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Is All Forgiven for David Hyles?

David hyles facebook
David Hyles, Facebook Profile Picture

David Hyles is the son of the late Jack Hyles, pastor of First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana for many years. During his younger years, David Hyles was the youth pastor at First Baptist. While there, he sexually preyed on women, resulting in his father quietly, in the dead of night, shipping him off to pastor an Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) Church that knew nothing of David’s philandering. As sexual predators are wont to do, David Hyles continued his whoring ways, leading to his expulsion from the church. If you are not familiar with the David and Jack Hyles story, please read:

The Legacy of Jack Hyles

The Mesmerizing Appeal of Jack Hyles

The Scandalous Life of Jack Hyles and Why it Still Matters

UPDATED: Serial Adulterer David Hyles Has Been Restored

Serial Adulterer David Hyles Receives a Warm Longview Baptist Temple Welcome

David Hyles Says ‘My Bad, Jesus’

blood of jesus

In recent years, David Hyles has been showing up at IFB churches and events, acting as if what happened in the past is ancient history and no longer relevant. Praise Jesus! He has been forgiven! It’s time for people such as myself to move on and give the guy a break. Yes, he was a serial adulterer. Yes, he preyed on women. Yes, he was a despicable human being. But, “Brother Dave’ has played his “washed-by-the-blood, get-out-of-jail-free card. As far as he is concerned, his sin account has been settled and he is free to move forward in the fullness and wonder of God’s mercy and grace. Never mind the fact that Hyles has NEVER given a public accounting of his very public misconduct, and as far as I know he has not contacted nor made restitution to the countless people he has harmed. Doing so, of course, would require him to admit actions that still could be criminally prosecuted.

According to a comment of the Fighting Fundamental Forums — Hyles-Anderson College forum, David Hyles and his family were in attendance at the July 24-27, 2017 National Sword of the Lord Conference. This annual gathering of IFB preachers and congregants is held at Gospel Light Baptist Church in Walkertown, North Carolina. Bobby Roberson is the pastor of Gospel Light — one of the larger IFB churches in the country. The Sword of the Lord Conference is put on by Shelton Smith, the editor of the Sword of the Lord. This year’s conference speakers included: Mike Allison, Joe Arthur, Max Barton, Norris Belcher, Justin Cooper, Jeff Fugate, John Hamblin, Richard Harper, Jon Jenkins, Lou Rossi, Jim Townsley, and Mike Wells. (Most of the speakers use the Dr. before their names. Please read IFB Doctorates: Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Everyone’s a Doctor)

David Hyles was, as the following comment shows, in attendance at least one of the conference days. A Fighting Fundamental Forums commenter using the moniker Twisted posted a comment a friend of his made on Facebook:

While on a trip in North Carolina with one of our church men, we attended three evening services of the annual National Sword of the Lord Conference on Revival and Soul-Winning. One of the pleasures for me at the conference was to get to see Brother David Hyles, who has been a good friend and encouragement on Facebook. His dad, Jack Hyles, was my favorite preacher. Brother David’s wife, Brenda, took this photo. I thought she did a great job considering the subject matter.

After a period of waywardness, Brother Hyles (David) appears to have been on the right track again for some years now, and he has been trying to use his own restoration to encourage others who need the same. I count him as a friend! For any of you who might have a problem with that, I want to remind you that he is no longer out in a far country nor in the field feeding swine, but he is back at the Father’s house. Stay outside and pout if you want to, or you can come in and enjoy the Father’s celebration of restored fellowship!

david hyles greatest men
Jack Hyles, David Hyles, Jim Krall, World’s Greatest Men

Sorry, but I want to puke. According to the aforementioned Facebook friend, it’s time for people to forgive Hyles and move one. First, I have no need to forgive David Hyles. He never did anything to me, so there is nothing for him to apologize for — not that there is any evidence that Hyles (like his father) has apologized to anyone. My goal is to hold a man who was considered one of the “greatest men on earth” accountable for his abuse of countless trusting Christian women. Until Hyles gives a public accounting of his past actions and makes appropriate restitution, I intend to continue to smack him over the head every time I hear of him sticking his bald pate out of the hole he crawled into.

8 Comments

  1. Avatar
    Becky Wiren

    Good for you Bruce. Of course, offended IFBers will be here to defend Hyles. Because that is what they do, defend the indefensible. So easy to say he’s been fixed, healed, whatnot. Did he actually do any WORK to get that way? Go to counseling? We already know he hasn’t apologized. I seriously doubt he’s done anything to change.

  2. Avatar
    Charles

    I am wondering about Daddy Jack Hyles. He will be released from prison one day. The day he steps out of the Big House will he step straightway into a pastor role at another fundamentalist baptist church where he will have access to voluptuous young maidens? I would hope that he will have a permanent sexual offender tag on him—or if they parole him—his parole papers will specify that he cannot enter into situations where he will have access to minor girls. Any thoughts?

    • Avatar
      Bruce Gerencser

      You are thinking of the other Jack, Jack Schaap, David Hyles’ brother-in-law. (Dad is dead.) I have no doubt that once he is free from prison he will have some sort of ministry. Perhaps he could be a traveling salesman, err I mean evangelist. What a story, right? Led astray by a beautiful Jezebel, wrongly convicted of a crime, sentenced to a decade in prison, but praise be to God, Jesus was with him e-v-e-r-y step of the way! And now that Jesus has set him free, he must tell his story (and collect an offering each night).

  3. Avatar
    Former Fundie

    David was slime in high school. I went to Hammond Baptist High School with him and he was an awful human being then to everyone but his small cadre of friends. I remember him and a couple of them walking into the showers after gym class where some guys were showering. He urinated on them from the back but because they were in a hot shower they didn’t notice. Hyles and friends thought that hilarious. I witnessed it first hand.

    • Avatar
      Al Lawrence

      As a child I grew up in that hell on earth, David Hyles thought he was the greatest thing since sliced bread as he was well trained by his adulterous, hypocritical father. I’m glad my parents finally got away from that diseased organization. I have family that I don’t claim, as they were brain washed by this organization. My uncle don Domelle was a pastor/phedophile groomed out of the hyles camp now serving 15 yrs for molesting 2 minor children, and boy does that topic go deeper than people know. I remember as a child I could stand him. I could go on for days on this topic. I’m just a lil irritated that I stumbled across something that made me start recounting old memories.

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