Part III :: New Hymnals & Bill Hughes
As stated earlier, Bibles were not the only books that had been corrupted by Jesuits. The new Adventist hymnals were also worthless. Their songs were also corrupted, and therefore, old hymnals needed to be used.
The problem was, it was hard to get one’s hands on old hymnals. The only
hymnals for sale at the Adventist Book Center were the new ones.
While pondering the next course of action towards beginning my own country living dream, the phone rang. It was pastor Albert.
Albert and Freddy spoke on the phone quite often at this point. It was a point of pride for Freddy to be rubbing shoulders with the pastor, and as they were neighbors, it made things even better. Albert relied on Freddy and Freddy reveled in the idea of being helpful. The two gentlemen spoke for a while and the subject of hymnals came up.
“You know I don’t want to use the new hymnals,” Albert said.
“I know,” Freddy answered.
“I was told that the Deer Park church has some old hymnals that are they are not
using.”
“Yeah. I remember from when I was there we used the black-covered hymnals.”
“Those are the ones I want,” Albert said.
“I can go check next week. They would probably let us have them.”
“That would be fantastic!” Albert said.
“There’s no reason why they would not give us them. They are not being used.”
“Great! Are you sure they are the black-covered ones?”
“Yes. The black cover ones. I remember using them years ago before they
changed to the new ones.”
Even more so than Albert, Freddy had a disdain for anything new. Older was always better. The older hymnals had nostalgia that the new hymnals lacked. They were from a better time. A more simple time.
I thought it interesting that a new church that seemed involved in an Adventist turf war would seem so brazen to ask the older and more established SDA church for
books.
I decided to go rest in the bedroom and let my mind rest for a while. I decided it would be good to lay in bed and read a book to pass some time. I had been given two small books written by a man known as Bill Hughes. One was called “The Enemy Unmasked” and the other was “The Secret Terrorists.” The members of Countryside were singing the praises of these books, and I was told Bill Hughes was “an incredible speaker” and someone that we needed to meet. There had been so much feverish talk about these two books amongst the members as of late I realized that I should probably get up to speed on it. Not only that, but Stephen was a die-hard Bill Hughes fan. If Bill Hughes was a band, Stephen would have been his groupie. No joke!
I opened The Enemy Unmasked and started to read it. It did not take long for me to grow uncomfortable with the subject matter. Not because I was afraid, but because it seemed so far out there. I was not sick of the idea of the material being true. I was sick at the idea of people I knew and loved actually believing what had been written on these pages. I was also sick at the idea of those who I considered intelligent about the Bible thinking that the things in this book were somehow the truth.
The subject matter of the book was quite absurd to me. And I came to realize that this was where much of the Jesuit obsession had originated. As I turned page after page, I read how Jesuits had, singlehandedly, staged every major world event since their inception. The rise of Islam was a Jesuit orchestration. World Wars I and II, the Vietnam War, and more recent wars were all Jesuit-fueled battles to assert behind-the-scenes world domination. The Jesuits had, for some reason infiltrated the Titanic, and sunk it. Jesuit power was flexed on 9/11 when Jesuits were behind the destruction of the Twin Towers in New York City. Jesuit fury knew no bounds, and with the power they had amassed over the years, they were now at the center of world domination. Leaders of various countries were said to be Jesuit puppets, with the strings being pulled in the
Vatican.
Yet, it didn’t stop there. There was more. Churches had been infiltrated by Jesuit spies. Even the smallest Adventist churches could have Jesuits in their ranks. Pastors masquerading as Seventh-day Adventists were actually Jesuits reporting back to the Pope. Any organization with any kind of power was a Jesuit-run operation hellbent on mind control, domination, and the eventual destruction of civilization. The Sunday law would come from the hands of the Jesuits, and the day was fast approaching. In some sense, it was already here!
I continued reading, out of curiosity. I found myself skimming, skipping pages, and sighing. How could intelligent and rational people believe this? Yet, I would later find out that Bill Hughes's books had been disseminated across the world, from Oregon to Africa. His adherents were numerous. The number of people he had led to Christ was legion. I felt sadness wash over me. The little church seemed so pure, so good, so reverent. Yet, was this really what Pastor Albert believed? Was this really what the friendly people imagined the world to be like? I thought back to my travels to dozens of countries and I had never seen any sign of anything remotely resembling the things that Bill Hughes wrote about on these pages. In my eyes, the world was far more complex than that. The idea of a single one-world government seemed outrageous. Yet, all the wars, all the fighting, all of the bickering—it was all staged—like a grand television show, from the Vatican. The facade continued, and only Bill Hughes had insider knowledge of what was happening.
“Pastor Harry (of the Deer Park Church) doesn’t like these books,” Albert told Freddy. “He doesn’t let his members pass them around.”
“Why not?” Freddy balked. “They are the truth. People should know the truth.”
The next Sabbath, we made our way to Deer Park. The only reason Freddy was going was to ask about the hymnals. Darla did not feel good, so Freddy wanted to get back home rather than go onward to Countryside for potluck and further study of the end times.
After the morning classes at Deer Park, Freddy took one of the Deer Park elders aside and asked him about the hymnals (it was the same elder that made fun of his wife for being absent).
“I was just asking because you guys are not using them and I know the other church needs them.”
“You know, it’s not my decision to make. But you are right. We are not using them. I will bring it up to the board at the next board meeting.”
“Thank you, I appreciate it. I know Albert is going to appreciate it, too.”
I could tell the elder was suspicious of the other church. He knew more about offshoots* than I did.
*Note: Just like Mormonism, Adventism has its fair share of offshoot churches. I don’t know how many there are, but it is numerous. An offshoot church is a church that splits off from the main denomination and brings its own ideas with it. While an offshoot is not a good or a bad thing, there are some negative attributes to offshoots which have historically included various types of abuse, strange outlandish doctrines, and power that is centralized in one or very few people. Offshoots are typically very traditional, with a strong belief that the main church they broke away from is in a deep state of apostasy.
“I’m going to go to the bathroom and then we will head out,” Freddy told me. I had already gone, so I decided to wait outside near the pastor’s study. Before Freddy entered the restroom he looked to see if anyone was around and pulled something from his pocket. It was a copy of one of Bill Hughe’s infamous books. The words “he doesn’t let his members pass these books around” repeated in my head as Freddy slipped a copy of the book behind some missionary magazines. He then darted into the bathroom.
While Freddy was emptying his bladder for the journey home, I took the book out of the rack and slid it into my backpack. Freddy came out and seemed a little giddy that he had “done the Lord’s work and helped spread the message of truth.” We went out to his jeep and made our way back to the house.
Freddy was not aware that his plans had been foiled. In his mind, he had done a good deed. The truth was, upon entering the house, I added the book back to their collection. Instead of tracts based on the Bible, Bill Hughes's books were now used in witnessing and plenty were placed next to the door to be handed out to visitors. In my mind, a spiritual battle was going on. Was it right for me to take the book back after it had been given? Yet, the pastor did not want it there. It was his church. Common courtesy would dictate that we respect the wishes of a church leader. Yet, on the other side was the idea that giving such a book—even one that I did not agree with—was Freddy's mission and it was his choice. After wrestling with it for a while in my mind, I was convinced I made the right choice.
A few weeks passed, and the green light was given on the hymnals. They would be given to Countryside! Albert was ecstatic. It would save him a lot of money and time and the congregation would be able to sing a wide variety of songs. Talk about a win-win!
Freddy slithered into the church and gathered the Hymnals. Later, Albert came by the house to pick them up.
“It will be great to have these hymnals,” Albert said.
“Yes,” Freddy said, proud to have been an integral link in the chain to bring music to Countryside.
Freddy had been one of Deer Park’s piano maestros before changing churches, and I knew that it bothered him to see another take his place when we visited Deer Park
the week prior.
“I don’t like the new ones. They had no reason to change them,” Albert added.
Freddy nodded in agreement. Then, as the wheels turned in his head, he added,
“last week they sang songs to Mary out of the new ones.”
My ears perked up. Wait, what? I thought. There were no songs sung to Mary at church. What could he possibly mean?
“Is that right?” Pastor Albert said, with a look of shock on his face. “I’m not
surprised with what the Jesuits are up to,” he added.
He shook his head slowly as he spoke.
“Yes. One of the songs just kept repeating ‘Hail Mary, Hail Mary.’ It was very hypnotic.”
I must have been completely hypnotized because I was there the entire time and heard no such song.
“That’s what I am saying. The Jesuits corrupted the new hymnals, too. That’s why I wanted these older ones. You can’t be too careful!”
I never could figure out where Freddy got the idea that hail Mary was sung at church or why he would make something up. Why did he say this in front of us? In his mind, did he hear something we didn’t? I had never heard the phrase “hail Mary” in an Adventist song before in my life.
Yet, Freddy was beyond stubborn in all things, and would never be dissuaded. Once he “remembered” something, there was no changing his mind. I had seen it time and time again on previous occasions. I was silent, just like a good little Christian should be.
The wheels in my mind were turning rapidly, and I was wondering what to make of all this. The wheels in my mind had many more occasions to rapidly turn as the weeks progressed. As we continued to attend meetings at Countryside, more and more about the Jesuits were brought up. The Jesuits became a main focal point of sermons and discussion. I thought back to when we were new, and how the Jesuits were a byword or not mentioned at all. Now, the entire congregation was alive with Jesuit obsession. I wondered if Albert had tested the waters, to see if the congregation would be receptive to this kind of idea. I wondered if Albert’s goal was to be the next Bill Hughes. It was obvious that he looked up to Bill Hughes in a big way. Bill Hughes commanded a huge audience when he would visit Countryside.
“The parking lot was full. People had to stand in the dining room and watch him on the television. There was no room in the sanctuary. Even the mother’s room was full!” Darla exclaimed. “You really should come when he visits next. They even shut down the Three Angels* church so they could come to hear him.”
*Note: The "Three Angels Church" is another SDA offshoot church that sees itself as the remnant. It is located about 10 miles north in the town of Loon Lake. It is similar to the Countryside Church, but the doctrines are different enough to warrant a separate church. One thing they do have in common is a love for Bill Hughes.
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