Jack Hyles

File:Jack Frasure Hyles FBC Hammond.jpg

Jack Frasure Hyles (September 25, 1926-February 6, 2001) was a leading figure in the Baptist movement. He pastored the First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana from 1959 to his death. Jack Hyles built a church of fewer than a thousand members to a membership of 100,000, with an average Sunday attendance of 20,000. He was a leading innovator in the church bus ministry. Over the course of his nearly 50 years as a church leader, Hyles was occasionally criticized for his doctorinal views and for alleged scandals.

His life and ministry

Jack Hyles was better known as "Brother Hyles" to his tens of thousands of congregants. Hyles led the Miller Road Baptist Church in Garland, Texas for about six years in the 1950s, but he was reportedly kicked out of the Southern Baptist denomination because he was too conservative for them.

In 1959, Hyles became the pastor of First Baptist Church in Hammond, Indiana, where he shepherded the church from a congregation of several hundred to more than 20,000. In the early 1990s a national survey ranked First Baptist as the largest church in the nation, by average weekly attendence figures.

Beginning in 1969, and continuing for several years, First Baptist Church of Hammond received recognition for the size of its Sunday School. The current Vice-President of Liberty University, Elmer L. Towns, who holds a doctorate degree in the ministries, wrote one of several books in which he analyzed FBCH's Sunday School in 1969. He presented a plaque to Jack Hyles in 1971, naming First Baptist Church of Hammond the nation’s largest Sunday school. In 1972, and for several years following, Christian Life Magazine proclaimed First Baptist Church of Hammond to have "The World's Largest Sunday School."

Jack Hyles co-founded Hyles-Anderson College with Russell Anderson to specialize in training Baptist ministers and school teachers in 1972. Hyles-Anderson College never sought accredition because Hyles insisted that he did not want other people telling him how to run his religious school.

One of the most notable aspects of Jack Hyles' ministry is his church bus ministry. As early as 1975, Time magazine described the phenomenon in an article titled, "Superchurch." The Time article notes that First Baptist Church of Hammond Sunday School, which regularly ran almost 14,000 (the church had an active membership of 22,000), pushed the church to a record attendance of 30,560 on March 16, 1975, thanks to a boisterous contest between two bus route teams. In that year, according to the Time article, the First Baptist Church of Hammond bus route ministry consisted of 1,000 workers using 230 buses to ferry as many as 10,000 people every Sunday. The Chicago Sun Times reported in 2001, that a fleet of over 200 buses was regularly ferrying 7,000 to 15,000 people from throughout northwest Indiana and the Chicago, Illinois area to learn the fundamentals of Bible teaching.

Hyles was also a leader in the Independent Baptist movement through his speaking at 'The Sword of the Lord' conferences with John R. Rice and his own annual "Pastors School". The school continues to attract as many as 7000 visitors to the Hammond area.

Hyles wrote over fifty works in his lifetime, including Is There A Hell?, based on a sermon he preached at a National Sword of the Lord Conference. Another work, Enemies of Soul Winning tackled many issues considered controversial in fundamental and evangelical circles, which include the doctrine of repentance, Lordship salvation, and the role of the church in soul winning. The Calvary Contender wrote, "Hyles will be remembered as a one-of-a-kind, ever controversial leader whose ministry touched the lives of multitudes."

Honors, awards, accolades, and praise

Hyles has been the recipient of much praise, honors, and other accolades throughout the course of his life, and even continueing on past his death.

Hyles received an honorary doctorate from Midwestern Baptist College, an unaccredited bible college for budding pastors, missionaries, evangelists, and Christian school teachers.

In 2001, the Hyle's boyhood home, a 384 square foot shack in Italy, Texas (30 miles south of Dallas, Texas) was purchased for a planned museum to honor Hyles. The home was shipped from Texas to Hyles-Anderson College. The home was planned to house Hyle's writings, photographs, and other relics on the 2,700-student campus. Ray Young, a close friend of Hyles, said, "We have 5,000 to 7,000 independent Baptists who come here each year for conventions. Reverend Hyles was very much adored by independent Baptists across the country. It should be a major attraction for them.

Hyles' commitment to poor children grew out of his own childhood. He was raised in poverty by a single mother during the Great Depression. Hyle's is given recognition for his commitment to the poor, mostly black and Hispanic children from Chicago's inner-city neighborhoods, whom he has bussed to private Christian schools in Hammond every day.

Hyles was known as a great preacher among the fundamentalist preachers. The Washington Post compared the meek preaching style of Jerry Falwell to the "spit and fire" of Jack Hyles. The Post suggested that after you heard a preacher like Hyles, "you knew that you'd been preached to".

In the Chicago Sun Times' Cathleen Falsani wrote about Hyles on the occasion of his death, "When he chose the interests of poor, inner-city kids over millionaire church members, they said he'd never keep the doors of his church open. In more than 50 years of ministry, the Rev. Jack Hyles, pastor of mammoth First Baptist Church in Hammond, Ind. proved them all wrong. In the process he build one of the largest congregations in the country, a college, six schools, and a vibrant ministry that will now have to survive without him."

In the same article, the President of Hyles-Anderson College was quoted as saying Hyles is "a tremendous man of integrity, business acumen, leadership ability, organization. You didn't have to do everything his way. But after you experimented, you usually found out his way was the best way".

Matthew Barnett, while discussing his work at an inner-city Los Angeles ministry, explained how he learned from Jack Hyles. He explained how he and his dad learned the whole bus ministry and bus captains idea from Hyles during a conference. Barnett also expounded on how Hyles was a tremendous soul winner, and how Hyles had great influence throughout the entire Chicago area.

Hyles was honored in Hammond, Indiana with a huge portrait of Hyles and his widow, Beverly, dominating the skyline of the town. He is also honored in Founder's Park at his college, where they laid 30,000 bricks as flooring for life-sized statues of Hyles and his widow.

Controversy and criticism

Teachings

The Richmond Times quoted ex-Hyles follower and later critic, Robert Sumner, who said "Jack Hyles, runs his church in an authoritarian, almost 'cultist,' manner." Sumner's paper "The Biblical Evangelist, published in Ingleside, Tex., devoted the lion's share of a 24-page issue this month to what it headlined as "The Saddest Story We Ever Published"-detailing Nischik's charges and editor Robert Sumner's contention that Rev. Hyles has strayed from biblical teaching and into cultlike mind control. According to the Richmond Times Sumner's article had over 100 allegations. Among the various allegations was that Hyles had "sex satellites" in Petersburg, Beaumont, Texas; and Anniston, Alabama". Hyles asserted Sumner's accusations were "all lies".

In 1993, the Northwest Indiana Times reported a news station "recapped a sermon in 1990 in which Hyles pretended to pour poison into a glass and asked an associate pastor, Johnny Colsten, to drink from it. Colsten said he would."[1] Furthermore, "The WJBK report said the sermon has the "ring of Jonestown to it - the mass suicide in Guyana in 1978 by followers of cult leader Jim Jones."[2] The mini-series also "showed footage during its report of" Hyles "brandishing a rifle form the pulpit, along with "people with guns and walkie-talkies patrolling the outside of the church at times." [3] In an newspaper interview, Hyles claimed the armed security was due to bomb threats and threats made on his life.[4] As for the gun, a 1903 Springfield bolt-action rifle, Hyles said it was the only gun taken to church and its only been taken out of the case "show people how pretty it is."[5]

Personal conduct

On May 25, 1989 The Chicago Tribune reported that Victor Nischik, a former deacon of the First Baptist Church, accused Hyles of committing adultery with Jennie Nischik, Nischik's wife and Hyles' long time assistant. On May 28 the Tribune repeated this and added Nischik's allegations of questionable financial dealings. Hyles replied by saying the charges were "false" and indicating that "he has given 'hundreds of thousands' of dollars to needy friends over many years but has kept no records of the transactions." Hyles was not ever charged with a crime.

Victor Nischik wrote a book about the scandal titled The Wizard of God. This work detailed the relationship between Jack Hyles and Jenny Nischik and charged Hyles with alienating the affections of Jenny Nischik from her husband. Reportedly, Hyles "told Vic that he could have Beverly (Mrs. Hyles) with the same relationship Hyles enjoyed with Jenny."

Within a year of Nischik's work, the Northwest Indiana Times reported "The pamphlet, Fundamental Seduction: The Jack Hyles Case, written by Voyle A Glover, delves into Texas-based evangelist Robert Sumner's allegations of moral laxity, doctrinal heresy and financial impropriety by Hyles." In May 24, 2001 Glover was interviewed about his claims against Hyles by "The Channel 2 News" over the 1993 scandals.

Sexual allegations involving the First Baptist community

Hyles has been a target of occasional criticism during his nearly 34 years at the helm of the independent First Baptist. 1,300 supporters of Hyles gathered to listen to Hyles as he branded the news reports linking him to a nationwide pattern of sexual molestations and abuse as "ridiculous assumptions and malicious lies". He said the reports were really an attempt to end Sunday school "bus ministries" operated by his church and others like it. He told hundreds of supporters that "If ever there was a lie spawned by Lucifer out of hell, this is it."

There is one documented instance where a member of First Baptist was found guilty of a crime of abuse. Daniel Lehmann of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote, "In March, 1993, a deacon at First Baptist, A.V. Ballenger, was found guilty of one count of child molestation dating from 1991." During a Sunday school class "a church worker reportedly witnessed the act and removed the girl from the room, police said." The Chicago Tribune in a 1991 article reported that Hyles was sued for $1 million by the parents of the girl molested by Ballenger. The paper reported the "lawsuit claims Hyles and the church had not fulfilled their obligation to ensure that children were protected from harm during Sunday school." This stemmed from the molestation being brought to Hyles' attention who then promised to "investigate." After two months of nothing being done, the parents went to the police.[6] Furthermore, "the suit, filed last week, claims the minister told the child's parents that Ballenger 'just liked little girls,' and 'you don't have a case.'" Hyles and the church settled out of court.[7] Ballenger was sentenced to five years in prison in 1993.[8]

The Northwest Indiana Times noted "regrettably, Hyles does not seem to think that Ballenger's conviction is something that should require the former deacon to be removed from any contact with church children. Hyles noted, "The family, the parents of the daughter should not have gone to court and they wouldn't have if a crooked lawyer hadn't got a hold of 'em. They shouldn't have gone to court. They should have come to me. That's what they did. They had only one witness. I told them in my office, I'm sorry, I cannot investigate a case unless there's two witnesses."[9] The Deputy Prosecutor of the Ballenger case Clarence Murray said "that the church has maintained 'a conspiracy of silence' by closing ranks behind Ballenger.[10]

In May 1993, WJBK of Detroit, Michigan area news team, did a story called Preying from the Pulpit where it followed up on allegations of child molestation." The news report "began airing a six-part series Sunday night that stemmed from child sexual abuse allegations last fall against deacon Mark Foeller and associate pastor Timothy Leonard of North Sharon Baptist Church near Ann Arbor." The San Diego Union-Tribune noted "the news report found seven U.S. churches - all with ties to Hyles, it said - involved in sex scandals."

The Chicago Sun-Times remarked that Hyles "disputed the latest reports point by point in a speech to Midwest ministers and businessmen, brought together by COMPASSION - Churches Organized & Mobilized for Preservation and Safety for Sunday Schools in Our Nation." Hyles also claimed out that one person said to have attended Hyles-Anderson College had not really attended the school. Also Hyles spoke at a church in Denver, Colorado Hyles defending himself

On May 14, 1993 "the FBI was asked to look into allegations minors were taken from Michigan to Northwest Indiana by employees or officials of North Sharon Baptist Church near Ann Arbor for events sponsored by Hammond First Baptist Church." The FBI concluded, "there is insufficient evidence to probe allegations."

On Friday, May 19, 2003 the area newspapers published a letter from Hyles, denying that he ever condoned harming a child.

Sgt. Charles Hedinger, a Hammond police detective, was quoted in the May 19, 2003 Chicago Tribune saying the investigation as "open-ended." Hyles said he welcomed a police investigation into the matter, and held a meeting with police about it. After emerging from the meeting with police Hyles reported that there was no investigation. On Wednesday May 24, 2003, Hedinger's boss, the chief of the Hammond police detectives, Capt. Bill Conner was quoted in the Tribune saying that, "There is no investigation of the First Baptist Church of Hammond or Jack Hyles".

On December 8, 1997 Christianity Today reported that Hyles and his church, the First Baptist Church of Hammond, were being sued for "for negligence in connection with alleged sexual assaults on a mentally disabled church member over a six-year period" The lawyer for the woman, Vernon Petri, "says Hyles is a defendant because he failed to protect the woman", such that "Controls have to be set to be sure things are conducted appropriately..." However, Christianity Today pointed out that no criminal charges were ever filed in the case. Also, Hyles denied the allegations that either he or his church were negligent in the care of the woman in an October 12 advertisement in the Hammond Times.

According to the lawyer, "a church program instructor led her to a room and served as a lookout while two to three males raped her."[11] The women develop a "serious" infection and doctors "found, embedded in her, a plastic object."[12] "The "civil suit filed in Lake Superior Court in Gary claims the Chicago woman was "induced by agents" of the church in 1991 to ride a bus to attend Sunday."[13]

Bibliography

• Blue Denim and Lace. Hammond, Indiana: Hyles-Anderson Publishers (1972)
• Enemies of Soul Winning. Hammond, Indiana: Hyles-Anderson Publishers (1993) (148 pages)
• Logic Must Prove the King James Bible. Hammond, Indiana: Hyles-Anderson Publishers
• Is There A Hell? Hammond, Indiana: Hyles-Anderson Publishers
• Jack Hyles Speaks on Biblical Separation. Hammond, Indiana: Hyles-Anderson Publishers (1984) (112 pages)
• Teaching on Preaching. Hammond, Indiana: Hyles-Anderson Publishers (1986) (153 pages)

External links

Hyles Ministry

• The Jack Hyles– Home Page with Books, sermons, links
• Hyles Publications -- a publisher of books and bibles including many by Jack Hyles.

• An unofficial Jack Hyles website with archival copies of books and sermons and links to discussion groups

Criticism

• The Jack Hyles Story by Robert Sumner
• Preying from the Pulpit MP3s Preying from the Pulpit pt. 1, pt.2, pt.3, pt.4, pt.5