My Memories of and Musings on HAC / FBCH

[Justice1976]

What the Hyles? Did you know that Jack Hyles had the power to control the weather and deflect storms by his prayers?

"I read about Dr. John R. Rice and Dr. Jack Hyles in a tent meeting where Dr. Rice stood up and prayed and Dr. Hyles said he prayed and held off a storm from coming so that he could finish the meeting. Then he walked out from under the tent and said, 'All right, now it's your turn.'

"I read those accounts and I say, 'God, were these oddballs? Were they exceptions, or can we have another John Rice and another Jack Hyles in my generation?

"God seemed to say, 'We can. They were just vessels, but they gave Me their all.'"

(Justin Cooper in "Sword of the Lord," January 2, 2026, p. 16)

I remember the day Dr. Rice died. If my memory serves me well (which is doubtful) I believe it was December 1980, so 45 years ago. I wonder how he would feel about the Sword if he returned to earth today?

 

[illinoisguy]

"If living today, Dr. Rice would have to add the name of the current Sword editor as a ‘nut’ in this area [of KJV Only-ism]. . . . Dr. Smith and today’s Sword are anti-John R. Rice in its current position of secondary separation. . . . Perhaps the Sword’s decline is because it is not really in the mold of Dr. Rice’s Sword of the Lord any more. Do you suppose?

"You may recall that the family of Dr. Rice wrote an open letter to Dr. Smith a few years back, which we published, lamenting how the paper had abandoned their father’s positions, the dynamic and godly founder of The Sword. They suggested to Dr. Smith that he could teach and preach all he wished in disagreement with their dad, but the honest thing to do would be to resign as editor of The Sword and start his own paper."

The Biblical Evangelist

a voice for historic evangelical fundamentalism

www.biblicalevangelist.org

 

[Baptist City Holdout]

I remember the day Dr. Rice died. If my memory serves me well (which is doubtful) I believe it was December 1980, so 45 years ago. I wonder how he would feel about the Sword if he returned to earth today?

Yes. December 1980. As a high school senior, I heard Paul Harvey mention it on his broadcast.

 

[Justice1976]

"If living today, Dr. Rice would have to add the name of the current Sword editor as a ‘nut’ in this area [of KJV Only-ism]. . . . Dr. Smith and today’s Sword are anti-John R. Rice in its current position of secondary separation. . . . Perhaps the Sword’s decline is because it is not really in the mold of Dr. Rice’s Sword of the Lord any more. Do you suppose?

"You may recall that the family of Dr. Rice wrote an open letter to Dr. Smith a few years back, which we published, lamenting how the paper had abandoned their father’s positions, the dynamic and godly founder of The Sword. They suggested to Dr. Smith that he could teach and preach all he wished in disagreement with their dad, but the honest thing to do would be to resign as editor of The Sword and start his own paper."

The Biblical Evangelist

a voice for historic evangelical fundamentalism

www.biblicalevangelist.org

I don't believe I knew that. I haven't seen a Sword of the Lord in many years.

 

[sawthruglassclearly]

Here's another example of corporal punishment in the same time frame.....this passage is taken from Elmer Towns' 1972 book, "The World's Largest Sunday School" writing about Gail McKinney's second hour Junior Department, which would now be considered "B" Sunday School....

"During the past spring a little boy had been stood against the wall for three Sundays in a row for disrupting assembly and talking back to "Miss McKinney." When stood against the wall, he refused to stay there and walked around."Mr. LaFayette, would you come out here and bring your belt?" Gail never spanks without two witnesses. She says, "Two times after the spirit breaks." She explains that they spank until a child cries, then twice more so the child won't put on a fake cry."

I wonder if Gail McKinney Merhalski's views have changed in the last 53 years?

Nope! Her hairstyle hasn’t changed either!

 

[sawthruglassclearly]

Ha! Better than that.....at Hammond Baptist....the principal was spanking teen girls....in his office, alone. He threatened to "paddle" me and I dared him to....he backed off REALLY QUICKLY. This was in the late 70's.

That pervert who was responsible for discipline finally got what was coming to him! Cancer took him out slowly!

 

[sawthruglassclearly]

Well said I thank God that I never was involved ...I believe people were afraid to say anything of fear of losing job etc.

Sherry, you and I both know that Hyles loved to keep his people afraid of losing a job, a home, or a perk!

 

[sword]

Any stories of the Hac student security guards openly carrying firearms on campus.

 

[Starlifter]

Ha! Better than that.....at Hammond Baptist....the principal was spanking teen girls....in his office, alone. He threatened to "paddle" me and I dared him to....he backed off REALLY QUICKLY. This was in the late 70's.

What was the name of that principal?

 

[Sherryh]

Sword, I believe they did many of the them worked in Hammond /College and yes they did. My husband Danny along with Clyde taught gun safety.

 

[fishinnut]

Any stories of the Hac student security guards openly carrying firearms on campus.

During my 4 years, one time between classes I was in a hallway full of windows that connected different buildings. Across the hallway from a security desk, plywood covered both sides of a large plate glass window overlooking a courtyard. Across the courtyard was more plywood on windows on both sides of another hallway. Beyond that was a girls dormitory. While talking with a friend I pointed out to him that those holes lined up with the desk and figured that one of the security guys was probably playing with his gun and accidentally shot a round and hit all those windows. We walked outside and sure enough, found where a bullet had burrowed into the ground next to a dorm window. I went to the security director's office and told him what I had seen. He was shocked that I had figured it out, and asked me to keep it under my hat. He asked me, “You think we are all a bunch of Barney Fifes, don’t you?” I did and Barney would have laughed also. I never found out who the shooter was.