| Independent Fundamental Baptist |
Article Index for Independent |
Articles about Independent Baptist |
Website Links For Independent |
Information AboutIndependent Fundamental Baptist |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT INDEPENDENT BAPTIST | |
| baptist | |
| baptist denominations | |
| christian fundamentalism | |
|
Independent Baptist churches (also referred to as ''Independent Fundamental Baptist'', or IFB) are and Congregationalist in nature and are generally Fundamentalist in teaching. The IFB movement is not a denomination ''per se'', but there are similarities that run throughout most Independent Baptist churches. HISTORY In the wake of the advancement of Modernism and Liberalism into National Baptist denominations and conventions in the late 1800s and earlier 1900s in both the United States and England , many Baptist local churches began to feel that the core elements of and doctrines of the Christian Faith, such as the nature of God , the infallibility of the Bible , the literal person of Jesus Christ as both God and man, the nature of the Trinity , the literal resurrection of Christ and the need for Christians to be separate from worldliness were being watered down and abandoned. Although during same time period mainline denominations were struggling with the Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy , many within these local Baptist churches felt that any association with Liberalism / Modernism even in the forum of debate was tantamount to compromise and was therefore unscriptural. As a result many of these local Baptist churches separated from their former denominations and conventions and reestablished themselves as independent churches. Oftentimes within these Denominational churches more conservative elements would often set about establishing new Independent Baptist churches instead of remaining within the denominational churches.''In Pursuit of Purity: American Fundamentalism Since 1850'', by David O. Beale, BJU Press (June 1986), ISBN 978-0890843505 Current developments In the last 20 to 30 years, the use of the King James Version ( King-James-Only Movement ) and the use of Contemporary Christian Music in worship services, more Calvinistic teaching, and the issue of Lordship Salvation have divided many IFB churches.Dr. Rolland D.McCune, Doctrinal Non-Issues in Historic Fundamentalism , Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary. DISTINGUISHING ELEMENTS Independent Baptist churches are very conservative in their beliefs and many are still conservative in their styles of Worship . They tend to reject many things found in many denominational churches because they believe in the doctrine of separation; based on the command to "be ye separate."John Brock, '' A Pedagogical Discussion Related to Biblical and Durable Behavior in Contemporary Society '', Maranatha Baptist Bible College. Article discusses these issues. They may exclude the following, depending on the individual church:
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. In more recent years though, many IFB churches have stopped preaching against woman wearing pants at all and instead preach that woman should wear modest clothing, whether it be pants, skirts and dresses. While still preaching against immoral movies and TV shows, many IFB churches today have stopped preaching complete abstinence from movie theater attendance. There are a growing number of IFB churches that are now incorporating Contemporary Christian Music in their worship services. KING JAMES BIBLE DEBATE Many Independent Baptist churches support exclusive use of Bible translations based on the Textus Receptus (Received Text) Greek New Testament and the Masoretic (but non Biblia Hebraica or Leningrad Text) Hebrew Old Testament . These translations include the Authorized King James Version (KJV) in English and the Reina-Valera 1909 Version in Spanish due to the belief that newer Bible versions have various problems in text and Translation . Other IFB Churches have moved to newer translations such as the New King James Version , New American Standard Bible and the New International Version . These churches that use newer translations accept that there are disagreements on some textual issues but feel the most important issue is what the King James translators themselves fought for — that the common man should have the Bible in his common language. Some IFBs feel that even the latest revision of the King James Version(made in 1769) is very different from common American English today. Fundamentalist Colleges and Universities are divided on which Greek text to use. Several colleges hold that other texts including the Byzantine and Alexandrian texts should also be compared and used. These would include , Northland Baptist Bible College , and Temple Baptist Seminary . However, other colleges still support the idea that the Textus Receptus is the best and the only Greek text that should be used as a source for Bible translation. These colleges include Hyles-Anderson College , Pensacola Christian College , Crown College , and West Coast Baptist College . See Also: King-James-Only Movement OUTREACH 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. [This is done in accordance with Matthew 28 verses 19 & 20. "19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen."] Many churches start and maintain their own Bible College s. 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 Hermeneutics . An example of one of these unaccredited colleges is Hyles-Anderson College in Lake County Indiana. This college was started by First Baptist Church Of Hammond in Hammond Indiana. In more recent years, some IFB Colleges such as Maranatha Baptist Bible College have been accredited (receiving accreditation in 1993). This movement by IFB Colleges has become more prevalent as college administratiors have begun to recognize the difficulty of their students in transferring their education credits to other colleges or universites. COLLEGES AND INSTITUTES NOTES EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|