“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.”
–Philippians 2:3
I have debated in my own mind whether or not I should write this article, but due to the large scale of the influence of Pulpit & Pen I feel like I need to add an extra reason to avoid using them as a source.
I say an ‘extra reason’ as they have frequently been called out on their sloppy reporting. But this article is not about the notoriously poor journalistic standards at Pulpit & Pen; it’s about J.D. Hall as a person.
Until recently I believed that J.D. was sincere and caring, however sensationalistic he was. I thought he was doing his best and he just had a few slip ups here and there. However in his latest juvenile argument with James White I saw much more clearly what had been staring me in the face for some time.
J.D. Hall, no matter how many people he has come across in Christian media circles, believes he is the only gig in town doing what he does. That is a dangerous and arrogant view for any ministry to have, regardless of how good you may be. In a recent post on his Facebook page Hall stated:
“I know no other discernment ministry [beside Pulpit & Pen] committed to pointing out error in their own camp, in spite of the weeping and gnashing of teeth that inevitably follows.”(Source below)
Pulpit & Pen would receive far less criticism if we discerned the theological errors of Arminians only. We refuse to be…
Posted by Jordan Hall on Sunday, November 12, 2017
This is an astonishing claim. Is the BTWN network he is part of in ‘the good old boy Calvinist clubs’? Do they, and others, completely avoid issues in their own camp? Is Pulpit & Pen the only ‘discernment’ in town? What arrogance!
Even if it is true, let others point it out and not yourself. Are we doomed without Pulpit & Pen? J.D. seems to think he is the only person doing this, and everyone else is not as clued in as he is.
In my criticism of his boasting about Pulpit & Pen, I stated the following:
“Even if this were true (it’s not as you should know), let others say it about the work if they want, rather than boasting about how you are the only one pointing out error. That’s the opposite of humility. There are plenty of others out there who writing books on various topics within their own camp, some of which you have referenced yourself like E.S. Williams. Don’t think that you cannot also become ‘puffed up’ like many who you criticise. We should think more of others than we do of ourselves.
Also please don’t join the Howse-type attacks of people’s motivations. Critique their positions and leave the rest to the Lord.” (Facebook Source below)
"I know no other discernment ministry [besides Pulpit & Pen] committed to pointing out error in their own camp, in spite…
Posted by Paul Flynn on Monday, November 13, 2017
This is how Brother Hall then responded to my concern at his proud boasting:
JD stated on the Polemics Report website that he ‘started Pulpit & Pen polemics ministry in 2010′. Megiddo Films, which later came under the umbrella of Megiddo Media, also started in 2010. Our ministries are the same age. Even if JD was correct, his point has nothing to do with my concerns and further demonstrates that he is in a P&P bubble of his own making. The length of a ministry means little here if the argument is Biblical.
I hope this article does not come across as a hit piece. If I have done this for fleshly reasons the Lord knows, but I pray it will help someone, especially JD himself who I am deeply concerned about. JD needs prayer! A large part of me wants to ignore this completely and move on, but I feel I need to let people know who JD Hall really is.
Janet Mefford also write about her experience with JD Hall’s behaviour. I cannot confirm everything that is in this article but it lines up with my experience with Brother Hall who I pray will repent for the sake of the congregation where he pastors. Even when he is right on certain issues, he goes too far in often unlawful ways to combat that error.
“This affects many of us, because Pastor Hall works hard to try to increase his own fame and influence through Pulpit & Pen, while doing his level best to climb up the ranks of the Christian Celebrity Ladder, cozying up to better-known Christian leaders in his quest to make a name for himself.”
What makes things even worse is a video on which James White is accused of boasting (which Hall promotes). I actually agree that White is boastful, but so is JD. JD is guilty of hypocritical judgement against White and is being a really bad example to the flock.
White-Washed Hypocrisy, Double-Standards, and Arrogance on Parade.
Posted by Pulpit & Pen on Monday, November 13, 2017
“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”
-Matthew 7:1-5
Exposing error does not give us a licence to behave badly. In fact if the Lord has given us light we will be held even more accountable for our stewardship in the things we have received.
JD is right on one thing though; I am no one. I still feel new to all this. If Megiddo Media disappeared tomorrow the world would keep spinning just fine without me, but can JD really say that about Pulpit & Pen which he claims “has earned the nickname, “The Rolex of Polemics Blogs,” and it truly is.” Can he walk away from it as he tried to do on a number of occasions?
We can all learn from this? That pride can destroy without us really seeing it! We need to see we are all ‘nobodies’, so-called ‘big discernment ministries’ or not, but we should pray that we can be used by an Almighty God who is our everything!
I see Hall as an angry, jealous and misguided person. He needs prayer, as well as we all do. But I do feel that there are people in his circle that know these points and are fearful to confront him. He would be doing the Christian community a Blessing by stepping down for a bit and do some serious soul-searching.
Every Church has problems, as we are all human, but Hall is amazing nieve to believe that his actions of his mouth and pen are “God-fearing”. Read one article and any student of the Bible can see that Hall is “just not right” as they say in the South. God will handle him and he will be held accountable for his errors more than a layman, for he exploits the position of Pastor. -So says the Bible.
Thank you for being there for God and I feel blessed to have found you! I will be following your site, looking forward to more from you!
I considered writing for P&P but my efforts did not pass muster with the editors even though I have a doctorate in Religious and Societal Studies and an undergrad minor in Journalism. Maybe I was not “in your face enough.” Now that I have read some articles on J.D. Hall I can better understand why the Lord shut that door for me and I am happy for it. I found the editors of P&P to be both condescending and arrogant – like J.D. Hall – from my take on these articles. I have known two condescending and arrogant (narcissists) Reformed pastors in my Christian walk of almost 30 years. One was Christian Reconstructionist HERETIC who could not pastor a congregation for more than a few years before alienating the members and then moving on and the other one is rotting in prison for 24 years for physically and sexually abusing children. I would suspect that J.D. Hall is cut from the same cloth.