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I have talked with some lately who are a little confused about the history of the IFB movement. Many of the posters here have had some questions on the issue and I fear that even many in the IFB movement today have lost the truth of their own heritage. This is by no means a complete work on the history, but will present a brief history. Please feel free to comment.
A little background information is needed. Since the foundation of the church, there has always been a tendency for a group that has heralded the truth to become enraptured with some false dogma or doctrine. When this happens, there tends to be a small splinter group that abandons the group to maintain independence and calls others back to the truth. When this happens, the more established, larger group lashes out in attack out of self-defense for their dogma or doctrine. This phenomenon has been happening since the foundation of the church and is easily seen when looking at church history. Thus, we should not be surprised when we see this occurring today or in the future.
The Fundamentalist movement began in the 1920's when a movement entitled "The Higher Criticism" began sweeping across the world. This movement had its roots in Germany, then France and followed the great migration to America where it bloomed in the 1920's. The Higher Criticism was deistic in nature and attacked the authority of the Scripture on historical and linguistic grounds. This attack was followed by other arguments touting humanistic advancements in psychology over the truths of the Bible and sought to discredit many Theological foundations of Christianity. The average pastor in America did not know how to discredit these new arguments and many were falling away from churches. Scholars, pastors and evangelists banded together in preaching conferences to encourage the pastors and laity of this nation to stand for the Fundamental truths of Christianity. Works were published to teach, encourage and equip Christians to argue against The Higher Criticism. This was the birth of the modern fundamentalist movement.
Notice that these founders of the movement were not all Baptist. In fact, Baptist was a minority in this group, though they did participate. Not all of these agreed on every point of doctrine, nor on every dogma.
The early Fundamentalist movement was a national stirring of all who claimed to be Christian. This movement began to fall apart shortly after the Scopes trial debacle. The leaders realized that a national harping with a loud voice would not change the nation. Rather, there was a call to a grass roots movement of proselyting and discipling individuals.
As the national movement returned to a Biblical model, the group began a natural fragmentation due to varying doctrine and dogma of the various denominations. Even among the Baptist there were great divisions. The Southern Baptist and American (Northern) Baptists had their split long ago, mainly over slavery. Frank Norris started the BBF. Bob Ketcham started the GARB. Myron Cedarholm started the CBA. Lee Roberson started the SBF. Jack Hyles wrote in his works that he was 75% SBF and 25% BBF. John R Rice bridged the gap between many of these Baptist groups and the Non-denominational fundamentalists. Billy Graham went a step further by calling for all of these groups to unite once again in city-wide campaigns.
Among the Southern Baptists, there were a few key players that led to the modern movement. Jack Hyles and Lee Roberson. All three of these were voted out of the SBC for their own choice to not participate in the SBC program. This event was incredibly demoralizing for each of these leaders. Lee Roberson would go on to start his own fellowship of churches. Jack Hyles seemed to harbor a resentment towards the SBC and would not claim to ever have started another denomination or fellowship. Lee Roberson had already built the largest Sunday School in the world. Jack Hyles would move to Hammond, IN, to build an even larger work. Both of these works were characterized by strong preaching, visitation, bus ministry and high moral standards of separation.
After Lee Roberson resigned from Highland Park, the church in Chattanooga began an obvious slide toward the liberal leaning faction of the Independent movement and would eventually seek membership in the SBC once again after the death of Lee Roberson. This movement left Jack Hyles and the First Baptist Church of Hammond as the lone bastion of the movement who had pulled out of the SBC, remained independent and fundamental in its teachings. Of course, there were other local churches who would fit this description, but none with the influence of the world's largest Sunday School program.
As Jack Hyles grew the ministry of the FBCH, people began asking his opinion and modeling their ministries after his own. This was true of not just IFB churches, but churches from varying non-denominational and denominations churches as well. Thus, a college training people in the methodology of Jack Hyles and a national pastor's conference was born.
Though it may be debated, many people believe that it is at this point that Jack Hyles began to make grave mistakes. He decided to travel the nation as a voice for his cause rather than continue to care for his personal family and the church family that called him Preacher. The real problems of such choices began to surface when Jack Hyles' son was being accused by many in the church of inappropriate relationships with teen girls. Dave Hyles was appointed as youth director before his 20s and was not really able to spiritually lead this massive youth department. Instead, his lust for sex began to control him. Jack Hyles would not hear that his son was guilty of such issues. He needed something to divert attention away from the supposed problems in the youth department. Dave was sent to Texas to pastor a church (where he continued to hurt people). To complicate matters, Jack was accused of an affair with his secretary. This accusation was never proven, but had much credence. Jack Hyles needed to rally his followers. Jack decided to take strong stands against minor issues that had never been contended before among those who called themselves fundamentalists. This would give his followers something to rally around and circle the wagons into an us against them mentality. From the 1980's forward, this branch of fundamentalism would forever be finding something wrong with some other group. This fault-finding became a full time endeavor among some in their ranks who would publish articles and distribute information about the problems in some other group or church.
The Fundamentalists had fragmented into a denominational sections. The Baptist Fundamentalists had fragmented into varying denominations. The strictest sect among the Baptist had fragmented to be independent of any denomination. Now, these, calling themselves the Independent Fundamental Baptists, were fragmenting upon such lines as number of baptisms, types of ministries and how much they supported Jack Hyles. In his elder years, Jack Hyles lamented this division among his followers and personally pleaded with these groups to unite once again around the cause of Christ. This pleading was ignored even after the death of Jack Hyles.
In the last 15 years, the IFB has continued to fragment into various groups centered around strong, charismatic leaders and the Bible colleges which each has founded. Like their father, Hyles-Anderson College, these colleges seek primarily to train people in the mannerisms of their leader, which gives some distinction between them. Like their predecessor, they continue to focus on the reason why others are more sinful than they in efforts to rally people around their own methodologies.
We reach the conclusion that the Independent Fundamental Baptists of today are not really like the people they point to as their founders at all. The founders of the movement united with various denominations to nationally call people to repentance and a knowledge of the sufficiency of the Scripture. Today's Fundamentalists, in the IFB, are calling for radical separation and radical accusation against any who are not utilizing the exact same methodology as themselves.
Today, many who have grown up in the IFB movement are realizing the errors of the last generation. They are beginning to ask the Fundamentalists of America to reunite around the Cross, centering their union and cause around Christ and Him crucified. The methodology might not be the same as the previous generation. The focus is definitely shifting from simply attacking others and promoting a lifestyle to promoting the sufficiency of the Scripture and the worship of God. Not surprisingly this has been met with an attack, just as has happened throughout the last two millennium.
My hope in this lengthy post, but brief history, is to call the Fundamentalists of America back to a place of willingness to work with others to let Christ be our cause once again. Let us lay down our pens, step away from the keyboard and stop the hashtag attacks. If you are going to claim your are "Old Paths," recognize the character of unity and doctrine in the old paths. Point out sin and inappropriate doctrine, but unite with others who are carrying the Gospel and promoting the Fundamentals as we are instructed by Christ.
Luke 9:50 - And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.
A little background information is needed. Since the foundation of the church, there has always been a tendency for a group that has heralded the truth to become enraptured with some false dogma or doctrine. When this happens, there tends to be a small splinter group that abandons the group to maintain independence and calls others back to the truth. When this happens, the more established, larger group lashes out in attack out of self-defense for their dogma or doctrine. This phenomenon has been happening since the foundation of the church and is easily seen when looking at church history. Thus, we should not be surprised when we see this occurring today or in the future.
The Fundamentalist movement began in the 1920's when a movement entitled "The Higher Criticism" began sweeping across the world. This movement had its roots in Germany, then France and followed the great migration to America where it bloomed in the 1920's. The Higher Criticism was deistic in nature and attacked the authority of the Scripture on historical and linguistic grounds. This attack was followed by other arguments touting humanistic advancements in psychology over the truths of the Bible and sought to discredit many Theological foundations of Christianity. The average pastor in America did not know how to discredit these new arguments and many were falling away from churches. Scholars, pastors and evangelists banded together in preaching conferences to encourage the pastors and laity of this nation to stand for the Fundamental truths of Christianity. Works were published to teach, encourage and equip Christians to argue against The Higher Criticism. This was the birth of the modern fundamentalist movement.
Notice that these founders of the movement were not all Baptist. In fact, Baptist was a minority in this group, though they did participate. Not all of these agreed on every point of doctrine, nor on every dogma.
The early Fundamentalist movement was a national stirring of all who claimed to be Christian. This movement began to fall apart shortly after the Scopes trial debacle. The leaders realized that a national harping with a loud voice would not change the nation. Rather, there was a call to a grass roots movement of proselyting and discipling individuals.
As the national movement returned to a Biblical model, the group began a natural fragmentation due to varying doctrine and dogma of the various denominations. Even among the Baptist there were great divisions. The Southern Baptist and American (Northern) Baptists had their split long ago, mainly over slavery. Frank Norris started the BBF. Bob Ketcham started the GARB. Myron Cedarholm started the CBA. Lee Roberson started the SBF. Jack Hyles wrote in his works that he was 75% SBF and 25% BBF. John R Rice bridged the gap between many of these Baptist groups and the Non-denominational fundamentalists. Billy Graham went a step further by calling for all of these groups to unite once again in city-wide campaigns.
Among the Southern Baptists, there were a few key players that led to the modern movement. Jack Hyles and Lee Roberson. All three of these were voted out of the SBC for their own choice to not participate in the SBC program. This event was incredibly demoralizing for each of these leaders. Lee Roberson would go on to start his own fellowship of churches. Jack Hyles seemed to harbor a resentment towards the SBC and would not claim to ever have started another denomination or fellowship. Lee Roberson had already built the largest Sunday School in the world. Jack Hyles would move to Hammond, IN, to build an even larger work. Both of these works were characterized by strong preaching, visitation, bus ministry and high moral standards of separation.
After Lee Roberson resigned from Highland Park, the church in Chattanooga began an obvious slide toward the liberal leaning faction of the Independent movement and would eventually seek membership in the SBC once again after the death of Lee Roberson. This movement left Jack Hyles and the First Baptist Church of Hammond as the lone bastion of the movement who had pulled out of the SBC, remained independent and fundamental in its teachings. Of course, there were other local churches who would fit this description, but none with the influence of the world's largest Sunday School program.
As Jack Hyles grew the ministry of the FBCH, people began asking his opinion and modeling their ministries after his own. This was true of not just IFB churches, but churches from varying non-denominational and denominations churches as well. Thus, a college training people in the methodology of Jack Hyles and a national pastor's conference was born.
Though it may be debated, many people believe that it is at this point that Jack Hyles began to make grave mistakes. He decided to travel the nation as a voice for his cause rather than continue to care for his personal family and the church family that called him Preacher. The real problems of such choices began to surface when Jack Hyles' son was being accused by many in the church of inappropriate relationships with teen girls. Dave Hyles was appointed as youth director before his 20s and was not really able to spiritually lead this massive youth department. Instead, his lust for sex began to control him. Jack Hyles would not hear that his son was guilty of such issues. He needed something to divert attention away from the supposed problems in the youth department. Dave was sent to Texas to pastor a church (where he continued to hurt people). To complicate matters, Jack was accused of an affair with his secretary. This accusation was never proven, but had much credence. Jack Hyles needed to rally his followers. Jack decided to take strong stands against minor issues that had never been contended before among those who called themselves fundamentalists. This would give his followers something to rally around and circle the wagons into an us against them mentality. From the 1980's forward, this branch of fundamentalism would forever be finding something wrong with some other group. This fault-finding became a full time endeavor among some in their ranks who would publish articles and distribute information about the problems in some other group or church.
The Fundamentalists had fragmented into a denominational sections. The Baptist Fundamentalists had fragmented into varying denominations. The strictest sect among the Baptist had fragmented to be independent of any denomination. Now, these, calling themselves the Independent Fundamental Baptists, were fragmenting upon such lines as number of baptisms, types of ministries and how much they supported Jack Hyles. In his elder years, Jack Hyles lamented this division among his followers and personally pleaded with these groups to unite once again around the cause of Christ. This pleading was ignored even after the death of Jack Hyles.
In the last 15 years, the IFB has continued to fragment into various groups centered around strong, charismatic leaders and the Bible colleges which each has founded. Like their father, Hyles-Anderson College, these colleges seek primarily to train people in the mannerisms of their leader, which gives some distinction between them. Like their predecessor, they continue to focus on the reason why others are more sinful than they in efforts to rally people around their own methodologies.
We reach the conclusion that the Independent Fundamental Baptists of today are not really like the people they point to as their founders at all. The founders of the movement united with various denominations to nationally call people to repentance and a knowledge of the sufficiency of the Scripture. Today's Fundamentalists, in the IFB, are calling for radical separation and radical accusation against any who are not utilizing the exact same methodology as themselves.
Today, many who have grown up in the IFB movement are realizing the errors of the last generation. They are beginning to ask the Fundamentalists of America to reunite around the Cross, centering their union and cause around Christ and Him crucified. The methodology might not be the same as the previous generation. The focus is definitely shifting from simply attacking others and promoting a lifestyle to promoting the sufficiency of the Scripture and the worship of God. Not surprisingly this has been met with an attack, just as has happened throughout the last two millennium.
My hope in this lengthy post, but brief history, is to call the Fundamentalists of America back to a place of willingness to work with others to let Christ be our cause once again. Let us lay down our pens, step away from the keyboard and stop the hashtag attacks. If you are going to claim your are "Old Paths," recognize the character of unity and doctrine in the old paths. Point out sin and inappropriate doctrine, but unite with others who are carrying the Gospel and promoting the Fundamentals as we are instructed by Christ.
Luke 9:50 - And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.
