Blessings from Independent Baptists

There is so much negativity on the Baptist Board right now, even on this "Fundamental Baptist Forum" which was created as a refuge for fundamentalists. I thought I'd start a positive thread. So please post here about blessings and help you have received from independent Baptists.

Some years ago, someone who no longer posts here asked me in essence, John, why do you defend them? Here is what I answered him.

 

I thank God for my IFB parents. Yes they were strict. Mom once had Dad throw away a bunch of Tarzan novels that were given to us thinking they might be teaching evolution. (They didn't.) We didn't "drink, smoke or chew, or run with them that do!" But as a result I still don't smoke or drink, and thus don't have lung cancer or liver disease (common in my relatives who drink). (Got spanked for smoking when I was about 8, thank God!)

Dad was a faithful preacher of the Gospel for 60 years. He wasn't much of a preacher, just average, and wasn't much of a soul winner, though he always tried. But his "sugar stick" sermon was, "It Pays to Serve Jesus, and he truly believed that. And he never quit on the Lord, so he was a wonderful example to me! He came down with Alzheimer's late in life.

During his final illness when he checked into the hospital, Mom filled out the forms, and when she came to "Religion" she asked Dad what to put. Even in his Alzheimer's fog, Dad said, "I don't have a religion, I have a Savior!" Before he died of complications, he tried to have services for the other folk in the hospital, leading them in singing and then trying to preach from a magazine, which somehow he thought was a Bible. The man loved Jesus until his dying breath! I flew back to America to preach his funeral, and my theme was, Dad was always climbing the mountain God gave him, like old Caleb.

Mom is still alive, though in an assisted care facility. She's a little hard to get along with sometimes, but I still remember her gentlenesss to her children. She taught me the Word of God, helped me memorize verses since I was a tiny tot, led me to Christ when I was four, had me lay my little head on her lap in churche when I was a little guy.

Mom too was always a soul winner. She always tried to help folks in trouble, too, like the poor lady down the street (whose son taught me poker, but don't tell Mom). Once when the six Rice sisters were together they started saying what they admired about each other. When they came to Mom it was that she was always trying to help.

I truly honor and thank God for my fundamentalist parents.

 

Thanks to everyone for your great, positive posts here.

MamaCW mentioned her godly Grandma and menageriekeeper mentioned my grandparents. I too truly thank God for godly grandparents. As most of you know, my Grandpa was well known fundamentalist evangelist John R. Rice. Over on SharperIron.org a pastor said that when he was growing up the "Rice Clan" (as we called it) was "royalty" in fundamentalism, in comments about a review of my brother's new book on fundamentalism. Praise God I never knew that growing up!

I just thought we were an ordinary family. Didn't everyone have a grandpa with a big building housing a newspaper? I remember playing at the "Sword" building in Wheaton with those little metal address plates the machine used to address the newspapers, and longing for more rides on that great freight elevator. And we would go to Grandpa and Grandma's house for dinner on Sundays after church. Famous? Who knew it?

But my grandparents were just Grandpa and Grandma to me, godly people who served and loved the Lord. I remeber sitting on Grandpa's lap at maybe 5 and being asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. I said "a cowboy preacher" because I figured preaching was the family business, but I wanted to be a cowboy like Uncle Bill Rice (founder of the Bill Rice Ranch, the first true deaf ministry). I also remember being spanked one time by Grandpa for disobedience. (How many can say that outside the immediate family? :smilewinkgrin

But Grandma may have been the most loving person I've ever known. I told more about her here on the Baptist Board: http://www.baptistboard.com/showthread.php?t=3974&page=4

My brother, in his new book I recently reviewed here, tells how at a spiritual crossroads in his life he decided to just imitate the unconditional love shown him by Grandma Rice, and that spiritually revived him. He called her the only person who ever truly loved him unconditionally.

 

When I was in high school, Dad pastored a GARB church in Wisconsin. We used to have IFB evangelist Bud Lyles come for meetings, sometimes every year. When I was 16, I responded to Brother Lyles' sermon on Romans 12:1-2 (I think it was), one of my Dad's favorite passages. At the invitation I went forward to surrender all of my life to Christ, everything, to do whatever He asked. I thank God so much for Brother Lyles and his understanding of the Word of God and of young peoples' hearts. Later I dated his daughter once at college--the same girl my sisters tried to make me kiss when I was about 5. We both resisted!

When I was 18 Brother Lyles came to preach again. God called me to preach through his message. It was such a precious and private experience that I hesitate to share it here, but it resembled Ezekiel's call. I have been 100% sure of God's call to preach ever since that day, and never turned back. The next day my IFB Dad called me into his study for a talk.

"Are you sure God called you to preach?"

"Yes sir."

Dad held up his Bible: "Then always base everything you preach on God's Word!" And I've always tried to do that.

To this day the greatest privilege in my life is simply to serve God. I thank God from the bottom of my heart for those two IFB preachers who showed me the way, Bud Lyles and Charles Himes, my Dad.

 

I had dozens of teachers in college and seminary, and I wish I could take time to mention them all and how they blessed me. But a few stand out in my mind.

Some of you old Tennessee Temple hands will remember Wymal Porter. What a blessing! I read on Facebook that he's still alive, 85 now. I took Hebrews and Corinthians from him, NT Survey, I think.

I took "Methods of Bible Study" from Dennis Wisdom. What a great name for a Bible teacher! That class changed my life and taught me to dig deep into the Word of God.

I never took a class from Douglas Cravens, the dean of Temple Baptist Theological Seminary when I was there, but his son was my kung fu teacher, so I knew the family well. Watching Dr. Cravens and his wife, I was amazed he still opened the doof for her well up into old age. That was a great example for me. Then when she was hit and killed by a young driver, he personally visited the young lady in the hospital and assured her of his forgiveness. What grace and Christian love!

Time and space would fail me to discuss my many other teachers down through the years, but all of them were a blessing: James Price (noted Hebrew scholar), Roger Martin (an uncle), David Wingate (sys theo at Temple), Fred Moritz (sys theo at Maranatha), etc. In light of recent scandals, it's reassuring to know that of all those teachers, only one had a scandal connected to his name that I know of--a short fling with his secretary. (You TTU old timers will know who I mean.) He repented, was forgiven and is still with his wife.

Someone might say, "John, you went to IFB schools back in the '70's so you don't know what rascals IFB teachers are nowadays." Actually, on every furlough so far I have taken courses: 1986 and '93 at Temple, '98 and 2005 at Maranatha Baptist Grad School, graduating with my MA in Biblical Studies. I thank God for all of my teachers!

 

My next step in life was to move to live with my grandparents and work at the Sword of the Lord until I was accepted at Baptist World Mission. I met some wonderful people at the SOTL, especially the regular workers. I used to hang around with the printers, janitor and the others, playing ping pong with them at lunch. (I used to swear some day I'd beat Dwight the printer--never did, even when I stopped by on our first furlough after learning from with a Chinese tournament player in Japan.)

The people at Baptist World Mission were then and still are wonderful IFB Christians. In particular, I was mentored by Dr. Monroe Parker, a true fundamentalist scholar who had one of the first Ph. D.'s granted at BJU. As part of his work for that he studied at Princeton. He and his wife were such gracious and good people, and I miss them.

Various board members, IFB pastors, took and interest in my and helped me along. It would take too long to tell about everyone, and most are in Heaven now, but Dr. Ed Nelson was instrumental in getting me together with my wife. He went to Russia as a missionary for awhile after he was in his 70s, something he'd always wanted to do, and is still preaching the Word.

Dr. Fred Moritz, another fundamentalist scholar, eventually replaced Dr. Parker, and has been a great blessing down through the years, visiting us in Japan before he became executive director. He mentored me in the area of education on one of those trips, encouraging me to finish my masters'--rapping on my head with his knuckles and saying, "You have a good brain. You need to develop it all the way." :laugh: In getting that degree, I later had the privilege of sittng under him in a Christology class.

I'm an old timer now, having joined the board almost 34 years ago. But the current crop of admin people and office workers are wonderful also, and I thank God for them.

 

Thanks for the encouragement, folks.

I'm sure you old TTU guys have your own Lee Roberson stories. I could write a lot about him, but let me just share my own experiences.

In 1973 I suffered a knee injury while training in the martial arts, and had to have surgery. There I was, recovering from surgery in the hospital, when in walks the pastor of the second largest church in the world, the founder and president of my college, Dr. Lee Roberson! He prayed with me and soon left, but I was amazed. I learned he had a habit of visiting every single church member and student! That could be a 100 hospital visits in one week, folks.

After I got out of the hospital, I limped around trying to get back on my feet both physically and metaphorically. I had to drop out of school, couldn't work at the factory--things were rough all around. One day as I limped to the door of the building housing the financial office, there came Dr. Roberson out the door. He smiled, greeted me--and then held open the door for me! Once again, this IFB "big shot" showed me grace and kindness.

After I graduated, worked at the Sword for 11 months, then began deputation, I decided to try Highland Park Baptist Church. An appointment was made for me not with some missions director, not with Dr. Faulkner the assistant, but with Dr. Roberson, who took a personal interest in every missionary he met. He prayed with me, promised support, and was as gracious as ever. I still treasure signed letters sent by Dr. Roberson to all the 100s of missionaries supported by HPBC.

After Dr. Roberson retired, we happened to be at the same church for meetings one furlough. His messages were as sharp as ever, though in person he seemed to have lost some of his sharp memory. But he made friends with our teen-aged son, signing and giving him two of his books. I'm not only grateful to have known Dr. Roberson, but glad my son got to meet him. What a wonderful man of God he was. "There were giants in the earth in those days."

 

Amen, brother!

Here is the thread I did when Dr. Roberson went home to glory: http://www.baptistboard.com/showthread.php?t=39353

 

I began deputation in late 1977. That meant visiting many churches, probably close to 200 in 3 1/2 years, and presenting our future ministry in Japan in those churches. I met so many wonderful pastors and great Christians in those days I can't take the time to tell about them all. Some of these I may have met later on furlough--don't remember.

Dr. Steve Euler was my college homiletics teacher and seminary Greek teacher. It's always great to see him on furlough and fellowship, and their church is one of our favorites--not to mention it has some of our relatives going there! I remember complaining when I preached there once that I never got over a B from him in homiletics. After my message Dr. Euler got up, grinned and said, "John, that was a B plus!"

Bro. Bob Ross recently went to Heaven. He was always such a blessing! We lived in their missionary house one furlough. His son Jerry now pastors the church, and they recently had over 600--in a country town that only has about 600!

That reminds me. We have 45 supporting churches and in three of them the son has followed his father as pastor, and in another church the son-in-law followed as pastor. That's a wonderful testimony in my book! Also, in addition to these, fully 12 of our 45 supporting pastors have been in the same church for at least 20 years, and some as long as 30 or 40 years!