Tell us about your theological journey

ALAYMAN

ALAYMAN

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Was surfing online today and came across a former FFFer and graduate of Fairhaven (Bob Hayton) that used to participate in discussion here not long ago. I remembered him in his time here as one who was reasonable and attempted to persuade others with charity. Did not strike me as the usual HAC pot stirrer. His journey as described in the link to his website fundamentally reformed included a reasonably interesting description of his journey out of the world of indy-style Baptist fundamentalism and into reformed circles culminating with his membership at Piper's Church in Minnesota. That got me to thinking about folks who participate here now and where they've come from to where they are currently. So how about you, what's your backstory? Are you lockstep with where you were 10 or 20 years ago or have you changed theologically and if so in what ways?
 
ALAYMAN said:
Was surfing online today and came across a former FFFer and graduate of Fairhaven (Bob Hayton) that used to participate in discussion here not long ago. I remembered him in his time here as one who was reasonable and attempted to persuade others with charity. Did not strike me as the usual HAC pot stirrer. His journey as described in the link to his website fundamentally reformed included a reasonably interesting description of his journey out of the world of indy-style Baptist fundamentalism and into reformed circles culminating with his membership at Piper's Church in Minnesota. That got me to thinking about folks who participate here now and where they've come from to where they are currently. So how about you, what's your backstory? Are you lockstep with where you were 10 or 20 years ago or have you changed theologically and if so in what ways?
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After getting saved the first church I was part of was The Evangelical Church denomination. A conservative Wesleyan/Arminian denom. I believed most of what they taught with the exception of entire sanctification/2nd work of grace. After 8 years there we moved to NC and after looking at other Wesleyan type churches we found most of them to lean too liberal. That was where my adventure into fundamentalism began. We found a church/school for my son at a large Hyles style IFB in Durham, NC. It was a sort of shock but I came to buy into some of the standards, although for me they were more preferences than convictions. After 1.5 years there we moved onto a FWB church/school. Although, in that area the Freewill Baptists were very close with the IFB. The only place where my new FWB church differed substantially from IFB was on eternal security. We would have IFB preachers like Lou Rossi and Jeff Fugate for revivals. The pastor would immunize the congregation from the IFB's teaching on eternal security by making the congregation think he was saying the same thing the IFBs were. He would commonly say "as long as you are trusting in Christ you are eternally secure". My time with the FWB is where I bought into more of the fundamentalist way of thinking. I was never KJVO but had a high preference for it. From there we moved to the DC area and went to a couple of sort of crazy IFBs over a 3 year period. Finally we settled at a large IFB in WV and were there until about a year ago. I mentally left about two years prior but it took my wife longer to reach the same point. We are now at a Bible church that would probably theologically be along the lines of a conservative SBC. Until recently I've always teetered on the line of conservative evangelical and fundamentalist.
Reformed Arminian would be the box I would fit into now. I no longer primarily use KJVO. I no longer see hit and run soul winning as the best method for reaching the lost. I still have a preference for hymns but no longer see ccm as evil. I see giving a pastor unlimited authority as a detriment to the congregation and many times to the pastor. Anyway that's my long winded 2 cents.
 
tmjbog said:
After getting saved the first church I was part of was The Evangelical Church denomination. A conservative Wesleyan/Arminian denom. I believed most of what they taught with the exception of entire sanctification/2nd work of grace. After 8 years there we moved to NC and after looking at other Wesleyan type churches we found most of them to lean too liberal. That was where my adventure into fundamentalism began. We found a church/school for my son at a large Hyles style IFB in Durham, NC. It was a sort of shock but I came to buy into some of the standards, although for me they were more preferences than convictions. After 1.5 years there we moved onto a FWB church/school. Although, in that area the Freewill Baptists were very close with the IFB. The only place where my new FWB church differed substantially from IFB was on eternal security. We would have IFB preachers like Lou Rossi and Jeff Fugate for revivals. The pastor would immunize the congregation from the IFB's teaching on eternal security by making the congregation think he was saying the same thing the IFBs were. He would commonly say "as long as you are trusting in Christ you are eternally secure". My time with the FWB is where I bought into more of the fundamentalist way of thinking. I was never KJVO but had a high preference for it. From there we moved to the DC area and went to a couple of sort of crazy IFBs over a 3 year period. Finally we settled at a large IFB in WV and were there until about a year ago. I mentally left about two years prior but it took my wife longer to reach the same point. We are now at a Bible church that would probably theologically be along the lines of a conservative SBC. Until recently I've always teetered on the line of conservative evangelical and fundamentalist.
Reformed Arminian would be the box I would fit into now. I no longer primarily use KJVO. I no longer see hit and run soul winning as the best method for reaching the lost. I still have a preference for hymns but no longer see ccm as evil. I see giving a pastor unlimited authority as a detriment to the congregation and many times to the pastor. Anyway that's my long winded 2 cents.
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That was interesting bro, and I learned something today.... I had never heard of a Reformed Arminian before now.

Jeff Fugate is only about 2 and 1/2 hours west of me and we have been to his church on our way back from Nashville. That's been years ago, and I was a little more militant back then, but his down home conversant put-it-on-the-bottom-shelf style resonated with me. I enjoyed his preaching, but I'm sure he is in the thick of the Hyles style IFBdom that I could not probably make it in these days.
 
Raised Catholic - Catholic grade school & high school. Everyone I knew until college was Catholic. Was in my teens when I was disillusioned with Catholicism but had no one non-Catholic to talk to (where were the HAC grads knocking on doors on the west side of Cincy??? :D ).
Met a Baptist girl when I was 25. Went to church with her (the church is the home of Fellowship Tract League). Was odd but interesting to me. Saved a few weeks later when a former Catholic came and talked to me after a service one morning - verse that he showed me that opened my eyes was 1 John 5:13. Stayed in that church (IFBx) for about 2 years. Left there and went to another IFBx church in town pastored by a HAC grad (and lifelong Hammond resident and FBCH attendee). Got sucked into it all and the pastor told several times I was like the assistant pastor except without pay - drove a bus, was treasurer, Sunday School teacher, did the announcements every service, even preached a few times when the pastor was out sick or on vacation. Then I discovered the FFF while researching the opposing views on Calvinism. :D
Found people on the FFF of different stripes and literally was shocked that they knew the Bible better and had more cohesive understanding of scripture than I did. I had heard for so long that non-KJV, non-IFB had squishy theology. Started listening to guys like Piper, MacArthur, Friel, and to podcasts like White Horse Inn. After finally realizing that our church was really just our pastor's family business and he was more concerned with growing the school than the church, and after realizing how shallow the preaching was and how much I was starting to disagree with what was being preached, we left.
I would say today I'm still Baptist, but leaning towards Reformed & Amillenial positions.
 
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ALAYMAN said:
That was interesting bro, and I learned something today.... I had never heard of a Reformed Arminian before now.

Jeff Fugate is only about 2 and 1/2 hours west of me and we have been to his church on our way back from Nashville. That's been years ago, and I was a little more militant back then, but his down home conversant put-it-on-the-bottom-shelf style resonated with me. I enjoyed his preaching, but I'm sure he is in the thick of the Hyles style IFBdom that I could not probably make it in these days.
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I think the term is used to differentiate from the Wesleyan-Arminian position that most think of when someone uses the term "Arminian".
 
voicecrying said:
Heathen!

(my wife & I love Nashville - been going for at least a few days every year for the last 4-5 years now)
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Hey, we never went into any establishments that served alcohol, so it's all good. 😁

We went into Grand Ole Opry hotel just to see what all the hubbub was 25 years ago. Pretty cool place. We were there late Sunday morning and they had a Sunday brunch spread in the hallway of the hotel, I spread that I had never seen so much food and all my life. I was pretty tempted to belly up, but back in those days I was a real cheap skate and I think it was something like $25 a piece and that was enough to scare me off. 😆.
But, another eating story...

Despite not wanting to pay that much for Sunday brunch, I felt pretty good about my tightwad self, and decided later on that afternoon when we headed back home to stop at Ruth's Chris steakhouse. That was the first time that I've ever been to a eating establishment where everything was priced individually, including the baked potato, the salad, etc. That set me back about $90, so I think I would have been better off with the Sunday brunch! 😂
 
voicecrying said:
... (the church is the home of Fellowship Tract League)....
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If memory serves correctly it was near Milford, right?

We have supported them, and I've been to that church. There was an older couple in our church who would take all of their pop cans and convert them through salvage in the money and whatever they got from that they would donate to the fellowship tract league and order tracts from them. That fellow was my soul winning partner. He was an old crotchety fella, at least that's how he could appear to be on the surface, but he had a big heart, and a real heart for the lost. When we would go door to door he was my "silent partner". He passed away from cancer about 7 years ago and I really miss him. Thanks for triggering that fond relationship memory.😊

I was like the assistant pastor except without pay - drove a bus, was treasurer, Sunday School teacher, did the announcements every service, even preached a few times when the pastor was out sick or on vacation.
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I could have written those words literally verbatim. 😇
 
ALAYMAN said:
If memory serves correctly it was near Milford, right?

We have supported them, and I've been to that church. There was an older couple in our church who would take all of their pop cans and convert them through salvage in the money and whatever they got from that they would donate to the fellowship tract league and order tracts from them. That fellow was my soul winning partner. He was an old crotchety fella, at least that's how he could appear to be on the surface, but he had a big heart, and a real heart for the lost. When we would go door to door he was my "silent partner". He passed away from cancer about 7 years ago and I really miss him. Thanks for triggering that fond relationship memory.😊


I could have written those words literally verbatim. 😇
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Fellowship Tract League (Fellowship Baptist Church) is in Lebanon. Milford has Bearing Precious Seed (First Baptist of Milford). I heard that Bob Huggins attended First Baptist of Milford during his time as UC's coach. Wonder if they "churched" him after his DUI.
I had a "silent partner" too going door to door. :)
 
voicecrying said:
Fellowship Tract League (Fellowship Baptist Church) is in Lebanon. Milford has Bearing Precious Seed (First Baptist of Milford). I heard that Bob Huggins attended First Baptist of Milford during his time as UC's coach. Wonder if they "churched" him after his DUI.
I had a "silent partner" too going door to door. :)
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Doh! Yes, it was bearing precious seed that I was at, and that's the ministry that we supported.

That's an interesting factoid about Huggy. I never have liked him (as a basketball coach), sorry. 😟 Of course he's at WVU now, and their games are broadcast in our viewing market so I see his mug quite often. His interviews would make paint drying seem like an interesting hobby.😁
 
voicecrying said:
Heathen!

(my wife & I love Nashville - been going for at least a few days every year for the last 4-5 years now)
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When you're in the area, let us know. We live South of Nashville just outside of Murfreesboro. Would love to meet more people from the forums.
 
voicecrying said:
Will do. Only one I've met in person so far is ALAYMAN, and he didn't turn out to be a serial axe murderer. :D
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Very astute of you, but I notice you didn't take into account the moral predilection of Mrs ALAYMAN. :oops:
 
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