SBC vs. IFB

Hate to drag skeletons out of the IFB closet, but a well known IFB preacher who pastored in MO was caught playing with little boys not too long ago, and he had been playing for a long time.

 

It is ironic that the same IFB crowd who often accuses the SBC for being too "denominational" (sending money to the CP) are often the same ones who accuse them of being too "independent" (women & gay preachers).

 

It's the old adage of "Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones."

 

The enemy isn't the SBC or IFB!

The enemy is the devil and Christians who don't fight the "good fight of faith" but fight each other over matters that are the results of an untempered tongue.

I'm over here in Communist China trying to win the lost and folks in the states are fighting over stuff that won't hold water when you face the judgment seat of Christ.

I'm in no ways a perfect righteous man, but I do realize we Baptist are going to have to show a little more grace, walk in more truth, and get busier about the Harvest.

If we are busy about the RIGHT things, maybe we won't have so much time to fight each other.

Folks -- Love one another with bibilical love, preach with passion and let God sort out the rest. Let's not resort to so much name calling.

That's what children do when they get angry at each other.

Jam 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
Jam 3:8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

Let's put our tongues to good use.

Can I get an AMEN?

 

With an inflammatory statement like that - and one that is utterly false - I doubt Shiloh has any interest in truth as far as this matter goes. </font>[/QUOTE]It all depends on your region. Shiloh's general reply does hold true in the area of the Biblebelt.

The big difference is in missions.

Most IFB churches give every penny to the missionary while the SBC finances it's method by money given to missions as an employment opportunity for the convention.

Some great preachers still in the SBC, sad to say, it that respect, but if they would just give all the money to the missionaries as was intended from the beginning..... and quit trying to "control" their missionaries..... and let God have the Liberty in their services...... and....... and then......

 

Obviously you're either SBC or confused too.

 

Amen! And I will be praying for you my brother.You may PM me anytime.

 

Shiloh;
Please let me know when and where you going to shoot that IFB preacher so I can try to be there, ok? Distance means nothing!!!

 

Are you talking about the SBC or IFB. I find it ironic that some in the most legalistic and controlling groups that speak on this board would accuse the SBC of controlling. If the SBC did not have standards for their missionaries then they would be accused of sending out apostate missionaries. It really shows the distain some show for another group of believers who do what they do in another way.

The OP is answered by saying that the churches who voluntarily cooperate with the SBC are autonomous and could leave the SBC if they choose. Most stay because a of the opportunity to help send out over 3000 missionaries into more than 100 countries. It is a complete fabrication and irresponsible and slanderous to make a statement that "most" or even any churches in good standing with the SBC condone homosexuality or woman preachers. Shame on a professing christian to bring such a false charge against other Christians. Someone has sinned against many other Christians and needs to repent.

Bro Tony

 

Hold on Tony, I don't believe the word "most" or "good standing" were even used. In fact there is a whole bunch on here contributed to me that I never said.

 

You are right about that Shiloh, but the term "the average" was used by you and that still is a slanderous statement, because the average SBC church does not condone homosexuality or approve of woman preachers. Your dislike for the SBC has cause you to indict alot of godly people. If you have problems with the SBC, at least speak the truth. I apologize that I did not use the exact wording. Now I do believe you need to apologize for you errant statement against your brothers and sisters in Christ.

Bro Tony

 

Obviously you're either SBC or confused too. </font>[/QUOTE]Spoken like a true parrot.

 

OK I had to register for this message board because of this thread, it is right up my alley. My wife and I were members of an IFB church since 1999. My brother is a missionary through an IFB board in Papua New Guinea. I was saved long before joining an IFB church, but not yet past the "milk" of the Word until joining an IFB church, that is not at all to say the same thing would not have happened at a SBC church, which we did belong to before this but were not very close to the Lord in our relationship.

I joined and I don't think any other church has ever educated me as well on the Scriptures and allowed me the opportunity to teach and learn through that process as well. I can't thank them enough for that.

However, when my wife and I started having marital problems the one thing I realized about an IFB church is that the help for that was mostly convictional. We weren't doing something right, praying enough, asking for the right things, etc. We both felt very guilty for this and yet we were drifting farther and farther apart and also we didn't feel like very many if any people within the church could relate to our problems. We eventually separated more than a year ago. I think we both felt ostracized to an extent and left the church. I think the normal IFB response to that would be, "you don't feel ostracized, you feel convicted", in any case my wife now attends a large, quite liberal, IFB church and I attend what I would consider an average SBC church. Before I mention the differences I must say it is very difficult in this day and age to find a true Bible believing (cover to cover), Scripture driven church, whether IFB, SBC or any others I looked into. Here are the differences I see:

- Music -- this difference is probably the most instantaneous and noticeable difference. I have to say I like the old hymns but they too were contemporary at one time and the newer hymns I think are much more lively and have me much more in a mood to learn about God and not looking at my watch.

- Bible versions -- this one I have a problem with. People in SBC have told me the KJV is archaic and too hard to understand. Hogwash, it is at a seventh grade reading level. I have other versions to compare to, and while doing research years ago to prove my brother wrong (his contention was that KJV was thee preserved and correct text) I found much more evidence to the contrary, in other words I found more evidence that my brother was indeed correct. The KJV has an absolutely amazing history its preservation is nothing short of Providential, and the watering down and flat out extractions from other versions is nothing short of wordly interpretation. There is no doubt our school systems have been dumbed down help propigate this line of thinking but that is a subject for another thread as is the entire KJV vs. other versions controversy. I have my opinion obviously but I also think Christians have too many things to argue about so I pick and choose these debates very carefully. I would never argue for someone to throw their versions away, but intellectually speaking I would encourage everyone to research both sides of the controversy before just saying one is easier to read. Most people I talk to are amazed at the evidence. If your seriously interested in the controversy read a book called "Touch Not the Unclean Thing" by David Sorenson. Been years since I read it, but it was a fascinating read.

OK sorry rabbit trail.

- IFB in my opinion can be overly dogmatic about issues such as NO alcohol, women not wearing pants, issues that are totally non-scripture but yet they claim IFB is best because of its literal interpretation of the Bible. Now I don't think for a second that following these practices are bad in any way shape or form and do make you stand out from the world. But I do oppose it being scriptually based, just be honest about why it is believed. With that said I think many of the SBC churches I have been to are far too liberal in dress and in being part of the world rather than being in the world. I have seen SBC preachers preach in colored T-shirts, and girls dressed like they are going to a club as soon as they leave church. I do think in God's house you should dress respectfully, your best if you can, but if your coming from work then by all means do not make that an excuse not to come and come in your work clothes. I have also heard of an IFB church telling a girl she needs to go home and change before coming into church. That, in my opinion, was very wrong and if that girl never steps foot inside another church that person who told her to leave will some responsibility in that.

- IFB churches tend to condem other churches because they don't think like they do, and I am not talking about being tolerant here. I have heard statements that in essence compare their love of the Lord to other churches because of their guidlines.

- SBC churches for the most part are just as independent as any IFB church you find. I think there is just a much wider range of conservative to liberal churches within the SBC. There is a growing range within the IFB as well, but you know more of what to expect walking into an IFB church.

OK, I have ranted long enough and need to get off my break and back to work. Just some of my thoughts and opinions on the two entities.

 

snrsvdbygrc,

I am sorry that your experience with an IFB church did not help your marital problems, but you are painting with two broad a brush here. Don't forget the I in IFB. There are many different kinds of Independent Baptist churches and many of them are not as you described.

Just like there is a wide variety of SBC churches, there is IFB churches. Saddly in both cases it is often only the bad this is highlighted and discussed instead of all the good that both types of churches are doing in their own right.

 

I think snrsvdbygrc's post reflected an honest and objective opinion - condemning neither the SBC nor IFB'ers.

In the words of Rodney King, "can't we all just get along?"

Not bad for a first post...

 

I didn't mean to sound one sided at all. Honestly the KJV thing has me wanting to go back to an IFB church, but there are also things about the SBC I like. I tried to balance both sides. It would be nice to find one that incorporates a mixture of all the good points of each church, be totally scripture driven without the cultural influences of each little micro-society within the walls, but that would be a church with no people, opinions, influence and what fun would that be?