FSSL said:
I wonder 2 things about this thread.
1) What, specifically did Jim do to influence your ministry?
2) Why is it important to discuss Jim's influence? Is it to get under the skin of other victims? Is it to try to find some redeeming value in a ministry that has a consistent disregard for morality?
Intelligent post, FSSL.
At HAC, Jim sought to destroy me because I took a strong stand against the gang violence that he supported. Yet, I learned from him: don't quit when things get tough, keep going when things get tough, don't give up when things get tough, etc., and they were valuable lessons. I have frequently pointed out that several years after graduating, less than half of all Bible college graduates even attend church.
In Oklahoma, I learned from Jim to be overly well-prepared when teaching a lesson, which is one reason why I taught Christian school for ten years, when less than half of all Christian school teachers enter their third year of teaching.
As to saying something good about Jim, a problem with forgiving is that Christians sometimes imagine wrongs that were never committed, and then they become even more angry. When a Christian is suffering emotional pain due to past wrongs, it does not help if the Christian invents past wrongs. Jim has done serious, grievous wrongs to a long list of God's people, and I don't have to invent false accusations to prove it. Deceit was a major, integral part of Jack Hyles' ministry, and I don't have to invent false accusations to prove it.
If a Christian is suffering pain from past abuse, the abuse must have been real. You do not have to invent false accusations to prove it, and if you do, you make it even more difficult to forgive.