131 thoughts on “Reader-Submitted Photo: The Hyles Manual”

    2. I’ve seen this book in person before, just trying to remember where. It may have been on my parents’ shelf. I know they had other books by Hyles.

  6. From the introduction:

    “Who needs the Holy Spirit when you can coerce bus kids and guilt everyone else to come humbly and sit at your feet.” -Page 4

  10. “How to Succeed in the Pulpit Without Really Trying”
    I think they made that chapter into a Musical didn’t they?

    Chapter 1. Pulpiteering for Fun and Profit.
    Chapter 2. How to hide your secretary.
    chapter 3. Cover-ups made easy.

    3. Chapter Four: manipulating your deacon board into a group of docile yes men. Chapter Five: making a church business meeting your 1-2-3 tool for rubber-stamping your wishes.

      1. That paragraph is absolutely classic.

        (In case there are one or two readers who don’t know what we’re talking about, check out some of the 4,930 hits I got on the search words “Jack Hyles adultery”:
        http://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8#sclient=psy&hl=en&site=webhp&source=hp&q=jack+hyles+adultery&rlz=1R2GGLL_en&aq=5&aqi=g10&aql=&oq=Jack+Hyles+&psj=1&fp=c54a387f1a6b9521

        The story’s too long and obscene to tell here, but there’s plenty there.)

  14. This is THE book at HAC. There was a class called “Church Education.” Preacher boys had to take it every semester. At the time I was there, it was taught by Jack Schaap and Ray Young. You almost had to memorize that book.Eight semesters of the same thing continuously repeated.

      1. My most vivid memory of that class was when we were discussing the equipping of the baptistry dressing rooms. A preacher boy had the audacity to ask if it would be OK to put shower curtains on the men’s stalls like we were told to do for the women’s. Dr. Young came totally unhinged, screaming stuff like “So you think your more holy than Dr. Hyles! Why don’t you start your own college and write your own manual…..ect…”

        1. Wait–you mean the great and holy Dr. Hyles didn’t approve on shower curtains on the men’s stalls?

    2. It’s basically the same thing at WCBC. Used to be Criswells Guidebook for Pastors. Now it’s “Spiritual Leadership” by Paul W Chappell. Gag me.

    3. In the dark ages when I was there, ladies still had to take one semester of Church Ed, and once a week Jim Vineyard, that racist oaf, taught it. the church manual was not used at all. It was just menagawd up there blathering, in the old chapel. Which later became a bowling alley. Sigh. Someone pass the mental rewind eraser…

  20. So I am the guy in the pic but wanted to put a disclaimer on the photo….1 It is not my book. 2. I found this book in a friends office. 3. The book is very comical. Thanks for posting it Darrell, I hope everyone enjoys it.

  22. “If you’re ever alone in a public place with an unbeliever, make sure to strike up a conversation. Offer to pray for them and then lead them, line by line down the Roman Road”

    – On evangelism.

  24. Chapter 1 “How To Get People To Worship You”

    Chapter 2 “How To Get Away With Adultery”

    Chapter 3 “How To Inflate The Number Of Souls Saved”

    Chapter 4 “How To Help Your Staff Escape Justice For Sexual Crimes”

    Chapter 5 “How To Vilify Those Who Speak Out Against People Worshiping You, Your Adultery, Inflating The Number Of Souls Saved And Helping Your Staff Escape Justice For Sexual Crimes”

    1. I can’t believe what I just read in this manual regarding how to teach Sunday School…

      “Then we discuss at this annual course how to present a lesson. We teach our teachers to present the lesson only from the Bible. We teach them to seek limited participation from the pupil. For example, we never say, “What do you think about verse 2?” Why, they may think ten minutes about verse 2. Consequently, we seek limited participation. Ask questions that demand only a one-word answer or a very brief answer-a fill in the blank, a multiple choice, or some other question, or some other type presentation that will require participation, yet on a limited scale.”

      Translation:

      “We must never allow any individual to come up with, or share their own ideas about anything because the will undoubtedly be wrong. Ask only questions that require a “Yes, I agree.”

        1. You’re not kidding. Classes like this put me to sleep. Teacher: Who was the lesson about? Answer: Joseph. Teacher: What did his dad give him? Answer: A coat. Teacher: How did his brothers act? Answer: Angry and jealous.

          This is the lowest level of question, requiring the least participation and mental growth. This is sad. I’m not surprised, but it’s a shame.

        2. And keep the teacher from thinking too. Did you read his description of the weekly teachers and officers meeting all teachers are required to attend? The pastor spends twenty minutes teaching that week’s lesson to the teachers, and then, to make sure nobody risks any actual thinking, the officers take each department/class aside and spend twenty more minutes telling the teachers how the lesson applies to the age group that teacher teaches. Amazing! How demeaning and controlling for the poor teachers. (Also, since he mentioned that in his annual training he tells teachers to start studying the lesson on Monday and to read the Bible passage at least seven times before Sunday, it brings up the question, why should they? If he’s just going to tell them what to say, they don’t need to do any preparation, seems to me.)

      5. The MoG at my ex-church held a meeting with the SS teachers and told us that we should gear our lessons to be understood by the simplest person in the class. That explained a lot of his sermons.

        1. When we were looking for a pastor at the old fundy bunker I was actually told by another pulpit committee member that we needed someone who could preach to the least educated person in the congregation. I guess there is no need to grow and be challenged in the word, “‘jes c’mon in a sit a spell, no need to worry none we won”t use words that have mor’in two syllables in ’em. Hooo-weee! But we’ll git ennertained, from that Jack-in-the-Puplit! Jes’ wind ‘im up and let ‘er rip! Yee-haw! That’ll be sum toe stompin’, and aisle runnin’, Baptistry Divin’, preachin’ fer shure! Hayy-men?” 😯 🙄 🙁

  29. The book jacket shows evidence of a lot of use. Obviously, the book has been passed around quite a bit. May I ask, “Is there a test to measure ones understanding of the book.”

        4. Nevertheless he still had his legion of minions who were “100% For Hyles” or whatever that button people wore said. It would be great if someone out there had one and send a picture to Darrell. That could be whole new posting by itself.

        5. Thanks for the link. I actually took the time to read the whole thing–tiring as that was. I’ve been really interested in reading about Hyles lately since my dad is very loyal HAC grad. At times it seemed like I was reading about him and not Jack Hyles; a lot of things during my growing up years makes sense now. 😐

          Do you believe the charges are true? It would seem to be from the way he evades most of them in his replies.

        6. As public as it was, and as you said Hyles’ evasiveness in answering directly I would have said it was most probably true. But what iced it for me was Judy Nischik Johnson’s letter. This is first-hand testimony of what took place in her home growing up and she was terrified of Jack and what he was able to do. I believe that the half has not been told and the darkest side may never see the light of day. I thought it was interesting that the term Mafia was used regarding the cultlike atmosphere at Hammond.

        7. So many people have testified to parts of the story or all of it, and no one has really seriously refuted any of it, that I am convinced everything we’ve heard, and more, is true.

  32. I am not insulting the guy in the photo, but he kind of reminds me of the Blues Brothers with the black suit and tie. He could sing “I’m a soul winning man.” 🙂

    1. Ha! Def not wearing a suit and tie in this pic, just trying to stay warm with 30 feet of snow outside! I could photoshop in a pair of sunglasses if you would like????

        1. I just took it the other day. I am a Student Pastor for a non-fundy church. It was in our music guys office and I saw it on the shelf high above where no book ever returns from. He went to TTU back in the day and says he keeps the book around just to remind himself how far he has come and also if any church problems come about he says he can go to the book and find out WWJHD? (What Would Jack Hyles Do?)

        1. It refers to an earlier post about stories Dr Hyles told about soul-winning…. look for earlier entries.

  42. Now watch what you say
    Or they´ll be calling you a radical
    A liberal, oh fanatical, criminal
    Oh won´t you sign up your name
    We´d like to feel you´re
    Acceptable, respectable, oh presentable, a vegetable!
    – Roger Hodgson

    1. I think they are arrainged in an Acrostic: “Behind the Green Door” 😈 🙄
      (Google it for the reference: apply to the secret door in his office leading to his secretary’s office for full explanation.) 😯

  46. “Kool-Aid and the thousands that want to drink it.”

    “When manipulation works better than the Holy Spirit.”

    “Obeying the two great commandments: Love yourself above all and love Jenni”

    “How to make your rules look like they came from the Bible.”

    “Keeping women in their place.”

    “Quadrinity: The Original Three Plus Jack” – This is the best I got

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