You have to come from a very, very specific background for this particular letter on the firing of a Heartland Baptist teacher to make any sense. And the fact that I actually understand it makes me question my own sanity.
Also, when did we start putting periods between the letters of KJV?
This really honestly makes me sad but also happy for him. I knew both Mike and his wife while my husband and I attended HBBC. They were both sweet and loving and full of honest to goodness grace which was a rarity at HBBC. He was my husband’s favourite teacher because he encouraged students to actually think, not just fill in the blanks.
Alright…I’m confused. Was this particular incident the letter references over the italicized words or is the hovertext a joke?
(I’m new here so forgive my inability to grasp the satire/sarcasm in some of the posts)
I sat under Mike Blythe as he taught me at HBBC. He was a great instructor. He was speaking in a Greek class when he stated that there were errors in the KJV and TR. When questioned about the statements (which I believe we’re recorded by a student), he admitted to making the statements but also apologized and stated that these statements were not his beliefs.
His statements were clearly against the believes of the school, and agreed to resign as a staff member of HBBC.
Nothing but good things have ever been said about the Blythes and their incredible contribution to the school. And I stand behind Sam Davison’s decision to ask Mike Blthe to step down.
I personally know all these people and been under this ministry for decades. No one knows the real reason for this resignation possibly not Mike himself. Other KJV iffy pastors have been ushered into this church with open arms along with other more scandalous questionable reputations while guys like mike get the boot for reasons unexplained. No explanations are ever given for decisions made. And no one is permitted to question openly for fear of the same thing happening to them, although everyone does through gossip and speculation which is perfectly acceptable. There are severe control issues at the top of the food chain and it is heavily steped in politics, and i imagine most of these obscure and mysterious punishments have more to do with political security than with purity. It is expected that certain issues be dealt with harshly, but if a thing is thought to be somewhat covert, then we can show “charity and grace” but mostly its about covering our hide. What they (the powers that be) don’t realize is that it’s all naked and open in the eyes of the Lord (and the people) and that we all see what’s going on. These political inconsistencies undermine everything that is true and good because they are done for political advantage and not for love or purity. Mike may be the devil or he may be the saint in this case. The only way to know would be to find the student that recorded the statements and hear it for ourselves, which will NEVER happen. But i can tell you, Sam Davison has had the opportunity to come down with judgment on very blatant blastings of the KJV in the past on at least 3 occasions that i know of personally and has chose to look the other way. Perhaps out of regret he is now being more firm, or perhaps he is only moved by politics. Its impossible to say. But the inconsistencies are very damning. This behavior makes it hard to identify yourself as a Christian because it is so against Christ. I apologize on behalf of Baptists. We are a bunch of jerks. I do think that Sam Davison is unaware that he is politically motivated. I think he believes that he is here on this earth to defend the truth against all of us. Love and justice are not compatible ideals and so he swerves between the two hoping he’ll be right, and the convienient politics at the time makes the choosing easier. Politics is the art of choosing the right people to be happy. There is always an unhappy element. You want the unhappy ones to be the unimportant ones. I guess it must be pretty great to be important.
I just remembered this happening in my fundy church. My fundy church pastor hired an awesome man to be his assistant pastor. Everybody literally lived this man and his family. He was/is Hispanic and had always had a mustache. Even his wife had never seen him without a mustache. One of the conditions of him being hired was that he shave his mustache which he did. After I escaped this church, I heard that he had been asked to leave. No explanation was given and the church wad told to accept it and not ask questions.
Quite a few people left because of that and eventually went to guys new church.
I lost a ton of respect for my fundy pastor that day.
Yeah…. That’s messed up.
“It is expected that certain issues be dealt with harshly, but if a thing is thought to be somewhat covert, then we can show “charity and grace” but mostly its about covering our hide.”
Having been “on the inside” for several years, I agree completely! I know of several situations where people were “forgiven” too soon, and that opened the door for several sex scandals among the staff & one embezzlement. I felt that preserving the “testimony” of the church & college was more important to the leadership than insuring that actual justice was served. In at least 2 situations, law enforcement should have been called. (The other 2 involved affairs between consenting adults – not cool for a church staff member, but not illegal as far as I know.) They prefer to handle situations internally to protect the “cause of Christ” – and conveniently, that also preserves the reputation of the church and/or college.
I don’t know Mike Blythe well, as I left the church/college not long after his family arrived, but liked what I did know of him. I wish him & his family the best, & hope he is able to find a new job in a less judgmental atmosphere!
Not knowing anything regarding the two “situations where law enforcement should have been called”, and since YOU have “been “on the inside” for several years” why didn’t YOU call law enforcement?
If you have knowledge of illegal activities and choose to do nothing, then you are just as guilty.
Statute of Limitations….. by the time I realized that the cops *should* have been called, it was too late. I checked. 🙁
Yup. All ‘smoke and mirrors’. Went to HBBC and attended Mike Blythe’s Greek class. So glad I am out.