David Baker: A Sad Story in the Independent Fundamental Baptist World

Recently, a video popped up on Youtube on suggested feeds, apparently brought up because a few days earlier, I had watched a news cast about a Fundamental Baptist pastor who shot himself. I’d never seen the channel and frankly, seldom watch the channels dealing with the issues within the Independent Fundamental Baptist world.

The video that was suggested caught my attention because it featured the man who had brought his life to an unfortunate end. It was a video podcast on a channel produced and featuring David Baker, the Fundamental pastor who’d shot himself in a local hospital in Tennessee. It was an interview Baker had done that appeared to be about a year old, probably done in 2023, featuring David Baker and David Hyles, the son of Jack Hyles. The essence of the show was to debunk the allegations made by Linda Hyles, David’s sister, against her father, Jack Hyles in a nationally aired video presentation she made several years ago.

David Hyles – a persuasive man

David Hyles begins the interview by an assertion that he’d never seen the video and only knew its contents by a list of allegations provided him by Baker. Frankly, that put some flags up in my mind as to David Hyles’ credibility. It runs too contrary to human nature. So, already into the interview I was skeptical as to his credibility, and my knowledge of his history didn’t do him any favors.

David Hyles proved himself to be extremely adept at arguing the case against Linda, to wit, that she had either lied, or had stretched the truth, or was ignorant of the truth. His skills of persuasion are top tier. I have no way of evaluating his sincerity insofar as his comments of loving his sister and reaching out to her, as he did in the video, so I take them at face value and assume that he was sincere, with some skepticism for reason already stated, plus my knowledge of some of his history.

I have to admit, he did make a credible case. I already knew some of the facts regarding ownership and values of properties, etc., which was discussed by the two men as a result of some rather extensive research I’d done years ago when I did my book Fundamental Seduction.  And, he did his rebuttal of her testimony in a respectful, decent fashion. He displayed a measure of class. There was nothing mean-spirited in the dialog. While I don’t buy all his rationales and definitely not all of his facts about certain things, he was credible. Moreover, David Hyles reached out to Linda to mend the sibling relationship. That appealed to me. Whether it was genuine or not, only God and David knows for sure, but I think that absent any evidence otherwise, one has to accept his overtures to his sister as genuine. I guess the only “flags” up in my mind is why this would not have been something he’d have done in person at their mom’s funeral, plus for the reasons already stated.  One thing for certain is that David Hyles possesses his dad’s abilities of persuasion, and in some ways, is better than even Jack was at bending minds in his direction.

David Baker & Son vs Calvinism

So, I watched the video, then went back to doing some work. While I’m working, the tv is still on and it then automatically rotated over to another Youtube video. I wasn’t paying attention until I realized it was another David Baker video. This time he was interviewing his son. The topic was Calvinism and they are going through it’s features (TULIP), showing how the Calvin doctrine is biblical error. As I watched, I began to get a deeper sense of the horror of the David Baker suicide that his family is experiencing. I feel so bad for that son. He is wrestling with a pain that will diminish over time, but will never really go away. It will affect him in ways that he, his siblings, his mother, and his family, cannot know at this point. As I watched the podcast with Baker’s son, I began to feel the anger in me rising because I know the roots of this calamity.

Jack Hyles & Independent Fundamental Baptists (IFB)

Some of you are no doubt mentally shouting “Jack Hyles!” Sorry, but Jack Hyles was not the root. Stay with me and I’ll make the case.

I spent nearly 20 years in the hallowed halls of the Independent Fundamental Baptist (IFB) world. Prior to that, I was in a Conservative Baptist church, and after my stint with First Baptist Church in Hammond, Indiana under Jack Hyles, I have spent another 27 years in a General Association of Regular Baptists (GARB) church. So, much of my life has been in the Baptist world. And yes, I’m an “older” saint for sure. My expectations are to remain in my current Baptist church for the remainder of my life.

I mention this only to show that I have the credentials to make the statements I’m going to make in this piece. When I’m done, I believe I can explain why men like David Baker are so vulnerable to sexual failures and too often, fall into traps as he did and become victims of Satan.

David Baker: Decent Man or….?

I’m sure David Baker, for much, perhaps most of his life, was a decent man. But apparently, there came a time when Baker was lured to the “dark side.” We may exclaim, with horror, how it is possible for a so-called man of God to ever consider moving into the darker side of life? Most of us who’ve lived awhile on this planet, understand how that is possible. Most men I know have had opportunities to move into the shadows, and some have in fact moved into those shadows. I’ve known some of them. Some have escaped. Some have not. And some, like Baker, wake up in the darkness and realize the horror story they have written for themselves and in which they now star.

For some, like David Baker, they decide to write themselves out of the drama. The horror is too overwhelming for them to accept.

I don’t know the details of the allegations made against Baker. Suffice it to say, his suicide lends credence to the truth of the allegations. Now, it might be that he felt he could not defend himself and refused to go down that road, i.e., being charged and found guilty of something he had not done. That’s certainly a possibility. I cannot say more since I don’t know the allegations, don’t know if there is a “history” of any kind, and so I have to leave it where it lies.

So, this piece is based, in part, on my belief that the allegations were, more or less, true, whatever they were. The allegations were based on a serious moral failure of a sexual nature, on his part, which apparently was serious enough to be criminal in nature.

Moral Failure Rampant in the IFB Baptist World

Now, most of us who have lived awhile on this planet have done things that later, we’ve slapped ourselves on our foreheads and angrily shouted, “Stupid! How could I have been so stupid?” Fortunately, for most of us, our stupidity doesn’t land us in jail. But, we have all done things we regret. Some of those things are never known by anyone but us, but some “stupid” things that we do have consequences and do  become known. There are a ton of broken marriages to demonstrate that and a slew of bankruptcies to make that case.

However, immoral sexual acts are demonstrably common within the Baptist world. It isn’t just the Independent Fundamental Baptist (IFB) world, though it exists there and some would say has been, for decades, “rampant.” It is a sin that the Apostle Paul admonished should not be named “once” amongst us ( Eph. 5:3). It is a sin, and sometimes a crime, that is not unique to the IFB.

However, it is because of the lack of biblical teachings in the Baptist world, in large part, and in particular the Independent Fundamental Baptist world, that the David Baker case is all too common. There are 3 areas in which the Baptist world, in general (there are some exceptions), set up men like Baker to fail and cause them to be essentially defenseless before Satanic forces.

#1. Failure to Emphasize the Demonic Presence

In the Baptist world, we’ve gotten so paranoid of being identified with the Charistmatics, we’ve abandoned certain truths found in Scripture. We know certain truths about Satan and demons exist, but it’s almost as if we’re afraid to talk about it publicly, and certainly never to preach on the matter. A pastor may read the verse or quote it about Satan going about “as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1. Pe. 5:8), but typically it’s a warning without an exegesis, without an extended or expanded exhortation on how to defend against that stalking beast and his band of demonic jackals.

Today, it seems most Baptist pastors are afraid to stand in their pulpit and talk about demons. Sad.

In my decades of Baptist life, I have never heard a single sermon that was constructed so as to (a) warn the Christian man and woman of the demonic stalking them; and, (b) to cause those Christians to appreciate the serious danger they were exposed to, particularly the danger of a moral lapse; and (c) how to defend against demonic sexual assaults (that really is what they are—attacks to the mind); and (d) how to maintain an impregnable defense against these attacks.

Not one. I’ve heard bits and pieces, stuff here and there tossed into a sermon much as a cook would toss in a little garlic for flavor, or sprinkle some cheese on one’s spaghetti. But, never once in the Baptist churches I’ve attended have I ever heard a full-blown sermon devoted to strengthening of a man or woman against the sexual assaults these demonic forces are making against the minds of Christians. Indeed, the only sermons I’ve heard which have addressed these kinds of issues were done by the now deceased Charles Stanley (see the sermon below for a good example). I am sure there are some other Baptist pastors out there who have done such sermons. But, in my experience, these are not done in most Baptist churches and absolutely not done in the IFB world.

Look, I’ve had some attacks by this sinister being we call Satan, or at least one of his higher-up minions. And, I’ve had some attacks by demonic forces. I can tell you this much from my experiences: these attacks are powerful. And, they don’t always have to do with sex. Trust me when I tell you, there are demons out there whose specialty is bringing anger to murderous rage. These invisible entities can be, to the ignorant Christian, an overwhelming force when they attack. They can be absolutely destructive. They can wipe out a Christian’s life  and strip it as bare as Helene did with certain parts of North Carolina. They’ve destroyed ministries, marriages, reputations, and totally ruined lives, Also, they are relentless. Unless one understands how to truly withstand the attacks of the enemy, a Christian under demonic attack stands a good chance of going down for the proverbial count.

The sad reality is, and has been for many decades, most Baptists   today don’t even recognize when they are being attacked by demonic forces. And perhaps worse, often their Baptist pastors ascribe the failure of a church member, or a fellow Baptist pastor, as a failure  to do enough soul winning, or they didn’t pray enough, or…well, fill in the blank. They never seem to think they (the pastor) had any part in that failure because of their failure to train their people to defend themselves.

And, the pastors never consider that their system is fatally flawed.

#2. Failure to Address the Danger of Pornography

Once again, over the years, I’ve heard snippets where a pastor would, in passing, toss the word out and a kind of “beware” sprinkled into the message. But, I’ve never heard a sermon on it. I’ve never heard a pastor use the story of David and Bathsheba to illustrate how the looking upon nudity by a man, as one does with pornography, can inflame the mind into committing adultery. Or, in the case of many Christian men, a sexual act which ends up being a crime. David’s sin is often addressed in sermons. I’ve heard that story hundreds of times over the years. But, no pointed, hard-nosed, biblical-based messages on the danger of pornography and how to avoid that trap. Again, it’s sprinkled into a message like cheese on spaghetti.

Recently, I did an article on the danger of pornography. In my research, I was stunned to read that over half of the nation’s pastors frequently viewed porn! Incredible! It had me shaking my head in disbelief. Is that why there is no preaching against the subject amongst Baptist pastors?

I’m beginning to wonder.

#3. Failure to Teach/Preach on How to Walk in the Spirit

The Apostle Paul told the Galatians that if they wanted to be moral, wanted to be spiritual and not fall victim to their lusts, their fleshly nature, there was only one solution: walk in the Spirit. He said, “Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16). Reverse that and you can conclude: “Walk in the flesh, and you WILL fulfill the lusts of the flesh.”

Excepting for Charles Stanley, I’ve never heard a Baptist pastor preach on this subject. How sad. I am sure there are Baptist pastors out there who do preach on that subject, but I don’t think there are many. It should be as regular a topic within the IFB world as soul-winning.

So, when I see a sad story like David Baker, I know immediately what happened. David Baker became a victim of ignorance of the enemy and his reliance in the teachings he’d received by a man he trusted implicitly. He trusted Jack Hyles with his life—his spiritual life. As a result, Baker failed to recognize how vulnerable he was to demonic forces. He failed to understand how powerful these forces were. He failed to understand how they can plant images and thoughts into one’s mind. (You don’t believe that? He put words in Peter’s mind –Matt. 16:23)

Baker did not understand how demons can inflame the mind with sexual thoughts and images. And, if you add to such an attack, a man who has not been taught to walk in the Spirit, you have a recipe for disaster. You have a man depending on his moral strength. You have a man depending on his will power. You have a man depending on his ability to always make correct moral choices.

In the David Baker case, here was a man walking as a blind man into a nightmare from which there is no return. You have a man resisting Satanic forces on his own. The admonitions of Ephesians 6:10-18 are tissue-paper metaphors without (1) true appreciation of the power of the enemy; and (2) without true understanding of how to wear the armor of protection. Baker’s battle with demonic forces was akin to a man showing up to fight an adversary, only to discover the use of his weapons and armor was beyond his abilities and knowledge. You can have the most powerful weapon on the planet, but if you don’t know how to use it, that weapon may as well not exist. And, if you know about an enemy, but you (1) underestimate his power; and (2) fail to recognize his presence, then you are doomed.

David Baker was a sitting duck for Satan and I blame the Independent Fundamental Baptist world and its mindset for his failure.

There’s a plethora of Independent Fundamental Baptist (IFB) men scattered around the country, and in our prisons, who could testify about their own ignorance and what it cost them.

So, I’m angry, and so saddened, because the Baker catastrophe that has rocked the real and spiritual world of that family, and which had already rocked the family of an alleged victim, could have been prevented. Not for naught did Paul admonish that this kind of thing (immorality) should not be “once named” amongst the saints. Not once.  And, in the IFB world, we see it again and again and again and again. Where does it stop, guys? It rests on your shoulders. You will answer to God, you know, for these failures. “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment” (James 3:1). And, do not forget Hebrews 13:17: “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.”

The failure of Baker and the blame for the Baker saga rests not just on him and his choices. It also rests upon the shoulders of the Independent Fundamental Baptist (IFB) world, and Jack Hyles in particular. (Assuming, Jack is in heaven, where I truly hope he is, he is nodding his head in agreement with what I’ve said.) Now, I realize this piece will enrage much, if not most, and perhaps all of the IFB world, particularly the pastors. Deja vue.

For the Family of David Baker

If you read this, don’t judge him too harshly. Did he do something wrong, something so terrible that he felt he could not face what he did? It appears so. But, unless he admitted it to you, the law presumes his innocence. You should keep that presumption unless you know absolutely, otherwise. Realize that stress affects different people in different ways. The stress of it all may have sent him into a deep depression. You cannot know for certain that his actions indicate his guilt. Give him the benefit of the doubt. You owe him that, unless you know for sure, otherwise. His actions have wounded you. Deeply. However, do not allow Satan to have more victory that he already has achieved. Do not turn away from God or somehow blame God for this. Blame Satan.

And, you must keep it all in perspective. Recall that King David did worse. He actually murdered a man over his desire for a woman not his wife. But, God still used him, and even used him to write some of the Bible…after his great sin. God did not overlook his sin. He paid a heavy price for his sin. But, he also dealt with it the way we all must deal with our failings. He fell on his face before God. Would God David Baker had done the same as David the King.

The Baptist System, Especially the IFB system, is Flawed

The sad reality is David Baker was practically defenseless against Satan. The system he relied on (IFB) failed him. The teachings he relied on from Jack Hyles failed him. The truths he got from Jack Hyles were useless to him in defending himself against the attack against his mind waged by Satan and his demonic forces. He had no idea how vulnerable he was, and certainly he had no idea of how to defend himself. That is pretty clear.

Unfortunately, in the IFB world, and in the Baptist world in general, this is all too common. Moral failures in the Baptist world are common. Why? What needs fixing? Who needs to fix the problem? You pastors need to do that. You IFB pastors need to adjust your thinking. How about moving “Soul Winning” down a notch on your priority sheet and replace it with making sure you and your church members are spiritually healthy so you can continue to win souls?

Fix it, guys. You are the Watchmen on the Walls. Don’t excuse your failures by denouncing me because you think I’m a Hyles hater, or a IFB hater, or I happen to like Charles Stanley, a divorced Southern Baptist preacher, or…fill in the Excuse Blanks. Look guys, even if those things were true (and they are not, except I do like Stanley), if I speak the truth, who or what I am is irrelevant. I made the same argument in Fundamental Seduction.  It would not matter if I ran a bordello on the south side of Chicago. If what I said was true about Jack Hyles (and it was), who and what I am is irrelevant.

Finally, keep in mind that warning we were given by Paul, the Apostle. Today,  we are seeing the operation of that spiritual principal/law working, almost on a daily basis, as pastor after pastor falls.

“For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.  (32)  But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world” (1 Cor. 11:31-32).

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Copyright 2024 Voyle Glover

WALKING IN THE SPIRIT – CHARLES STANLEY