hearing from Hyles deacons, lets consider the testimonies of three women who knew Hyles far better and more intimately than the aforementioned Hyles defender knew him, better, in fact, than any pastor who is defending him today. . UPDATE: TEDS video has now been restored. Log in to Reply. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services investigated, but the cause of death could not be determined. So, best of luck. Find out where to go, what to eat, where to live, and more. Hated her. Were there problems, particularly in the latter years? Trisha LaCroix, who attended Hyles-Anderson College, says that she was disowned by her parentsFirst Baptist members bothin part for daring to wear pants. My understanding is that with all the stuff going on theyve done something with it. It was going to be me and my big mouth that ruined my marriage, not Davids actions. And even turned his own children against their mother. Summary: Articles about Linda Hyles Murphrey - The Jim Baumer Experience Walking away from fundamentalist Christianity was a pivotal event in my life. He left everything to the organization, which my younger sister and her husband now lead. , because his influence is so pervasive even to this day. He told people to shun me., Leaving First Baptist was in Busbys opinion like leaving a cult. . Spanking should be deliberate and last at least ten or fifteen minutes, he continued. He was chased from a job running the Sunday school at a church in Pinellas Park, Florida, over allegations of more affairs. What was it that you used to say, 'Little leopards have spots because big leopards have spots'? What I cant comprehend is telling a lie that so many people know is a lie. He was very wealthy. THE TESTIMONY OF JACK HYLES OWN DAUGHTER. We thought to make him happy, we would hate her too. And my dad did nothing but cover it up. Jack Hyles was a personal friend. In light of the firsthand testimonies that have been published, this pastor is simply closing his eyes to the truth, for whatever reason. He taught us that to please him we had to keep all the secrets. He soon took it upon himself to arrange marriages. The writer claims that she was a victim of emotional abuse and was snubbed by the upper class. She was sickened and literally brokenhearted, she told me, when she heard about her brother-in-laws arest. As soon as one First Baptistrelated scandal died down, another seemed to surface. All we ask is that you give proper credit. In 1998, Joseph D. Combs, a former Bible teacher at Hyles-Anderson who had become a pastor in Tennessee, and his wife, Evangeline, were convicted on multiple charges of aggravated abuse, assault, and kidnapping of their adopted 11-year-old daughter. 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