Hardshell "Silence Speaks Loud"

I have been writing against Hardshellism for about fifteen years, although I made, about thirty two years ago, a set of three videos in Pasadena, Texas on the history and heresies of Hardshellism along with Bob L. Ross (owner of Pilgrim Publications, and author of several able books, and apologist debater). They are available on YouTube (via Larry Wessels who directed the videos and runs "CAnswersTV", and who also has many more educational videos on YouTube; See here, here, here). 

During the past fifteen years I have had little interaction with today's "Primitive Baptists" or "Hardshells" on this blog or on two other of my blogs, "The Baptist Gadfly" and "The Hardshell Baptist Cult" (see links on this page). Most of the comments have been simply denunciations and anathemas, with little to no discussion, "hit and run tactics" and "pot shots" or "cheap shots" I have called them. Only one Hardshell Baptist has ventured to have an ongoing written discussion with me or Kevin, and that was when I first began this blog (devoted to help "Primitive Baptists" or Hardshells see their errors), shortly after writing for a year or so in the Baptist Gadfly blog. You can find this back and forth discussion in the archives of this blog for the first year, and is with Jason Brown.

So, after thinking about this fact, a saying entered into my mind, one that said "silence sometimes speaks loud (or loudly)." That is so true. An interesting oxymoron too. It is what I put in the heading of this post. Think about when your spouse is not speaking to you much, giving you the "silent treatment," don't you think that such silence speaks loudly? When someone is silent, when at a time and situation where silence is not at all expected, people are curious as to why (what that may mean). We could give many more instances where silence was loud. There are numerous web pages that give lists of examples where silence is striking, curious, and revealing.

Think of the time when Christ was silent as he was led as a dumb (silent) lamb to the slaughter. Is that not highly unusual? Would not everyone be loud rather than silent? With few exceptions, as Christ was? What does it say to us when we see the silence of Christ at the time of his trial, torturing, and crucifixion? Think of this time when Christ was emphatically said to be silent. The record says:

"But He kept silent and did not offer any answer. Again the high priest was questioning Him, and said to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” (Mark 14: 61 (nasb); See also Matt. 23: 63)

This was in fulfillment of the prophecy of Christ by Isaiah, who wrote:

"He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth." (Isa. 53: 7 nkjv)

Another example of loud silence is seen in the instance when a woman was brought to Christ by the Pharisees who had been caught in adultery and the Pharisees put Christ on the spot about what to do with her. The record says:

"Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear." (John 8: 3-6 nkjv)

He stopped down and wrote on the ground as if he were ignoring them, being not quick to answer, remaining silent for awhile. His initial silence spoke loudly.

Surely condemned men will be silenced in the day of judgment. They will be left speechless when their guilt has been proven. Even now such is often the case when men of God confront false teachers, whom they by powerful argument from scripture stop their mouths. (See Titus 1: 11 nkjv) At that time they will do as Job did when being tried by Lord God. Job says: “Behold, I am vile; What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth." (Job 40: 4 nkjv) Said the apostle Paul:

"Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. " (Rom. 3: 19 nkjv)

So, what does the silence of the Hardshells tell us? Father said to me once, in regard to when your opponents in debate ignore many of your arguments, remaining silent, that such reveals that they cannot answer them. If Hardshells really cared for my soul, or the souls of those who they think are being led astray by our writings against them, why do they keep silent? If their arguments for their peculiar beliefs are so clearly seen in scripture, why not come here and instruct us? 

In conclusion we say that the silence of the Hardshells speaks loudly. It ironically says a lot. I recall a time years ago when I met Elder Charles Smith in our local Walmart store. He was a "Primitive Baptist" elder who I was once a close friend to when I was an ordained minister in the Bear Creek Association. I wrote about our short discussion (here). I asked Charles whether Muslims were born again and saved? He did not answer, and his silence spoke loudly. 

Through the years I have asked many rhetorical questions of the Hardshells and very few have been given a reply. For instance, two posts or chapters in "The Hardshell Baptist Cult" are titled "Hardshell Busters" and have 355 questions. (See here and here) In many other postings I have asked many other questions of my Hardshell brothers and have received almost total silence. 

This phenomenon we may also call the "sound of silence" as in the famous song of Simon and Garfunkle.

What think ye?

“But the Lord is in his holy temple;

let all the earth keep silence before him!”

(Habakkuk 2:20)