“I hate these false accusations that are made against people who just don’t walk in step.”
This was a quote I heard on one of the podcasts the other day. The more I listened to some of the episodes, and the more I read the comments…I realized that this is largely just a place for people to come together and collectively drag IFB churches through the mud…in the same exact manner they accuse IFB churches of doing toward them.
The problem I see here is so many folks are jumping on this “RFP” bandwagon because they had a bad experience in a Baptist church or Christian college once upon a time. RFP then encourages their listeners to remain bitter and angry by taking a broad brush and painting it across every IFB church and Christian college that ever existed.
Without any insinuation, I showed this website to a (“liberal”) friend and asked his opinion after listening. His first reply was, “These guys just sit here and do the exact same thing that they accuse IFB churches of doing…they just bash people.” Go figure…
I spent my entire life in a Baptist church. One church I grew up in was pretty legalistic. I didn’t know any better until growing older. The IFB church I’ve been in for the past 20+ years has been incredible, and we have seen God work in amazing ways; and is centered around the truths of Gospel first and foremost…not the tradition of men. In these years of teaching various classes, I put a GREAT deal of effort into reminding folks that the legalistic, pharisaical mindset is NOT what following Jesus is about.
In my 40+ years in church…One thing that I have found common with many folks who have left church is the fact that many of them can never let go of the bitterness and anger that they’ve accumulated. Listening to these podcasts and reading the comments, I cannot help but feel the same way about the hosts and their listeners…which is very sad. Like any church, we have lost members over the years for various reasons. Sadly, many no longer go to ANY church. They openly live their lives, looking forward to the upcoming weekend of inebriation and sexual immorality…while publicly thanking your podcast for bringing them to the light against “legalism”. In case you missed the point, that’s not anything to be proud of.
In case you made it this far…Just because you see an IFB church, it doesn’t automatically make them legalistic as RFP and its undertones would like you to believe.
Again, remember…it goes both ways. “I hate these false accusations that are made against people who just don’t walk in step.”
Sincerely,
A Jesus-followin’, Non-Legalistic, IFB Church Member
Amen.
I’ve only listened to the first 2 podcasts so far and I don’t get that; I hear them talking about their individual experiences, the freedom they’ve received after leaving legalism, and that there are a lot of IFB churches that aren’t that way…unless they take a major detour in the ensuing episodes, I wonder if you could also be painting with too broad of a brush concerning their podcast? Maybe I’m wrong, food for thought.
So glad to read this! I was part of an extremist IFB church, but I left there and now attend a good IFB church that isn’t about worshiping the pastor or following his every whim as if he were God. The people actually love one another, and God is exalted.
I’ve read a lot of stories on here, and many of them are exalting in sexual immorality… they claim they love God, but it would seem that they have re-imagined God as some kind of permissive Being who blesses whatever they feel like doing. The God of the Bible is holy and commands that His followers be holy.
Glad to finally see this comment. I’ve been listening and reading the comments because 2 of my children have decided that the King James Bible is not the only Bible and one child has totally gotten out of church…all of them have been hurt in IFB churches as have me and my husband, but any church can become hurtful because every church is made up of saved sinners. And some have very few if any saved sinners … but I’m thankful that when I was 10 years old my father went to a new kind of IFB this Pastor was shunned, by Jack Hyles, Lee Robertson , Curtis Hudson and the Sword of the Lord. He taught that the Bible , The King James Bible needs to be rightly divided 2nd Timothy 2:15. If you know who the Bible is talking to and why then you know what to believe. I actually attend a church now that is a bit legalistic but it’s the best option we have because while I believe that all of these separation rules are against what the Bible actually says , I do still believe that God calls us to be separate otherwise we are still apart of the world….Believing that King James Bible is with error doesn’t make me or those that believe that a cult….I have a problem believing that God can be omniscient omnipotent omnipresent and cannot produce a copy of the Word of God without error or problems…. if he can’t then ehy are we using any Bible ….. no one that has decided that they are not King James only has been able to explain this to me. Quit shaming the IFB and go win souls for Christ …let’s change the world for Christ
I believe your criticism most of these testimonies is accurate, but I don’t think it applies to the hosts of the podcasts (except maybe JC). They try to not broadbrush, but many of the testimonies absolutely are broadbrushing.What they are doing is helpful, even though I think some more liscentious listeners take advantage of it to feel “validated.” Some of the “validation” people get here is good though. Even if you think the KJV is the best translation, that doesn’t mean you should beat people over the head with it.