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The term Independent Baptist was applied to these unaffiliated churches in the late 1800s and early 1900s when national Baptist denominations and conventions in the United States and England started modernising and, in the opinion of the now Independent Baptist churches, Liberalising . Perceived weakening beliefs in these denominations about core Christian doctrines such as the infallibility of the Bible , the nature of God and Jesus , and separation from worldliness caused the more Conservative local churches to react by separating from these denominations. Some joined new denominations that were more conservative in their beliefs while others did not join any particular denomination and remained "independent". These local churches often set about establishing other Independent Baptist churches. COMMON BELIEFS AND PRACTICES Because they are independent, there is considerable variation in the beliefs of Independent Baptist churches and colleges. Many Independent Baptist churches support exclusive use of Bible translations based on the '') Independent Baptist churches are very conservative in their beliefs and styles of worship. They tend to reject many things found in many denominational churches because they consider them to be associated with worldliness and appeal to the flesh. These often include many of the following (the list is not all-inclusive, and depends on the group involved):
They tend also to support conservative American politics, with one notable exception--the general consensus opposes School Voucher s, on the basis that such vouchers, if accepted by church-operated schools, would allow the government a "foothold" into the teachings and practices of the individual church and give it authority to dictate what could and could not be taught. Many Independent Baptist churches have very organized outreach ministries such as weekly "soul winning," in which groups go and Evangelize areas surrounding the church building. Many churches will also have "bus ministries," in which volunteers drive church buses or vans to surrounding areas to bring people (mostly children) to the church's services. A few still practice "street preaching," the open-air preaching of the Gospel in a public setting such as a park or street corner, though this is very rare. Like many other types of churches, Independent Baptist churches often have Prison ministries and send Missions or evangelists to other parts of the country or to other countries to start more local churches. Many churches start and maintain their own college. These colleges are usually Unaccredited and rely heavily on an "apprentice" approach to education, rather than extensive formal training in ancient languages of the Bible, Systematic Theology , and Hermaneutics . In the early 1990's, several prominent Independent Baptist works found themselves caught up in a series of scandals which affected member morale as well as public perception of their ministry methods. Sexual scandal, public criminal trials of pastors, deacons, and church workers indicted for sexual crimes, financial impropriety, and domestic/child abuse, all increased divisions, accusations, and counter-accusations within the movement. Additonally, controversy over use of the King James Version of the Bible has created deep schism. Most recently, the rise of Calvinism in what had been a predominantly Dispensationalist and Semi-Arminian religious movement has prompted some IFB church members to resort to denominations such as the Southern Baptist Convention for a more more stable church environment. In the last ten years reformers from within the IFB movement have turned to writing memoirs and exposés of abuse, exploitation, and manipulation within local churches. The outstanding issues that members and former members have identified as culprits in abusive IFB churches are sole eldership, in which the pastor has all authority; lack of accountability of the pastor to any board of colleagues; inadequate education of men in the ministry; and misinterpretation of Scripture. In early 2004, Phil Johnson of Grace to You ministries, presented a lecture on the demise of Fundamentalism entitled "Dead Right (revised)" {Link without Title} . Since then, the rise of a group of scholarly Independent Baptist Fundamentalists, often called "The Young Fundamentalist Movement" (sometimes in derision) has made its presence felt on the internet. The influence of this informal group has not yet been measured. EXTERNAL LINKS
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