Bravo said:
RAIDER said:
I can understand the "Dr. Hyles' big shoes" statement, but Schaap? Give me a break.
Raider, king of HACkers, let me say this with all due respect,...
I don't know if you realize how much the Schaap debacle has affected the locals with their opinion of Bro Hyles. Comments made in deacons meetings by the older deacons when the news was first getting out about Schaap, "we are not covering up for another one". Bro Hyles had won quite a bit of credibility on has last decade or so. But the whole Schaap thing pealed back the layers all the way back to Hyles. More and more bits and pieces come out and I can no longer give him the benefit of the doubt anymore. For quite a while I tried to defend Schaap against the radio guy from Florida (I can't remember his name anymore) but it got to the point in his last couple years that I could no longer defend his behavior and statements. Now I recoil at statements about Bro Hyles, and Facebook quotes from his sermons, I'm just left shaking my head. Throwing out the baby with the bath water like you asked in an earlier post? We find ourselves in a weird position that sometimes folks that don't live here don't really realize.
Bravo, King of Rackers, I believe the Schaap situation has made us all look back and reevaluate some of our thoughts and opinions of FBCH.
Many of us attended HAC/FBCH for four years. We have stayed in touch through Pastor's School, Christian Womanhood Spectacular, and Youth Conference. We have sent students to HAC. We have visited FBCH when in the area. You are correct when you say that those of you who live in the area and attend FBCH are in a far different position than us. I don't know what you folks are going through.
Many of us saw Schaap going wacky several years before his fall. Now, don't get me wrong, none of us thought he would commit the crime that he did. We noticed the heresy in his teaching and preaching. We noticed his arrogance. We noticed his "odd" thinking. We watched as he spent money like water. We wondered why SOMEBODY on staff or on the deacon board didn't stand up and throw a fit.
When it comes to Dr. Hyles many of us have a different story. While we may have heard a sermon where a verse was taken out of context, but we never looked at him as a heretic. We heard preaching that spoke to our heart. We watched FBCH grow. We watched HAC grow. Our lives were changed. We saw students graduate and go into full time Christian service. We felt that Dr. Hyles genuinely cared for us.
Most of us were not there during the "scandal years". We read the accusations. We heard the defense. Maybe we were ignorant, but we stood with Dr. Hyles. Many of us did this not because of "blind loyalty", but because of the lack of a "smoking gun" and giving him the benefit of the doubt. We watched Dr. Hyles come through this time period and keep on going.
As I mentioned earlier, the Schaap situation has made us look back and reevaluate some of our thoughts and opinions. There was a time that I did not believe Dr. Hyles knew about many of Dave's episodes. I no longer believe this. Why he did not deal with these issues is for all of us to guess. I believe this hurt his ministry more than any other item. I still don't know where I fully stand on the Nischik situation. This is where I don't believe there was a "smoking gun". I know each of us have our thoughts and opinions.
Bravo, all of that to say this - I believe Schaap was pegged as a "phony" by many from day one. IMO, Dr. Hyles was much more real and genuine. Maybe that is why we look at the two of them differently.
When I started the thread about not throwing out the baby with the bath water I was referring to not giving up our standards, convictions, and living for the Lord just because leadership at FBCH has failed us. I wasn't referring to standing up for personalities.
