Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Bob Ross on Sonny Pyles

In a letter to my dad dated 9/7/1992, my friend Bob L. Ross, wrote to my father, Eddie K. Garrett, Sr., about the preaching style of Sonny Pyles, which I have also described myself, albeit not as well possibly as did brother Ross. My dad recently gave me the letters that he and Bob traded over the years, primarily in 1992 (the year before I did my video on hardshellism with Bob) and I came across this statement. I called Bob and got his permission to use it or anything else he wrote to dad in those letters.

Dear Eddie:

"If you admire preaching such as Sonny Pyles, I am not the least bit surprised. Is he the "Ross Perot of Hardshellism," the "Lester Roloff of Hardshellism," or "the Peter Ruckman of Hardshellism"? His "preaching" reminds me of all three - a "hot-dogging" comedian. I listened to a tape of his on "Hyper-Calvinism," sent to me by one who thinks he is a great preacher, and the clown accused John Calvin (1509-1564) of burning Savonarola (1452-1498), a man who was hanged. Pyles boasted that he was "not a Calvinist," and I am happy that he made that clear. Calvinists certainly would not want to be saddled with a corn-ball like Pyles. He ought to hook-up with Jerry Clower and get on the Grand Ole Opry to do his one-liners."

The sermon on Hyper Calvinism that Bob mentions I have not been able to find on the Internet to listen for myself.

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