I used to read it decades ago. My mother was a subscriber and passed it along to me. Is it still being published?
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IFB in darkness?
- Thread starter NaasPreacher (C4K)
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I used to read it decades ago. My mother was a subscriber and passed it along to me. Is it still being published?
Thousand Hills
Active Member
Is this it? http://www.swordofthelord.com/
They have a free sample download in PDF form, its an old issue from 2008 with an article titled "The Independent Baptist Movement". I didn't have time to read the whole article but just breezing over it there were some comparisons to SBC.
Also, looking at the website, it sounds like the paper was founded by a John Rice. Is this a relative of John of Japan?
I've only visited two IFB churches in my life, and have had good experiences there, I'm a member of an SBC church. If we left our church I'm sure there are some IFB churches we would visit, and some we would not for various reasons. But the same would go for SBC churches in our area.
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robt.k.fall
Member
Your link refers to the minutes from 1881 of an organization I don't think is any longer extent.
NaasPreacher (C4K)
Well-Known Member
Haven't seen the Sword in many years.
Yes, many sectors of the IFB movement read and subscribe to the Sword. Though, editorially it only represents one (what I term the East Texas former SBC) sector of the movement. The Sword is the only national independent publication. So, even though many of its subscribers are not part of its root sector, they still read it to find out what's happening in other parts of the country and to read the sermon reprints.
Yep. Ole' PU took the place of WB Riley's Northwestern College in Minneapolis (deteriorated and closed, reopened as non-baptist nothing in Roseville).
I was a student at Pillsbury 1965-68 and a prof there 1996-2000. Would I know your sister??
pm me if you don't want to use a name publically. Ignore me if you don't want to use it at all.
The nature of IFB colleges and Christian Schools is different than a church. You need institutional rules/distinctives - dress codes, activity codes, personal standards, et al - in a college. When the school/college rules suck over into the church it becomes a real source of legalism.
We had that in our ministry in Wisconsin - school almost as large as the church (I was pastor and administrator) and it brought too many good-but-man-made rules that were important in the school into the church body, where it was not important. (Example: School had haircuts required for guys - off the collar, ears, eyebrows, etc. So other teens in the church that were NOT in the school were pushed/cajoled even shamed into conforming with that rule. And if you didn't, you weren't part of the in-crowd.)
freeatlast
New Member
Bob you said this;
" (Example: School had haircuts required for guys - off the collar, ears, eyebrows, etc. So other teens in the church that were NOT in the school were pushed/cajoled even shamed into conforming with that rule. And if you didn't, you weren't part of the in-crowd.)"
If the dress code was proper and of the Lord and it was not forced on those at the church by some church law where exactly is the harm.
" (Example: School had haircuts required for guys - off the collar, ears, eyebrows, etc. So other teens in the church that were NOT in the school were pushed/cajoled even shamed into conforming with that rule. And if you didn't, you weren't part of the in-crowd.)"
If the dress code was proper and of the Lord and it was not forced on those at the church by some church law where exactly is the harm.
NaasPreacher (C4K)
Well-Known Member
I think this is a good point. School students who ere forced by school rules to cut their hair a certain length either took pride in it, or were envious of those who did not have the same rule. The less immature dealt with that by leaving out those who did not conform.
This does not just go for school children - adults can get caught in the same trap. 'If I can't do this, neither should you.'
Yes, John R. Rice was my grandfather. I've put some photos of him in my profile.
If John R. Rice were running the Sword today the content would be quite different. But I am thankful that the Sword still promotes him and sells his books.
Concerning the IFB movment. I agree with what has been said by C4K (Go BWM!) and Dr. Cassidy in particular. I also have been in many IFB churches as a missionary, and we are supported by 46 of them, with a couple of others from other groups. (Would you believe one is an independent Methodist church?)
Any generalization about IFB churches is dead wrong: lists of standards, Bibliology, etc. I estimate there to be 10,000 in the US alone, with quite a variety of positions on what people discuss here on the BB. Our mission board alone is supported by 6000 churches, and that probably doesn't overlap more than half at a guess with BIMI, which has 1000 missionaries.
There are about 4000 IFB missionaries around the world, which means probably at least 2000 IFB churches in other countries also, each following the Word and their own positions. So please, folk, bite your tongue when you want to generalize.
While this is true, a caveat: in past years (not so much nowadays) many IFB churches had bus ministries. I've worked in one myself. We took any kind of kid dressed any way with any length of hair, and tried to win them to Christ. Rules in a college or youth group and efforts to win folk to Christ are two different ball games in the IFB movement.
Excuse me, but the IFB movement is absolutely not a denomination. It's a movement of completely independent churches. We have no headquarters, no constitution, no national meetings or conventions, no single leader, no requirements for membership, no one set of standards and no church membership (there are various fellowships with individual memberships).
NaasPreacher (C4K)
Well-Known Member
Good point - my very first ministry in Chester, PA was in a bus ministry.
The problem is that outside of the bus workers very few folks in most churches had to do much with the 'bus kids' and out of sight was out of mind. I can't think of many situations where a 'bus kid' became Mr or Miss Popularity in a 'regular' Sunday School class.
I know the response was quick - I happened to be on waiting to be called to dinner
NaasPreacher (C4K)
Well-Known Member
She attended 1972-1976 so you probably wouldn't have known her.
For some reason I remember they picked up a satirical lyric variation of "The Solid Rock" from PU but I can only remember the first couple of lines:
"My faith is built on nothing less,
than Scofield's notes and Moody Press." :laugh:
NaasPreacher (C4K)
Well-Known Member
Ah yes. PBBC. My wife attended back in the last 60s early 70s.I remember that from TTU
"I was sinking deep in sin,
Having a lot of fun,
'Till my roommate turned me in,
Oh what a dirty bum."
"Did you hear there was a man eating lion loose on the PBBC campus?"
"No, what happened?"
"Poor thing starved to death!"
All of the IFB's I have been familiar with(in the southern part of the country) since the mid-seventies, are affiliated with "The Sword of the Lord", Chic tracts, BBC-Springfield, Hyles-Anderson, Pensacola Christian, Bob Jones U, & most recently, Heartland Bible Baptist-OKC. The latter being established by the more extreme of the denomination. IMHO, although IFB's are classified by some as a movement & not a denomination, there is enough similarity between the churches for me to classify them as a sect or denomination of Christianity. At the end of the day(& thread), we all judge based upon our own experiences with them.
Your problem is there are IFBs with roots outside the South. Mine run through the old Northern Baptists, thence the CBA, then the FBFI. Then, there's the GARBC sector. In various regions, there may not be all that much of an assortment. However, on a national basis, there is.
Heartland Baptist is "more extreme"? I've had one kid graduate from there, and another who went there 2 years before transferring to an engineering degree. Could you please explain "more extreme"?
Shucks, you missed Oklahoma Baptist College (corrected from University), affiliated with Windsor Hills Baptist, a direct off-shoot of Hyles-Anderson (the original pastor/president was on Jack Hyles' staff).
Please realize that you mentioned you're only familiar with the southern region IFBs; until you've spent some serious time with the mid-west (Colorado-area) or west coasters, I caution against your use of "I'm familiar with 3 or 4 churches in the south, so all IFBers are like this."
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