Chapter Two - Personal ExperiencesI was eight years old in
1963 and had been exposed to much Christian influence. From
1963-1972 I was primarily under the religious influence of my maternal grandfather (
Clyde Rickles) and of my mother. They often witnessed to us children, read and talked the Bible, though they weren't regular church-goers. But during those years, and chiefly between
1970-1972, I began to seek the Lord. I was beginning to ponder my destiny and to see that I was a lost sinner. I attended several
Missionary Baptist churches, including the old
Lindenwald Baptist Church.
I even
"went forward" there at around the age of
13. But the church was so far away, and not having transportation, I didn't get to return to be
baptized.
At around the age of
16 I went forward again in a
Missionary Baptist Church nearer our home, Mom and grandpa also attending. I received
"assurance of salvation" about this time. It was also about this time that Dad started showing a greater interest in talking to me about God and the Bible.
I was awaiting
baptism at the local
Missionary Baptist Church, but through his influence I began to see the
"doctrines of grace." This caused me to wait further before being baptized by the
Missionaries.
I remember Dad taking me on a trip to
Middlesboro, Kentucky to
special services at the local
Hardshell church in which they were
"dedicating" a new building. During this four-day meeting I was also impressed in many ways with the
Hardshells.
My "First Impressions" of "Hardshells"I remember that the building to be dedicated was a small rectangular brick building with a basement.
Hardshell meeting-houses are generally very small and simple. There are no special
"choir sections," "Sunday School" rooms, or a
"Pastor's study." Just one large room with a slightly elevated
"stand" where the pulpit was located. In this building, like many
Hardshell meeting-houses, there were two main rows of pews or benches, facing the stand and pulpit, with one main aisle in the middle.
There was the common
"amen corner" pews at right angles to the
"stand." In many cases, the preachers and deacons sat in one of those
"amen corners" while the older females and widows sat in the other.
Though Dad spoke several times during the four-day meeting (
protracted?), there were other preachers who also preached. I think the church met for three sessions per day on both Friday and Saturday, then once on Sunday morning. It was a common practice at such meetings to preach two or three preachers at each session. One certainly heard a variety of
"preaching styles."I remember also that the building was filled to overflowing (having about 150 people). This was not due to the fact that the church was large, but because it was in the heart of the
"bounds of the Powell's Valley Association" of churches, and also a member of that Association. Many of the
Hardshells from the other churches in the area were in attendance. A
non-Hardshell visitor might have initially thought that this church had
"busted the seams" in growth! But this is the case in many
Hardshell churches at such meetings. Many of them have
"traditionally" only met
"once a month," and in areas where two-or-more
Hardshell churches exist, members attend each other's churches. This often gives the impression of being a larger church than it really is. You often hear
Hardshells talk of their
"off-Sundays," meaning the Sundays that their own particular church doesn't meet. On these Sundays,
Hardshells either don't go at all or attend another
Hardshell church.
In many areas where there are, say, four churches, with each meeting on a different Sunday, generally the people go from church-to-church, sometimes to hear the same preacher or preachers. This troubled me when I was
Hardshell, as I'm sure it did others. From all appearances, they seemed to be
"one" church meeting in four buildings and wearing four names. I know that in one case, at least, it became an
"entangled mess."I
pastored two churches at the same time in the
early 80's near
Wilmington, N.C. called
"Grassy" and
"Haws Run" Primitive Baptist churches, and I was a member and
assistant pastor at
Bethel Primitive Baptist Church near
Shallote, N.C.When I first started serving these churches, I would preach at one
"church" on one Sunday a month and then at the other church and its building on a different Sunday. But it was basically the same body of people.
I, of course, began to ask each of the group of members
"which church" they were members of, and many could not tell. They would try to recall which building they were in at the time they
"joined the church," but could not. To them, they had simply joined that group of people. Seeing this, I tried to get the group to sell one building and choose a single name. I was making some progress before I left, but the
"tradition" was too deeply imbedded.
But let's get back to my first meeting in a
Hardshell church and of my
"first impressions" in Middlesboro, Kentucky. Let me say one other thing about the
"stand," or pulpit area, in this and most
Hardshell churches. Most of the
"stands" have chairs in them, behind the pulpit, for visiting preachers. It is the usual custom for pastors to
"invite into the stand" the preaching brethren who are present for the given occasion. Those chairs are for them. There's generally a small table with two chairs on either side, just in front of the
"stand" and pulpit. This is used for flowers, placing and collecting money, the Lord's Supper, and for the moderator and clerk to use at the monthly or quarterly
"business meetings."At this meeting in
Middlesboro, I did enjoy most of the preaching. It was, as I remember, mostly on the
glories of Christ and of the
"old church." They also spoke much about the
"doctrines of grace," with an occasional reference to the
"Arminians".
This particular church was in the coal mining area of
eastern Kentucky. They were
emotional and almost
"pentecostal" in their
"shouting" and
"liveliness."About half of the preachers spoke very fast or else
"sang" out their sermons in some
rhythm. You often heard the usual
"uh" or
"ah" between phrases.
I was impressed, however, with how the people enjoyed the service. They sang loudly and with rather good harmony. The songs were simple, old-time Christian tunes.
I remember being a little disturbed when one
"lay preacher" began to talk and cry wildly while walking around the building and shaking hands with everyone. He did this while the scheduled preacher was in the stand preaching. This walking lay-preacher was later
"ordained" as an
"Elder" and began
"serving the churches." His
outburst was believed to be an
"evidence" of his
"call to preach."A few short months after this first visit to a
Hardshell church, I went on another trip with Dad to visit other
Hardshell churches. That was in August of
1972. Dad had a ten-day trip arranged. On the second week-end he was to be at the annual session of the
Sequachie Valley - Blue Ridge Association, then meeting at
Tickanetly Church in
Elijay, Georgia.
On the Monday through Friday following this association, Dad was scheduled to have a
"debate" with
Thomas Thrasher, of the so-called
"Church of Christ," with whom I have since also had two debates. The debate was held at the
Campbellite meeting-house in
Decatur, Alabama and the proposition was,
"The scriptures teach that the church of which I am a member is scriptural in origin, doctrine and practice." Elder S.T. Tolley acted as Moderator for Dad. This was the first time I had met brother
Tolley and we became close friends.
Joining the HardshellsIt was actually through this
debate that I came to the decision to
"join the church." I had already been
saved. Now I was ready to be
baptized and become a member of the church. It was through this debate that I came to believe the
"doctrines of grace" and to repudiate
Arminianism.
We left the debate that Thursday night in order to attend the annual session of the
Powell's Valley Association, then being held in the
Middlesboro, Kentucky area. Our church in
Middletown, Ohio was a recent new addition to the Association; it had churches in four states. I united with the
Hardshells at that Associational meeting, being voted upon by the few members of the
Middletown Church who were present. I was
baptized by my father the next day in a creek in the foothills of the Smokies, near the Cumberland Gap.
Licensed to PreachDuring this trip I was introduced to
"associations." Of these, I will have some more to say later in this book. Over the next two years I studied the Bible exhaustively, and I began to be schooled in the
Hardshell faith under the direct tutorship of my father.
I also began to travel extensively among the
Hardshells, visiting their associations, the leading churches, and becoming acquainted with their beliefs, customs and practices.
I had been
"licensed to preach" by the
Middletown Church just shortly after being baptized. This enabled me to preach anywhere among the
"Primitive Baptists." During those first two years among the
Hardshell, I preached and visited over a wide area of the country.
I also became well acquainted with
Elder Lasserre Bradley of the
"Cincinnati Primitive Baptist Church." I preached at this church several times during my time with the
Hardshells, and whatever comments I might make about that church and
Elder Bradley come from this
first-hand experience. In fact, it was at this church, shortly after my baptism into the
"Old Church," that Dad bought me my copies of
"Cayce's Editorials," from
Elder Bradley and the
Cincinnati Church.
Claud CayceElder Claud Cayce was, during his time (1890 to around 1945), the leading spokesman for
Hardshell doctrine and practice. He edited the famed
Hardshell periodical,
“THE PRIMITIVE BAPTIST,” started by his father,
Elder S.F. Cayce.
He is reported to have had nearly three-hundred debates with
Campbellites and others, and was
considered the ablest defender of Hardshell doctrine in modern times. He has had a tremendous impact on
Hardshell doctrine and practice. He probably was the primary cause of the
Hardshell’s imbibing the doctrine known as
"Time Salvation." But more on that later.
Cayce became a recognized
"authority" on
Hardshellism. Today, a quote from
Cayce is of immense authoritative value. In fact, when I moved to North Carolina in
1976, and became a member of one of the churches in the
Bear Creek Association, I met the association's
"pope," the aged
C.M. Mills.
He spoke very highly of
"Brother Cayce" and advised me and all young preachers to study his
"editorial writings" along side of the Bible. It is ironic that the
oldest Baptist Association of America, the
Philadelphia Baptist Association, recommended all their young preachers to study
John Gill’s commentaries and
Body of Divinity. Now, however,
Gill has been replaced by
Cayce.
Elder Mills himself obtained many of his
"views" on
Hardshell doctrine and practice from this veritable
"patriarch."
Elder Cayce was one of those who helped to
"chop-up" the
Old London Confession of Faith while at the
Fulton Convention in
1900 (which brother
Ross has discussed in his articles and I will deal with later in this book).
In studying
Cayce's Editorials, I recall how troubled I was at some of the views which
Cayce had advocated. I particularly remember how he
"spiritualized" many plain passages of scripture. For instance, he believed that the story of
"The rich man and Lazarus" (
Luke 16) was
not teaching what happens at death, i.e.,
about heaven and hell, but taught rather that the Jews were cut-off from the
"church kingdom" and the Gentiles grafted in.
I also remember visiting the old home place, in
Arkansas, of the
Cayce family.
Claud’s son,
Hartsell, also a
Hardshell preacher, still lived in the old home. Dad and I were there in the
late 70's on a preaching trip. I remember going into the building where the
Cayces published their famed periodical,
“The Primitive Baptist,” and admiring the enormous library of books that this family had collected over the years. Truly impressive.
My Father and His MinistryDad, in my opinion, has been one of the top
"Elders" within the
Hardshell denomination for the past 25-30 years. He is one of their most theologically-trained. He attended a
Baptist Bible college, prior to becoming a
Hardshell, for about two years. He also has one of the largest personal libraries of all their preachers and has been one of the most laborious in his private studies (
Cayce, an exception, of course). He has been about the only
Hardshell of the last 50 years to engage others, chiefly among the
Campbellites, in
"debates" to defend
Hardshell Doctrine. He certainly is well-read in
Hardshell history (although, sadly, not as much as he should be).
For several years my father was the
leading writer, among the
"contributing editors," of one of the leading
Hardshell periodicals of the past thirty years, namely
“THE CHRISTIAN BAPTIST,” edited by Dad's and my friend,
Elder S. T. Tolley, of
Atwood, Tennessee. I too wrote numerous articles for this paper when I was with the
Hardshells.
I myself have been
"ordained" twice by the
Hardshells, once in
August of
1974 in Middletown, Ohio and the other time in
June of 1979 in Shalotte, North Carolina.
It was in the
fall of 1972, within weeks of my baptism, that I began to be called upon, by my Dad, to
"introduce the services," as the
Hardshells are accustomed to say. This was at the
Middletown church. It was a small church with about 30-40 regular attendants, but it was very warm and lively. Both the singing (which was
"acapella" and
"congregational") and the preaching were very
"spirited." But more of that later.
Let me first get back to Dad and his influence on me and of his standing among the
Hardshells. I also want to address the question of how both Dad and myself (and later three brothers and one sister) all became
Hardshell Baptists. I will also relate some of my personal experiences while among the
Hardshell brethren.
Dad and Mom had been married only a few years when Dad was
"saved" at a service of the
Lindenwald Baptist Church of
Hamilton, Ohio. This church was a
Missionary Baptist church, of which my maternal grandparents were members. Mom and Dad already had two children and I was on the way. They lived with my grandparents and it was through their encouragement that Dad and Mom attended the
Lindenwald church. Grandmother (
Eva Rickles) died that year (shortly after seeing Dad
"saved") and six months before I was born.
Dad had just ended his
"stint" in the
Korean War and had been a typical teenage, depraved sinner, as he himself would testify. And indeed Dad had been
"saved," or at least his entire life had been drastically changed. His commitment to Christ and the Christian faith was fervent and his zeal was very great.
So, when I was just an infant, Dad quit his job and he and Mom sold their house, packed everything and left with 3 kids to go to
Springfield, Missouri so that Dad could attend the
Baptist Bible College, which is under the
Baptist Bible Fellowship.
After conversion, Dad had felt an almost immediate
"call to preach," and so, with reluctance from Mom (God rest her soul), but with money and prayer support from the
Lindenwald church, they took off. Mom and Dad both attended the college but Mom soon had to drop-out (because of the birth of my younger sister, Judy, in June of
1957), a decision she said that she later regretted. She immensely enjoyed the fellowship there.
Near the end of Dad's 2nd year at the college, he came to be a believer in the
"doctrines of grace." The college was basically
"Arminian," however. But through his own studies of the scriptures and sovereign grace literature, Dad came to be an adamant
"Calvinist."His outspokenness on these things in class soon caused problems. He felt that he could no longer stay in fellowship with them and so, he and Mom and the four kids all returned to
Hamilton, Ohio.
Dad, as
brother Bob Ross knows firsthand, came to
Ashland, Kentucky around
1958 to search-out a fellowship of
"Sovereign Grace" or
"Calvinistic" Baptists. After visiting with the brethren of
Calvary Baptist Church of
Ashland, Dad and Mom were both
"re-baptized" (they had been baptized previously into the
Lindenwald church).
The
Ashland church were
"Landmarkers" and I assume that they had a strong influence on his embracing basic
"Landmarkism."I know that in these days, and for a few years following, Dad was an ardent believer in the leading tenets of
Calvary Church's fellowship, namely,
"Landmarkism," "Calvinist doctrine," "Premillennialism," "Absolute Predestination," "Means" and "Missions," etc.
From what I've read and seen of his writings and debates of that period, he was a very sound teacher (except for his
Landmarkism). I remember, even at a tender age of 5 or 6, meeting brother
Ross while Dad and the family were visiting him, brother
John Gilpin and the
Calvary Church.
During those early days of fellowship with
Calvary Baptist and her circle of churches of like fellowship, Dad labored (under
"authority" from the
Calvary Church) in the
Hamilton area to begin a domestic mission with the intention of forming a church. I remember those days.
We met first in our house and later in a small building on
Walnut Street. The church was called
"The New Testament Baptist Church." We had
Sunday School at first, until Dad
"came to see their evil" (his words). The church had a
piano and even at that young age I can remember my Mom teaching in the
Sunday School and the church, singing
"At the cross, At the cross, where I first saw the light . . . It was there by faith I received my sight, and now I am happy all the way." Vividly, I can also hear the church singing,
"Leaning on the everlasting arms," and
"Alas, and did my Saviour bleed," etc.
Dad Joins the HardshellsActually, it was when Dad began to preach against
Sunday Schools that he began to have trouble with
Calvary Baptist's fellowship and lost a few members of his church. I personally think that Dad felt alone and isolated at this time. He began to look around and, as he says, to
"study the scriptures more closely."He told me that he first attended a
Hardshell church in
Carlisle, Ohio on a Sunday afternoon at a church called
"Tapscott." They only met once a month, and in the afternoon. Dad said that there were only about 6-8 people there and that they were all old. Dad said he was somewhat scared to go because he had heard so many
"bad things about them" by his former fellowship. But he was
"impressed" with their
"simplicity" of
"worship" and of the
"humility" and
"mannerisms" of the preacher and people.
The preacher had no written
"notes," was rather old, and not well-educated. But, as Dad would say, he
"spoke from his heart" and
"with tears."He said he was also
"impressed" with how they
"ended their services"; the preacher gave no long, drawn-out
"invitations," but simply stopped preaching and started singing. At this point, the congregation also started singing as they all left their seats to go in a line to
"shake hands with," "kiss" and/or
"embrace" the preacher. This is a common and much promoted
"tradition" in the
Hardshell churches.
Dad had become
"attracted," but it was, in my opinion, a
"fatal attraction" in many ways. Dad has said he felt, while at that service, that he had
"gone back in time" and was
"sitting in one of the original apostolic churches." He began to think that he had
"found the Church" at last. This church became, in his view,
"Canaan's land." The
Hardshell church was the
"True Church" and
"Kingdom of God."After experiencing this great attraction for the
Hardshells, but still having some
"serious doctrinal issues" separating him from them, he began to visit other
Hardshell churches and preachers to discuss those
"issues," chiefly with Elders
Bradley and
Tolley. He was already an
"Anti-Sunday Schooler," and it seems to me that the
Hardshells were able to use this as an advantage in getting him to
"oppose" other such
"inventions" for the same reasons that he opposed
Sunday Schools, things such as
"musical instruments," "choirs," "salaried ministry," "women teachers," "revival meetings," "seminaries," "missions," etc.
Dad had embraced the idea, like the
Hardshells, that
anything pertaining to the church's doctrine, work or practice must have been originated by the apostolic churches and that any
"new" work, doctrine or practice of later origin was
"evil," "man-made" and
"modern."With the
Hardshells, anything in those areas which is post-apostolic is to be anathematized.
Patternism, a deadly cancer, has been a major error in both the
Hardshells and the
Campbellites. Brother
Ross has written against the dangers of
Patternism and more will be said on that later in this book.
Dad later took the unusual view, even for the
Hardshells, that the Apostle John's
"sin unto death" was
"marital adultery." The
"death" was
not physical death, but
permanent loss of membership in the
Hardshell Church and, of course, its
"blessings and
privileges," i.e.
baptism, the
Lord's Supper and
feet-washing.
Not all
Hardshells share this view, but it is the
"mainstream" position and is, with most, a
"test of fellowship." Many
"splits" and
"divisions" have occurred over this issue, particularly when one
"sister church" takes in another church's
"excluded" adulterers or retains one in their fellowship.
One of their leading preachers in
Alabama, former
Governor Guy Hunt, and one who has been in my home, reportedly believes that if you
ever had
"premarital sex," then you also could
never become a
member of the church or be
baptized.
The issue of
"perseverance" also became an issue for Dad to re-address and he also did some
"reforming" on this issue. He continued to believe in
"preservation" and
"eternal security," but not
"perseverance," at least not as held by the brethren of the
Old Baptist Confessions. But more on that later.
After all this
"changing," or as Dad would say,
"coming to more light," he decided to
"join the Primitive Baptists." He had already been teaching these
"new things" to his small church. The church got smaller still. Finally, those few who were left, all voted to
"join" the
Hardshells. Being
Landmarkers, the
Hardshells "re-baptized" the whole church (Dad's third time).
(Mom did not join because she and Dad had divorced prior to his uniting with the
Hardshells. I and the other kids lived with Mom and my step-father, with Dad visiting us regularly)
Really, Dad was not only isolated and alone religiously just prior to joining the
Hardshells, but also socially and domestically. Mom continued, till she died, to be an
"Absoluter" and a
"Calvinistic Missionary Baptist," and was definitely not a
"Landmarker."I was not at that time under Dad's
Hardshell influence; that was around 1963 and 1964. Dad became a
Hardshell around 1966.
Let me now tell some of my experiences relative to my Bible and
Hardshell history studies. I began to collect the current
Hardshell literature, subscribing to most of their periodicals, and reading the
"debates" of the
Hardshell fathers, i.e.,
Cayce, Daily, Thompson, Dalton, Paine, Holder, etc.
I also received my copy of the famed
“HASSELL'S HISTORY,” and I also read numerous other writings of men such as
Newman, Redford, Hanks, Potter, Craig, Oliphant, etc. Particularly did I study the things that these
Hardshells had to say about the
"Great Division" between the so-called
Old School (Hardshell) and the
New School (
Missionary, or as
Hardshells would say, the
"Softshells").
The question naturally arises as to how I could accept the view that the
Hardshells were the
"true," "Old," “Original,” or
"Primitive" Baptists. Briefly stated,
I was in error in accepting the statements of Hardshell "Historians" without
diligently checking out their claims.
Today I realize that those
Hardshell “histories” are fraught with serious
"deceptions." Actually, these so-called
histories are a very good example of what is called
“revisionist histories.” Those
Hardshell “revisions” are serious errors in
"interpretation" of those events and times by
Hardshells with
"faulty vision" and an evil agenda. Much of what they write in regard to their history is
bunk, perhaps
wishful thinking. Very few of them have been
honest historians. The few honest ones have sometimes left the
Hardshells to associate with those truly
Old Baptists who accept the
Old Confessions (like the
Kirklands, but more on that later).
I remember discussing with Dad, during those early years in the
Hardshells, about the so-called
"split" between the
"Old" and
"New Schoolers." I remember asking Dad about the so-called
"Sovereign Grace Baptists." I affirmed that they were not
"Arminian" or
"Fullerite," but
"Gillite" and believers in grace just as the
Hardshells. In the
"split," where did these folks go? Was there a
"third party" to the famed old
"split?"Dad responded by saying that there was indeed some groups who were aligned with neither (such Baptists as
J.R. Graves would later be identified with) the
Hardshells nor the
"modern mission movement" and that these were the grand-parents of the modern
Sovereign Grace Baptists (or
Independent Baptists).
I also asked him about the
London and Philadelphia Confessions. I asked whether these
"Sovereign Gracers" weren't more like the
"Old Baptists" of the
Confessions, rather than the
Hardshells, especially since they believed in
"gospel means" as did the signers of the
old Confessions. His response was that
“the Confessions were not totally sound” and did
not express the position of all the Baptists of the time.
This, however, I have found to be
false, for
no "Old Baptist" prior to 1800 and the days of Gilbert Beebe held to Hardshell belief on the new birth. So, basically, I left this issue somewhat
unsettled in my mind until I could research it more at a later time.
Hardshellism and the BibleNow let me relate some of my other early experiences in reconciling
Hardshell views with the Bible itself. I did not find it difficult to find what is called
"Calvinism" in the scriptures. So, with this much, I was content with what the
Hardshells preached.
The problems that arose in my mind, however, during those early stages of Bible study, concerned their views on
"Spirit Alone" regeneration,
without "gospel means.”I also, as a young pastor and teacher in the church, and constant reader of God’s word, often
felt guilty about not being able to call upon those who heard me to
“repent” or to
“believe,” to
“receive” or
“trust Christ,” to
“be saved” or
“born again.” In fact, fear kept me from doing what I felt burdened to do. I would be branded an
“Arminian” and would be
shunned and
spoken against, have
doors shut, etc.
Other issues also aroused suspicion in my mind at that time, such as
"marriage and divorce," "Church Government," "Landmarkism," "Eschatology," "Sunday Schools," "Musical Instruments," etc.
I remember calling Dad on the telephone regularly with
"questions about a certain verse" which, it
seemed to me, taught
contrary to
Hardshellism's "anti-means" doctrine. For instance, I remember asking Dad about
II Thess. 1:7-9 and the fact that Paul said that
"those who do not know God and obey the gospel would be lost eternally." Dad's
"explanation" and attempt to
"harmonize" the verse with
Hardshellism did not satisfy me. His idea was that the text did
not affirm that
all who
disobeyed the gospel would be eternally lost (which in my mind it obviously did). His idea was that there were basically four groups in the scriptures relative to this verse. They are:
(1) Those who
know not God and
obey not.
(2) Those who
know not God and
obey.
(3) Those who
know God and
obey not.
(4) Those who
know God and
obey.
To Dad, Paul was affirming the eternal damnation of group #1 and not of group #3, as the
Missionaries taught. But the question in my mind was, is there a group representing #3?
To
Hardshells, there are folks who truly
know God BUT do
not know Christ or the gospel and do not obey the gospel. This, however, I later came to see was a
great falsehood.
All the
"sheep" (elect)
"follow" Christ (
obey him). Those who do
not "obey" are
ignorant of God and eternally lost.
Needless to say, there were many other phone calls to Dad in order to get the
Hardshell "explanation" of those scripture passages that
seemed to
contradict Hardshellism. I will have more to say on these when I examine more closely
Hardshell positions on
regeneration and other pertinent doctrines.
"Popery"In those early years in the
Hardshell church, I soon had my first confrontation with
Hardshell "popery," especially in their beloved
"Associations."In
1973 Dad, while a
contributing editor of
THE CHRISTIAN BAPTIST periodical, wrote an article on
"Satan" and it was published on the front page of the paper. In this article Dad took the
Baptist and
historic Christian position that
Satan was once in heaven as an angel of God until he
"sinned and was cast out." That position was
rejected by
most of the
Hardshells and became a
"test of fellowship" with many.
After the article was published, the
"peace and fellowship" of the churches in the
Powell's Valley Association were greatly
"disturbed". Soon, one church after another in that
Association took up
measures to
"withdraw fellowship" and
"declare against" Dad and our
church in Middletown.
Finally, amidst the turmoil, one of the churches, under the influence of
"pope" John Robbins,
"called for a council of sister churches" to
settle the matter. A
council was held with the
Oak Ridge, Tennessee church. In this
council I saw first-hand the
ignorance, tradition and
"kangaroo court" tactics of these
Hardshells. It was
typical of the
"power struggles" that occur in
cults and
heretical sects.The
"resolution" that was drawn-up and agreed upon
demanded that Dad and the
Middletown Church vow to
"never preach in any way, publicly or privately, the view that Satan was once in heaven and fell from it." If he and the church did not agree to this, then they would be
"dis-fellowshipped" by the other
churches in the Association.
Of course, Dad and the church could not in
good conscience do this and subsequently were
"excluded" by other churches. This
caused confusion and division in other areas as well as in the Powell's Valley Association.Most of the churches among the
Hardshells, for one reason or another,
refused to side with Dad on the issue. Most agreed that his views were
"heretical." Others did not side with Dad, such as
Elder Tolley, not so much because of his views, for he shared them, as did some other
Hardshells, but because the
Middletown Church had
"taken in excluded members" of the other churches of the
Powell's Valley Association who sided with him.
In any case, Dad and the
Middletown Church found themselves somewhat
isolated from the
Hardshells at large. If Dad preached at a certain church after that, the
Powell's Valley Association would
threaten that church,
"call them on the carpet," etc.
In most
Hardshell associations, there is either a
direct or
indirect correspondence with other associations in America, so the
"controversy", proverbially speaking,
"spread like wild fire."My "Ordination"During those days of
endless controversy, I also experienced many
"closed doors" to go and preach. It was during this time of a
"break in fellowship" that I was first called to be
"ordained" to the
"full work of the gospel ministry" by the
Middletown Church. Letters were sent out to the sister churches in the area to come to the
Middletown church and assist in forming a
"presbytery" to
"ordain" me. Several local
"Elders" attended in spite of the
"threat of retaliation" by the
Powell's Valley Association and her
"correspondents".
The
Elders at this my
first ordination were
Dad, Boggs, Trautner, Bolender, Jones, together with various deacons from the churches in the area. Later the Minutes of this
"ordination service" were published in
“THE CHRISTIAN BAPTIST.” All these
Elders were
recognized as leaders in the
Hardshell denomination.
This
ordination took place in August of 1974. Over the next eighteen months or so I continued to travel and preach where I could. Many churches and preacher brethren did not agree with the act of the
Powell's Valley Association in making this issue a
"test of fellowship" and so tried to
"side-step" the issue. But the
Powell's Valley brethren, under the leadership of
"pope" Robbins, continued to put the
"pressure" on those who were using and
"recognizing" Dad, the
Middletown Church, and me.
Dad continued to affirm that the
"real issue" was not the
"origin of Satan," but rather the
"ignorance" of the
Hardshells in general and the
"ambitions" of
"pope" Robbins in particular, who, Dad thought (and I agree), felt
"threatened" by Dad's position in the Association.
From my study of
Hardshell history within the associational framework, and from personal experience, this
"butting of heads" among preachers, seeking the
"moderatorship" of the association, is a
common occurrence. It is a fact that most
associations have one great leader who
"rules the roost." There are
"pecking orders" in nearly all groups, and the
Hardshells are no different. In the larger and leading associations, this one
"great leader" controls several associations far and near, due to the
"direct correspondence" with other associations. It is my honest observation that there is much
"jockeying for position" in most
Hardshell associations. While these associations often give
lip-service to the idea that associations have
“no authority over the churches," they
nevertheless exercise practical authority and sway over them.
No wonder that
Hardshell and
"Absoluter",
Elder W. J. Berry, could write (in
1958) and say that
"there are now not more than nine men whose dictates control all the principle groups of Primitive Baptists throughout the United States." (From the
"Old Faith Contender")
When I moved to
North Carolina in 1976 (to be married to a girl who was the daughter of
Elder Newell Helms, who then and now, in
2008, continues to be a leader among the
Hardshells in this area of
North Carolina, namely, in the
"Bear Creek Association") I found that
Elder C. M. Mills (referred to earlier) was probably one of those
"nine men" that brother
Berry spoke about. The
Bear Creek Association was in
"direct correspondence" with
Powell's Valley and so my move to
North Carolina "ran me smack into" the controversy over the
"devil doctrine" and the
"orderly standing" of the
Middletown Church.
My Second "Ordination"Shortly after my move to
North Carolian, in the spring of
1976, I met with
Elder C. M. Mills at his home in
Charlotte. Elder Newell Helms was also there, as was
"pope" John Robbins and his cohort,
Ray Wells, the
"official" Powell's Valley Association "clerk;" the latter two had driven 300 miles from
Tennessee to
"help out" with
"my situation."Elders Mills and
Robbins believed that my
"ordination" was
"invalid," and "illegal" and not
"recognizable" because it was done by the
Middletown Church while in
"disorder," having been
officially "declared against" by the
Powell's Valley Association.My argument, with some assistance from
Mill's protege and my father-in-law,
Newell Helms, was that it was
conducted by sound brethren, i.e.
Trautner, Jones, Bolender, etc.
I also argued that the
reason for non-fellowship was invalid.
Never had a Baptist church made the "origin of Satan" an
issue effecting fellowship, excepting that our forefathers rejected
Daniel Parker's "Two-Seedism" with its
"eternal and uncreated Devil" belief. However, seeing that
Robbins was himself a smaller
"pope" under the greater
"pope" Mills, and yet
"close friends," Mills was insistent on seeing me
"re-ordained" so that, as he said, this
"cloud" would not
"hang over me" and my ministry for the rest of my life.
Needless to say, I was in a
"tight spot". I agreed with the
Middletown Church on this issue. But I had recently married and
"settled down" in
North Carolina and had to find a way to
"get along" with the brethren among whom I hoped to labor. I began to pray over the matter and to ask
"counsel and advice" from many
"elders" far and near.
The
"elders" I spoke with were primarily the following:
Trautner, Bolender, Jones, Bradley, Tolley, Watts, and some few others. All of the
"elders" in my former
"presbytery" were all
sympathetic and
gave consent for
"re-ordination" if it would help me and
"keep the peace," except for Dad and
Boggs, who were both of the
Middletown Church.
I remember talking in particular with
Elder Bradley. Why, I don't know, for he was one of the
"cowardly" preachers who,
when invited to be in the first ordination, failed to come. I suppose that it was because he was a recognized
"leader" among the
Hardshells and did not want to risk his
"standing." In any case,
he advised a
"re-ordination."Brother
Bradley had himself been conversant with
"pope" Mills when he first came to
"spy-out" the
"Old Church." Bradley certainly didn't want to
"butt heads" with
Mills. The
Cincinnati Church was an
"independent" church, i.e. not in an
association. Though not in an
association, they were still somewhat amenable to
associational "politics."So I agreed to be
"re-ordained." This meant my
"exclusion" from the
Middletown Church and caused
"hurt feelings" with Dad. I united with
Bethel Primitive Baptist Church in the
Bear Creek Association of
North Carolina and later was
"re-ordained" by them. The
"cloud" did somewhat disappear, but only to be followed by other ones. I filled regular
"appointments" at this church for some time and also preached regularly by invitation in several of the churches of that Association.
Over the next few years (
1976-1982), the churches in the
Bear Creek, Powell's Valley, and a few others,
began to magnify the issue of the "origin of Satan." In nearly every
"ordination service," whether of preachers or deacons,
"presbyters" would ask the candidate his views on the subject. Several
"elders," like
Tolley, took issue with this practice. They were opposed to making this issue a
"test of fellowship." I stood up in one
"ordination service" and
objected to this type of query. But I was ignored and viewed as a
"trouble-maker."In fact, I myself had been asked at
Bethel Church, during
my ordination service,
whether Satan "fell from Heaven." My answer was
Luke 10:18 -
"I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven."I
was ordained with this answer, to my surprise. I was also
asked whether the "story of the rich man and Lazarus" taught that the rich man went to a "literal hell." I said that he went to
"Hades." Again, this satisfied the brethren.
One visiting
"elder" from
West Virginia,
Norvel Mann, later
confessed to me his shock and disgust at the line of questioning. It was obvious to him that the so-called
presbytery was doing everything they could to find a reason
not to
ordain me. Due to the influence of
Cayce and
Mills, the
belief that Luke 16 taught what happens at death to the saved and lost was regarded as "heresy."
Looking back on these times makes me thankful to be out of such a tyrannical
cult. It wasn't until I began to pastor two
non-associational churches in eastern
North Carolina in the
early 80's that I received some relief from this
"tyranny." I pastored there
until leaving with a letter of dismissal in good standing around 1983.
In the few years following this, I came to see the
errors of the
Hardshells as to their
"Articles of Faith." When I saw the truth of
"means," I immediately contacted the
Sovereign Grace Baptists here and there, including brother
Ross, and thus began a new search for fellowship.
Today, I feel liberated from the
"shackles" of
Hardshell heresy and
popery. My experiences among them and my acquaintance with their teachings make me desirous of
"exposing" their unscriptural ways and beliefs for the benefit of others whom they might lead astray.
