Sunday, February 19, 2006

Part 1: The IFB way . . .

If the above quotes have peaked your curiosity then please read on. I hope you have the courage and honesty to read this and judge the following material for yourself and not apply the judgements and convictions of your church, your Pastor or your particular brand of Christianity. If you are an Independent Fundamental Baptist (IFB) then I welcome you and hope this gives you some knowledge, understanding and wisdom of how not to conduct yourself as a Christian. If you are an IFB pastor, preacher, evangelist, Sunday school teacher, missionary, deacon or any form of church leader then let this be a warning that none of us, especially you, are above the judgement of our Lord Jesus Christ and the blessed Holy Spirit.

First let me begin with who I was. I was an up and coming IFB Christian that later became an adult Sunday school teacher, song leader, and deacon. I was often called to fill in for the pastor of the churches I attended whenever the pastor was out of town. I had a great zeal for the Lord and His work. I was there whenever the church doors were open. Thursday evening visitation, Saturday morning visitation and Saturday night prayer meetings you name it I was there. I sang solos in front my church, often known as "specials" or "special music". I taught myself guitar and played and sang hymns and soul-stirring southern gospel songs in front of my congregation. Yes, I was careful of my selections of southern gospel for I feared that many songs were not appropriate for the worship service.

By far the ministry that was most dear to me was teaching. Several members of the church, including my pastors and visiting ministers often told me that I had the "gift of teaching." I enjoyed breaking down the word of God and extracting the principals for living. When I prepared for my Sunday School lessons I looked for the leading of the Holy Spirit. I never followed a published teaching program like Baptist Press. I earnestly sought the leading of God and spent many hours on Saturday, and early Sunday morning preparing and praying. I loved it, I didn’t do it for the spot-light or vain glory. I did it because I loved to share what I found in the precious Word of God. The Word of God (KJV only) was exciting, alive and real. I wanted to share its goodness with my church. When I was medically discharged from the Army I came very close to surrendering full-time to becoming an Evangelist and went as far as "surveying" my future Christian college, Ambassador Baptist College in Shelby, North Carolina, founded by Evangelist Ron Comfort.

I married into a family of preachers. My wife was a missionary’s daughter whom I met while being stationed overseas. Her oldest brother was a pastor of an IFB church, her other brother was an IFB Evangelist, and her older sister was smack in the will of God by being an IFB missionary’s wife. Under her father (my then future father-in-law), I was taught in the doctrines of the IFB. At this time let me point out that I met Jesus and was saved before I became an IFB. My affiliation and subsequent transformation into an IFB occurred at this time. Having been saved in a Pentecostal church that taught little Bible I finally found a church that fed me. My future wife was being trained to be a preacher’s wife. When I later surrendered to preach, I qualified.

That’s who I was. Who am I now? Rest assured, I’m still a Christian. I’m saved, and to answer the question that I often used on visitation. "If I were to die tonight, where would I go?" The answer is Heaven. I’m still a Blood-Bought believer. Of more important to readers is the question: "What am I doing now?" The answer is not pretty to an IFB. Indeed, I would venture to say that I will lose some of you in disgust. You will claim that I am back-slidden and in need of God’s judgement. That I departed the church because I was never a part of the "church." So, if you have the courage then read on.

I don’t go to church, I don’t take my family to church. My wife refuses to set foot in any church. I don’t believe in tithing any more (don’t be scared, keep reading). I believe to fully understand the scriptures one must study several different translations (gasp! --I've lost about 90% of you IFB's). I encourage birth control (you would too, if you knew the Christians I do). I go to the movies. I enjoy secular music. I send my kids to public school (sorry Jack Chick, I must meet all those liberal God-Hating teachers you know firsthand). I’ve sampled some wine at Olive Garden (what can I say, I'm horrible). Needless to say my wife and I are considered the "Black Sheep".
Next installment…."I can't pay my phone bill . . . I gave the money to God!"

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Keep up the good work on your journey towards your relationship with Christ. He loves you and wants you to continue to search for the truth and not laws put on us by man.

Anonymous said...

Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together...

Anonymous said...

Gos bless you for having the courage to relate your negative experiences in the IFB cult. I was there too, and like you left in utter disgust.

pmay said...

I too was an IFB for 28+ years. I attended an IFB college. About two years ago I ran smack dab into "RELIGION" at the church I was attending and found that it was all over in my own life. About a year ago, God led us out of the institutional church. It has been the most amazing journey since. These sites are great.
www.jakecolsen.com/
www.lifestream.org/
www.thegodjourney.com/podcast.html

God Bless

Rehoboth said...

I am the daughter of a (deceased) IFB pastor, and IFB no more. Our family left, and we are now in an AMIA Anglican church.

I left almost three years ago, and I'm still trying to untangle my knotted up spirit. So glad to be out.

Trisha said...

I found you through blog-train. While I was never IFB, I left a popular, large, charismatic fundamental independent church when I got married. They used their people up and when they got exhausted, they walked away, leaving them spiritually wounded and sometimes injured beyond repair. Many of the people who left around the time I did, like me, no longer attend church. We still believe, but we don't believe in serving people in the guise of serving God. I know you know what I mean. It's not just in the IFB churches that this is happening. Kudos to you for speaking out and not hiding this. I pray some day you will heal enough to feel you can go back to *a* church where you feel like the people love God and serve Him.

David Means said...

Re: "Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together... "

does not mean

"foresake not the assembling to hear a preacher."

I didn't grow up IFB, rather SBC. I've come to many of the same conclusions you have, but through a different path. The church that I do attend on occasion has a thing they call "family care groups," which meets once or twice a month during the week. That's my assembly, my ekklesia.

David Means said...

Re: "Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together... "

does not mean

"foresake not the assembling to hear a preacher."

I didn't grow up IFB, rather SBC. I've come to many of the same conclusions you have, but through different means and methods.

The church that I do attend on occasion has a thing they call "family care groups." It meets around town (Atlanta Metro area) once or twice a month. That's my assembly, my ekklesia.

Ukulelemike said...

As an IFB for 31 years now, one thing I learned was the ability to see men for who they are, and separate them from the churches of Jesus Christ. I have remained an IFB despite seeing many of the same things as you, (we don't do 'tithes', for example)and in fact would not be welcome at some IFB churches I know of, (I am no longer pre-tribulation), but I also clearly see in scripture the absolute importance of being a part of a local NT Bible-believing church, being the body of Christ, and to reject it is to reject that body. When one considers that a majority of the New Testament scripture was written TO local church bodies, to say that the local church is not important is, indeed, nigh heresy. AND it is an invitation to false doctrine. I have not met one person who willingly left the local church that has not, even with regular study, fallen into false doctrines. A church, an assembly, is just that-a local physical assembly, with leadership, based around teaching, preaching the word. "Preach the word; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine" "Let all things be done to the edification of the church". "But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." You need to wake up, if you are a believer, and get right with God and get into a local assembly. Get oer yourself and submit yourself unto the Lord.

LR said...

So Mike, let me explain how your comment just affected me. Everything was going well as I read your comment, I was on my way to receiving some edification (or so I thought) for you see, I've started to get closer to God as the Lord has sent me a Brother who has encouraged me to return and seek the Lord and get to know Him and rediscover His love, grace and mercy. I have an active prayer life now and read his word almost daily . . .different translations as I get to know/Rediscover Jesus. Still believe the fundamentals . . . no heresy last time I checked. Even to the point where my wife and I have wanted to return back to church. But then I read your final comment like "you need to wake up . . if you are a believer you need to get right with God . . . Get oer (over) yourself . . ." and you made me feel like I'm a piece of crap . . . flashbacks to how I felt back when I was an IFB church member. Judged, weak and incompetent as a Christian. So I say to myself . . .if this is God using Ukulelemike to speak to me then I'm in trouble or soon to be with God . . . I will be judged and something bad will happen to me. Or is this an example of what I should be avoiding . . . . or am I just a weak pansy that needs a Spiritual Drill Sergeant to kick me in the butt? In short in a few short secs you confused me and brought back all feels of inadequacies I felt in the IFB church. Getting over my self is difficult since everytime I look in the mirror there I am. So then I start thinking . . . do I even want to go back to church and go through all this again?