Evangelist Stephen Shutt

Dear Mr. Vogel,

I received your email “An open letter to Independent Fundamental Baptists.” Since I am an Independent Fundamental Baptist I assumed that it generally pertained to me. Then I noticed that it was addressed to me personally, “Jerry Callaghan.” So, I read with interest and anticipation knowing that the contents of your email not only pertained to me generally but personally as well.

After wading through numerous monotonous, mundane and meaningless personal illustrations I thought to myself, “What is this man trying to say? Why does he think I, let alone all Independent Fundamental Baptist, would care what he has to say?” I thought, “Perhaps he wants us to know that he has a mom.” Then I said, “Stink, everybody has a mom. That’s not so important to address an email to all Independent Fundamental Baptist.” Then I thought, “Perhaps, maybe he wants to impress us with the fact that he was in the Marine Corp in Viet Nam or that he had relatives that couldn’t get along with each other.” I said, “Nah, that can’t be it.” Then, the more I read, Tom, the more I felt as if I was being lectured.

Tom, I don’t know who you are. I heard that you were a school teacher or something at one time and I believe you’re now an administrator at a Bible College. I do know this. I know that you are very arrogant in thinking that I or any other Independent Baptist pastor would care about anything you had to say. Tom, what makes you think you have the right to chide and scold me, a pastor of an Independent Baptist Church and lecture me concerning Christian ethics? Tom, you need to stick to what you do best…force-feeding naïve, immature Bible College students who can’t speak out against their error-laden teacher.

From several statements in your email, Tom, it seems to me that you are very immature and juvenile in your interpretation and application of Christian ethics. And since you feel compelled to lecture me, I thought that I would reciprocate.

Your pastor is the one who brought this issue to a public forum. If he wants to teach the members of First Baptist Church of Hammond, IN that the King James Bible is not the inspired Word of God, as an Independent Baptist pastor, he has every right in the world to do so. But when he teaches in a public forum, like Pastor’s School, and writes statements in a book and circulates articles in a publication sent to non-FBC members, then he has opened himself up to public criticism and rebuke. And, by the way, Tom, your pastor is not being attacked. The King James Bible is being defended by concerned Independent Baptist Pastors from assaults by your pastor!

Tom, I received a bachelor’s degree in Business and Management from the University of South Alabama in 1976. In 1978 I enrolled in Hyles-Anderson College. In the four years that I attended Hyles-Anderson College I earned a Bachelor of Religious Education degree and a Master of Education degree with an emphasis in Pastoral Theology. In 1998 I received an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree, one of the last honorary doctorates that was personally given out by Bro. Hyles. I think that qualifies me to be an alumnus of Hyles-Anderson College. And as an alumnus of Hyles-Anderson College I am very concerned with what is being taught by the present Chancellor of my beloved Alma Mater.

Tom, are you saying that when the Chancellor of the college from which I graduated makes a statement in one of his books that when we take the Lord’s Supper we are having sex with Jesus, that it is none of my business, I am to ignore the statement and not speak out against it? Are you saying that if I can’t say anything nice about a person who teaches that the Holy Spirit can become confused and depressed I’m to say nothing at all? Are you saying that when a pastor who invites my teenagers to his Youth Conference, my ladies to his Women’s Spectacular, my students to his Bible College and my members to his Pastor’s School teaches that my God is not powerful enough to preserve the inspiration of the Scriptures that I’m being mean-spirited if I “cry aloud and spare not?” Tom, that’s absurd and every Hyles-Anderson graduate owes it to their alma mater to speak out against these heresies and the one who is perpetuating them. And if you or any other administrator of the college had any guts, you’d speak out against it too!

Tom, am I being critical of your pastor? Am I lifting up my hand against God’s anointed? If that’s how you interpret my actions then I’m in some pretty good company. The Apostle Paul was not afraid to speak out against Peter when his hypocrisy and false teaching caused Barnabas and others to go astray. “But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all…” Galatians 2:11, 14. When John MacArthur made the heretical statement that “it was the death of Christ that redeems us, not His blood,” Bro. Hyles spoke out against him and his heresy. Also, when Jerry Falwell began to associate and socialize with Charismatics and neo Evangelicals, Bro. Hyles Mr. Tom Vogel was not afraid to speak out publicly against him.

Were these two men, the Apostle Paul and Bro. Hyles, being critical of other men of God? Were they being mean-spirited? Were they just not getting along? Now I guess you’re more spiritual than the Apostle Paul, Tom. I guess you’re more righteous than Bro. Hyles. No, the fact of the matter is, Tom, these men were more concerned about standing up for the truth than you are. These men were just fulfilling their responsibility as prophets of God, something that you obviously know very little about.

Tom, you cannot convince me for one second that Bro. Hyles would be in agreement with the present teachings, philosophies and actions of Jack Schaap if he were alive. Bro. Hyles said that he would spend the latter part of his life promoting and defending the King James Bible, which he did. The only thing that Jack Schaap has done recently is to cast doubt upon it. If you would read his book, “The Need For An Every Word Bible” and not alter it like Jack Schaap did, you would be convinced that Bro. Hyles believed in the preserved inspiration of the King James Bible. If you would listen to his sermon, “Keep Your Stinking Feet Out Of My Drinking Water” you would know that Bro. Hyles believed that it was more than just the best translation for the English speaking people. But I guess it is obvious that the present administration is more concerned with adopting the philosophies of the pastor and Chancellor that inherited the church and college instead of perpetuating the truth and honoring the memory of the one who built them.

Tom, next time you feel compelled to write an open letter to Independent Fundamental Baptist don’t be so arrogant to assume that everyone is interested in you or your experiences. And by all means, don’t try to justify your position with Scriptural applications. You appear very foolish and immature.

Just add my name, Tom, to the expanding and growing list of dissenters of the present administration of Hyles-Anderson College. As long as Jack Schaap is the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Hammond, IN and Chancellor of Hyles-Anderson College and as long as his position on the King James Bible is the official position of FBC and HAC, I cannot, in good conscience, recommend any student, mine or otherwise, to attend Hyles-Anderson College. With that said, I think I’m going to go to the house and have me some chocolate cake and milk with my sweetie. Ummm…good!

Lovingly your friend,

Dr. J. Michael Callaghan
Pastor

ARLINGTON BAPTIST CHURCH
6382 ARLINGTON BLVD.
RICHMOND, CALIFORNIA 94805
(510) 233-2556