A Norris fanboy and good friend of Roloff was already well on his way to IFB stardom when Roloff passed. Jack Hyles was born the same year J. Frank stood trial for murder in 1926. Hyle’s early life seemed to mirror that of Norris. Jack was born in poverty, the son of an alcoholic who beat him severely and eventually left the Hyles family all together. Like Norris before him, Hyles found comfort in the world of the fiery Baptist preaching. After serving in the Army during World War II, Hyles returned and attended East Baptist Bible College in Marshall Texas. He then pastored a few churches in Texas and his success drew the attention of a large congregation in Hammond, Indiana. Seeing the potential, and the money, of the wealthy and well-respected church, Hyles took the position at First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana in 1959. By age 33, he had become somewhat popular in the South, yet the move to Hammond was the real catalyst for Jack Hyles’s career. It was here that he created an empire and a worldwide name - as far as the IFB goes. It was also here that he created what most experts have classified as a cult.
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