Hardshell News

I went to a session of the "Bear Creek Association" of "Primitive Baptists," the association I used to be part of, this past Saturday afternoon (with my son). We got to the "Agri-Center" in Albemarle, N.C. at 2 PM. on Saturday. When we arrrived, the first preacher for the afternoon session was preaching.

There were about 250 people present for this session. I saw some faces I have not seen in many years. My ex father in law, a leading preacher in the Bear Creek Association, Elder Newell Helms (mentioned in chapter two of my book on Hardshellism) and I got to spend a good 90 minutes in private talks about my book and the several items with which it deals. He does not have a computer and so I am going to be forwarding him chapters over the next few weeks. He also wanted a copy of the Old London and Philadelphia Confessions of Faith and I am giving this to him also.

He did respond to me relative to a question I asked him (in a private letter months ago) about what were the original articles of faith or accepted confession of the Bear Creek Association and its oldest churches. He pastors High Hill Primitive Baptist Church, here in Monroe, N.C., the oldest church in this county, supposedly constituted "on a river bank" in 1784. I had asked him if they have the "original" articles. I asked also - "Have they been altered?" He could not say for sure. He affirmed that their articles, at said church, do say that all the elect will be converted. So, we talked about that point. He also admitted that the old churches embraced the Philadelphia Confession.

I will not go into further detail about our discussions, except to say they were enjoyed on both sides. Brother Helms and I always had good fellowship and discussions during the years that I was a member and minister within the Bear Creek Association. He has promised to visit me in the future at a location where I am every afternoon as part of my secular work. I do hope so.

We also spoke about Elder Charles Smith, another leading Elder in the Bear Creek Association, and who is about the same age as brother Helms (and my dad also, who is well acquainted with the above two Elders), and who was ordained at the same time and at the same church back in the 1960's.

Elder Smith came out of the Missionary Baptists. Later, after he had been a Hardshell for several years, he seemed to be going back to believing in Means (I know this from personal talks with him at that time, and he even worked with me on trying to start an independent church called "Sovereign Grace Fellowship"). He certainly was favorable to the "means" position at that time and had little to do with the Bear Creek brethren. But, he eventually went back to them and is with them now, as far as I know. I mentioned to Elder Helms how I would like to know where his mind now is on this topic. I think too that people like Brother Helms and Brother Smith ought to be very interested in reading my book, especially when it is finished. Brother Helms will get his chance to read what I have already written.

When I arrived at the afternoon session, as I said, an Elder was already preaching. I knew this preacher. His name is Elder Danny Parker. He is a few years older than I, and he started preaching just a few years before I did.

Brother Parker has always been favored with praise from the Hardshells. In his younger days, back in the "hay day" of Elder Bradley, he used to imitate Bradley in his preaching style. Everyone saw it. It was obvious. I don't know whether anyone ever mentioned to him that it was obvious or counselled him to learn to be himself and to develop his own style of preaching, but someone should have done so.

I had not seen him in many years. He seemed to be doing well, not changing all that much. His preaching was a little slower paced, with less excitement, and now more like a Sunday School lesson. What was he preaching about?

Well, he seemed to be talking about the 144,000 of the Book of Revelation. He was emphasizing the description of them that says - "they follow the Lamb withersoever he goes." He affirmed that these 144,000 were the members of the old Hardshell church! Did I not say, earlier in this book, that some of them affirm such things, and that this was evidence that they were a "cult"?

I mentioned this to Brother Helms after the afternoon session. I told him that this proves my assertion that the Hardshells are a "cult." They see themselves as the "one and onlys." Elder Parker also went further into this idea that the Old Baptist Church, the "Primitive Baptist Church," is the "elect within the elect," the ones denoted by the statement "a remnant according to the election of grace," the ones, the only ones, who "follow the Lamb withsoever he goes." What does that say about how they view themselves? Does it not show how "stand offish" they are to other inferior Christians, those who are not the "elect of the elect," or "super elect," or the "elite elect."

I asked Brother Helms - "you all are saying (by this kind of message) that you are the only ones who follow Christ where ever he goes"! You all are the only ones persevering! (And they, the Conditionalist faction, do not even give God the credit for their persevering, but to their own 'free will'!)

One preacher from the Powell's Valley Association (the infamous association referred to earlier in my book) was present, although I cannot recall his name. He preached, if you can call it that. He was what has been called a "hiccup preacher," one who had an "uh" after every breath he took in preaching. It does sound like a "hiccup." This is an old traditional form of preaching in many circles, both presently and historically, and already alluded to earlier in my book under chapter two and "personal experiences," and one that is not very pleasing to the ears of most people. It is like trying to understand an auctioneer. One has to strain to get an idea of what is being said.

The other two preachers were dry as toast. There was no exhortations to the unsaved, even though there was good opportunity for doing so when certain passages of scripture were cited. There was no excitement and manifested joy over the riches of the gospel. Sad to say, it was like being in the midst of a valley of dry bones.

Elder Guy Hunt was there from the Mt. Zion Association of Alabama. He is a former Governor of that state. I was told that he has cancer and is taking treatments, but that the prognosis is not good. I do hope the Lord has mercy upon him.

Elder Helms and I also talked awhile about Elder Bradley and his "movement" and how most Primitive Baptist today will not fellowship with him. He named the leading Elders who were with Bradley. I told him about my recent attempted correspondence with him. He basically said "typical Elder Bradley." For sure. He thought that Elder Bradley may be going back to a belief in gospel means. Is that so? If I find out, I will be happy to post it here. Why doesn't Bradley just not come out now for himself and tell us all?