From The Heart

I find it very interesting that those Hardshells who have taken time to comment on my two blogs dealing with Hyper Calvinism (the baptistgadfly and Old Baptist blogs) over the past several years have nearly all made short terse comments, wherein they attack my motives and make serious accusations about the state of my mind and spirit, and then refused to stay and discuss what they initially communicated. I have called this their "hit and run" tactic.

Many of those in the Hardshell cult refuse to address the meat of our writings against Hyper Calvinistic "Primitive Baptists." The only exception to this was Hardshell Jason Brown, who started a blog with the sole purpose of refuting what we write in the above two named blogs. These exchanges in debate were not un-Christian. Of course, Jason has quit, for whatever reason, to engage further in discussion, seeing he has not made an entry in two months. It could be that he has simply given up. It could be that he is simply too busy now. It could be that some Hardshells have gone to him and pressured him to stop, for whatever reason (propably because he has been losing the debate). But, I must say, that he is the exception. I told Jason that I give him credit for attempting to come out in the open and have honest debate.

Of course, I have had several Hardshells send me private e-mails rather than leaving public comments in the blogs. Some of these private correspondeces developed into private debates. They all end with the Hardshells giving up, having been unable to prove their Hardshell heresies and rebut the arguments I presented against their doctrine and practice.

But, most of the public commenters do not stay to defend their accusations, but simply make their accusations and bolt. How they can defend such a practice against the teachings of scripture relative to how we are to treat one another is bewildering. Are they blind to their own faults?

I have been accused of having a vendetta against the Hardshells, that I have a deep seated hatred of them, and fervent anger against them, and that such ill motives prove that what I am saying is false. But, in response, I say that 1) assuming that they are right, my motive does not prove that my arguments and doctrinal positions are false, and 2) it is not true that I have hatred for the Hardshells.

I love the Hardshell people, but I despise their doctrine. As Jesus hated certain doctrines (see the letters to the seven churches in the Apocalypse) so should we. I hate Catholic and Islamic doctrines. I hate the doctrine of the Mormons, FreeMasons, and the New Age movement, but I love the heretics. Lots of Christians are engaged in apologetic ministries towards the members of such cults and they habitually write against their hereies. To say that all Christians in such apologetic ministries are operating out of fleshly and carnal motives is a making of sweeping and absurd accusations.

I love the Old Baptist church and simply want today's "Primitive Baptists" to see their errors, repent and reform, and become the kind of "Old Baptists" that their oldest forefathers were. Many Hardshells are woefully ignorant of their own history. I am sure that much historical information has been purposely swept under the rug and kept from the reading of the Hardshell brotherhood.

I am more "Old Baptist" than I was when I was a member and elder in the "Primitive Baptist" Church. Those who call themselves "old" or "original" Baptists today are not what they claim. They do not teach what their Baptist forefathers taught prior to the middle nineteenth century.

When I said that I hate Hardshell doctrine, I was expressing my abhorrence at their greatest heresy and of how it is anti-gospel. I am not the first to say it, but Hardshellsim is an enemy of the gospel of Christ. The gospel tells sinners that they will be damned if they do not believe in Christ and accept him as Savior and Lord, but Hardhshellism tells sinners that they will likely be saved whether they believe or not. So, anyone can see how great a danger does Hardshellism pose to the preaching of the true gospel of Christ.

What great good could the "Primitive Baptist Church" yet do for the cause of Christ and the edification of his kingdom by going back to the teachings of the real Old Baptists, of men like John Gill and Charles Spurgeon!

They will need to see their errors, confess them, and turn from them. Doing so, I firmly believe that they can yet be revived and see a great increase in glorious fruit to God. They have some very able preachers among them that could be doing far more good by returning to the true Old Baptist faith. It is my constant prayer that it will come to pass.

So, I am not surprised that some Hardshells think that I write out of anger. I think they should recognize that I have anger against their doctrines, and against their having a history of cruelly and unjustly accusing their opposers. There is such a thing as righteous indignation. Jesus became righteously angry.

I also think that many Hardshells who read my writings on Hardshellism often misinterpret strong and pointed language as a sign of anger, and of ill motives. Well, no one is perfect, certainly not I, but I say in good conscience that I have a love for the Hardshells. I had some very memorable times with them when I was with them. I would love to have fellowship with them again. But, it will never come until they become a real Old Baptist as I became.

I ask my Hardshell brethren to come here any time and have a frank and honest discussion about our differences about the Old Baptist faith and the teachings of scripture, but beg them to refrain from making ad hominem arguments and personal attacks.