Independent Fundamentalist Baptist

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Independent Baptist churches, usually called Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) churches, are Christian churches which specifically do not join any of the Baptist denominations, although some may fellowship with other likeminded Believers. They present the true teachings of Jesus Christ as He articulated in His ministry, to the exclusion of all others, including any lukewarm Baptist denominations such as the Southern Baptist Convention.

Independent Baptist churches make up a small number of the Baptist churches in the United States and a small number of people who consider themselves Baptists belong to an Independent Baptist church. They are strongest in the American South and the Midwest, though there are Independent Baptist churches all over the world. It is imperative for IFBs to minister across the world and to bring the Gospel to every creature and plant solid Bible teaching churches in every nation in every tongue.

Key Beliefs and Practices[edit | edit source]

IFB churches are almost universally supporters of Biblical inerrancy and Young-Earth creationism.

They generally strongly oppose Calvinism, except the usually hold to the doctrine of eternal security. They also oppose the incorrect teachings of speaking in tongues, modern day miracles, the prosperity gospel, Pentecostalism and charismatic teachings such as supernatural healings.

Historically they have not hesitated to practice Biblical separation from groups and persons not holding to similar views: many churches either broke away en masse from other Baptist denominations (mainly the increasingly liberal and theologically heterodox Southern Baptist Convention) or split off from churches which remained in the denominations. As such they tend to speak against more popular Christian teachers such as Rick Warren and Joel Osteen, and to a lesser extent, Billy Graham. However, this practice has waned in recent years among larger congregations which have, in some cases, joined or rejoined denominations (an example being Thomas Road Baptist Church, which was originally independent and a member of the quasi-denominational Baptist Bible Fellowship International, but later joined the Southern Baptist Convention and now is dually aligned with both groups). Even on matters where they would agree with another denomination (such as abortion) Independent Baptist churches typically refuse to work with any other Christian churches, because doing so will result in a compromise in doctrines or lead to a one-world religion.

IFB churches take the hardest stance against Roman Catholicism, also known as the Whore of Babylon mentioned in Revelation 17-18, so therefore Roman Catholics are not Christians, and they instead worship false idols including Mary, the Pope, and bread.IFBs also have strong opposition to Seventh-Day Adventists, Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses, because they are cults and are not genuine Christians either in any sense of the word.

They tend to be highly conservative in lifestyles, with almost all shunning alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs, and with most being highly critical of movies and television, with some avoiding secular programming altogether (to the point of not even having a television set in the home, and in some cases no computer or internet access). Independent Baptists typically dress very conservatively: some congregations discourage women from wearing pantsuits, and it is extremely rare for the pastor not to wear a coat and tie while preaching. Homeschooling is quite prevalent among IFBs while other families may send their children to a private Christian school, often sponsored by an IFB church, to keep students in the faith and away from worldly things like popular music and cussing. Nonetheless, some IFB families send their children to public school, sometimes for financial reasons, sometimes hoping that their children will provide a good testimony to other children, sometimes due to a lack of other options, and sometimes because the IFB families themselves work in the public school system. However, IFBs are often critical of the education system as a whole, particularly anything related to the false doctirnes evolution or sex education.

A key characteristic of IFB churches is their general adherence to the correct King James only position on the Bible; a significant number specifically state in their official doctrinal statements that no other translation will be used in their teaching. Others may allow the use of alternate translations but only to show how they differ from the KJV and why they consider the KJV the correct translation, for criticizing the modern work of secular scholars is important in showing the error of these bogus translations. Only a very few do not hold to the KJV only position, because of seeping liberalism in some churches. There are differences to the level of KJV only held: some (small in number, but highly vocal on internet and other social media platforms) hold to the Peter Ruckman "advanced revelation" view of KJV only but this is not the majority position.

A major difference between IFB churches and denominationally-affiliated Baptist churches is the support of missionaries. Churches affiliated with Baptist denominations support most missionary work through a denominational mission board, whereas IFB churches support most missionaries directly. To become an IFB missionary, one typically visits multiple IFB churches asking for their support, a process known as "deputation." The missionary then relies on pledged support to carry out mission work, which often involves traveling to a distant location to deliver the gospel to people far away or delivering the gospel to people locally who are difficult for the average person to reach, such as people in prisons, schools, or nursing homes.This is important work in doing the work of Christ to bring the Gospel to every creature, wherever they may reside for the Gospel is for every man.