Turning points and paradigm shifts sometimes occur unnoticed at the time, but looking back through the spectrum of time; those shifts can be clearly seen. Such is the case of John R Rice, Jack Hyles and the Independent Fundamental Baptist movement.
For many years Jack Hyles traveled with John R Rice, and Hyles’ preaching (back then) reflected Rice’s balance. And while some may dispute whether Dr Rice was the titular leader of IFBs, he was undoubtedly a stabilizing force within the movement. Dr Rice (as well as other IFBs lions) kept hot-heads like Jack Hyles in check.
In 1978 Dr Rice brought Curtis Hutson into the Sword of the Lord, which at the time was the premier IFB publication. Rice and Hutson worked to keep the Sword balanced and doctrinally sound. But when John R Rice died in 1980, a paradigm shift occurred.
Whether it was calculated or coaxed on by others, Jack Hyles made his move to become the de-facto head of the IFB movement after Rice died. Hyles’ preaching became more aggressive and narcissistic. Many good pastors and churches did not embrace Hyles as their “leader.†Some of them may have given him respectful deferance, but the movement began fracturing into “camps.â€
There was the Sword of the Lord camp, the FBCH/HAC camp, the Tennessee Temple camp and BJU camp, to name a few. Now just to be clear, there probably were “camps†before Rice’s death, but after Hyles’ self-coronation, the fracture became more pronounced.
Curtis Hutson continued on at the Sword until he died in 1995. Dr Hutson was a Christian gentleman who did an admirable job trying to bridge the gap between the camps. Then came Shelton Smith who has run the Sword of the Lord down to abysmal absurdity.
Jack Hyles ran his kingdom like the king he pronounced himself to be. Jack Schaap was a willing prince waiting to assume the throne once Dave Hyles self-destructed. And it only took Schaap a dozen or so years before he imploded.
So where is the IFB movement today? More of a laughing-stock and a punching-bag among the evangelical crowd. The largest churches in America are no longer predominately IFB. I wonder what John R Rice, Lee Roberson, Bob Jones Sr and others would think of the Independent Fundamental Baptist movement of today?
For many years Jack Hyles traveled with John R Rice, and Hyles’ preaching (back then) reflected Rice’s balance. And while some may dispute whether Dr Rice was the titular leader of IFBs, he was undoubtedly a stabilizing force within the movement. Dr Rice (as well as other IFBs lions) kept hot-heads like Jack Hyles in check.
In 1978 Dr Rice brought Curtis Hutson into the Sword of the Lord, which at the time was the premier IFB publication. Rice and Hutson worked to keep the Sword balanced and doctrinally sound. But when John R Rice died in 1980, a paradigm shift occurred.
Whether it was calculated or coaxed on by others, Jack Hyles made his move to become the de-facto head of the IFB movement after Rice died. Hyles’ preaching became more aggressive and narcissistic. Many good pastors and churches did not embrace Hyles as their “leader.†Some of them may have given him respectful deferance, but the movement began fracturing into “camps.â€
There was the Sword of the Lord camp, the FBCH/HAC camp, the Tennessee Temple camp and BJU camp, to name a few. Now just to be clear, there probably were “camps†before Rice’s death, but after Hyles’ self-coronation, the fracture became more pronounced.
Curtis Hutson continued on at the Sword until he died in 1995. Dr Hutson was a Christian gentleman who did an admirable job trying to bridge the gap between the camps. Then came Shelton Smith who has run the Sword of the Lord down to abysmal absurdity.
Jack Hyles ran his kingdom like the king he pronounced himself to be. Jack Schaap was a willing prince waiting to assume the throne once Dave Hyles self-destructed. And it only took Schaap a dozen or so years before he imploded.
So where is the IFB movement today? More of a laughing-stock and a punching-bag among the evangelical crowd. The largest churches in America are no longer predominately IFB. I wonder what John R Rice, Lee Roberson, Bob Jones Sr and others would think of the Independent Fundamental Baptist movement of today?
