Grace and Truth
Part Two of Two - Chapters 21-31
by Dr. Jack Hyles
Chapter 21
ACCREDITATION
"Dr. Hyles, is your school accredited?"
"I won't let my son go to a school that is not
accredited."
These are words that we hear over and over again. They
are often spoken by people who know little or nothing about the meaning of
accreditation, and who have perhaps unknowingly fallen into a form of
idolatry which makes the diploma more important than the knowledge,
acceptance more important than preparation, a union card more important than
a job well done, conformity more important than freedom, the grade more
important than the education, the face more important than the heart, and an
opportunity more important than preparedness.
Our generation needs to take a fresh look at what
accreditation really is. It is basically all of us conforming to some
standards set by a few of us, chosen by some of us to approve all of us.
Though this is an over-simplification, it is far too often an accurate
description of what accreditation really is.
It has become a created god who has become omnipotent,
far too omnipresent and woefully lacking in omniscience; a god who has a den
full of lions for those who will not pray to it and a fiery furnace for
those who will not bow before its image. Little children may be thrown into
the burning fires in the lap of this Moloch, but that matters not. It must
be worshipped. It must be served, and it must be obeyed. Following are some
observations about this dangerous deity of destruction destined to destroy
discipline and to defeat dedication in the lives of Christian young people
and children.
1. Education should start with the goal and work
backwards. No wise person charts a course until he decides on a destination.
The wise educator will decide exactly what end he wants to accomplish in the
lives of the children. He then carefully charts a course that will lead him
to arrive at this desired end. No wise cook would decide to mix some cocoa,
sugar and other ingredients to see what would happen but rather would say,
"I think I'll make some fudge." The cook then finds a recipe for fudge.
Though the end never justifies the means, the end must determine the means.
The weakness of accreditation is that we are required to chart a course that
takes us to we know not where to become we know not what and to arrive we
know not when.
A Christian school by its very nature does not have
the same goal as a public school. If we do not share the same goal, how can
we share the same methods? If we do not share the same destination, how can
we share the same route? If we do not desire the same answer, why then do we
work the same problem?
This is not to say that we should not study the advice
of educators and even of those who are not working for the same goal. We
should examine their chains but not be bound by them. We should study their
ropes but not be tied with them, keeping in mind our destination. We should
study their map to find what roads they are traveling that we too may
travel, but these roads should not be traveled just because others are
traveling them. They should be traveled only as they help us to arrive at
our desired destination. We are reminded in the Scriptures that two cannot
walk together unless they be agreed.
This is not a suggestion to disregard wise people who
have gone before us. It is rather a warning against following a guide who
knows every step of the way on the road that leads us to where we do not
want to go.
2. Accreditation takes all to the same goal
unknowingly. No Christian school sets out knowingly on a path that will make
its scholars the same product as that of the public school. If this were
true, why build a school at all? What is the need for all the toil,
sacrifice, sweat and tears? Every Christian educator wants to turn out a
different product and sincerely believes he can. Too often the one who has
dared to be different then subscribes himself to conformity and unknowingly
travels a path that he has chosen that will lead him to a destination he has
not chosen. No wonder he is stunned, shocked, horrified and heartbroken when
he finds the product is not what he dreamed it would be. His motives were
good. His heart was right. His dedication was admirable, yet he finds that
he had wanted the result without the ingredients, wanted the destination
without the proper routing.
3. Conformity IS unaccredited accreditation. Though
there is no merit in premeditated nonconformity, there is grave danger in
total conformity. Let's go back to the first point and look at our goal.
The methods of the masses should be used only when
they will aid us in reaching our desired destination. We at the First
Baptist Church of Hammond have a nationwide Pastors' School. We have no
desire for anyone to conform to all of our methods and procedures. In fact,
we have a desire that no one will conform to all of them. I often say that
our Pastors' School is like a cafeteria. Come through the line, take what
you think you need for your own personal health and leave, but do not
criticize the rest. No church should conform completely to another, no
school should conform completely to another, neither should one institution
desire comformity by another, neither should a group of institutions join
together and demand or desire conformity. I see on the horizon in America
the danger that some who have pulled out of one golden calf are building the
mold for another and who once were martyred by one fiery furnace are now
gathering fuel for another. There is a danger that those of us who have been
delivered from the lions' den are raising cubs ourselves, and those of us
who have been delivered from Egypt are building our own little Egypt on our
way to the Promised Land. Oftentimes it is not bondage we are against, it is
being in bondage that we are against. Oh, people of God, let us not return
to the vomit from which we have been delivered. Let not those of us who have
been delivered cause others to seek deliverance from us. Let those of us who
once chafed in the fetters of Pharaoh beware lest we bind others as does a
Pharaoh. Let us cooperate but not expect conformity. Let us influence and be
influenced but let us allow each other to determine the sphere of acceptance
and cooperation without being placed upon some kind of blacklist and being
made to feel as an outcast. Let not us outcasts cast out others. Let not us
independents disdain those who are independent of us. Let cooperation take
the place of coercion. Let unity be substituted for union. Let liberty be
substituted for bondage. Let us offer our help to all and let us seek help
from all, but let us beware of treating others like we once refused to be
treated.
The wise man told us that there is safety in a
multitude of counselors. He did not say there is safety or security in a
multitude of conquerors. To be sure, we should work together. To be sure, we
should love each other and pray for one another. To be sure, we should offer
suggestions and help, but at the same time we should never cause one to
forfeit our fellowship or friendship because he feels that in some areas our
methods are not best for him. There is a certain
denominational-non-denominationalism, dependent independence,
conforming-non-conformity and a bound-freedom which will lead the next
generation into a needless revolution fought against those of us who in our
generation revolted against Pharaohs under whom we could not serve and whose
shoes we would not fill!
4. Good men often build systems in one generation that
bad men will use in the next generation with which to destroy us. We often
fail to realize that it is the system that was wrong, not just the men. A
system that encourages the wrong men to rise to places of leadership is a
dangerous one. Often good men join a good group and build a system to which
they give allegiance. Then as this system changes it changes the men, for
they have sworn their allegiance to it. It is always wise for a Christian
not to give his allegiance to institutions, but rather to principles.
Principles never change; institutions do. We should give our loyalty to
institutions who are presently embracing our principles and we should be
ready to jump from the boat any time it gets in a stormy area outside the
scope of our principles.
I wonder how many pastors have accepted new churches
only to find their hands bound by committees composed of worldly and
unspiritual people. The pastor fights for liberation. He wins the battle and
yet all too soon for his own convenience organizes the same committees with
different people with whom he can work. He then leaves the same structure
and system which he inherited requiring the next pastor to go through the
same torture and heartache and to fight the same battle that he fought. I am
thinking now of a preacher who chafed for years under the tyranny of a
denomination which frowned upon his having guest speakers in his church from
outside that denomination. He then joined a good, fundamentalist group so he
could follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit in choosing men to fill his
pulpit. Now no one can fill his pulpit unless he is a member of this good,
fundamentalist group, and he frowns upon other pastors who have speakers
outside this group.
The wise pastor and the wise educator will not only
seek an organizational framework which can presently fill his needs, but
will also seek safeguards to avoid building a system that will attract weak
and sometimes bad men to positions of leadership.
Suppose some good men get together and form an
accrediting agency. Suppose that all of the requirements of accreditation
are good ones. Suppose then that all of the good schools seek accreditation
and give their allegiance to this hypothetical good agency. When
deterioration sets in (and it will), it will be major surgery and cause
undue pain for a school to disassociate itself with this agency. Again may I
say, this is not advocating super-independence but rather super-dependence
upon each other for help, for prayer, for advice, but not for coercion.
5. Each generation needs to see the birth of new
institutions just as each generation needs new babies. Imagine a society
without children. Imagine a society without adults. Imagine a society
without babies. Imagine a society without adolescents. A healthy
cross-section of society must include all. A healthy educational
neighborhood must also include all. Each generation needs trail-blazers who
are willing to be as different from existing institutions as the existing
institution is different from what it was when it started. Just as it is not
natural for babies to act like grown-ups, it is not natural for young
institutions to act like mature institutions. No one expects a baby to
conform to adulthood. It would not be healthy. To be a mature, complete
adult one must enjoy his infancy, his childhood and his adolescence. For old
institutions that have enjoyed such stages to require younger institutions
to jump over these stages is unfair. If a child were born in middle age, his
life span would be cut short. If an institution is born in middle age, its
life span can be cut short.
In many cases the best days that a school enjoys are
its early days. This is not to say that its later years cannot be successful
ones, but even they will be more successful if they are built on a healthy
childhood. For a group of older schools to join together and set norms and
standards for younger schools is unfair for this generation and unwise for
the next generation. Often the greatest preachers were trained in colleges
that were just beginning. History has proved that in many schools the best
days were the first days. This is not suggesting that institutions be
childish but childlike.
The new institution might be wise not to conform to
what the older institutions ARE but to what they USED TO BE. Since a good
beginning is so important a new school might be wise to conform to the
policies, principles and practices of a successful school's infancy, not its
adulthood. This is not to say that its adulthood is bad. It is to say that
its adulthood was built on its childhood and the very fact that its
childhood is copied is a compliment to the adulthood of the school. No doubt
there are many educators who will read these pages who would have agreed
with them twenty years ago but will not agree now.
When a baby is born in a home parents are pleased for
the baby to act like a baby. Why then shouldn't mature institutions be
pleased for new ones to act like new ones, and for that matter, behave as
the older one did at the same stage of development? just as we have in our
society younger people coming on the scene, middle-aged people on center
stage and older people passing off the scene, so we need the same thinking
in our educational community. It is so easy for us not to want anyone else
to be what we were. We sit behind our desks in our classrooms and say to our
children, "Be yourselves. Don't copy another. God wants to use you like you
are." Then we go to board meetings and tell other institutions. "Don't be
yourselves. Be like we are. Have our stamp. Bear our mark. Conform to our
methods or you cannot be in our favor." Just as each individual has his own
niche in life and his own purpose for living, so does each institution have
its own niche in life and its own purpose for living. America does not need
a Hyles-Anderson College in each state. It does need Christian colleges in
each state who will follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit, believe the
Bible, take a strong, separatist stand, magnify soul winning and yet be
given liberty to be what each needs to be and to fulfill that unique purpose
for which God brought it into existence.
6. We must look back at history's products. There is
no way that one can presently test the effectiveness of a school. Someone
has said that it takes a generation for a school to test its product.
Because of this, many schools live today on yesterday's reputation. It takes
several years for its graduates to prove success or failure. Because of this
we must find graduates who are what we want our students to become. We may
then examine what the alma mater of these people was at the time they
attended. If one is going to conform, he would be wise to conform to what
the school was when these successful people were enrolled.
Once again we must go back to the first point. What is
our goal? What kind of students do we want to produce? We may then seek
people who have reached that goal, and then study the standards, practices,
etc. of the institutions they attended at the time that they attended. This
should be the object of our conformity.
A fellow can test General Motors by driving a
Chevrolet. It takes only a few hours. A fellow can test a restaurant and its
cooks by eating a meal. It takes only a few minutes. It is not so easy to
test a school. Conformity to the present policies and methods of a school
that has turned out great people may be unwise. Conformity to what it was
when it turned out those people may be wise.
7. Superiority should not seek accreditation from
inferiority. The Christian school movement in America is so superior to the
public school system that it is absurd to think of our seeking their
approval upon our superior kind of work. I was interviewed by a reporter who
was chagrined by my philosophy. In frustration the reporter shouted, "Why,
oh, why won't you be accredited?"
I replied, "For the same reason that Mickey Mantle
didn't seek accreditation from the little leagues." The wise educator will
see to it that his produce is so much better than the product of the
accreditors. He should see to it that in every area his work surpasses that
of the public schools. (In these days this is not a difficult task to
achieve.) He should carefully and conclusively prove that his produce is
superior to the other product and that the student will sacrifice no good
thing by attending the Christian school.
One parent said to me recently, "If my child attended
your school, he would have to give up a lot." That parent was right. His
child would give up the presence of smoking, miniskirts, disobedience,
disrespect for authority, availability of narcotics, vulgar words and vulgar
stories in textbooks, the public school sex education program, hippie-haired
boys, teachers who use curse words in class, permission to wear blue jeans
to school, the permissive society, those who talk back to teachers,
disrespect for law and order, and by the way, an inferior quality of
education.
8. If we just back up on the same road that has led
others to ruin, we will soon arrive at the same destination. Our schools
should not count the same cadence as the government schools. We are not
going in the same direction. We are not to keep step with them. We are on
different wavelengths, we bear different yokes, we broadcast on different
frequencies, we travel different paths. One of the pitfalls in which we fall
is simply to back up on the same road with the government schools which only
postpones our decay.
9. Union is a form of idolatry. Note carefully, I said
union," not "unity." If a preacher knows and believes that God will care for
his needs, open his doors and supply his pulpits, he need not join the local
preachers' union for security. He may cooperate and fellowship with all of
God's men, but he need not do it for fear of having no place to preach or
nothing to eat. However, as he loses his faith, he loses his confidence that
God will provide for him. As the years pass, his children grow older and the
need for security increases. His faith does not increase. Hence, he finds
himself wanting to join up with other preachers so that in case he finds
himself without a pulpit he will have the security of a union. He then joins
up with other preachers and provides for himself a security that once was
provided by God. Hence, this union has taken the place of his God and has
become a form of idolatry.
This is exactly what communism is. Communism is people
building a society that will take care of the people. If they have faith in
God, He will take care of them. If that faith is lost, they must build a
canopy, a protection that will offer them the security that God wants to
offer. This is why Christianity and communism cannot coexist. Christianity
follows the Holy Spirit of God Who leads us to care for one another
voluntarily. Communism forces that care by taxation and regimentation. It
offers its people all of the security that an organization of men can offer.
Christ offers to us all the security that an omnipotent, omniscient and
omnipresent God can offer.
America, was built by men with faith in God. We
believed that God would supply our needs, and He did. This eliminated our
need of social security, worker's compensation, etc. We had Heaven's
security and divine compensation. To whatever degree one loses his faith in
God, he needs to organize with other men.
10. Each generation needs those who do not readily
conform. It needs those who are strong enough to use what has been proven
successful to past generations but refuse to conform with its deterioration.
It needs those who refuse coerced conformity and offer wisdom and strength
enough to challenge others to a cooperative unity and limited conformity on
the volunteer basis, where one's status is not determined by his degree of
cooperation and conformity. This is not condoning unkind, unchristian,
unethical behavior on the part of rabble-rousers. It is condoning serious
doubt and a sincere reluctant willingness to withdraw from decadence if
necessary. From this group have come the Martin Luthers, John Wesleys,
George Whitefields, Charles Spurgeons, Bob Joneses, John Rices, etc. These
were not men desirous of splitting anything, but men who realized that they
should try dedication as long as possible and if dedication became a
terminal case, surgery became a possibility.
The truth is that most of our great Christian
movements started because of a split. Most of the people reading these pages
belong to a church or a denomination that once pulled out of something.
Though we should not be desirous of repeating this procedure, God should
give us and does give us in every generation leaders who are willing to do
so if it is now necessary.
As has been stated before, the danger is that these
leaders will want to form the same type of organizational structure and
coercion that caused their unrest.
11. We are not to walk in the counsel of the ungodly.
This is one of the signs of a prosperous man. We preach this and yet build
our Christian schools to conform to regulations set forth by unconverted
educators. Though there are many things that we could copy from them, we
should not yoke ourselves up so as to be forced to do so. The wise Christian
educator will first set his goal. He will then acquaint himself with every
suggested means of attaining that goal. He will decide what means he should
use and what roads he should travel in order to arrive at that desired
destination. He should cooperate, fellowship and enjoy Christian unity with
those of like faith. He should neither offer conformity to nor expect
conformity from his contemporaries. He should share ideas with them and
learn ideas from them. He should attend clinics, seminars and conventions
that will offer him a wide choice of suggested ways to attain the goal that
he has set. He should be allowed to accept or reject them without being
ostracized or losing stature. just as he would yearn to use what he learns
that he feels will aid him in the reaching of his goal, so should he teach
others and allow them the same privileges and freedoms that he has sought.
It is dangerous when all of us expect any of us to
conform with the rest of us. It is dangerous when all of us chose a few of
us to govern the rest of us. It is dangerous when any of us criticize any of
us for not conforming to the rest of us. It is healthy and wise when all of
us listen to all of us, pray for all of us, share with all of us, cooperate
with all of us, enjoy unity with all of us, realizing that none of us will
ever completely conform to the rest of us but that all of us can glean from
all of us things that can help each of us become more and more that unique
individual, that unique school, that unique church that God wants us to
become.
Chapter 22
THE TEACHER OR THE "TEACHER-TYPE"
"My pastor is not very interesting as a speaker. He is
more the 'teacher-type.' " This little statement was made to me by a lady
with whom I was talking about the Lord's work. This statement is typical of
many similar ones which I hear from coast to coast. If a person is
uninteresting, he is the "teacher-type." If a speaker is boring, he must be
a teacher. If a speaker is able to speak in terms that the hearer cannot
understand, he is the "teacher-type." It seems that to many, teaching is the
ability to confuse the hearer so that he will leave the room amazed at the
brilliance of the teacher. It might be wise to examine just what teaching
really is.
1. Teaching is the transfer of knowledge. To many, it
is considered the displaying of knowledge. Teaching is not the taking out of
one's knowledge and displaying it in the presence of the hearer. Teaching is
the hearer leaving with the knowledge with which the speaker entered. Unless
the hearer leaves knowing what the speaker knew when he came, the teaching
process has not taken place. This would indicate that many times the pupil
who fails does so, at least partially, because the teacher has failed. Some
speakers and professors appear to think that it would be plagiarism for the
student to learn what the instructor knows. The teacher has failed when the
student does not leave knowing what the teacher knew when he entered.
Teaching, in a sense, is transferring profound truth into simplicity so that
it in turn may be transferred into profound work.
2. Teaching is a transfer of personality. The pupil
should not only learn what the teacher knows; he should also, in a sense,
become what the teacher is. Teaching is not only the transferring of
knowledge, it is the transferring of zeal, honesty, enthusiasm, optimism,
generosity and other traits that a good teacher possesses. This transfer of
personality cannot be made if there is no teacher. This is one of the
weaknesses of correspondence courses and similar forms of education. Most of
us, as we think back over our childhood and youth, can remember far more of
what our teachers were like than we can of what our teachers taught.
3. Teaching is the transfer of procedure. Not only
should the pupil learn the facts and how to adorn them with the right
personality, but he should learn propriety, procedure, neatness and
orderliness if he is to be taught properly. Such lessons can be learned from
a neat room, a clean building, an orderly presentation and proper
organization and discipline.
4. Teaching is an incarnation of ideas. Most people
cannot define such things as loyalty and patriotism. They can, however,
point to someone who has these qualities. It is easier to learn loyalty from
a loyal person than from a lecture on loyalty. Hence, the right teacher
would incorporate these ideals and others into his personality and character
so that the pupil can emulate him and reach the desired end.
5. Teaching is the ability to inspire learning. Good
teaching makes learning easy and, to some degree, fun. Again, this puts not
only the burden of teaching on the teacher but also the burden of learning
and places the responsibility of failure on the teacher's shoulders as well
as the student's.
May the dear Lord deliver us from being the
"'teacher-type." May we be more concerned about making our pupils the
"learning-type."
Chapter 23
DISCIPLINE AND PUNISHMENT
Discipline and punishment are not necessarily the same
thing. Discipline is keeping from wrong; punishment is paying for wrong.
Discipline is preventive; punishment is corrective. Discipline is making
one's self or another develop habits and practices that will keep them from
doing wrong. It is getting home on time. It is eating the right foods. It is
living by schedule. It is the will conquering the appetites. It may be
self-imposed or it may be imposed by a mother or father, a boss or another
leader.
Punishment is the inflicting of displeasure upon
someone for doing wrong. Its purpose is to be a forerunner for discipline.
The punishment is to be so distasteful that it will leave an impression upon
the guilty person; that is, the crime, sin or wrong was not worth the price
he had to pay. Hence, punishment is good only if it builds discipline. The
goal of punishment is discipline. Punishment is not vindication, vengeance
or retaliation. It is a means that should be used to the end of developing
discipline. Following are a few observations.
1. Discipline should always be the goal of punishment.
Punishment is a failure unless it builds self-discipline. Such discipline
may be arrived at by inspiration. In other words, the leader may inspire the
follower to discipline himself In such a case the follower wants to please
the leader, so he disciplines himself in order to receive that pleasure.
Proper leadership and inspiration can arrive at this goal.
A clear presentation of the rules and punishment for
their infraction will often lead to self-discipline. When a follower
realizes the price on his wrong, he often disciplines himself to do right.
For this reason each rule should be carefully explained and defined and the
punishment for the breaking of that rule should be made just as clear.
Once a rule is broken, honest, loving and yet firm
punishment should follow. When the rule and its punishment have been
explained, the leader to be honest must inflict the punishment. Such
statements as, "You do that one more time and I'm going to spank you!" and
"I'll let you get by this time, but not again," are not only unwise but they
are dishonest and fail to lead to self-discipline.
2. Punishment is often the fault of the leader. Many
followers would not be guilty of infractions if the rules and penalties were
carefully explained. When such is not the case, the leader has erred too and
has become a party to the crime.
3. Punishment should never be vindictive. No child
should be punished because he is offensive to the leader, because the leader
loses his patience, because he is not liked by the leader or because the
leader wants to get back at him. No punishment should ever be inflicted
unless the main motive is corrective. When a child knows that he will get a
spanking for getting in the cookie jar and that spanking will taste worse
than the cookie tastes good, and when the spanking is inflicted in an effort
to associate in the child's mind the cookie jar and pain, he will often
discipline himself against repeating the crime.
4. The leader should never punish when angry. The
parent or teacher could send a child to a room until the parent cools off.
This cooling-off period should not be used as a means of evading or avoiding
punishment. It should be used as a time when the leader can search his heart
to be sure the motives for his inflicting the punishment are right and just.
5. Harsh words should be used only when the leader
feels they are needed. They should not be words spoken in anger. This may
appear to be the case, but such words should be used only when the leader
thinks it wise. Harsh words spoken in an outburst of anger or in a temper
tantrum should never be a part of discipline. They should be used only when
both the words and the way they are spoken are deliberately chosen for the
good of the follower.
6. If possible, punishment should take away more of
the pleasure of the crime than that which was gained by the committing of
the crime. For example, if a child knows that he can talk on the phone for
only five minutes at a time, he should be led to realize that if he breaks
this rule, his telephone privileges will be taken away from him for a day or
two or more or less, as decided by the parent. Here the parent is hitting
the child where it hurts the most. If a young man stays out too late in the
car, car privileges could be taken away from him. In other words, he is
learning that by using the car more than he is allowed, he will actually end
up using the car less than he would have been allowed. The breaking of the
rule becomes more painful than keeping it and more privileges are acquired
by obedience rather than by disobedience.
7. One of the great secrets of discipline is closeness
between the leader and follower. This does not mean excessive familiarity.
It means a tie of love and a desire to please. The worst thing about
punishment should be that it breaks the sweet fellowship between the
punished and the punisher. It must be noted, however, that closeness often
tempts us not to punish. We must constantly be aware of the fact that love
chastens, love punishes, love spanks, but it does all of these with a broken
heart and a desire to correct.
8. Undisciplined leaders will not build disciplined
children. Usually parents and teachers who have learned to practice
self-discipline need to punish less than their contemporaries who are
undisciplined. Undisciplined teachers invariably give more demerits than
disciplined teachers. Punitive action is more necessary to those teachers
and parents who have less self-discipline. Such leaders usually keep the
upper hand by saying, "I'm the teacher and you are supposed to obey me ...
.. I'm your parent and you are supposed to obey me," or "If you don't obey
me, I'll spank you." These statements are and should be true. How much
better would it be for the follower to obey the teacher because he is a
leader and because of position AND because the teacher inspires obedience
and followship by his disciplined life and his obvious love for the
follower.
9. Leadership should always be for authority. It may
be that on certain occasions, authority will disagree with authority. In
other words, the parent may disagree with the teacher. Usually it is best
for nothing to be said and for there to be a mutual trust between them. If,
however, it is absolutely necessary for I M authority to meet and discuss
differences with authority, the follower should know nothing about these
differences. The parent, the pastor, the teacher and other leaders should
form a solid front in the defense of each other.
There is nothing more harmful to a child than to feel
he has one parent going one way and one parent going another way. Currently
I am counseling with a teenage girl. Her mother has one set of standards;
her father has another set. If her mother starts to discipline her, she
finds refuge in her father. If her father begins disciplinary action, she
finds refuge in her mother. She always has an out and an advocate. Because
of this, she has become unruly, disobedient and nearly obnoxious.
10. The problems of children and teenagers should
always be considered important. Regardless of how trivial they may appear,
problems of young people are real to them. Leaders should never make such
statements as, "That's just a stage you are going through; you will outgrow
it. I went through it one time." This won't satisfy a child and especially
will it not satisfy a teenager. Their problems are real, They will not
return for help if they are not treated as such by their leaders.
11. Thoughtfulness can often inspire self-discipline.
Several months ago some parents brought their teenage daughter to see me. I
counseled with her again and again. Nothing seemed to penetrate. One day
while in a distant state I wrote a little note to the teenager. She couldn't
believe it. She showed it to her family and to her friends. From then on she
was open for my counsel and advice. Soon the problem was corrected.
Thoughtfulness can go a long way, not only in helping the child to develop
self-discipline but in preventing punishment.
12. The wise leader should not threaten; he should
simply explain the rule and the punishment and then take firm action in its
execution.
13. Be sure of guilt. Serious harm can be done to a
young person if he is punished unjustly. Hence, punishment should not be
meted out because of suspicion but because of proven guilt.
14. Never punish all for a crime of one. Sometimes the
teacher will leave the class only to return and find that a rule has been
broken. She will not know who broke the rule, so she will punish the entire
class. Suppose that we use the same logic concerning murder. We don't know
who in a town committed a murder, so we will just put the whole town in the
penitentiary. This is neither wise nor fair.
15. The leader should note what type of infraction is
committed. Was it a crime of character or was it accidental? A child who
throws a vase and breaks it should be punished much more severely than a
child who accidentally knocks over a vase and breaks it. Punishment should
not be determined by the disappointment in the leader in losing the vase.
16. Consideration should be given to the improvement
or lack of it shown by the child. If the follower is obviously and
definitely seeking to improve, this should be taken into consideration by
the wise teacher or parent.
17. Consider the child's potential. This is especially
true in the case of a teenager. There are some leaders and influential
teenagers who have great potential for good and for God. When punishing such
young people, this should be taken into consideration by the parent or
teacher. This is not to say that the punishment should be lessened or
increased. It is simply to say that this should be one of the factors
weighed and considered before the final decision is made concerning the
degree and type of punishment.
18. Once the crime has been committed and the type and
severity of punishment has been established, there should be no changing of
the mind. For example, if a parent can be moved not to spank the child
because of his much crying, he is being taught that much crying will always
help him avoid a spanking. Without exception guilt should be punished
exactly as was presented during the explanation of the crime and its
subsequent punishment. Any deviation from this because of crying, seeking of
sympathy, etc. is unhealthy for the child.
(Further information on punishment may be found in the
author's book, HOW TO REAR CHILDREN.)
Chapter 24
WHEN THE STUDENT FAILS
The big burden of the teaching-learning process is on
the teacher. The right kind of teaching inspires learning. The right kind of
leadership inspires followship. Periodically the student receives a grade.
This grade not only reveals the student's ability to learn but also the
teacher's ability to teach. Hence, when a student fails, the teacher should
shoulder at least some of the blame remembering that the grade is his as
well as the students. He too should weep when the student fails and should
consider himself at least to some degree a failure in the job that God has
called him to do. As the teacher contemplates his preparation and action for
the prevention of failure he should consider several things.
1. He should have as his goal that every student
should pass. This does not mean that he will ever attain his goal, but the
fact that the goal is unattainable does not mean that it should be
eliminated. Jesus Himself told us to be perfect even as our Father in Heaven
is perfect. The fact that we cannot attain this goal does not mean that it
should not be our goal. It is not to be implied that any teacher should
relax his requirements or the work load of the student in order to attain
this goal. It is to imply that the teacher ill should strive to improve his
methods of teaching in an effort to reach every student with the knowledge
he desires to impart hoping that he and the student together can pass the
course.
This is the failure of grading "on a curve." Before
the course ever starts, the teacher assumes that some will fail. In so doing
he is assuming that he will fail in transferring his knowledge to some. With
the proper kind of teaching, most students can be taught and will learn. The
teacher should not make provision for failure but success, and he should do
everything in his power to bring it about.
2. The classroom itself should be a place of teaching.
This may seem like an unnecessary statement, yet it is tragic how that in
some cases little if any knowledge is transferred from the teacher to the
pupil during the classroom hour. In many cases the student learns at home
and simply is tested or made to recite in class. It is sad when the teacher
does not teach and the classroom is not a learning room. During the
classroom session knowledge should be imparted from the teacher to the
pupil. If the pupil does not walk out with the knowledge with which the
teacher walked in, at least to some degree the teacher has failed.
Teaching need not be boring. The teacher should put
the jelly on the bottom shelf" so all the pupils can reach it. He should put
orange juice in the castor oil so the necessary result can be affected while
the taste is improved.
3. In order to keep the pupil alert, the teacher
should involve the class in participation. This is not to say that the pupil
should teach. It is to say that there should be limited participation. If
the pupil can do nothing more than finish a sentence begun by the teacher or
fill in the blank of a sentence made by the teacher, it will keep the class
alert. For example, the teacher can say, "Two plus two equals. . . . " The
class replies, "Four." The teacher says, "Three plus what equals five?" The
pupils can reply, "Two." This kind of participation will make the teacher
more interesting and the pupil more interested.
4. The learning process requires repetition. Every
time a fact is stated it makes the groove deeper. Dr. James Stewart once
said that the curse of the Scottish ministry is its unwillingness to be
repetitious. Someone asked Bill Harvey (who was my music director for two
years) what was the secret to the ministry of Dr. Jack Hyles. Bill Harvey
replied, "His willingness to be repetitious of the obvious." The wise
teacher will not only repeat the truth over and over again, but will require
the pupils to do the same.
5. Some teachers have found it wise to repeat tests. A
test is given once. It is then announced that it will be given again. This
enables the pupil to have another chance to learn the facts the teacher
wants to transfer to him. Bear in mind, the purpose of the course is to
transfer knowledge to the pupil. If the teacher wants the pupil to learn the
facts given on the test, this is one way to insure this being done. It gives
the teacher an opportunity to pass in his effort to transfer knowledge to
the student.
Let's suppose that the student makes an 'Y' on the
first test, but he scores an "A" on the second one. This does not mean that
he should make an "A" in the course. It does, however, mean that he has
learned the facts desired by the teacher and he can pass the course instead
of failing it. Perhaps his grade would be an average of the two tests. This
aids the teacher in fulfilling his goal of transferring the knowledge to the
student.
6. In the giving of a grade, the teacher should
consider what the student is doing with his time outside of class. Does the
student have a job or does he have a lot of leisure time? Is he working or
playing when he is out of class? Is there any area of his life which enables
him to help learn the subject matter of the course he is taking? Is the
student who is taking a course in education teaching a Sunday school class?
Is the geography student doing any traveling? Is the student enrolled in the
Bible course serving the Lord in a capacity that would necessitate his study
of the Bible? All of these things should be taken into consideration before
the grade is given.
We hear much about earned and honorary degrees. When a
so-called honorary degree is given, it is as earned or more earned than a
so-called earned degree. When a man without the opportunity and privilege of
attending an educational institution learns on his own what is taught at
that institution and becomes an unusual success in a particular field, he
should certainly be given honor for this achievement. In receiving the
degree the recipient is accepting an earned degree, not an honorary degree.
Such would be the case in a classroom situation.
Hence, all of the aforementioned considerations should be given as the
teacher strives to teach the pupil the knowledge that the course requires.
7. The teacher should prepare himself emotionally
before he enters the class. He should spend a few moments in meditation. He
should think of the goal that he is trying to achieve for that hour. He
should picture himself at the judgment seat of Christ giving an account for
the teaching or lack of it that he is about to do. He should approach the
desk and stand before the class with a sober sense of awe, realizing that
God is watching him and will someday judge him. May each of us give himself
to whatever task God has called us to do, and may those of us who teach pass
all of our courses.
Chapter 25
THE BASIS OF LOYALTY TO SUPERIORS
Loyalty is not the absence of disloyalty. It is a
positive trait, not the absence of a negative one. In other words, a person
is not necessarily loyal because he is not disloyal. There is some ground
between loyalty and disloyalty. Perhaps we could say there is loyalty,
ah-loyalty and disloyalty. Disloyalty criticizes, ah-loyalty is silent, but
loyalty defends! Both loyalty and disloyalty are vocal. Ah-loyalty is
silent. Loyalty never allows one word of criticism about the leader. It is
complete defense and support. It not only never says, "Did you hear about
... ?" but also it does not listen to, "Did you hear about ... ?" It does
not participate in criticism with the tongue or the ear. It does not give
itself to satisfaction of criticizing nor does it give a sympathetic ear
which gives others the satisfaction of criticizing.
Everyone cannot be talented; everyone can be loyal.
Loyalty is one trait that is attainable by all. Disloyalty is the one trait
that is not excusable! It is the unpardonable sin! It is the most detestable
and deplorable trait that a follower can have. It has caused heartbreak to
many leaders. It has caused heartbreak to more followers. It has ruined the
reputation of many leaders. It has ruined the character of many followers.
To those who possess disloyalty, it has become a terminal cancer and
professional suicide.
Loyalty is the complete support and defense of a
leader. There are several reasons why it should be given.
1. Respect for the work. A few days ago I received a
call from a pastor whose church operates a grade school and a high school.
This pastor told me a sad story about his principal becoming disloyal. He
had gone from class to class announcing his resignation and giving the
reasons why he was leaving.
Many years ago this pastor bought some property and
began a church. He cleared off the property with his own hands and with
blood, sweat and toil. Over many years he had seen the church, under his
leadership, grow to a membership of several thousand, while the school had
grown to an enrollment of several hundred. The pastor then employed this
principal. The pastor gave the principal buildings that he had helped to
build with his own hands, pupils whom he had won to Christ, supplies and
equipment purchased with money that he had raised and much of which he had
sacrificially given. Hence, the principal assumed responsibility over
children whom he had not won in buildings he had not built using equipment
he had not purchased. He had no moral right to damage the work on the altar
of his own hurt feelings. If and when he felt he could no longer work
happily in the situation, he should have courteously resigned and never
offered or listened to any criticism of the pastor.
2. Respect for success. When one is a follower to a
successful leader the very success of that leader should command loyalty.
For example, I am on the board of the SWORD OF THE LORD, a weekly
publication edited by Dr. John R. Rice. I have been on this board for many
years. Now suppose that I disagree with Dr. Rice on some issue. I feel and
have always felt that as a member of the board I should prefer his feelings
above my own. I have never edited a newspaper; he has been an editor for
nearly a half century. His success measured by the one-third of a million
subscribers, or by almost any other criterion, should lead the wise follower
to have complete confidence in the wisdom of the leader.
It is amazing how that in this revolutionary
generation young people who have never built a chicken coop rebel against
master builders, who have never led a squad think they can lead an army, who
have never had a savings account think they can run a bank, who have never
been a dog catcher think they can improve the presidency and have absolutely
no respect for success!
At this writing I know of a young man who has just
assumed the responsibility of becoming principal of a school operated by a
church and led by a pastor who founded the school, was its first principal
and has overseen the work for years. This young man who is fresh out of
college feels that the diploma he holds in his hand has given him the right
and equipment to know more about Christian education than this pastor of
many years' experience. He is manifesting a disloyalty which is disgraceful.
Someone in school should have taught him "Loyalty 131," and if for no other
reason, this loyalty should be manifested because of respect for the success
of the pastor. He should be seeking the pastor's counsel instead of shunning
it. He should be asking for the pastor's counsel instead of abhorring it.
3. Respect for knowledge. There are some things that
the leader knows that no one else can know. This not only pertains to facts,
talent, etc., but it also pertains to knowledge of people and circumstances
which he, for obvious reasons, cannot divulge to the followers. In other
words, the follower does not always have all of the facts. There are some
things that only a leader can know. Hence, it may appear to the follower
that the leader is taking a wrong course of action, causing the follower to
oppose him vehemently. However, if the follower knew the facts that the
leader cannot divulge to him, he would no doubt arrive at the same
conclusion to which the leader has arrived. This means that the follower
should trust the leader even if his judgment seems unwise, realizing that
the leader possesses many facts that only he knows and that if he, the
follower, were acquainted with the entire case, he would probably have
arrived at the same conclusion.
If, for any reason, the follower cannot give this
trust and confidence to the leader, he should never under any condition
rebel or revolt. He should very quietly and ethically tiptoe out. He has no
right whatsoever to talk to anyone about his differences with the leader,
and he should leave without causing as much as a ripple on the water.
4. Respect for the system. To be sure, we are all
human beings stranded on a planet whirling through space. Since there is no
one here but us we have 'to govern ourselves. This means we have to choose
leaders who will govern us. This is why in our system a country has a king
or a president, a state has a governor, a city has a mayor, a family has a
father, a church
has a pastor, and an employee has a boss. Someone must
be at the top. The system itself should require loyalty from the follower to
the leader. When this system breaks down, anarchy follows the breakdown and
chaos follows the anarchy. This is why we are reminded again and again in
the Bible to respect our leaders, obey those who are over us and follow
those who lead us. Oftentimes the leader is not of God, but the system is of
God and the position is of God. This is why God admonishes children to obey
their parents, servants to obey their masters, wives to obey their husbands,
citizens to obey their governments, etc. The system is God's plan. We must
not rebel against it.
5. Respect for your future. Disloyal followers are
seldom given loyal followers when they become leaders. Disloyal followers
make poor leaders.
I have known hundreds of assistant pastors, music
directors and education directors to be disloyal and to cause trouble in the
church by trying to unseat the pastor or spread rumors about him. I have
known very few who have won, and in practically every case the damage is far
more to the disloyal follower than to the criticized leader. Criticism
always hurts the critic more than the criticized. Hatred always hurts the
hater more than the hated. Gossip always hurts the gossiper more than the
one about whom he gossips. The disloyal follower always stands to lose more
than he takes from the accused leader.
There is also a law of sowing and reaping. In the
Bible we are reminded that everything is reproduced after its own kind. Over
and over again in the book of Genesis we find everything has in itself its
own seed to bring forth its own kind. This is true not only in the physical
but also in the emotional, in the personality and in the character. The
pastor who criticizes other pastors will have people who criticize him. The
teacher who criticizes the principal will have pupils who criticize him. God
has a way of "letting our chickens come home to roost."
Not only does the subordinate usually lose, but he is
also forming a habit of being disloyal that will hound him the rest of his
life. Look at Abraham and Lot. Lot and his herdsmen became disloyal to
Abraham. Lot chose for himself the best land, but look at the life of
heartache that followed. I have lived long enough to see how battles turn
out. I have watched young men become disloyal to leaders. I have watched
these young men become middle-aged men. I have scrutinized their careers
carefully. When as a follower one is disloyal he is usually as a leader
suspicious of those who work under him, for he has developed a life pattern
which leads to failure and stifles success.
It has also been interesting through the years to
watch the development of the children of disloyal people. It is interesting,
tragic and almost unbelievable to see how disloyalty in the life of a parent
affects the children. Through the years I have made surveys of the children
of people who have become disloyal and have left churches that I have
pastored. In not one case has a single child gone into full-time service for
God, and in most cases they have become adults who do not even attend
church. A part of this is because of their secret and maybe even
subconscious disgust for the disloyal parents. Part of it is because the
kind of churches chosen later by these people does not turn out the best
product. A part of it is God's judgment and the law of sowing and reaping
doing its work.
6. Respect for the unsaved. When Abraham and Lot and
their herdsmen had trouble, there is a statement which is brief but
arresting which says simply, "And the Canaanite and the Perrizite dwelled in
the land." In other words, others saw the strife. They heard the bickering.
They observed the disloyalty. One wonders how many people will spend
eternity in Hell because of disloyalty which results in bickering, gossip,
slander, criticism, vindication, retaliation and other traits spawned in
Hell by Lucifer and his angels.
Chapter 26
COUNSELING WITH STUDENTS
One of the hardest things I faced when our church
entered into the educational field was the matter of sharing the counseling
of my young people with so many different people. My teenagers had always
felt free to come to my office for counseling. I was their sole source of
advice. Then suddenly I realized that they were going to their teachers and
their principals and that I no longer would have the control over them that
I formerly had. I accepted it as perhaps being one of the small liabilities
that go with the many huge assets of having a Christian school. It did,
however, make me realize how important it is that principals and teachers be
qualified as counselors and be wise as serpents and harmless as doves as
they influence the lives of our young people. I jotted down a few bits of
advice to present to my teachers. They are listed below.
1. Girls with no chosen field should take courses in
either elementary or secondary education. So many girls who want to go to
college pursue a course that leads to nothing except four years of education
and training. They find themselves with a diploma, yet with no definite
preparation for any field. Because of this, I have found it wise to advise
all of the young
ladies who have no chosen field such as nursing,
missions, etc. to prepare themselves to teach in a Christian school. Even if
they never use what they learn, it will be a wonderful "spare tire" for
them. For example, if they never marry, they will have a wonderful
profession in which they can influence the lives of young people and do a
service for God and for others. On the other hand, if they do marry and ever
need to supplement their husband's income, they would not need to go into
the secular world to be a secretary or a waitress or hold some other secular
job. They would rather be able to teach in a Christian school which would
enable them to do service to others and to Christ and also to work in a
Christian atmosphere.
There are some young ladies who marry whose husbands
become ill. In case of such illness the wife has to work. Again, she has the
"spare tire" which will enable her to support the family and serve Christ
simultaneously.
2. Young people should not marry until they have
graduated from college. This will allow the training and preparation for
one's life's work to be completed without fear of interruption or
cancellation because of pregnancy, finances, etc. Far more young people
complete their college training who remain unmarried during the college
years than those who marry.
3. Young men who are not sure they should preach would
do well to prepare to teach. In Hyles-Anderson College we have many
ministerial students. There are always some young men, however, who feel
they want to preach but who feel unsure that God wants them to. For some
reason they are not sure what they should do. Usually the young men do not
know whether they should teach in a Christian school or preach. In such
cases I advise them to take secondary education. If, after graduating from
college, such a young man feels that he should teach, he is equipped to do
so. If he feels that he should preach, he is still able to pursue his
ministry, especially if he has chosen electives in Bible and Bible-related
courses. On the other hand, if he were to take the pastor's course and find
that God wanted him to teach school, he would be unprepared to do so.
4. When a young person wants to marry someone whom the
counselor feels is the wrong one, it is not wise to say so. When parents,
pastors, educators and other counselors vigorously oppose such marriages, it
often drives the couple to a premature wedding. I usually ask for a
compromise of setting the date a long way in the future. This will prevent
the driving of a wedge between the counselor and the young people and will
at the same time give them enough time to discover their mistake, if in fact
it is a mistake.
A mother and father came to my office. They were
furious because their daughter was marrying a young man whom they thought
was not the one for her. They had opposed so vigorously that they had
severed themselves from their daughter and their relationship was, to say
the least, a strained one. She was bent on marrying the boy and they were
just as headstrong in their determination to prevent the marriage. I
suggested to them that they change their tactics and accept the young man
with the agreement that the wedding would be a year away. This delighted the
young lady; yet in a few months she began to realize that the young man was
not the one for her, a realization that probably would not have come had the
parents continued their verbal warfare against the marriage.
(A more detailed chapter on counseling is found in the
author's book, THE HYLES CHURCH MANUAL.)
Chapter 27
THE TEACHER'S RELATIONSHIP TO THE PARENT
The wise teacher in a Christian school will realize
that the parents of the children are his customers. They should be treated
with the same care and courtesy that an airline stewardess would treat a
passenger, that a clerk in a store would treat the customer, or that a
politician would treat the voter. Even if the teacher is right in a
difference of opinion he must be careful not to offend the parent. He can
win the battle and lose the war. He can win the argument and lose the child.
In such a case the great loser is the child. The child's life will be lost
to the cause of Christ forever because of unwise behavior of the teacher
toward the parent.
The teacher must realize that in many cases he
frightens the parent. Because of the respect and awe that we held for
teachers in our childhood, it often carries into adulthood, and even the
most successful of adults will look to school teachers with excessive
respect and awe. Though the teacher may feel inferior to some parents, these
same parents may possess an inferiority complex when it comes to the
teacher. The teacher must realize this and do his best to develop a relaxed
attitude with the parent. The average parent thinks the teacher should be
the aggressor in friendliness.
The wise teacher will set some guidelines that will
lead him to a good relationship with the parents.
1. The teacher should get to know the parent quickly.
It is best for him to make a visit in the home of each pupil as quickly as
possible. Such a visit will not only develop the proper relationship between
the parent and teacher, but it will also give the teacher knowledge4hat can
be used wisely in the teaching of the child.
When I pastored smaller churches, I made it a regular
point to visit in every home of the church membership during the first few
months of my pastorate. This enabled me to get to know my people, to have a
better relationship with them and to give me wisdom and help in knowing how
and what I should preach in order to fill the needs of my people. The wise
teacher will follow this.
2. The teacher could write a note-a-day to parents. In
approximately one month each parent would have received a note from the
teacher and will feel that the teacher has a personal interest in the
children.
3. The teacher should remember the birthdays and other
special days of the parents. A notebook could be kept which contains the
names, addresses and special days of all the parents. Congratulations could
be sent on birthdays, anniversaries, etc., and visits or get-well cards
could be sent to the hospital or to the sickroom.
4. The teacher should compliment parents because of
achievements, accomplishments, etc. If the parent sings a solo in church,
the wise teacher will write a note of appreciation. If some honor is given
to a parent, the teacher could send a congratulatory note. This is just
another thing that the thoughtful teacher can do in order to help the
parents and thereby help the child and himself.
5. The teacher should always be ready and willing to
counsel with the parent regardless of how busy he is. To the average parent,
his most precious possession is his child. When he comes to see the teacher,
it is important to him, He should be treated with the same importance. He
should be received graciously and should be given the time that he needs to
explain his problem and to receive a solution. The teacher should never seem
too busy or preoccupied, but should realize that for the sake of the child
the teacher and parent must have a good rapport. Remember, if such is not
the case, it is the child who will suffer.
Chapter 28
SATAN'S BID FOR YOUR CHILD
(A sermon preached to the congregation of the First
Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana, on Sunday night, May 23, 1971.)
If I did not love you so much, I would not preach this
sermon. Many will not agree with me. I know our church has many public
school teachers. I am sure that in this congregation we have 35 to 40 people
who teach in the public schools. I wouldn't hurt you purposely for the
world.
The truth is that many parents do not know what is
happening in our public schools. Hence, I am going to be very frank tonight
and spend myself to save your boys and girls. I'm going to risk your
devotion, your love, your followship, and maybe your friendship, but I'm
going to do it because with all my heart I want to save your children.
A lady said to me yesterday, "I went to an elementary
school recently to work in the lunch room. Pastor, I never realized before
just what is happening in our schools."
I plead with you tonight for your kids!
I hold before me a copy of a Teenage Questionnaire. In
Sunday school this morning 230 of your high school-age students took this
survey. Here are the questions it includes:
1. Have you ever heard one of your school teachers use
vulgar language in class?
2. Have you ever heard a school teacher take the name
of the Lord in vain in class?
3. Do you ever hear students cursing aloud in class?
4. Have you ever been approached by someone who wanted
to sell or give you marijuana or any other narcotic?
5. Have any of your school friends used narcotics?
6. Have you ever used drugs?
7. Have you ever given away or sold drugs yourself?
8. Do you know of any teacher who uses drugs?
9. Have you ever been taught evolution?
10. Do any of your teachers wear mini-skirts?
11. Do any of your teachers wear pant-dresses?
12. Do any of your school friends drink?
13. Have you ever taken a drink of any alcoholic
beverage such as beer, wine, etc.?
14. Has there ever been in your school any
disturbances such as revolts, riots, student disorders, boycotts, etc.?
15. Have you ever heard the American way of life, the
establishment and capitalism criticized by a teacher?
16. Have you ever worn slacks to school?
17. Have you ever worn shorts to school?
18. Have you ever been taught that pre-marital sex is
all right?
19. Have you been asked to read such books as OF MICE
AND MEN, SOUL ON ICE, THE GRAPES OF WRATH, CATCHER IN THE RYE or any other
book that includes cursing?
20. Have you read any of these books?
Before you leave tonight I am going to tell you what
your children said this morning in answer to the questionnaire. Throughout
the message tonight you will learn the results of this survey.
If your child's teacher were walking down the street,
how many of you would recognize him? Please raise your hand. That's not much
over 15% of the crowd. How many of you have ever read at least one book that
was required reading for your child at school? Please lift your hand. You
see, you don't know what's going on! Like the ostrich you don't want to know
what's going on because you don't want to get involved enough to spend some
of your money to save your child. You want to keep on riding high, living it
up, and enjoying life without facing the fact, we have a battle on our
hands! That battle is not just to save a country; it is to save your
children) If we don't rise up and do something about it, everything decent
that we know about our way of life is going to crumble. I AM WEARY OF SOME
SO-CALLED SCHOLARS WHO ARE DESTROYING OUR CHILDREN! Not only am I tired of
it, but I have ceased to be quiet about it. Because you will not check on
what is going on, I am going to open the door to the public schools and
invite you in. I challenge anybody to disprove what I say tonight.
You say, "Preacher, you are a rabble-rouser!"
Yes, I am, but not nearly as much so as those who are
trying to ruin the minds of our children and destroy the patriotism,
decency, honor, character and chastity of our boys and girls. Not only am I
going to do some rabble-rousing, I am also going to do some school building!
I'm going to give our kids a choice!
Satan is after your child. He has pointed every gun in
his arsenal at the soul, body, and mind of your child, and he is basically
doing it through the school room. There are some institutions that we do not
like to see attacked by anyone. The school room has been so deified in our
minds that we think that it can see no evil, do no evil and speak no evil
While we have built a canopy of protection over it, it is destroying and
stealing our boys and girls. Parents all over this auditorium could stand as
living testimonies to what I'm going to say. I could have dozens of parents
parade across this platform whose dreams have been shattered. They would
say, "My boy (or girl) was ruined by a university, a high school or a
teacher!"
Your children may go to the devil; they may not go to
a Christian school, and they may not turn out right, but I'll tell you one
thing: It will not be because Brother Hyles didn't warn you and do the best
he could to help you. If anybody gets mad at me tonight, it will be because
you just do not understand that I love you and I love your children! In
fact, I love you so much that I am going to tell you the truth. There is
always a time of preparation before one goes out to fight. The man who is
drafted into the army goes to prepare with other soldiers before he goes to
battle. The child must be undergirded with truth, character, strength,
honor, discipline and right before we send him out to a godless world.
I'm going to give you tonight several methods that the
devil is using to attack your child.
I. REVOLUTION
"The first part of the yuppie program, you know, is to
kill your parents. And I mean that quite seriously, because until you're
prepared to kill your parents you're not really prepared to change the
country, because our parents are our first oppressors. . . . "
That statement was made by Jerry Rubin, one of the
notorious Chicago Seven. He said it on the campus of Kent State University
only one week before the rioting which culminated in the death of four
students. Our socialist-minded professors and teachers, with their
leftist-slanted textbooks, have dedicated themselves to changing the
American way of life through indoctrinating the minds of students.
In 1932 George S. Counts wrote the booklet, "Dare the
School Build a New Social Order?" In 1933 Dr. Harold Rugg wrote THE GREAT
TECHNOLOGY, a book in which he declares that "through the schools of the
world we shall disseminate a new conception of government." As far back as
1932, the socialists, communists and leftists dedicated themselves to bring
about a new social order in America. What tool would they use? The schools!
Louis Budenz, former editor of The Daily Worker, who
defected from communism in 1945, mentioned the early days of this
communistic effort in his 1954 book, THE TECHNIQUES OF COMMUNISM. In part he
wrote, "As early as 1924, in lectures delivered at the Sverdlov University
in Moscow, Stalin specified .cultural and educational organizations' as
valuable allies in the communist battle for world dictatorship. ... It was
in 1933, however, that extensive infiltration began in the schools and
colleges of this country encouraged by American recognition of Soviet
Russia. ... "
During the years of this extensive effort to use our
educational system to help change the American way of thinking, a key
propaganda gimmick used to keep communists, socialists and other
undesirables on teaching staffs was the cry of "academic freedom." You find
a nation where the communists are in charge and then you let them talk about
academic freedom. They suddenly hush their talk once they are in charge of
the academic program. On our colleges, universities, and yes, our high
school campuses there is coming a great parade of leftists, communists,
Black Panthers and SDS people dedicated to revolution with their sandals,
blue jeans and long hippy-like hair.
In his testimony before the House Subcommittee on
Appropriations on February 23, 1968, J. Edgar Hoover made the following
remarks in relation to the reason communists are so anxious to get their
speakers on college campuses: "The basic purpose ... behind the speaking
campaign, which has been pursued with vigor since the early 1960's, is to
gain recognition for and acceptance of the Communist party, USA, as a
legitimate political party on the American scene. The party considers that
college campuses offer an excellent opportunity to reach the youth who will
be leaders of tomorrow... ."
The May 26, 1970, issue of The Daily World said that
the academic senate of the University of California of Los Angeles adopted
by a vote of 209 to 5 a resolution expressing outrage at their regents for
attempts to fire Angela Davis, a philosophy teacher and a member of the
Communist party. Earlier in defending her right to pollute the minds of
college students Angela Davis claimed that her teaching was not
indoctrination. However, she said, "I can't and I won't keep my political
ideas out of the classroom," and only "some form of communism will solve our
human problems." (San Francisco Examiner, October 9,1969)
During the summer of 1969, freshmen preparing to enter
the University of Maryland were furnished a booklet regarding orientation
and registration which listed three steps to be taken. The first was to fill
out four enclosed cards, and the second was to send $13.00 to the
university. The third called for the new freshmen to read at least one of a
list of books which included: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MALCOM X, BLACK POWER,
THE POLITICS OF LIBERATION IN AMERICA, by Stokely Carmichael and Charles V.
Hamilton; CONCERNING CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE by Abe Fortas; THE OTHER AMERICAN by
Michael Harrington, long-time socialist leader in the United States; and
other books containing a leftist slant. (Human Events, July 19, 1969)
In a report to the National Committee of the Communist
party on April 26, 1959, Hyman Lumer, National Educational Director of the
party at that time, told fellow conspirators that success was not possible
unless they could "win a solid base among the youth."
Ladies and gentlemen, the truth is, our country is
being destroyed by our young people! It is being done because we have driven
our boys and girls up to a beautiful building, lot them off in the morning,
allowed them to walk through some doors, through which we seldom, if ever,
walk, to be taught by people we do not know from books we have not read
about subjects with which we do not agree! Behind those doors that we hold
sacred where we let our children out each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday and Friday morning, all Hell is breaking loose and our country is
being destroyed while we deify the place where it's happening. The
communists decided 40 years ago to ruin America through our schools, and
they're doing it! You say, "Brother Hyles, that's in the colleges." Well,
where do you think the high schools and elementary schools get their
teachers?
The October 10, 1969, issue of TIME magazine observes:
"It has become a truism that each new class of college freshmen is more
radical, more tuned in, turned on and dropped out than the last . . . ."
The Tulsa Tribune, December 27, 1968, contained a
report from an interview with six graduates of the Holland Hall High School
attending six different colleges: "None of the six were willing to reject
the radical SDS or the Black Students' Union flatly, but all said their
causes and actions must be judged individually, on their merits."
The August 1, 1969, issue of New Left Notes
proclaimed. "... the war is not just happening in Viet Nam ... it is
happening here. In black communities through the country. On college
campuses. And in the high schools, in the shops, arid on the streets ... it
is a war in which we must fight... ."
The communists published in the February 8, 1969,
issue of The Daily World an article that was headlined, "Battleground
Reports from the Nation's Colleges."
What success are they having in our area? You say,
"Preacher, that's UCLA, that's New York City." Hold
it! I have in my hand a survey taken this morning. Let's see how they are
doing with their revolution and how they're affecting our own children.
Question 15 on the survey was this: "Have you ever heard the American way of
life, the establishment, and capitalism critized by a teacher?" Of the 230
students, over 150 of them said they had heard America condemned in the
classroom. That means over 63% of our young people have had to sit in
classrooms where some teacher tried to destroy the American way of life.
That is treason! The law says they have to sit and listen to somebody try to
destroy capitalism, the establishment and the American way of life. If there
is such a teacher here tonight, let me say to him, "Your Hell can't be too
hot for you!" It's amazing! Somebody preaches like I'm preaching and they're
called bigots, but your left-wingers can get up, holler, scream,
rabble-rouse all they want to and it is "academic freedom." You let a
right-winger or a conservative stand up and speak what he believes and he's
considered a rabble-rouser. We need some old-fashioned Hell-fire and
damnation rabble-rousers! America is being destroyed while we fiddle. Your
own child is at stake.
What else is being launched at your child?
II. BOOKS
Many of you do not know what your kids are reading.
You have not checked. You have no idea, so I have to tell you. I'm going to
open a few of the books. I will not say the bad words; I'll just spell.
them.
NEW WORLDS AHEAD is used in the seventh grade.
Included is a story, "The Stray Kitten" by Richard Wright. Page 54, "Kill
that d-a-m-n thing." Page 55, "1 had my first triumph over my father. I had
made him believe that I had taken his words literally. He could not punish
me now without risking his authority. I was happy because I had at last
found a way to throw my criticism of him into his face." Another story in
the book is called, "The Blue Serge Suit." Page 414, "D-a-m-n asthma." Page
416, "d-am-n asthma's getting worse." "Be d-a-m-n-e-d if I see what you're
getting at." That's seventh grade reading
VOICES IN LITERATURE (1) is used in grade nine. "Shoe
Shine" by Jerome Weidman, page 21"My G-o-d." "The Long Night" by Lowell
Blanton, page 84: "Well, d-a-m-n it, man." "The Invisible Aborigine" by
Eugene Burdick, page 205: "D-a-m-n-e-d right." Page 209, "D-a-m-n-e-d-e-s-t
thing." On page 235 parental authority is questioned. "The Sissy from
Anaconda," page 352: "The d-a-m-n-e-d-e-S-t rattlesnake"... "H-e-1-1."
Ladies and gentlemen, not only is this bad language
and bad English, it is not culture! It is not refined nor scholarly We are a
little above this kind of crudeness. Not only does it prick our religious
and spiritual convictions, it pricks our culture
We are just getting started. Because you won't check
on your children's required reading I have to read it for you. THEMES IN
LITERATURE is used in the tenth grade. "The Colt" by Wallace Stegner, page
127: "G-o-d d-a-m-n you" ... "G-o-d d-a-m-n your wild
hearts."
Before you start criticizing me, and before you say
that our kids are not having to read stuff like this, remember, I have the
poll from this morning. Before some of you school teachers say, "Well, I
teach school and that's not going on," don't forget, you go to just one
school. I have the poll! I'm going to give you the goods in a minute, so
don't shut your ears. I'm trying to help you and your kids.
Also in "The Colt," page 128: "D-a-m-n." In "The Mateo
Falcon" by Merimee, the father kills his own son. WENTERN LITERATURE: THEMES
AND WRITERS,, "The Out Station" by W. Somerset Maugham, page 83: "Oh, go to
H-e-l-l." "D-a-m-n fool." "You d-a-m-n-e-d snob." "By G-o-d.- "D-a-m-n-e-d
fool." There are fifteen counts of profanity and a murder in this one story
on page 83.
In "On the Sidewalk Bleeding" by Evan Hunter, pages
105-411, a gang member is stabbed and the whole story describes how he lays
on the sidewalk and bleeds to death. OF MICE AND MEN by John Steinbeck has
been required reading in numbers of schools in this area. Page 24: "He's
sure a H-e-1-1 of a good worker." Page 24: "He's a G-o-d d-a-m-n good
worker." (My Bible says that you are not to take the name of the Lord God in
vain.) Not one time are my children getting to sit in school and hear
anybody curse my God an anymore! You don't have to let yours do that either.
Page 48: "Them G-o-d d-a-m-n turnips give it to me." Page 56: "If that crazy
b-a-s-t-a-r-d-'-s foolin' around too, much, just kick him out, Slim." Page
83: "In town there's a w-h-o-r-e-h-o-u-s-e." Page 83: -J-e-s-u-s, I've Seen
it happen too many times." Page 94: "This here G-o-d d-a-m-n little s-o-n of
a - - - - - (female dog) wasn't nothin' to George."
SOUL 0N ICE by Eldridge Cleaver, page 159: "I'd jump
over ten n-i-g-g-e-r ------- (female dogs) just to get one white woman."
You can sit there in anger if you want to, but I'm
trying to help your kids! I'm doing it at the risk of your becoming angry.
Yet, if I lose half the deacon board and two-thirds of the members, there's
one thing I'm going to do: I will try to save your kids for Jesus' sake. I'm
not mad at anybody but the devil, but I'm weary of this crowd of
left-wingers, sex perverts, and Sweden-oriented teachers who are taking over
our schools and ruining our kids. If you are not one of those, I am not
talking about you, but there are thousands of them. It's getting worse all
the time. This kind of garbage is what they are requiring our kids to read.
I haven't even started yet really. I wish I had time to read you much more.
Let's go further.
SOUL ON ICE, page 160: "I will not be free until the
day I can have a white woman in my bed and a white man minds his own
business." I can't even read all of this.
THE GRAPES OF WRATH by John Steinbeck, published by
Viking Press, page 27: "You ain't too d-a-m-n holy to take a drink, are
you?" "And I hear she's a s-o-n of a - - - - -(female dog)." You're not
checking, are you? Listen to me! You ought to say, "My child is not going to
be subjected to this anymore!"
You say, "Brother Hyles, that's not taking place
here." Oh? Well, maybe I have the goods on you. This morning 230 of our high
schoolers were asked this question: "Have you been asked to read such books
as OF MICE AND MEN, SOUL ON ICE, THE GRAPES OF WRATH, CATCHER IN THE RYE, or
any other book that includes cursing?" "Yes" was the answer given by 35% of
our young people. You didn't know that, did you? Here is the sad thing!
Seventy-eight said they'd been asked to read such literature, and 51 of them
did so. This means two out of three of our best kids didn't have courage
enough to say "No." Do you know why they didn't? In many cases they have
moms and dads at home who wouldn't back them up. There are teenagers in this
room tonight who come to me weeping because they want to do what is right
but their parents want them to be "accepted" in the public high school or
junior high school.
What else is the devil launching at your child?
III. NARCOTICS
I was on the airplane the other day and beside me
there was a little paper named Midnight, dated May 24, 1971. An astounding
result of a study by Lionel Baker, an Illinois attorney was given. For the
juvenile court system of Illinois he gave questionnaires to 7,000 youthful
drug offenders during the past year. The young people were asked who first
introduced them to drugs. Now, listen! Four out of ten said, "Teacher."
Think of it! Forty percent of 7,000 kids on dope said that a school teacher
first introduced them to drugs!
Mr. Baker then interviewed over 100 students from
various high schools which had been charged with drug abuse and found that
37 had first been "turned on" by their teachers. This verified his original
findings. In the article he said, "One girl told me that she knew some of
her friends used drugs, but she refused. Then she attended a party where
several young teachers, recent college graduates, were chaperoning, and the
teachers passed out several marijuana cigarettes. When she saw her teacher
smoking she thought, 'Why not Now she is a regular user," said Several
students said they had often smelled marijuana smoke in the student rest
rooms, but one day after school they walked into the teachers' lounge and
smelled marijuana. They said, "If it's all right for the teachers, I guess
it must be all right for us."
Altogether, 10,000 teachers from 28 states were
surveyed and it was found that over 50% of them had used drugs and that 24%
used them regularly. Perhaps this is because these young teachers got used
to sneaking drug trips when they were college students, and now that they
are working and have apartments, they can use drugs openly at their dinner
get-togethers and parties. Drugs are a part of their fives.
The article went on to say that when students get
together with their teachers for after-school work, at school dances, etc.,
they see many of their teachers indulging in their favorite pastime, which
is taking dope. Students who would never have dreamed of touching marijuana
or other narcotics even if they knew some students used it then picked it up
easily. Many times they do it to prove to the teacher that they are hip.
Students were interviewed who were scared to death of LSD but who used it
because their teachers told them all about their trips. Of course, in every
case students were interviewed who had been caught using drugs while their
teachers went free since no one ever suspected them of being the real
culprits.
Lionel Baker points out that as the average age of
teachers drops, the rate of drug use among them climbs. Many young people
who were part of the drug generation of the mid and late 60's are now
teachers, so it is logical that much information about drug use will be
passed down to the next generation by today's young teachers. Here is the
sad thing: An educator said, "We can't fire the teachers who use drugs,
because we'd have only half of our teachers left. And we can't tell the kids
to stay home. I guess we'll just have to live with it."
"Well!" you say, "Preacher, I'm glad our students
don't do it." Oh, do you want some statistics about that? All right. This
morning this question was asked of our First Baptist high schoolers: "Have
you ever been approached in school by someone who wanted to sell you
marijuana or any other narcotic?" Over 20% of our children said somebody had
approached them at school trying to sell or give them narcotics.
The next question will shock you! "Have any of your
school friends used narcotics?" Over 50% of our high school children this
morning said they run with somebody who uses narcotics. If you take away the
Hammond Baptist High School kids out of this, do you think any of our
teenagers that go to the public schools have a crowd completely free of
narcotics?
"Have you ever used drugs?" was also on the
questionnaire. "Yes" is the answer given by 27 of the children in our Sunday
school this morning. Imagine, 27 out of 230, over 10%, of our boys and girls
have used drugs.
Everybody, listen to me! Some of you parents are a
little peeved at me right now, and I know your child has smoked marijuana!
Don't come to me and ask me, for I won't tell you. If you haven't enough
faith in me to believe me and put some trust and confidence in somebody who
sees what's going on and is trying to help your kids, don't you come and ask
me! I'm not going to tattle on your kids. I'm trying to help them, and
that's more than you're trying to do. Listen, since I've been Pastor of this
church, practically every parent who has defended his child and said, "I
trust my child! My child wouldn't lie!" has a child who has lied. I know!
That kind of parent rears a child that plays around. You say, "Well, I trust
my child!" You should know where your child is every moment of every day.
You'd better see to it that your child is in the right crowd all the time.
There's not a child in this building, I don't care who it is-my boy, my
girls, every kid in this building-that couldn't be lured if he were in the
wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong crowd!
I'm not through with that subject. Now hang onto your
seats! We also asked, "Have you ever sold any drugs?" We had 10 pushers in
our high school department this morning! In most cases they come from the
homes of people that would not defend what I'm saying right now. I could
call the names of five of them who are in this building right now! They have
been caught pushing marijuana. I know who they are.
"Do you know of any teacher who uses drugs?" was also
asked this morning. Twenty per cent said, "Yes!" They know teachers who are
on drugs.
The devil wants to get your child. He is using
revolution, dirty books and narcotics, but there's more:
IV. ROCK MUSIC
Nothing reveals the condition of a nation quite like
its music and its art. Not only does music reveal what we are, but more than
we realize, it makes us what we are! Music wields a tremendous and powerful
influence on our lives. When Moses and the Israelites crossed the Red Sea on
dry ground there was music involved; they sang a song of victory. (Exodus
15:1-
21) David composed a song upon hearing of the death of
Jonathan and Saul. (II Samuel 1: 17-27) Deborah and Barak sang a song after
the great, miraculous defeat of the forces of Sisera when the stars in their
courses fought against the power of evil. Judges 5) Psalm 45 is a song which
was used to celebrate a wedding. The Psalms themselves are simply a
compilation of songs that formed the hymn book of the Jews. When God gave
Samuel to Hannah, she sang. (I Samuel 2:2-11) When Mary heard of the coming
of the Christ child, she sang. (Luke 1:46-55) The Jews in their journey
toward the temple for the feast days would sing. The Song of Solomon is a
beautiful love song. The Bible certainly teaches us the importance of music.
Who hasn't cried on graduation day when the Alma Mater
was played or as a band played a stirring number in a parade? Who hasn't
thrilled as the flag was raised and "The Star-Spangled Banner" was played?
In one of my books I tell about a man who was in my
church in Texas. He managed a cafeteria. He took me one day to the cafeteria
and said, "Now I want to show you something, Preacher." He asked the
organist who played during the lunch hour to play something very, very
rapidly-a march, if you please. The people began getting their food more
quickly. You could see them hurrying. He said, "I can speed up the line and
serve twice as many people with a march." Then he said, "Watch." He asked
the organist to play a waltz. The same people who selected their food with
quick motions a few moments earlier were now leisurely choosing foods and
slowly placing the items on their trays.
Sometime as you're driving down the highway turn on
some good FM station and listen to good music. Observe how slowly you drive.
Then turn on one of these rock 'n' roll stations and notice what's flashing
in your rear view mirror! Music has a tremendous effect upon us.
Did you know that hypnotism is certainly closely
associated with music? Dentists say that good music will even help alleviate
pain.
Check the great soul-winning churches in America and
you'll find that a certain kind of music and a certain kind of church always
go together. You cannot divorce the atmosphere of a church from its music.
In many churches, a good, faithful Gospel preacher stands to preach after
the audience has been tranquilized with a choir special. Nothing can wake
the people from their slumbering lethargy after the organist or a soloist
has sufficiently tranquilized them with dead music. Your church will become
sooner or later what the music dictates. Nothing is deadening our churches
any more than our musical programs. Our music departments in our colleges
oft times are being led by men that know nothing about soul winning, nothing
about evangelism and nothing about reaching the hearts of people. They are
appealing to the heads instead of the hearts. We sing the Gospel songs and
the songs of joy with a lilt, a delight and a thrill. Now I'm not talking
about the rock 'n' roll beat. I'm not for the jungle beat whether it's
across the street in the "Village Boutique" (a hippie hangout) or whether
it's over here in the First Baptist Church of Hammond.
I am also not advocating "long-haired" music in
church. I love the classics, but there'll never be a classic played on that
organ during a service as long as I am pastor of this church. The church
service is not the place for the classics. I'm saying that if our churches
want to get back the power of God and have changed lives, revival
atmosphere, mourners' benches, and folks getting born again, they'll have to
have the right kind of music. I'm talking about Billy Sunday, Homer
Rodeheaver, Dwight Moody, R. A. Torrey kind of music. I'm talking about "At
Calvary," "At the Cross," "Dwelling in Beulah Land," "How Firm a
Foundation," "What a Friend We Have in Jesus," "Wonderful Words of Life,"
"All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name" and 'Jesus is Coming Again." I'm talking
about the solid songs that have helped build the church and great revivals.
Now if music is so life changing and so atmosphere
determining, the communists are certainly not going to bypass it in their
efforts to take over America. The communists are master propagandists.
Something that affects a nation so much would certainly not be bypassed by
people who are as brilliant as our communist adversaries. In 1920 Lenin
spoke at the third all-Russian Congress of Young Communists Leagues, and
said: "If we are going to spread our doctrine, we're going to have to rework
the culture." In 1929, the Russians founded an Association of Proletarian
Musicians just for one purpose-to place communist influence on the music of
the world. That means, ladies and gentlemen, that for forty years there has
been a department in Russia-just like our Department of the Interior,
Department of Commerce, Department of Agriculture, etc.-dedicated to
spreading communist-type music around the world. The House Un-American
Activities Committee called Sidney Pinklestein the "cultural spokesman of
the communist conspiracy." Pinklestein said, "Break down the barriers in
America between classical and popular music." It is no surprise then that
that barrier is being broken down.
Television and radio programs by the dozens which have
traditionally been for good solid music now have on their programs such
guests as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. I can't sing, I don't know
much about music, but I know that is not music!
You say, "Foolishness, Preacher. How could the
communists take over the country with music?" Plato said in his "Republic,"
"The introduction of a new kind of music should be shunned as imperiling the
whole state." Many generations ago Plato begged the legislature to ban all
music of an effeminate and licentious character, for "It will destroy our
nation," he said. One hundred years before the Beatles ever came Henry David
Thoreau made this statement in his writing at Walden: "Music may be
intoxicating. It has helped cause the destruction of the Greek and Roman
Empires and it will sooner or later destroy America and England." These were
not excited reactionaries. These were men who knew what music could do to a
society. The ancient legislators felt that they could not form a state
without the help of a lyric and maybe even a dramatic poet.
Scientists have experimented with dogs and have found
that certain music played while dogs are eating causes them to lose their
appetites or to increase the action of their salivary glands which causes
the dogs to eat more.
just as music will stir the appetite for food, music
will also stir other appetites as well. There is a direct correlation
between music and beastly living-immorality, indecency, dope addiction, LSD,
filthy bodies, long hair, shaggy beards and dirty feet. You have a jungle
beat and you will have jungle people!
1. Rock music is being used by communists to bring
communism into America! Consider the Beatles' hit, "Back in the U.S.S.R."
Capitol Records says of this song, "It is the fastest selling record in
recording history." Many of your kids are listening to it, and you know
nothing about it. Here are the words:
Been away so long I hardly know the place, Gee, it's
good to be back home,
Leave it to tomorrow to unpack my case; Honey,
disconnect the phone,
I'm back in the U.S.S.R.
You don't know how lucky you are, boys, Back in the
U.S.
Back in the U.S. Back in the U.S.S.R.
Well, the Ukraine girls really knock me out They leave
the West behind,
Moscow girls make me sing and shout That 'Georgia's
always on my mind' I'm back in the U.S.S.R.
You don't know how lucky you are, boys, Back in the
U.S.S.R.
Show me around your snow-peaked mountains Away down
south
Take me to your daddy's farm
Let me hear your-(I would NOT pronounce this
word)-ring out,
Come and keep your comrad warm I'm back in the U.S.S.R.
Boy, you don't know how lucky you are, boys, Back in
the U.S.S.R.
That's the Beatles' latest hit and it is being sold in
record numbers to your boys and girls. Young people, if you buy it or listen
to it, you are not only unpatriotic, you are not right with God! A lot of
you parents have no idea what your children are hearing.
We spend seventy million dollars a year in America
fighting the communism and the atheism of Russia, and yet the outstanding
record as far as sales is concerned is not "Back Home Again in Indiana,"
"Back in Virginia Where I was Born," or "The Eyes of Texas," but it's "Back
in the U.S.S.R." The honest simple truth is that we are being choked to
death by our so-called freedom. Nobody has a right to be free enough- to
steal our freedom! We have the idea that we can have peaceful coexistence
with Soviet Russia. My brother, Russia is as dedicated as ever to destroying
"American freedom."
Paul Cantor of the "Jefferson Airplane" said on the
Les Crane Show, "The new rock music is intended to broaden the generation
gap, alienate parents from their children, and prepare young people for
revolution." There was a day when such filth was given in little papers that
were sold between the covers of magazines or underneath the counter, but now
they get on the television programs, look us square in the eye, and with the
Supreme Court's sanction say, "We are trying to alienate children from
parents and cause revolution in America." And we pay them to do it! How long
will we be so foolish!
Bob Dylan is called by communist People World
Publication as "America's greatest poet." LOOK magazine said that he is
"unchallenged as a teen and college-crowd absolute hipster." Here is one of
his recordings:
Come, mothers and fathers throughout the land, Don't
criticize what you can't understand.
Your sons and daughters are beyond your command,
Your old road is rapidly aging; Please get out of the
new one if you can't lend your hand
For the times are changing, The line is drawn,
the curse is cast,
The slow one now will later be fast As the present now
will later be past The order is rapidly fading
The first one now will later be last For the times are
a changing.
So much of the music in our nation is dedicated to
revolution. Phil Ochs is one of the heroes and darlings of the
revolutionaries. (By the way, these songs are played on radio stations in
Hammond and Chicago, and their records are selling by the millions.) Phil
has one called, "I Ain't Marchin' Anymore." That one is against the Vietnam
war. How do you like this one for a song, "The Draft Dodger Rag"? Our boys
and girls are listening to it! Phil Ochs said, "The Vietcong are right. We
should support Ho Chi Minh." He has created such popular lines as "White
boots marchin' in yellow land, We're fighting in a war we lost before the
war began, We're the white boots marchin' in a yellow land, and Cops,
soldiers of the world." Here are some of the words: "We rammed into your
harbor, tied to your port; our pistols are hungry, and our tempers are
short. So bring your daughters around to the port, for we're the cops of the
world." "The War's Over" has these words:
Serve your country in her suicide Find a flag so you
can wave good-bye But just before the end,
Treason might be worth a try.
The "Lovin' Spoonful," another singing group,
published an album recently entitled, "Revolution '69."
2. Rock music is definitely promoting the sale and use
of drugs in America. In the authentic biography of the Beatles we are told
that they started using drugs at the beginning of their career. This is no
secret. Every time you buy their records you are paying for dope and are
hooked up with a culture that is dedicated to the destruction of America and
the propagation of narcotics. The Beatles have a song entitled, "Lucy in the
Sky with Diamonds." Lucy-L-in the Sky-S-with Diamonds-D-and it's publicized
"LSD." They have code words in their songs the hippie crowd understands. As
they sing the songs, they are speaking about drugs.
Gordon McClendon, a Texan who owns thirteen radio
stations across the country, decided to take all the music off his radio
stations that had anything to do with drugs or the use of drugs. He was
attacked and blasted even by a leading magazine because of his action!
If I weren't a Christian I think my cultural taste
would be above such trash. If I didn't believe God, I still would find it
disgusting. Not only does this jungle beat go against my Christian
principles but it also opposes my culture, refinement and taste.
Many of the leading songs have been admittedly written
under the influence of drugs. Here is "White Rabbit" as sung by the
"Jefferson Airplane":
One pill makes you larger,
One pill makes you smaller,
The one that mother gives you don't do anything at
all;
Go ask Alice when she's ten feet tall
And if you go chasin' rabbits,
Then you know you're going to fall
Tell 'em a hook, a smokin' caterpiller
Has given you the call,
Feed your head! Feed your head!
Wouldn't Shakespeare have been proud of that? (By the
way, what ever happened to Shakespeare?) We're rearing a generation of
revolutionaries, and this music has much to do with it!
Now listen to the words of the Beatles' hit, "She's
Leavin'Home."
She's havin' fun,
Fun is the thing that money can't buy, Something
inside that's always denied for so many years,
Bye, bye, she's leavin'home. Bye, bye.
I wonder how many girls have heard that "song" played
by some disc jockey on a radio station and have left home to go into sin.
One mother called me the other day, and she was crying as she said, "Brother
Hyles, my daughter has been to your Sunday school. She has gone to your
church, and she's left home and gone over to the Village Boutique! She's
over there! What can I do about it? What can I do?" I wonder how many young
girls have listened to this kind of communist-inspired filth and have left
home, Mother and decency.
I wept as I read about a rock music festival on the
east coast. A half million young people attended. They said it was
characterized by narcotics and nudity, yet, the merchants of the town said,
"They're fine young people." Do you know why? Nowadays we define "fine young
people" as those who do not loot stores and burn buildings. "Fine young
people," but they gathered there and lived in a cesspool of iniquity,
vulgarity, lasciviousness, adultery, fornication, dope and everything that's
indecent and got by with it
CHEETAH is one of the big magazines aimed at
teenagers. It quotes a New York musician as saying, "If the establishment
knew what today's popular music is saying, not what the words are saying,
but what the music itself is saying, they wouldn't just turn their thumbs
down on it, they'd ban it; they'd smash all the records and arrest anyone
who would try to play it!" That was said by one of the leading New York City
musicians. Anybody that knows anything about music knows that the music
itself carries a message.
Frank Zappa, leader of a rock group called "Mothers of
Invention," said, "The loud sounds and the bright lights of today are
tremendous indoctrination tools. It is possible to modify the human chemical
structure with the right combination of frequencies. If the right kind of
beat makes you tap your foot, what kind of beat makes you curl your fist and
strike?" Zappa, whose group has recorded some "lollapaloozers" in the fields
of sex, drugs, and revolution, knows what he's talking about despite his
mangy beard, long hair and hippie costume; he has a master's degree in
music.
Fifty years ago Lenin stood before a Communist Youth
League and said, "We'll have to change the culture of a nation if it is to
go communistic." Nine years later (about forty years ago) a department was
formed by the communist government in Russia to infiltrate America with what
we have facing us now!
Such atheists as Madeline Murray O'Hare have taken
cases to the Supreme Court, which has taken the Bible and prayer from our
public schools; yet, under the guise of freedom, traitors are allowed to
speak on our college campuses. We have become a nation that allows someone
to flaunt God and shout in our faces, "I'm going to kill you," while we say,
"You're'free' to do it." They appear on our television stations speaking in
the name of peace, make light of the Bible, deny God, and talk about free
love while we say, "Freedom." I wish they'd put more television cameras on
places like Bob Jones University where girls have to wear their dresses down
to their knees and decency prevails, I'm an American citizen who thinks that
when a person uses an American flag to wash his car, he ought to be put in
the penitentiary! I'm an American who thinks if a man says he's going to
break our laws, burn our buildings, and destroy our society, we ought to put
him in prison before he does it. I'm an American who says when a man kills
seven nurses in cold-blooded murder, it shouldn't take a quarter of a
century to make him pay for his crime. I'm an American who still believes in
capital punishment because the Bible teaches it
It is time some preachers got angry at what Satan is
doing TODAY. We must get back to decency. Rock music is ruining our young
people and overwhelming our country with communism. What can we do about it?
Here is what we must do:
1. Teenagers, destroy every record, picture and
magazine you have that has anything to do with these revolutionary singing
groups. Don't give them away. Burn them! Break them! Destroy them!
2. Parents, don't allow such music to be played in
your home. I mean, do not even allow it on your television screen!
3. Do not allow Gospel words sung to a jungle beat.
4. Do not just take away the bad music, but put good
music in your home.
Recently I listened to good music as I went to sleep.
I'd wake up again, listen to music awhile, and go back to sleep. I found
myself wanting to sleep and wanting to wake up both because I wanted to hear
the music. Do you know what? I slept better. I was refreshed the next
morning. Good music will do something for you. Play good music on your
radio. Be sure that the music you play doesn't have the jungle beat that is
dedicated to the destruction of the morals of your children and the freedom
that your children enjoy.
Some of you will rebel against what I've preached, and
you'll walk out those doors criticizing me at the expense of your own
children! You'll let your little darlings have their own way, listen to
rock, and follow the suggestions of the words and music, but you wait! You
will regret it later. I know of families who have walked out after a sermon
like this criticizing the Preacher and the message in front of their
children. Now they wish they hadn't done it. "Preacher hash" for a midnight
snack doesn't hurt me one bit, but it really does hurt your children.
In Jesus' name, sing "psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Colossians 3:16)
while you are "speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. " (Ephesians
5:19)
V. SEX
Coming into our schools are books, slides, and
filmstrips on "How Babies Are Made." These are for little children. "How
Babies Are Made" shows chickens and dogs "in the act." It shows Mom and Dad
in bed!
It is climaxed with a few pictures of a nude mother
giving birth to a baby who was conceived several pages earlier. That is
being taught in our schools to little children!
A coloring book of animals "in the act" is also
available for the little ones, as is a teacher's guide, which explains how
babies are made. The purpose is to create an atmosphere of honesty and
freedom of discussion concerning matters of reproduction and proinote
understanding and correct usage of the names of body parts!
The organization that is leading the fight to place
sex education in our schools is called SIECUS. The editor of SEXOLOGY
magazine is on the Cooperating Board of SIECUS. Mary Calderone, who heads
SIECUS, is a cooperating member of the Board of SEXOLOGY magazine. I sent
someone to buy a copy of it. It contains all kinds of questionable articles.
One is, "Can a Woman and a Beast Enjoy Each Other?" Listen to this:
"SEXOLOGY magazine fills an urgent need in its awareness of people. Because
of this qualification it is being slightly revised with a different cover
and title for use in the high school."-from SEXOLOGY magazine.
SIECUS helped to promote and organize seminars and
special training courses for teachers in sex education. During 1967 at least
16 summer institutes for teachers were held across the country. In 1968 it
more than doubled. The ultimate purpose is "to meet youngsters with
frankness and honesty." They begin with dramatic visual aids, such as "the
Little Brother Doll," priced at $17.00, and a lovely set of slides called
"How Babies Are Made." This set of colored slides largely designed by Dr.
Mary S. Calderone, Executive Director of SIECUS, presents an animalistic
viewpoint of sex which is shocking and completely inappropriate for children
three to eight years of age. These slides are for ages three to eight! They
are cleverly and realistically executed in paper sculpture. They depict
animals and human beings in "the act." (I'm using words that are not as
blunt as the ones suggested by SIECUS.) While the children watch the slides,
the teacher reads the narrative which describes the action in adult,
medically accurate terms.
These promoters of NEWSEX programs quote such
obnoxious phrases as, "Children must discover their sexuality no later than
kindergarten," and "we must 'give them the whole story as quickly as
possible."
At the age of ten at the latest both boys and girls
should have mastered the factual aspects of reproduction, they suggest. In
many cities and schools traveling sexologists carry their wares in large
canvas bags from school to school. They display their materials to
sex-liberated students. Homosexuality, self-gratification, abortion,
pre-marital relationship, and films such as "The Game" which depicts "a
boy's feelings after -------- with a pure girl," are but a sampling of that
to which young students are exposed, "The Game" purports to warn 13 and
14-year-old girls of the game of love and its many traps. They are also
taught about sex deviation, illegitimacy and venereal diseases.
If your child were in Palo Alto, California, he may
very well have the opportunity of bathing a little boy. If she were in
kindergarten in Evanston, Illinois, she would be exposed to the full details
of the human birth process. Perhaps she would listen to the heartbeat of a
baby inside a visiting expectant mother. In the Chicago area (a few blocks
away), for example, parents of only 16 out of 3,200 students refused to
consent to this, and those sixteen were called by the SATURDAY EVENING POST
"fundamentalists from the Appalachian hills." Brother, I'd be proud to bear
that brand.
The ten-year-old students are given a detailed
description of the human sexual relationship. This is followed with the
step-by-step filmed growth of a baby inside the another, the woman in labor,
and the baby's birth. Would all of the children ten years old stand up,
please. That's it! That's the age child to whom they want to teach this
"stuff'! Thank you, kids, you may be seated.
You ask, "Brother Hyles, how about our kids?" I'm glad
you asked. Here's the question we asked this morning. "Have you ever been
taught in school that pre-marital sex is right?" In the high school
departments of our Sunday school this morning, 48% said, "Yes!" Now you know
that kids idolize their teachers. Think of it! Nearly half of our teens have
been taught in the classroom that pre-marital sex is all right! Now do you
wonder why some are turning out bad?
This afternoon as I read the results of our survey I
wept as I learned what our kids had experienced. I thought, if this is true
about our kids, I wonder in what kind of shape most teenagers are. I warn
ours constantly. If they are in this condition, how about the others? I'll
tell you about the others! Millions have swallowed this philosophy of loose
sex, loose love and free love. Our country is gone unless we have a moral
revolution!
What else is the devil shooting at your child?
VI. PROFANE LIVING
We asked, "Have you ever heard one of your school
teachers use vulgar language in the classroom?" Eighty-seven percent said,
"Yes." "Have you ever heard a school teacher take the name of the Lord in
vain in class?" Fifty percent said, "Yes." "Do you ever hear students
cursing aloud in class?" was answered "Yes" by 93%.
Now, get this. "Do any of your school friends drink?"
"Yes" was answered by 85%. "Have you ever taken a drink?" Of the 230 high
school students that filled out this form this morning in our high school
departments, 69 of them said, "Yes." That's over one third of our First
Baptist high schoolers! They're sitting here tonight! This has happened to
your children-the ones you "trust," the ones of whom you said, "It can't
happen to my child. If he's going to go out in the world someday, let him go
now." If 69 of our 230 high school kids have already taken a drink of beer,
whiskey, or wine, I wonder what it's like down at the liberal churches! Do
you wonder why our teens drank? I know! They were in the wrong crowd.
Eighty-five percent were in a crowd that did it and
33% went ahead and took it themselves!
What is another method the devil is using to get your
child?
VII. SENSITIVITY TRAINING
Now listen carefully! John Guernsey, education writer
of the Portland "Oregonian," recently witness a group of school
administrators having their first experience playing sensitivity games. This
is the ultimate in beastly living. Mr. Guernsey said, "About 50 of the top
Portland school district's wheels, both men and women, recently took part in
a sensitivity session conducted by University of Portland psychologists."
Not wishing to go all out, they removed only their shoes. In one exercise
the school administrators formed a circle and then took turns standing in
the center letting themselves fall backward. Someone. wasn't paying close
enough attention and one participant landed on the floor. The school
officials' sensitivity session also called for everyone to close his eyes,
wander about the room in bare feet with arms outstretched, and try to
identify others with his hands when he touched someone. You say, "Well,
that's in Oregon." It also happened at one of our local high schools! Yes,
teachers from this area met, men and women closed their eyes, blindfolded
themselves, took off their shoes, felt each other, and tried to identify who
they were by feeling each other That's heathenism! It's going on all over
this nation tonight.
Sensitivity training is sex education encouraging
students to express all points of view freely. They also use four-letter
words. They get together and say, "Okay, now express yourself." If anybody
wants to use a dirty four-letter word, he just screams it aloud They say
that is expressing yourself, removing all the guilt feeling, removing all
the inhibitions.
In 1946 Dr. Leland Bradford, an executive of the
National Education Association, and a number of social psychologists worked
with Kurt Lewin, a pioneer behavioral scientist, researching how science
could change man's behavior. They surveyed the work of numbers of
behaviorists and sought out new methods of reeducating human behavior and
social relationships. A technique was developed which they called
"sensitivity training." Dr. Bradford and his associates then decided to open
shop in a large rambling Victorian estate in Bethel, Maine.
Another view of man held by sensitivity theorists is
that an individual is actually many persons. He is continually faced with
deciding what he is.
Here is an example of sensitivity training. Some nude
marathons last 20 to 48 hours. Some have been staged in California under the
direction of psychotherapist Paul Bindrim. Bindrim maintains that man's
clothes are both a safe-guard for his privacy and a self-imposed constraint
to keep out people whom he fears. Listen! You don't realize this, but nudity
is coming to your child's school room. There is a high school in this area
that has already had a play with a nude actor.
Marathons are held in which no words are spoken; only
non-sense noises are made. Gestures are permitted as well as looks, stances
and caresses. Often the people slap each other freely. Finally they collapse
on the floor in a giant tangle of sublimely relaxed bodies. Sometimes people
immerge from these sensitivity encounters virtually shouting, "I'm changed!
I'm saved"
Do you get it? A group of people, about the size of
our choir, take off their shoes, blindfold themselves, walk around feeling
each other, scream dirty four letter words as they wish, identify someone by
feeling him and hollering his name, fall back in a trance into the arms of
another, and collapse in a big quagmire of human flesh on the floor feeling
their way around, feeling everybody's body while blindfolded. That is
so-called "scholarship." It's coming to America!
Dr. Carl Rogers says, "This differs from religious
conversion in that the person is saved of himself rather than from the
outside."
Now, get this. The sensitivity-oriented worship
service was demonstrated at the World Council of Churches' Assembly. At this
Assembly in August, 1968, at Uppsala, Sweden, Mr. McGaw of WBSI at LaJolla,
California, said, "We find ourselves a puttputt church in a go-go world." In
their "touch and tell" service, everyone held hands in a circle during
silent prayer to begin the service. Physical contact supposedly stimulates
prayer. (I say, it stimulates the need for it!) Each worshiper takes his
turn to stand in the center of the circle, close his eyes, fall backwards,
and be passed from one member of the group to another.
Recently in two congregations in the Baltimore area,
about 30 people had a sensitivity session. One of the preachers had a
predominately black congregation and the other was white. Part of the
session was non-verbal and they danced and hugged each other. Most
participants said they had a good time. I can imagine they did
Let's go further. Some of the liberal churches are
making every effort to have the sensitivity training as demonstrated by the
World Council of Churches' film, "Another Pilgrim." In the final scene of
this film the pastor stands nude before his congregation.1 Yes! Listen
carefully, because some of you are supporting this filth. Why was the pastor
nude? He wanted to demonstrate complete honesty to his flock. That's church!
That film, however, is but a feeble gesture compared
with the primitive nude orgy recently staged by the "Living Theater" at a
suburban Madison, Wisconsin, church. The UPI report points out the new
direction the church is taking. Orgiastic nudity and sensitivity training
have moved up to the godless temple which now frantically seeks something or
someone to worship. The newspaper account tells us that "seven members of
the audience stripped naked. There was swearing, spitting, arguing, and a
flesh pile. The general scene made Dante's INFERNO look like a temperance
union meeting." The pastor said he allowed the performance "simply on terms
of civil liberties."
You can see what you get in the guise of "freedom."
The mixed cast in loin-cloths and halters was upstaged at one point when
five men and two women, members of the audience, disrobed That happened on
the platform of a church! A naked man and woman leaped over a wall in the
back of the church into the arms of the audience. "I love them," a girl said
when she was asked why she was naked. A couple from the audience and two
cast members spit at each other. (If I had been there, I would have spit at
the whole bunch!) There were no arrests!
If one of the fellows on this platform walked down the
street in his underwear, he would be put in jail. These folks were naked in
church, yet under the guise of worship there were no arrests.
The effect of college seminars on sex and sensitivity
training has been nationwide in scope. A survey reveals that in Washington,
for example, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction last year
recommended in-service sensitivity training for all teachers That includes
your child's teacher. You say, "Brother Hyles, you shouldn't mention all
this in public." I would not have to if you would look into it.
As we survey the American school system we find that
even in Hawaii a sensitivity training program has been in effect for
administrators and faculty members, according to the Honolulu Star Bulletin,
December 20, 1968. Teachers in a Chicago suburban high school (that is near
us!) have volunteered to undergo sensitivity training during after-school
hours. The superintendent hopes the sessions for teachers will open an
expanding program which will eventually qualify teachers to offer
sensitivity training to students. It's on the way, folks!
Now hear of the experience of the teenagers in
Evanston, Illinois, involved in a sensitivity session. According to the
Chicago Tribune, Wednesday, January 22, 1969, several high school seniors
took part. They met in students' homes where Thomas Klein, a 27year-old high
school teacher, had them crawl around on the floor wrapped in blankets and
identify each other by touch. One girl had hysteria and later engaged in a
shouting match with her mother. One boy reportedly found himself wandering
along Dodge Avenue in Evanston several blocks from his home at three o'clock
in the morning. He had no recollection of getting out of bed and leaving
home.
Of course, nudity is the main thing. Recently a
traveling drama company performed a play at a Michigan University in which
the actors stripped naked for fifteen minutes after the play got under way
For twenty minutes they were nude at the end of the play. The advance
billing enticingly proclaimed that the actors would kiss and fondle each
other from head to toe. That's culture!
Listen! If every deacon in this church walks out on
me, and if every member of this church gets mad and quits, or if this church
rises up tonight and says, "Don't you preach what you're preaching or we'll
fire you," you can have your church; I'll be on my way! I am going to fight
this dastardly attempt by the devil and his crowd to wreck our children and
destroy our boys and girls! Brother, don't you think that this is a
one-time-only sermon. You'll be getting this right along!
WHAT YOU CAN DO
1. Get in a good church. You say, "I'll pray about
it." You don't have to pray about that. Get in a good church now! You say,
"I'll do what the Lord leads." The Lord is leading you out of that liberal
church now You say, "Where is a good one?" See me after the service and I'll
recommend one to you.
Now students, you hear me God pity your lack of
courage when you do not refuse to read these dirty books. If you have to be
a Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach or Abednego, stand for right! Do not participate
in the high school dances which, by the way, are just the early stages of
sensitivity training. Do not take a drink of liquor Do not take narcotics,
and get out of the crowd that does! Get in a good church.
2. Get your child in all the activities of the church,
When the doors are open, get him here. Get Junior in the choir. You say,
"He's thirteen and his voice is changing." Okay, let him stand with the
choir and croak. You say, "He can't sing." Let him hum. If he can't hum,
just let him move his mouth, and pray nothing will come out. "But," you say,
"Brother Hyles, junior won't go." Oh, brother! What kind of parent are you?
I dare my boy not to go. He is seventeen years old now, but he obeys his
dad.
Get your child involved in the activities of our
church! Every time I stand up and read announcements about activities, you
go home and tell junior, "You're going!"
You say, "But Preacher, what if they balk?" Tell them,
"You're going balking."
You ask, "How can you assure that?"
When they are five and six years old and there's an
Easter egg hunt at the church, make them go. See that they do not miss
anything while they're young so they will build their lives around the
church!
It is the same old story, ladies and gentlemen. Kids
go wrong because of two words-WRONG CROWD! It is the same story, BUT the
wrong crowd is more wrong than it used to be! It used to be that if a kid
didn't behave in school, or if he just got a bad grade in conduct, Mother
said, "You can't play with him after school anymore." He was part of the
wrong crowd! Nowadays if a kid smokes marijuana and takes LSD, we just say,
"Well, it's a free country."
GET THEM IN THE ACTIVITIES! KEEP THEM OUT OF THE WRONG
CROWD!
3. Get your child into a Christian school. I mean it.
Get your kids in a Christian school. We have here on this platform a man who
has to take second place to no principal when it comes to scholarship and
education. We have a faculty at our school that does not have to bow to
anybody's faculty. Ladies and gentlemen, your children don't have to go to
the devil anymore. We are opening a college in September of 1972. This means
that a child can start attending our schools when he is four years of age
and stay there for 16 years. He doesn't have to go to the devil.
You say, "Brother Hyles, I can't afford it!" Then
afford it anyway.
"I just have too many bills."
Sell your car.
"I can't do it this year." Don't say, "can't."
If your child were burning in a house tonight and you
were told there's only one chance for the child to live, you would not know
41 can't." Honestly, it would be better for some of your kids in the nursery
to burn than for you to say that you can't send them to a Christian school.
Somebody says, "Well, I grew up in this church and I
didn't go to a Christian school." Yes, you're one of the reasons we feel
bad. That kind of arrogant spirit is the very thing I'm talking about. Send
your kids to a Christian school!
"Brother Hyles, we cannot afford it!"
Eat beans for breakfast, mashed potatoes for lunch,
and fried potato peeling for supper. Eat potato soup the next day. Do like
we used to do. Go down to the store and ask for a bone for the dog. After
you eat the bone then eat the dog, but get your kid in a Christian school!
You say, "I don't make enough money." Get your kid in
a Christian school!
You say, "I can't afford it."
Get your kid in a Christian school!
You say, "Brother Hyles, I just don't see my way
through."
Get your kid in a Christian school! You say, "What if
I ... ?"
You can do it! "But I can't...
Yes, you can! Get your kid in a Christian school.
4. Give. It will take a lot of money for us to do all
we are going to do. Give! Some of you ought to give $1,000 or $10,000.
Listen, the best money you ever spent is money invested in this kind of
future for our children.
Every person ought to tithe. I'm calling on every
member of this church to give 10% of his income from now on. Every child,
every man, every woman, every boy, every girl, every couple, everybody
should tithe. We can't rise up and build and do what God wants us to unless
we give.
It is time we called a national emergency on the
devil. We've got to do it. Let's save our children! Of course, many of you
have closed minds. You don't want to be confused with the facts; your mind
is made up. You're too scholarly. Your mind is closed. Listen! If you could
have interviewed the kids in our school before they went as I did, and if
you could know them now, you'd be a believer! Be honest with me, teenagers.
How many of you kids in Hammond Baptist High School were just pretty
backslidden a year ago? Maybe you didn't want to go to the school or maybe
you were on the verge of not being what you ought to be. You were somewhat
of a little troublemaker or something. How many of you kids would be honest
about it and say a year ago that was your situation and now you're sold on
the school? How many of you would admit that God has blessed you and changed
you? Would you be honest about it? It will take a lot of courage but you
will help a lot of people. Would you lift your hands, please? Look at them.
Yes, thank you! A girl came to my office and sneered as she said, "I don't
want to go to that old religious school." The mother simply said, "You're
going!" She went! A few days ago she came to my office
and with culture and refinement, sitting properly and
gracefully with a skirt long enough, said, "Brother Hyles, I thank God for
Hammond Baptist High School. I just wish I weren't a senior. I don't want to
leave."
Now if you knew what I know, you would heed what I'm
preaching tonight. I don't have a thing to gain. I want to help your kids.
Really! The truth is, we don't need too many more students. We have scores
already, but we'll make a place for them. If you want your child to get a
Christian education, I assure you we will see to it that he does. Of course,
if he does not keep the rules, he may get kicked out, but we'll see he gets
a chance. Let's save our children from sensitivity training, sex, indecent
morals, dirty books, narcotics, rock music and revolution
I'll close with this:
Have you ever heard one of your school teachers use
vulgar language in class? "Yes" was answered by
87% of our high schoolers.
Have you ever heard a school teacher take the name of
the Lord in vain in class? Fifty percent said, 'Yes."
Do you ever hear students cursing aloud in class?
"Yes," said 93%.
Have you ever been approached by someone who wanted to
sell or give you marijuana or any other narcotic? "Yes," said 54 of our
kids.
Have any of your school friends used narcotics? "Yes,"
replied 50%.
Have you ever used drugs? "Yes," admitted 27 of our
teens.
Have you ever given away or sold drugs yourself?
"Yes," said tent
Do you know of any teacher who uses drugs? "Yes," said
20%.
Have you ever been taught evolution? Nearly all said,
"Yes."
Do any of your teachers wear mini-skirts? Nearly all
said, "Yes."
Do any of your teachers wear pant-dresses? Many, many
said, "Yes."
Do any of your school friends drink? "Yes," answered
85% of our own kids.
Have you ever taken a drink of any alcoholic beverage
such as beer, wine, etc.? "Yes," admitted 69 high schoolers!
Has there ever been in your school any disturbances
such as revolts, riots, student disorders, boycotts, etc.? "Yes," replied 71
%.
Have you ever heard the American way of life, the
establishment, and capitalism criticized by a teacher? "Yes," said 63%.
Have you ever worn slacks to school? Dozens said,
"Yes."
Have you ever worn shorts to school? Dozens said,
"Yes."
Have you ever been taught that pre-marital sex is all
right? Almost one-half said, "Yes."
Have you been asked to read such books as OF MICE AND
MEN, SOUL ON ICE, THE GRAPES OF WRATH, CATCHER IN THE RYE or any other book
that includes cursing? "Yes," said 78.
Have you read any of these books? "Yes," said 51 of
our young people!
They are your kids! I tried! I have tried for years
and I'll keep trying. I'm not against anything except wrong, but I am
against wrong wherever it is. I know what I'm called. I hear gangs of boys
come by the church when I'm getting in the car. I hear what they say about
me. I know what they say on the radio, the newscasts, the call-in programs.
I hear about that. I'm a fanatic. I'm a bigot. (Do you know what the word
"bigot" is? Bigot is a word for decency used by bigots. Bigot is a word
bigots use to call decent people.) Yes, I know! I was walking in a shopping
center the other day. Three boys spit at me. I know! I get the phone calls.
I get the letters. I'm a fool, but I'm glad to be one if I can save your
kids! We've dedicated ourselves to try to do it! Won't you let us?
Chapter 29
SEX EDUCATION PROGRAM IN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS; WHAT
IS BEHIND IT?
In the first seventeen verses of Romans, chapter 1, we
have the discussion of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Starting at verse 21, we
have the deterioration of the culture of a nation, or the society. Now
anyone who knows anything about history knows this: the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, whatever else it brings, elevates society. It elevates womanhood. It
elevates men in general. There has always been a positive influence upon a
society that has accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Now there is a deterioration of society, and you see
it here in Romans, chapter 1. Here is a cultured society. And here is the
step down. Look at verse 21:
"Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him
not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations,
and their foolish heart was darkened. "
What is the first step downward? People who know God,
who are not thankful to God, and do not give God the proper place in their
lives.
Now verse 22:
'Professing themselves to be wise, they became
That is the second step. When you quit giving God the
rightful place in your life, then you profess yourself to be wise, and you
exalt your own self-your own mind, your own thinking, your own reasoning,
your own logic-above the Word of God, and the Bible says you become fools.
And now step number three, in verse 23:
"And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into
an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four footed beasts,
and creeping things.
That is modernism. Man first does not glorify God as
he should. Then he becomes wise in his own mind and thinks he knows more
than the Word of God. Then he becomes a liberal. He says the Bible is not
true. He says, "I have my own ideas about God. Everybody has a right to
interpret God for himself. And this is what I believe about God." He becomes
a liberal.
Now the fourth step is verses 24 and 25:
"Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness
through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between
themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and
served the creature more than the Creator. .. - "
That next step in deterioration is humanism. Now you
start off not giving God the rightful place in your life. Then you become
wise in your own conceit. Then you decide you will be religious but you will
not believe in the God of the Bible. And then you become a humanist. Your
philosophy of life is based on humanism.
And by the way, that is basically the difference
between communism and democracy. Humanism is the great central word and
theme of communism.
Number five-verse 26:
"For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections:
for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against
nature. "
That is homosexual perversion. Notice verse 27: 'And
likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their
lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly and
receiving in themselves the recompence of their error which was meet. "
This Deterioration Now Going on in America Notice the
progression now in America: first, a Christian nation, a cultured, refined
nation, decided not to give God His rightful place. Men took the Bible out
of the public school system. They took prayer out of the schoolroom. Now
that they have done that, they can say, "We (or "I") know more than God."
The Word of God," then, ceases to be the criteria for truth, and then you
deteriorate into your own concept of God. "Everybody's searching for the
truth!"- how many times have you heard that in school? "Everybody's
searching for the truth. Nobody has a corner on the truth." My Bible says
that Jesus said, "I am the truth."
A person who knows Jesus Christ not only knows the
truth but He knows the One who is the Truth.
So we become wise. Then we become liberal. Then after
that, we change the truth of God into a lie and humanism comes. And when
humanism comes, we worship the creature more than the Creator. Then comes
paganism. Hey, that is where we started! Paganism, conversion, culture, not
giving God everything, human wisdom, liberalism, humanism, paganism. That is
your cycle.
We send missionaries to a country, like people came to
America, with the Gospel. From that Gospel comes culture and refinement and
decency and character and integrity and honesty and morality. Then what
happens? There comes that culture. Then we get pretty smart. We do not honor
God. We do not give God His rightful place. Oh, we believe the Bible but we
do not honor God. We don't say much about it. We don't get excited about it.
We don't go to church on Sunday night. We don't give God His tithe. We don't
stand up for Christ. We are not the right kind of Christian people.
Then what happens? We become wise. You see that vacuum
that is left when we leave God? Here wisdom comes in and fills that vacuum.
We become enamored with ourselves. We become impressed with our education,
our culture, our refinement; then we think we know more than God. When we do
that, we have knocked the Bible out from under us; we have knocked the
foundation out from under the house, and then we have liberalism.
Liberalism is nothing more than humanizing God and
that in its end is humanism. So we have humanism.
Then after we have humanism, we worship the creature;
then the creatures get together in perversion and homosexuality and we have
nothing but heathen paganism. Why? Because we are back where we started.
Because we have left the things that made our culture, you see.
The thing that made America refined and cultured and
decent and honorable was the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And if we leave that,
it doesn't matter how many degrees we have, how many colleges, how many
universities. Listen! If you leave the salt out, you can't have salt, you
can't savor. So we have left out that which has savored, and now we find
ourselves a heathen nation.
Look! We are just as lawless today as they were in
Wyatt Earp's day. Isn't that true? Listen, twenty years ago when we heard of
what was going on in South America and Europe, with the demonstrations and
riots and folk being shot in the streets and a person's life endangered when
he got outside his own house, we thought of pagan, heathen countries doing
that. And we were right. Nations are pagan and heathen when they do that.
Now the honest truth is, we face tonight a moral breakdown and
deterioration, and we face paganism and anarchy. Why? Because we have
followed the time-tested pattern of deterioration.
Steinbeek's Book Required Reading in Some Schools It
is surprising how few parents know what is going on in the public school
system. Apathy is killing America, especially apathy on the part of God's
people.
I have in my hand tonight a book, John Steinbeck's Of
Mice and Men. This book is a best-seller. John Steinback was the winner of
the Nobel Prize. This book was at one time required reading at a school in
this area. Now at the school where some of my children go, they made it
required reading but backed out because there was so much complaint about
it, of which complainants I was one! I will not read this language; I will
let you guess what the words are. I want to read to you some statements from
this book, required reading not in a college but for freshmen in high
school. Will all you high school freshmen stand up, please? Now, this book
was required reading in a high school-at least one, maybe more-for boys and
girls this age. Thank you.
Here we go. On page 33 1 read:
"Don't let him pull you in-but-if the ------- (son of
a female dog) socks you-let 'im have it.
Page 35:
"Listen to me, you crazy b ------ (an illegitimate
child)," he said fiercely. "Don't you even take a look at that b------ (a
female dog.)"
Now one reason I am preaching on this is that a lot of
you parents are so lazy that you don't check on it. Tonight I am going to
cram it down your throats. You are going to know what your children are
reading. Page 39:
Carlson said thoughtfully, "Well, looka here, Slim. I
been thinkin' That dog of Candy's is so g ------ d----- old he can't hardly
walk. Stinks like h ------- too. "
Page 48:
Candy went on, 'Either you guys got a slug of whiskey?
I gotta gut ache. "
That kind of stuff is not vulgar but it sure goes
against my refinement. There is a word for gut which decent people use-it is
called stomach. And you people who think you are educated and refined,
listen, when you use that, you are nothing but a heathen with a degree. Not
only do you not know how to use decent language; you are not even cultured.
Now that book is required in some high schools.
Page 48 again:
Gotta bad gut ache," said Candy. "Them g ------ d
------ turnips give it to me. -
Not only is it vulgar talk, but that is not even good
English.
Don't get mad yet. We haven't begun. I see a lot of
folks frowning already. You may have a stroke before we are through.
Page 59:
Whit stood up. "I guess maybe Id like to see this, he
said. "Curley's just spoilin' or he wouldn't start for Slim. An' Curleys
handy, g - - - - - -d - - - - - handy. "
Page 61:
George sighed. "You give me a good w ------ house
(place where prostitutes do their business) every time," he said. "A guy can
go in an'get drunk and get ever'thing outa his system all at once. "
You didn't know your kids were having to read that,
did you?
Page 83:
Candy rubbed his cheek angrily. "You g- - d- - right
we're gonna do it. . . . -
"Yeah?" said Crooks. "An'where's George now? In town
in a w ------ house.
Page 95:
"This here g ------ d ------ little son-of-a ------
(female dog) wasn't nothing to George.
Page 107:
"That big son-of-a- - - - - (female dog) done it."
"I'll kill the big son-of-a ----- (illegitimate child)
myself. I'll shoot 'im in the guts."
Now you hear me, and you hear me well. If you would
cram this filthy, rotten, stinking trash down the innocent minds of these
little boys and girls who stood up awhile ago, you ought to be in the
penitentiary. You ought to be in jail. And, by the way, there was a day in
this country when you would have been!
Now this book is required reading. My boy was supposed
to read this book, but there were so many complaints about it-mostly by our
people-that they took this book out and put another one in. It had a lot of
these vulgar words and they still D-A-M-N the name of God all the way
through it. And when I told the committee, "My boy is not going to read it,"
the committee said, "Now let's talk about it."
I said, "Talk about it all you want to, but my boy is
not going to read it."
"Well," they said, "we will reach an agreement."
I said, "Yes, and I can tell you now what the
agreement is going to be: my boy is not going to read the book."
They said, "Well, you find worse things than that on
the rest room walls."
I said, "Yes, and when you make the rest room walls
required reading, I will come back up here." The simple truth is, there is
too much good literature that has been taught through the years in America
to let such trash as this be crammed down the minds of our tender freshmen
boys and girls.
The book, Caine Mutiny, is not as bad as this one I
have quoted but it condemns the name of God all the way through. I heard a
teacher say that she thought Caine Mutiny ought to be read, that there was
nothing wrong with freshmen children reading Caine Mutiny. You think this is
bad; you ought to read Baldwin's book that some of our kids are having to
read. It contains the most vulgar four-letter words you ever saw written on
a sidewalk. But they said to me, "Now Rev. Hyles, Caine Mutiny is the
language of a sailor. That is the way sailors talk." I know a lot of sailors
who do not have to use dirty words to talk
Now you had better check and see what your children
are being required to read. There has been a deterioration in our school
system in the last five years that you would not believe. And in the next
five years when these demonstrators and long-haired beatniks get out of
college and are teaching our children, it will double the deterioration we
have seen in the last five years. And that is only the beginning.
One of our students in our church overheard two
teachers talking recently in school. One said, "If we are going to get
something real vulgar in next year, we had better get something a little
less vulgar in this year. And if we can get a certain book in this year,
next year we will wriggle in the real vulgar ones." And that is only the
beginning.
THE IMMORAL PEOPLE WHO BACK SEX TEACHING IN SCHOOLS
On May 14, 1964, an organization was started in the
State of New York called the Sex Information and Education Council of the
United States, called SIECUS. It reached its full bloom on July 1, 1965. It
broke in at 1855 Broadway in New York City. It is this organization that is
influencing school systems all across America in sex education. Anybody
knows that. It is either directly or indirectly responsible for the battle
that is going on in almost every city of any size all across this great
country concerning sex education in our school system. We call it SIECUS.
Now its mother was a magazine called SEXOLOGY, which I will show in a few
minutes. SIECUS, this sex education institute, was fostered by the editor
and contributors and co-editors of a magazine called SEXOLOGY. SEXOLOGY is
one of these magazines that was sold only behind the counter, a paperback
that was considered pornography years ago. Now it has come to be 'a popular
magazine because we live in an age when PLAYBOY, etc. can be popular. The
people who founded, fostered and promoted the SEXOLOGY magazine are the
people who are behind SIECUS. Those people are the ones who are behind the
sex education program in our public school system.
I have tonight a copy of SEXOLOGY. Boy, you think I
didn't have a hard time getting this copy! SEXOLOGY magazine is the
forerunner of SIECUS, and I will prove it to you in a minute. I want to
introduce to you tonight the people behind the sex education program.
Editor Rubin Proved Communist, Editor SEXOLOGY First,
I introduce to you Editor Isadore Rubin. Mr. Rubin is editor of the SEXOLOGY
magazine. He is the treasurer of SIECUS. Yes, the editor of this magazine
SEXOLOGY is the treasurer of the organization that is behind the sex
education program in Highland schools, in Munster schools, in Hammond
schools, in Chicago schools, in Anaheim schools, in San Diego schools, and
in school systems across this great nation.
The editor of this pornographic literature is the
treasurer of SIECUS! Mrs. Mildred Blauvelt was a detective for a number of
years on the New York police force. On May 3, 1955, before the House
Un-American Activities Committee, she identified under sworn statement that
he, Isadore Rubin, editor of SEXOLOGY and treasurer of SIECUS, was a
communist and she named the communist organizations to which he had
belonged. In March, 1945, he was in service, the editor of this magazine and
the treasurer of SIECUS, and he sent a ten-dollar donation to the communist
party fund drive. When discharged from the army, he attended meetings of the
Flatbush Club of the communist party.
He was called before the House Un-American Activities
Committee and asked to refute his communistic affiliation but he refused to
do so. He had a chance before the committee to say, "I am not a communist."
He refused to disassociate himself with communism. He was for awhile the
editor of the New York Teacher News, the magazine of the newspaper, the
official organ of the New York Teachers Union. The New York Teachers Union
was expelled from AFLCIO because of its communistic affiliation, and this
man was the editor. And he is the treasurer of SIECUS! Isadore Rubin, one of
the men who is trying to teach your boys and girls about sex, edits this
pornographic magazine!
Associate Editor Kirkendall of SEXOLOGY Meet Lester A.
Kirkendall, professor of Family Life at Oregon State University, and the
author of many lewd articles. And he is a noted pornographic writer. He is
an editor of SEXOLOGY. I read in this paper:
Lester A. Kirkendall, Ph.D., Editor, Parent Guidance
of SEXOLOGY magazine. He has articles in SEXOLOGY. Now let me read you some
of the "nice" articles in this magazine. Here are a few of the titles;
"Alcohol Can Solve Sex Problems." "My Wife Knows I Am
a Homosexual "Group Sex Orgies"
"Can Humans Breed With Animals?"
These are some of the articles from the SEXOLOGY
magazine. I read some from the June issue of 1969:
"The Girl Who Couldn't Say No" "Sex Life of a Dwarf"
"Hypnosis, a Sex Aid"
"The Prostitute and Her Customer"
Mr. Ruben, who advocates the sex education program,
the communist, the brother of communists, and the editor of this filth, is
the one you are promoting. And then Mr. Kirkendall is a faithful contributor
and editor of SEXOLOGY magazine.
Mr. Kirkendall has suggested a revision of SEXOLOGY
"for use in the public school system." He is the past director of the
American Humanist Association, which is an organization given to fighting
religion. So far you are walking in good company, aren't you?
Co-Founder of Sex Education Program William Genne
Meet "Rev." William Genn6. Rev. Genn& is one of the
co-founders of SIECUS. In 1966 he affiliated himself with an organization
that was shady. A report in May 22, 1968, from the files of the House
Un-American Activities Committee, spoke of his belonging to a
communist-front organization. He has belonged to the Community of Peaceful
Alternatives, to the Atlantic Pact, the World's Peace Appeal, and other
organizations, avowed communist front organizations. Meet "Rev." Genn6 also
of SIECUS.
Pornography Writer Dr. Pomeroy
Meet Dr. Wardell Pomeroy, also connected with SIECUS.
He is a psychotherapist and marriage counselor in New York City. He is the
co-author with Kinsey on "Sexual Behavior of the Human Male." In the June,
1968, issue of SEXOLOGY he describes "Most Unusual Sex Case" with this
subtitle: "Introduced to Sex by His Grandmother and to Homosexuality by His
Father, This Man Literally Tried Everything." Isn't that a wonderful
article? Aren't you proud that you are for a sex education program that is
promoted and fostered by men who write such articles as thisl Mr, Pomeroy is
on the Board of Consultants of SEXOLOGY.
President and Executive Director of SIECUS Meet Lester
Doniger. Lester Doniger is the current president of SIECUS. He gives two
birthplaces: one in Poland and one in Australia. How convenient! His wife
has sold tickets to communist meetings in her state. He now is president of
SIECUS. He himself has had a shady past and much contact with
communist-front organizations.
Meet Mary Calderone, the biggest serpent of them all.
Mary Calderone, the executive director of SIECUS, advocates the teaching of
sex in the kindergarten. Concerning homosexuality she said, "I cannot
condemn it." She directs SIECUS! She is the one who heads the program,
trying to put sex education in our public school system. She said, "It will
be some time before homosexuality receives general acceptance in America." I
quote again Mary Calderone: "By the age of ten, a child should master the
factual aspects of reproduction."
In the SATURDAY EVENING POST her motto was quoted as
being, "TELL THEM EVERYTHING!" Listen, I cannot tell you all this wicked
woman advocates. I cannot tell you the words she wants kindergarten pupils
to know. I cannot tell you completely how she wants the term of sex organs
to be known, called off by kindergarten pupils. She is the executive
director of SIECUS, and we have not yet begun!
Another Director Specializes in Nude Photos of Sex Sin
Meet William Masters, also a SIECUS director. He,
William Masters, employs unmarried people to perform sexual acts before
cameras so films can be made of sexual acts for presentation to others. Can
you feature it! Look! Why, a liberal preacher, an atheist, an agnostic,
ought to be against this trash! Why should a fundamentalist preacher have to
stand almost alone? Every preacher in this area who believes in God ought to
be against people who try to fight religion and the existence of a God.
Taking our unmarried people and having them perform sex acts before cameras!
He is also a SIECUS director! Aren't you proud of yourself Go home and look
in the mirror and say, "Boy, you are walking in good company." Also these
demented perverts and communist people who edit and found and direct a
magazine that was so indecent a few years ago you had to buy it between the
covers of other magazines. Now these people are affecting and changing the
lives of millions of boys and girls in our nation.
William Masters has been quoted in that satanic
inspired PLAYBOY magazine time and time again.
David Mace and Ashley Montagu
Meet David Mace. David Mace is the immediate past
president of SIECUS. He fights morality and calls this Bible "the folklore
of ancient Hebrews." Now look. This kind of communistic humanism always is
anti-God and anti-Bible-always is!
Meet Ashley Montagu, who is on the SIECUS Board of
Consultants. Ashley Montagu also is a part of the SEXOLOGY magazine's team.
He said he approves "the demasculinization of the human male" and advocates
what I have preached against from this pulpit again and again and again.
This one-world crowd, this one-church crowd, this one-race crowd comes
eventually to one-sex crowd. And now they want one sex! The feminization of
the American male! Look around at some of these fellows, or whatever they
are, and you will see it-wearing their hair like girls, wearing jewelry like
girls. There is a definite correlation between feminine dress, feminine hair
styles and homosexuality. Hold it. I didn't say that every hippie is a
homosexual. But I say when a nation gets to the place when you can't tell
the men from the women, there is a reason for it.
He says-Mr. Montagu-that the feminization of American
males is a step in the right direction.
I have read to you and am reading to you a list of men
whose pictures ought to be in post offices across America with the word
WANTED underneath them.
They are doing more to curse America than' the biggest
convict in this nation. Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker couldn't reach the
hem of their garments when it comes to destroying our nation like these are
doing.
"How to Publish Dirty Books for Fun and Profit" Meet
Barney Rossit. SIECUS lists Barney Rossit as a source of information. He has
been repeatedly in court because of his pornography. In the SATURDAY EVENING
POST for January 25 he was the subject of an article, "How to Publish Dirty
Books for Fun and Profit," and he is affiliated with SIECUS, the
organization that is putting sex education in our public schools! He is
known for glorifying communism.
Now here is the one that will curl your hair. Meet
Albert Ellis. Albert Ellis is recommended by SIECUS. He is an oft-married
fellow. He said about religion, "The religious person sells his soul so that
he may feel comfortable with this heavenly helper he has invented." Another
one of your team members! Quote again, "Religion is a needless inhibition."
Would Debase His Sister, He Says
Meet Albert Ellis. Albert Ellis advocates free sex and
homosexuality. He made this statement. I hate to read it, but I am going to,
leaving out just one word: "If I were stuck on a desert island with my
sister, I would almost surely ------- and let the chips fall where they
may." Yes, meet Albert Ellis. He says, "Religion is a form of mental
sickness."
I hold in my hand a copy of the HAMMOND TIMES, Section
B, Sunday, May 25,1969. "Symposium Schedule, Hammond. Six top men in the
field of psychology are scheduled to take part in the second Symposium of
human growth and development in October. The second Symposium is being
sponsored by the psychology department of Hammond schools. Emotional
Education is the subject of Dr. Albert Ellis. ... Five of the six sessions
will be held in Morton High School Auditorium." This is not in California;
it is in Hammond. Dr. Albert Ellis is speaking at Morton School. He said,
"If I were stuck on a desert island with my sister, I would almost surely
------- and let the chips fall where they may." "Religion is a form of
mental sickness." "Homosexuality is all right." "The religious person sells
his soul so that he may feel comfortable with this heavenly helper he has
invented." "Religion is a needless inhibition."
Listen! If it is illegal to read this blessed Book,
the Bible, in the public schools, it ought to be as equally illegal to have
an atheist and a sex pervert like this to feed the minds of our boys and
girls rotten filth. I say that if it is wrong in the public schools to say
the Bible is true, then it is wrong to say it is false. Either have both
sides to present or leave it alone. You say, "I don't like the way you are
preaching." But you don't mind the Rap Browns and the Stokely Carmichaels
getting up and shouting, do you? It is time some decent people started
speaking up.
Well, Dr. Albert Ellis is coming to our city.
Meet Dr. Joseph Fletcher, recommended by SIECUS, who
said, "For me, there are no rules at all." He was cited by the House
Un-American Activities Committee as the sponsor and supporter of the
communistic party. Herbert Philbrick was a secret agent of the F.B.I. who
ran with communists for years. He says he worked with Joseph Fletcher
actively in the communist party. Fletcher is one of the SIECUS team.
I could go on and on and on. I could call off thirty
or forty-five names of other men who have this same affiliation and the same
perverted, indecent, vulgar minds as these men. Now whether you believe it
or not, or like it or not, when you have a meeting with your school board
concerning sex education, though many of them do not even know it, this is
the thing that they are promoting, and these are the men whose literature
your children will be reading.
How the Sex Education Program Works
What is their program? If you lived in Palo Alto,
California, your child in kindergarten would very likely come home and say,
"Mama, guess what happened today at school?" "What happened?" "The teacher
borrowed a little boy baby and a girl baby and bathed them in front of our
class today to show the difference." That is a part of their program.
If you lived in San Diego, California, your child
would receive seventeen lessons on sex in the schools. Slides would be shown
to the sixth grade, roving teachers would go from school to school giving
five days of lectures. Get this. Your child would see a Walt Disney animated
cartoon entitled "The Story of Menstruation."
If you lived in Anaheim, California, your child would
go to a school system superintended by Mr. Paul Cook. Mr. Cook said, "Not
long ago they would have hanged me from the nearest telephone pole for what
I am doing now." He said, "God-centered religion is pass6." And yet
ninety-two per cent of the parents in Anaheim, California, voted to stand
solidly behind what he is doing-the SIECUS program.
A news reporter named John Steinbacker asked a Marine
one day on the streets of Anaheim why the Marines all came to Anaheim on a
weekend. Now Anaheim is the show place of SIECUS. Anaheim, California, is
the place where SIECUS has done more dirt than any other place, I think. The
Marine's answer to that question was, "Man, everybody knows that high school
girls are available here!" I wonder why?
Kirkendall, whose name I mentioned awhile ago, said,
"Just sneak it in." What? Sex education. "Go to the PTA. That is where the
power lies." And, by the way, let me say a word about them. There is a
magazine called the PTA magazine that is going to answer to God for a lot of
the rot in America. "Go to the PTA. There is where the power lies." Now get
this. This is an "aboveboard" way to do it. "Don't say you are going to
start a sex education course. Say that you are going to enrich and expand
and make it better. And sneak it in." Then Kirkendall advised to get a group
of leading businessmen, doctors, lawyers-and form a committee. Get them to
endorse it, then you can sneak it in better.
Ladies and gentlemen, what is happening in America is
the same thing that happened in Spain, in Russia, in Greece and other
nations. They have leveled their attack at the next generation. And we have
bowed down before the god of secular education so long that our youth have
been sorely affected.
Supreme Court Struck Down Decent Laws
Against Pornography
You say, "Preacher, who is the main offender?" Now
hang on to your seats for we are really going to ride rough for a minute. I
think I see a Texas 'norther' coming up! The main offenders on whose hands
rests the blood of America more than any other men are those on the Supreme
Court. Earl Warren and his cohorts have opened the door to allow such filth
to become respectable.
I have-and I am not going to show them but I am just
going to tell you what it is-I have two pictures here that are used in sex
training. One picture shows two dogs together, and I won't say anything
else. The next picture shows a man and woman in bed together.
In Chicago was shown a movie on sex education. Out of
3200 students, sixteen refused to see the film, and they were branded by the
SATURDAY EVENING POST as fundamentalists from the hills of West Virginia.
Now you can say what you want to say, brother, but I would rather be an
ignorant fundamentalist from the hills of West Virginia who couldn't even
write my name nor wear shoes on my feet, than to be so smart I thought I
knew more than God Almighty!
I thank God that in the State of Louisiana the
legislature there voted ninety-four to four to make it illegal to teach sex
in the public school system unless it was approved by every parent of every
child. There are a lot of God-fearing, decent American citizens who still
have some integrity and character left in these places that are being sold
off to you by the news media as bigots, and that is just not so.
There are still a lot of counties in America where
they have voted dry and you can't buy beer. The county I pastored in Texas
for almost seven years was dry. You couldn't even buy a bottle of beer. Some
300,000 people lived in the area where I grew up and it was dry as a bone.
You couldn't buy a bottle of beer anywhere in that area. We voted liquor out
every year in the town where I pastored in Texas. The town only had 28,000
people, and 4,000 of them belonged to my church, one out of seven! And every
time we voted liquor down they would say, "It was those Bible-tot'n'Baptists!"
Arnenf
What are the results? Venereal disease is reaching
almost epidemic proportions in our country. You don't hear much about this.
SIECUS won't publish this. They won't put this in the movies. Eighty
thousand reported cases in America in 1966, and who knows how many thousands
of others! A seventy per cent increase over 1956. In one year, 90,000 unwed
teen-age mothers. Teen-age marriages have risen 500 per cent, and teen-age
divorces are three times the proportion to divorces of those twenty-one and
over.
Here is the sad part. You and I are paying for it. The
United States government last year invested 1 V2 million dollars to promote
this program in thirteen school districts across this nation. You and I are
paying for it. Now the honest truth is, it is morally wrong to teach
another's children religious convictions. Did you hear what I said? It is
morally wrong. Now it is not morally wrong to read the Bible. But it is
morally wrong to teach your religious convictions to somebody else's child
unless that parent approves.
Now listen. Mr. Kinsey said, in his report that came
out some years ago, that the greatest influence on morals is religion. If
that be so, said by one of their own group, that means that when you teach
another's child or you allow your child to be taught by another, the subject
of sex, they are teaching your child something that is prompted by religious
convictions. And it is wrong for our public school system to put our
children at the mercy of just whoever happens to be teaching biology this
year.
WHAT CAN PEOPLE DO?
Now what can we do? I have skipped a lot, but what can
we do?
1. Check on your child. I am going to ask you a
question. How many people in this house have children in school? Yes. Many
of you do. Another question: How many of you have taken time to read as many
as ten pages of any book this year that was required reading for your child
at school? Will you be honest and raise your hand? Now there is your
trouble. Not one-tenth of the people who have children in school even check
what the child is reading.
They showed a sex film in a certain school in this
area. I think there were six children who didn't see it, and these went to a
room together. And five of them belonged to First Baptist Church of Hammond
You say, "But how about our church?" Listen. Unless
your preacher barks as loud as I do on the subject, folks won't hear him
Look. I had a little run-in with a teacher-not a serious one; in fact, I
probably have as good relation with the teachers of my children as anybody
in this area could have. Our kids are required to write notes of gratitude
to their teachers every year, and we do our best to keep our relationship
wholesome between the school and this church and this
preacher. But I was talking with a certain teacher
about a rule, and the teacher said, "You have no say in it. Your child is
ours when she is at school."
And I said, "You hear me, and you hear me well. I
don't care if she is at school or at the zoo, she is my child. And you've
got a battle on your hands if you think she is your child because she is at
school." And I repeated, "You hear me, and you hear me well. You are going
to respect our religious convictions, or I am taking it to the Supreme Court
of America."
She said "I have neither the time nor the money to do
that."
I said, "I have the time and I will raise the money."
Check on your child. Stand up, be different. Good night! What is wrong with
Christian people in this area! Take a stand. Well, you say, "I am afraid
little Johnny will be embarrassed." It wasn't easy on Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, you know. Daniel was not the most popular boy in the senior class.
When Paul was stoned outside Lystra, he wasn't elected "the boy most likely
to succeed." He wasn't on his way to the Senior Prom. What's wrong with
Christians believing something, living by it, standing by it, dying for it!
Stand for something.
Good night! You Methodists, stand for something! You
Presbyterians, stand for something! You Episcopalians, stand!
I heard a story about folks who went to Heaven. And
they saw a fellow dancing. He was just dancing all over Heaven and he had a
bunch of folks with him. People asked, "What are those folks doing?" And St.
Peter said, "That's Hyles and First Baptist." "Well, what are they dancing
for?" He said, "They didn't get to dance on earth, so they are living it up,
up here!"
They saw a bunch of folks baptizing-1 mean just down
up, down up, down up, down up, baptizing, baptizing. "Who are they?" asked
the inquisitive one. And St. Peter said, "They are Methodists. They never
did baptize on earth, and they are having a time baptizing up here."
Over in the corner were some people just sitting,
bored to tears. And the guest asked, "Who are those people doing nothing?"
St. Peter answered, "They are Ecumenicals. There ain't nothing they didn't
do on earth!"
Stand for something! There are enough Bible believers
in the Calumet region to change some things if we stand. Stand!
You say, "How do we do it?" Well, one way is this way.
Walk up to the teacher and say courteously and kindly, "I am not here to
cause trouble, but I am here to say that my child cannot participate in
this, which is against our religious convictions." Now ninety per cent of
the teachers are the kind of folks who will let your child do something else
for credit. And it is time somebody stood toe to toe with the other ten per
cent and slugged it out. Stand! Good night! Young people, stand! stand!
God Has a Payday for All Who Stand True
We Christian people tonight stand on the blood of
martyrs who died for what we believe. People have been burned at the stake
for this old Book. People have been dragged to death in the streets, with
their brains dashed out on the rocks, for this old Book. People have put
their heads in the guillotine, and had their heads severed from their
bodies, for this old
Book. People have been stripped naked and boiled in
hot water until they died, for this old Book. People have been thrown to the
lions in Rome, thousands of them, for this old Book. People have shed their
blood, had their tongues cut out, had their eyeballs plucked out with sharp
pincers; people have been dragged to death, beaten to death, stoned to
death; people have been gassed and suffered every form of martyrdom in the
world; people have lost their fives, their families, their homes-everything
so you and I would have the Book. Now let's do something about standing for
it, too.
Must I be carried to the skies On flowry beds of ease,
While others fought to win the prize, And sailed
thro'bloody seas?
Sure I must fight, if I would reign; Increase my
courage, Lord;
III bear the toil, endure the pain, Supported by Thy
word.
And when the battle's over, We shall wear a crown,
We shall wear a crown,
Yes, we shall wear a crown;
And when the battle's over, We shall wear a crown
In the new Jerusalem!
What difference does it make if we are hated here! I
am called everything a man could be called. I am lied about, gossiped about,
and hated, and cussed, and folks won't speak to me on the streets. But I
will tell you one thing, brother, when I walk down the golden streets of the
New Jerusalem, Peter and Paul will speak to me. I will tell you another
thing: those of us who stand for decency and those of us who stand for the
Bible, and those of us who stand for what is right and against what is
wrong, one of these days they will put on a parade for us. Some of you
little mealy-mouthed Christians who never did stand, and folks didn't
criticize you, up in Heaven you will have to borrow money for a shoeshine.
You didn't stand. Stand! Stand! It wouldn't be so hard on some of the kids
to stand if all the kids would stand.
How many times have things like this come up and I
have called the teacher and spoken kindly and I mean it. When I get in
personal conversation with people, I do my best to be kind. That is the
honest truth. Don't you go up to school and preach like I am preaching now.
This is my pulpit and the signs say FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH and you didn't pay
to get it. You come to my house and visit me and I will just romp and stomp
all I want to. It is my territory, and I own it. Not the whole church, but
this up here is mine, deeded to me. I have told the deacons, "You can have
all the church you want, but from right over here in this corner to over
here in this corner belongs to me, and no board, no deacon, no organization,
no denomination will tell me what to say behind this pulpit. I feel sure
some of you are going to choke before you leave! We had better stand so you
can breathe a bit! A lot of you folk never heard a prophet before. To stand
true whatever the people think many of you have never heard that before. And
that is to your disgrace. Your boys and girls ought to be growing up in a
church that stands for something. The Apostle Paul wrote to a young preacher
and said, "And having done all, Stand."
2. Get your family into an old-fashioned, Bible
preaching church, where an old-fashioned Bible preacher can build their
faith in the Word of God. But you say, "Brother Hyles, Granddad belonged to
the church that I belong to now. They don't believe the Bible, but I hate to
leave Granddad's old church." If Granddad were alive, he wouldn't set foot
in it now, if it doesn't believe the Bible. Get in a Bible-believing,
Bible-preaching church that has conviction that will instill in your boys
and girls decency.
3. Get good books for your children to read. My boy
David is a freshman in high school. Tonight he rode to church with me. David
was quiet and I hadn't said anything. He had a book, and I said, "David,
what are you reading?" It was called, I think, The Best of Billy Sunday. I
didn't make him read it. He just has good books around his room. We give him
good books.
4. Oppose SIECUS in your public school system. Oppose
it. I mean, let your vote be counted. Oppose it.
5. Get in a church that preaches anti-communism,
anti-socialism, and decency. I picked up my newspaper one day and I could
not believe what I saw. A pastor in this area was lauded and was proud that
he uses the PLAYBOY magazine as text for his sermon. If you go there, God
pity you! And God pity him, when he stands before God. And instead of
laughing, you ought to be crying about it. I would rather be a bootlegger
when I stand before the bar of God, than be a preacher who preaches from
PLAYBOY magazine. And I hope to my soul that he is here tonight. God pity
him! Have you ever heard of the Bible?
6. Be faithful, Sunday school teachers. Sunday school
teachers, we have a big battle-a big battle. Son, you on the end, will you
come up here? What is your name? Gabriel? Gabriel? I have read about you in
the Bible. You blow a horn, don't you! How is Michael doing? This little
fellow is good looking, isn't he-for a boy. Boys are made Out Of rats and
snails and puppy dog tails. Did you know that? Is this little boy going to
have to sit under SIECUS? Of course, he doesn't have to, because his parents
can keep him from it. You say he will flunk. But he will pass in Heaven. If
he has to sit under that kind of program five days a week, and you are his
Sunday school teacher, God pity you if you just go out of town because you
want to go out of town for the weekend every once in awhile, and this boy
goes without your teaching on the Lord's day. God pity you if you don't
spend your life trying to save this boy. You say "Amen" to me, yet you teach
boys and girls in Sunday school and you won't come forty Sundays a year. Now
put your money where your mouth is. Dedicate yourself tonight to say, "By
the grace of God, my boys and girls need the best teaching I can give them,
and I will do it."
Thank you, little fellow. See there. "You are
welcome." He learned that in Sunday school. Didn't you? "Yes, Sir." Did you
hear that? That is the kind of boys we grow, Our Sunday school teachers
dedicate themselves to combating evil. Give yourself to your class. Choir
directors of children's choirs and folks who work with youth groups,
dedicate yourself by the grace of God to do your best.
Chapter 30
JESUS HAD SHORT HAIR
Several years ago musical groups such as the Beatles
presented to society a hair style that was new to our generation. Soon
long-haired young men began to appear on our streets. The hippie movement
adopted this hair style, as did the Jesus freaks and other religious cults.
Soon many men and boys who are not hippies, Jesus
freaks, religious cultists or revolutionaries adopted these hair styles,
When protests began to come from parts-of the
Christian world, the advocates of these newer hair styles replied that they
saw nothing wrong with men wearing long hair since Jesus Himself bad long
hair. They referred to paintings of Christ which picture Him with long
flowing hair. This sent the older generation and some Christian leaders
hurrying to the Bible and history books to find if, for a fact, Jesus did
have long hair. This booklet is dedicated to the task of revealing such a
study.
1. GOD IS CONCERNED ABOUT OUR APPAREL, HAIR STYLES,
ETC.
That He is concerned about our apparel is found in
Proverbs 7:10,
And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of
an harlot, and subtil of heart.
Notice the words, "attire of an harlot." There is a
wicked philosophy being spread abroad by some Christians that God is not
interested in our attire. This philosophy tells us that God looks on the
heart and we are not to judge by the outward appearance. The embracers of
this philosophy use it to justify inappropriate dress, long hair,
mini-skirts, etc. They obviously ignore such passages as Matthew 5:16 where
our Lord admonishes us,
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see
your good works, and glorify your Father Which is in Heaven.
They seem to believe that God is not concerned about
what the Christian wears. This is not true. Proverbs 7:10 shows us that
there is such a thing as the "attire of an harlot." Now what that attire is,
is not the issue at this point. The issue is that God is interested in what
the Christian wears. Consequently, the Bible does teach us concerning the
outside as well as the inside.
In I Timothy 2:9 the Apostle Paul admonishes Timothy
to exhort women to wear "modest apparel."
In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in
modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or
gold, or pearls, or costly array.
In Deuteronomy 22:5 we find God exhorting the Jewish
men and ladies concerning their clothing.
The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a
man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are
abomination unto the Lord thy God.
In I Peter 3:3 God shows an interest in the outward as
He discusses women's hair styles, jewelry, and clothing.
Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of
plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel.
In I Corinthians 11:14 God discusses the hair style of
men, and in verse 15 He speaks about the length of the ladies' hair.
Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man
have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is
a glory to her. for her hair is given her for a covering.
Hence, the most casual observer of Scripture finds
that God does manifest an interest in the outward. He is interested in the
way His people wear their hair, clothing, jewelry, etc. The argument that
God is interested only in the inside makes a very spiritual sounding clich6,
but it is simply not based on the Word of God.
Hair was very important to our Lord. He reminds us in
Matthew 10:30 and in Luke 12:7 that the "very hairs of your head are all
numbered," signifying the importance to Him of every aspect of our life and
appearance.
II. THE REVOLUTIONARIES ARE ALSO INTERESTED IN THE
OUTSIDE.
The radical Jerry Rubin says in his book, DO IT, Young
kids identify short hair with authority, discipline, unhappiness, boredom,
rigidity, hatred of right, and long hair with letting go ... Wherever we go,
our hair tells people where we stand on Vietnam, Wallace, campus disruption,
dope. We are living TV commercials for the revolution ... Long hair is the
beginning of our liberation from sexual oppression that underlies the whole
military society.
It is no secret that outward things such as art,
sculpture, dress, hair styles, etc. are changed prior to a Communist
revolution. A cultural revolution precedes a political revolution. For
example, Lenin set out to destroy the classics in the early days of his
revolution. He said,
If we are going to spread our doctrine, we're going to
have to rework the culture.
Plato said in his "Republic,"
The introduction of a new kind of music should be
shunned as imperiling the whole state.
Henry David Thoreau made this statement in his writing
at Walden:
Music may be intoxicating. It has helped cause the
destruction of the Greek and Roman Empires and it will sooner or later
destroy America and England.
Revolution requires a break from the old. Hence,
revolutionaries are using modern art, modern music, and a change in dress
styles and hair styles as a part of this break from the establishment. This
opens the mind of the youth to a break with the old political ideologies and
prepares him for revolution. This is why the Christian should not fall prey
to the enemy by adopting the outward changes that are used to bring about a
new social order.
In no case is this cultural change so obvious as in
our literature. For example, in the famous book, CATCHER IN THE RYE, which
is on the required outside-reading lists in many of our high schools, words
are used which are quite distasteful, vulgar and unscholarly to the refined
Christian.
It is beyond comprehension that the parents of America
would allow such vulgar, blasphemous words to be read by our youth.
Since the outward is so important to the
revolutionary, it is not surprising that he resorts to the use of symbols as
a part of his tactics. For example, one of the methods that the
revolutionary is using in his battle for the minds of men and in his effort
to capture the youth is the now-familiar peace symbol. This symbol is found
embroidered on jackets and other garments which Americans wear. It is
manufactured as a metal trinket which is worn on a chain. TIME magazine
carried on its cover on June 7, 1968, a picture of a young man with a long
beard representing the 1968 graduate. He wore the peace symbol. Men's stores
and ladies' ready-to-wear stores sell it openly on garments and advertise it
to the American public. Many misguided Americans wear it not realizing what
it represents.
It is believed that the peace symbol goes back 2,000
years, and tradition says that the first one was designed by Nero in 67 A.D.
for the crucifixion of the Apostle Peter. The peace symbol was reportedly
found stamped on the closed doors of Russian churches and branded on dead
bodies of Jewish martyrs. It is the symbol of the broken cross. It is the
emblem of anti-Christ.
Richard Wurmbrand, formerly of Romania, is quoted as
saying,
The symbol of the Community PEACE is a very well-known
symbol. It was called the witch'sfoot in the Middle Ages and it was a common
symbol of the devil, with the cross reversed and broken.
In our generation it was designed February 21,
1958, for use in an Easter peace walk in England. In
the beginning it was supposedly merely a composite of the semaphore letters
"N" and "D" standing for nuclear disarmament. When the symbol is inverted it
is a composite of the semaphore letters "U" and "D" standing for unilateral
disarmament.
Its designer was reportedly Mr. Bertrand Russell, who
was reportedly a Marxist from youth. He is quoted as saying,
The world is damnable ... There is no hope in anything
but the Soviet way.
The hippie movement also makes much use of the symbol
of the flower. This flower is sold as decals and stickers and can be found
regularly on American cars, mailboxes, book covers, etc. This flower is a
symbol of the hippie movement. Hippies speak readily of "flower power," as
many of them get their "power" from the flower. It is tragic, but true, that
oftentimes this flower power is marijuana and heroin. Many Americans do not
realize what they are doing when they display this emblem on their car,
clothing, etc.
Alongside the aforementioned signs is the definite
sign of long hair worn by boys and men. Such a sign should not be worn by
patriotic and loyal Americans who love our heritage, who embrace Christian
principles, and who oppose the Comm unist revolution. Since long-haired
youths use as an argument the fact that Jesus supposedly had long hair, it
is only fair to examine the Scriptures to find if this be true.
III. THE BIBLE PLAINLY TEACHES THAT IT IS A "SHAME"
FOR A MAN TO WEAR LONG HAIR. I Corinthians 11:14 says,
Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man
have long hair, it is a shame unto him?
The Greek word for "shame" in this verse is translated
elsewhere in the New Testament as "dishonor," "vile," "disgrace."
In Romans 1:26 the same word is translated "vile."
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections:
for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against
nature.
You will notice that these "vile affections" have to
do with homosexuality. It is very interesting that as the trend toward long
hair increases, the acceptance of homosexuality increases. This is not to
say that long hair and homosexuality always go together, but it is to note
the fact that both are on the rise in our generation. Several of the major
denominations have now accepted homosexuals. In some cities there are
churches for homosexuals pastored by avowed homosexuals. At least one major
denomination has ordained a homosexual preacher and others are considering
following suit.
IV. THE BIBLE SAYS NOTHING ABOUT JESUS HAVING LONG
HAIR.
The paintings of Christ are simply artists'
conceptions and have no Scriptural authorization. At least one historian of
His day described Him as being a tall man with chestnut-colored hair, parted
in the middle, with short hair which turned up at the end. In the book, THE
MODERN STUDENT'S LIFE OF CHRIST by Irving Vollmer, published by Fleming H.
Revell, the author says,
Archeologists object to the conventional pictures of
Christ because they are not true to history.
A German painter, L. Fahrenkrog, says,
Christ certainly never wore a beard, and His hair was
beyond a doubt closely cut.
For this we have historical proof. The oldest
representations going back to the first Christian centuries and found
chiefly in the catacombs of Rome all pictured Him without a beard. All the
pictures of Christ down to the beginning of the first century and even later
are of this kind. Students of the first century and Roman history are aware
of the fact that the time of Christ was characterized by short hair for men.
This author has seen many coins and statues which bear the likenesses of
emperors who reigned during and after the time of Christ. Such likenesses
reveal that the Ceasars and other rulers and emperors had short hair, and of
course, the subjects followed the example set by the emperor. The plain
simple truth is that during the life of Christ, short hair was the
acceptable style. That Jesus wore the conventional style of His day is
proved by the fact that Judas had to kiss Him to point Him out to the
soldiers. Had Jesus been somewhat different, as a long-haired freak, Judas
could have simply told the soldiers that Jesus was the One with the long
hair. This, of course, is not true, as Judas had to place a kiss on Him in
order to identify Him.
V. JESUS WAS NOT A NAZARITE.
Since it is generally believed that a Nazarite has to
let his hair grow long, and since Jesus was from Nazareth, there are many
who mistakenly identify Him as a Nazarite. There is no such Scriptural
evidence. Jesus was a "Nazarene" because He was from Nazareth, but He was
not a "Nazarite," and He did not take the Nazarite vow. A Nazarite could not
eat grapes or drink grape juice or eat anything made of the vine.
Numbers 6:2-4 says,
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them,
When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a
Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the Lord: He shall separate himself
from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar
of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist
grapes, or dried. All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that
is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk.
Hence, our Lord could not have been a Nazarite.
Observe the last Passover in Luke 22:J14-18,
And when the hour was come, He sat down, and the
twelve apostles with Him. And He said unto them, With desire I have desired
to eat this passover with you before I suffer. For I say unto you, I will
not any more eat thereof, until it befulfilled in the kingdom of God. And He
took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among
yourselves: For I say unto you I will not drink of the fruit of the vine,
until the kingdom of God shall come.
The Passover was characterized by the fruit of the
vine, and as a Nazarite our Lord would not have been allowed to partake of
the Passover.
He also partook of the fruit of the vine when He
instituted the Lord's Supper. Luke 22:19, 20 says, And He took bread, and
gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is My body which
is given for you: this do in remembrance of Me. Likewise also the cup after
supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for
you.
Likewise a Nazarite could not touch a dead body.
Numbers 6:6,
All the days, that he separateth himself unto the Lord
he shall come at no dead body.
When our Lord raised the daughter of jairus in Mark
5:41, the Bible says,
And He took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her,
Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.
Then He also touched the bier which contained a dead
man's body in Luke 7:12-15.
Now when He came nigh to the gate of the city, behold,
there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a
widow: and much people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her,
He had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And He came and
touched the bier. and they that bare him stood still. And He said, Young
man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to
speak. And He delivered him to his mother.
Since the Nazarite could not touch the fruit of the
vine or touch a dead body, and since our Lord did both, we must arrive at
the definite conclusion that He was not a Nazarite.
VI. IF JESUS HAD BEEN A NAZARITE, HE STILL WOULD NOT
NECESSARILY HAVE HAD LONG HAIR.
The Nazarite vow was taken for only a short period of
time. The Bible says it was just for "days." In Numbers 6:5,6, and 13 we
read,
All the days of the vow of his separation there shall
no razor come upon his head: until the days befulfilled, in the which he
separateth himself unto the Lord, he-shall be holy, and shall let the locks
of the hair of his head grow. All the days that he separateth himself unto
the Lord he shall come at no dead body. And this is the law of the Nazarite,
when the days of his separation are fulfilled: he shall be brought unto the
door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
After these "days" were over the Nazarite was to shave
his head. Numbers 6:18 says,
And the Nazarite shall shave the head of his
separation at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall take
the hair of the head of his separation, and put it in the fire which is
under the sacrifice of the peace-offerings.
So it is obvious that the Nazarite was as likely to be
bald-headed as he was to have long hair. Of course, this argument is
needless as our Lord was not a Nazarite.
VII. ABSALOM WAS BOTH REBELLIOUS AND LONG-HAIRED. The
only long-haired person other than a Nazarite
mentioned in the Bible was Absalom, a son of David. It
was he who rebelled against his father. It was he who started a revolution.
It is worth noting that even in Bible days rebellion, revolution,
disobedience to parents, and long hair were associated.
Now what should the Christian's attitude be concerning
male hair styles? First, we men should follow the admonition of the
Scripture and have short hair. It should be short enough so as to be
obviously contradictory to the revolutionary symbol. Many Christians allow
their hair to become longer in an effort not to be identified as fundamental
believers. Why shouldn't a Christian be just as proud of his identity with
the Word of God as the hippie is to identify himself with revolution? Men,
let us wear our short hair with pride as a symbol of our belief in the Bible
and its Christ.
Parents, start your son with haircuts and short hair
when he is a baby. With discipline and, if needs be, punishment, see to it
that as he grows up he uses his hair as a symbol of patriotism and
Christianity, thereby following the admonition of the Scripture that says in
Romans 12:2,
And be not conformed (fashioned) to this world. but be
ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that
good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Chapter 31
A WARNING TO THE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
One of the most exciting movements in America today is
that of the fundamental, Christian school. Scores of elementary schools and
many high schools and yes, even colleges, are being started in America each
year by fundamental churches. It must be noted that as soon as God starts
something, the devil attacks it. just as God is life, Satan is the author of
death, and just as death sets in on the human body at birth, so it does on
the Christian school. It is the job of the administrators, teachers and
supporting churches to postpone this death as long as possible and to use
every force and power that we have to fight it off. It would be appropriate
then for us to look at some danger points.
1. We must keep the school obligated to and dependent
on the church. What happened to schools in America which were once great
centers of fundamentalism but are now hotbeds of humanism and modernism? In
many cases heavy endowment was a contributing factor. When a school is so
heavily endowed and financed from without that it has no need of financial
help from the church, then it can be independent of the church. It is
healthy for the school to keep its very survival dependent on the church. As
long as this is true, the church can dictate the policies and program of the
school, and it has every right to do so since it is its founder and
benefactor.
This is why the school should flee government support.
The wise administrator, pastor and school board will see to it that the only
organization whose financial support the school MUST have is the church,
When such is not the case, a school can say to the church, "I have no need
of thee," and death is inevitable if not imminent.
2. The church must not become obligated to and/or
dependent on the school. Most of the Christian schools that are being built
in America share church buildings with the Sunday school and other church
organizations. The danger here is in the church incumbering an indebtedness
which is largely repaid by the school. In such cases the school can pretty
well control the church. Then the tail is wagging the dog, the employee
becomes the boss, the dependent becomes independent, and the independent
becomes dependent.
This leads to the church needing the school. In other
words, if enough students are expelled or quit, the church and the school
combined could not meet the budget for debt retirement. Actually, the
student body then holds the destiny of both church and school. In case of a
revolution, such a church-school would have one of two choices. Either
appease the students or fail to meet its financial obligations. It is always
wise for a school to arrange its finances so as that losing half the student
body would not cause it to fold. Beloved, whoever pays the bills is the
boss. Uncle Sam has taught us this. When a church builds a Christian school,
the church should be the boss. If it retains this position, it must not only
keep the school obligated to the church but it must keep the church from
being obligated to the school.
3. The church must be the dominant force. The church
is God's institution. A school built BY the church is good. A school built
IN the church is better. This does not mean the school should or should not
be conducted in the church buildings. It does mean that the control of the
school should be in the hands of the church. Because of this, it would seem
wise for the church board to be the school board. The Hyles-Anderson
College, the Hammond Baptist High School and the Hammond Baptist Grade
School are all governed by the deacon board of the First Baptist Church of
Hammond, Indiana. The 105 men on the deacon board are the school board. In
some cases it may be better for the school board to be somewhat smaller than
the church board, but in such cases the school board should be chosen from
the church board or at least from spiritual members of the church. In such
cases much care should be taken to keep the board large, for there is safety
in numbers.
It is best that since the church board is the school
board, the pastor then becomes the chairman of the school board. He should
know everything that is going on. He should not be timid about making it
plain that he is over the school administration and that the administration
and faculty are responsible to the board through the pastor. The
administration and faculty should be accountable to the pastor.
We must not lose sight of the fact that the building
of the church is a dominant goal. The church is the daddy of the entire
church program. When Daddy gets sick none of the bills are paid. A child may
become ill, but Daddy can still pay the bills. The same is true in the
church/school relationship. If the school becomes ill, "Daddy" can still
keep things in order, but if the church is overlooked and becomes ill,
everything will fall. The health of the entire family depends on the health
of the breadwinner. The health of all the ministries of the church depends
upon the health of the church itself.
4. The entire school family should promote the church
program and should participate in it. The faculty and administration should
be required to attend all the public services. They, like other members of
the church, should hold church offices such as Sunday school teachers, bus
workers, etc. Each faculty member and administrative officer should be
required to be a regular soul winner. All Hyles-Anderson College faculty
members and Hammond Baptist High School and Grade School faculty members
must go soul winning weekly and turn in a report.
No school activity should be held on church nights.
When the church is having public services, the school should not be in
competition. Recently I was in a Bible conference in a certain church. The
assistant pastor introduced me to his daughter before the service one
evening. He said, "Dr. Hyles, I wanted you to meet her because she won't be
in the service tonight. Our high school is having a basketball game and she
is a cheerleader." Now here was a church having a Bible conference. The
basketball players, the cheerleaders and many of the members attended a
basketball game less than a block from where the Word of God was being
taught and preached. This is a house divided against itself and it will
fall.
A well-known Christian leader in America has said that
the youth programs notoriously suffer in a church that has a Christian high
school. This should not be true. A Christian high school should not and
cannot take the place of the local church. It is a school, not a church. The
school administration should promote church activities. just as the case
would be if the students were in a public school, church should be the
biggest thing in their lives. It is the more important of the two
institutions and should have preference in scheduling.
To implement this, the Hammond Baptist High School has
found it wise to have most of its activities during school hours. School
athletic contests are conducted at 1:00 each Friday afternoon. This enables
the entire student body to attend and helps prevent the death of the church
youth program. We have found that by changing the lunch hour on Friday and
by adding a few days to the school year we still have as much time in the
classroom as we had. Therefore, the school, both in its studies and its
extra-curricular activities, is a daytime organization, leaving the nights
open for church activities and keeping the church where it should be-as the
more important of the two organizations.
5. The Christian school should have only one basic
premise-that of the Bible-teacher-student. This is not to say that visual
aids, teaching helps, modern teaching methods, etc. are all bad. It is to
say, however, that the right kind of teacher teaching the truth to the right
kind of student is all that is absolutely essential. America has
over-emphasized the importance of modern methods, modern curriculum, modern
equipment and modern buildings. The greatest teaching ever done was done by
the great Teacher
Who had as His classroom a hillside, a seashore or a
field. His textbook was God's Word. His building had a floor of dirt, a
ceiling of clouds and stars, walls of fresh air and was lighted by the sun
and the moon. His desk was a tree stump or a boat. His equipment was
composed of sticks, dirt, a lily and a bird.
The greatest nation this world has ever seen was built
by people who were trained in little schoolhouses with kerosene lamps and
lanterns and outdoor rest room facilities, but we had the right kind of
teacher teaching the right kind of truth to the right kind of students. If
we could have added nice buildings and new techniques to what we had, it
would have been fine, but we have become dependent upon the new and with the
improvement of the nonessentials we have seen a deterioration of the
essentials. It is still true that the right kind of teacher teaching the
truth to the right kind of student is basic enough to build the right kind
of people who will, in turn, build the right kind of nation.
6. The school must not have bigness or planned growth
as its main goal. While we should hope to reach all the students we can,
this should not be done at the expense of financial soundness or the
breaking down of standards. What we ARE must keep up with HOW BIG we are. In
a school every bit of growth should be solid growth and we must remember
that we are not a reformatory; we are a school!
It is also a dangerous thing for a school to borrow on
projected growth. To incur indebtedness of this kind is like building a
house upon the sand. The simple truth is that we may face persecution in
this generation. If and when we do, it is entirely possible that the size of
the school may diminish. Such could also be the case in the event of a
depression or serious recession. Though a church and Sunday school should
reach everyone it can, a school must be careful and selective in choosing
its student body and should certainly not be obsessed with bigness. The
school should grow, but that growth should be governed and dictated by its
standards, positions and by financial soundness.
There is a danger in wanting to match the growth of
others. There is a danger in wanting to be restrained by the growth of
others. It is wise for a school not to be affected by the growth of others.
The growth should be as fast as possible, but it should be a solid growth
and one within financial sanity.
7. We should not be afraid of ridicule. Let the
government schools call us bigoted. Let the natural man accuse us of being
unscholarly. We should go about our business in the building of schools that
are superior in every right way to the government schools and we should not
have an ear to hear what the "spirit of disobedience saith to the churches
(and the schools)."
This fear is often caused by too close association.
When we become inclined and interwoven socially, scholastically or
athletically we then find that often natural people have good personalities,
are friendly, courteous and gracious. Learning to like them causes us to
lose our hatred for the error which they embrace and also causes us to want
their approval and sanction. It is always wise for the Christian to be
courteous and kind to those that embrace the world system, but we should not
become so closely associated with them, either individually or collectively,
as to develop an inferiority complex or a relationship that would cause us
to want their favor. God certainly had this and other things in mind when He
gave us the doctrine of separation.
8. The Christian schools must reproduce themselves as
soon as possible. The Christian school philosophy and the government school
philosophy are complete opposites. Often the public school teacher who is a
dedicated Christian is not oriented in the philosophy of the Christian
school. Hence, the wise administrator will staff his school predominately
with those either trained in the Christian school or who have been rooted
and grounded in a strong, fundamental church which has enabled them to
understand and embrace the philosophy of the Christian school movement.
We do not need to send our professors to study under
Karl Barth in order for them to be scholarly, refined and cultured.
Let us not be deceived. The devil and his world system
are launching and will launch every attack possible and are using and will
use every weapon in Satan's arsenal in order to destroy the Christian
school. Beloved, if we use the same methods, curriculum and philosophy that
they use, we will arrive someday at the destination where they have already
arrived. We are not going the same direction We are not in the same army,
division, company, platoon or squad! Let us not be afraid to be different;
neither let us stubbornly make difference our goal. Rather, let us wisely,
carefully and spiritually chart our course according to the will of God,
being willing to fight and die for the truth that we want to convey to our
youth.
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