EDITORIAL: First Baptist pastor, church deserve forgiveness

HAMMOND (IN)
NW Times

By Matthew Saltanovitz

The firing last week of the Rev. Jack Schaap as pastor of Hammond’s First Baptist Church came as a certain surprise and shock to Northwest Indiana residents.

The pastor of the 15,000-member megachurch and patron of Hyles Anderson College in Schererville was recognized nationwide as a leader of the fundamentalist brand of religion.

The church, under his leadership, carried on programs ranging from a Hispanic Ministry to annual pastor and youth conferences. It operates a fleet of buses to bring the faithful to worship – often children from Chicago neighborhoods.

He and his wife, daughter of First Baptist legendary preacher Rev. Jack Hyles, authored a book on marriage.

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