The vast majority of posters here either have had direct contact and experience in or with IFBs, or are still within the IFB framework. Most who participate here are hostile or critical of a certain strain of IFB-dom that is associated with Jack Hyles and his offshoots or associated "camps". That forum member makeup, to some degree or other, has been the lonnnnng history of all Fighting Fundamental Forum iterations (over 20 years, nearer to 25). In the past (prior to 7-10 years ago) the FFF would have had a more equal balance of those who would have been supportive of Hyles-style ministries, but not so much now, as this pond is hugely reduced to a puddle of its' former self. I am a 22-year member of a IFB church that has roots in several strains of IFB-dom (Ruckman, Norris, Hyles, BBF, etc). I still consider myself IFB, but not of that particular strain that favors what some people term as "militatant fundamentalism".
I see. Thanks for your response. I’m not really familiar with Jack Hyles, other than I’ve heard the name before. I suppose I’m more from the Bob Jone University strain, and by that, I mean churches I’ve attended have had men from BJU on staff, and to a lesser extent, Pensacola Christian College. (I actually graduated from a state college, not a Christian college, so I’m not advocating either one, I just haven’t attended a church with a Hyles graduate.)
To say you're not missing anything by missing out on any Hyles-styled IFB churches is an understatement. I've attended several, and my wife and I quickly grew sick of the hero worship, cover-ups, and horse puckey that went on in them. We ended up leaving one in May of 2000, going to an SBC church up the road from the one we left. But, now, as many SBC churches are falling away from any type of standards, we find ourselves looking for an IFB church that isn't militant to attend. They're hard to find these days. Many churches are leaving both the IFB, and becoming either IB or non-denom.
Sounds like these Hyles churches do more harm than good for Christ. I’ve been to a couple of BJU and PCC churches with some peculiar “rules” or beliefs, but I normally just tune out some of the oddities. The SBC churches just seem hit or miss to me. I’ve found myself more comfortable in the smaller ones than the bigger ones. I don’t know, sometimes the bigger SBC churches seem like they’re trying to hard to be “cool and trendy” while also trying to follow the gospel, and it then feels odd, like a conflict of interests almost. I don’t know if that makes sense or not, but that’s how I feel.
Well, to be fair, the strict fundamentalist nature of the institutions that you mentioned, though they are different in some significant ways, really fit under the same umbrella when it comes to the reason why many of the people here disdain the culture of IFB. As you are aware, Pensacola and Bob Jones are both considered by those from the Evangelical spectrum to be right wing. Of course that is due to a perception at least of an overemphasis on rules that often are deemed as legalistic. Though there is a particular contempt here for the highest strain of fundamentalism, Bob Jones and Pensacola both still would be in the target sights of most criticisms that you find from people here. It has always been that way. This forum was created in its infancy with that very theme in mind. It was a freewheeling food fight amongst people who supported the (uber) conservative strain of ifb's and those who would be from a more moderate or liberal wing of it (or had left it all together). That particular strain of Hyles, PCC, Bob Jones, etc were eventually given the infamous descriptor IFBx (x representing the extreme wing of IFBdom), while those who often ran to the other side of the ditch were termed "Freebirds". That is a Cliff's notes version of the two generalized categories of groups that have always battled here.
Christians of any persuasion may post here. I think you'll find the majority of posters either are present or former IFBs, or have had some experience with IFB churches. On the other hand, I for one have not.
Then that's one thing we have in common. Back in 1998 or so, I stumbled upon the original iteration of the FFF while looking into the KJV-only movement, specifically Jack Hyles, whom I had not heard of previously. (He may have had the largest Sunday school in the US, but he still went unnoticed amongst mainstream evangelical Canadian Baptists...)
I agree. The one my wife and I are members of now in the SBC is a smaller church...before Covid hit, we were running between 95 and 150 a week. The church has been here for nearly 200 years. Now the church is running about 65. In recent years, though, it had started to move from conservative to a more "trendy" type of service...a LOT of CCM, little true preaching on salvation, and just a few baptisms...mostly youth who had been reached through very worldly themed programs...you know...let's be more like the world than like a Christian??? UGH! We have been praying about our continuation there. Don't get me wrong..we love the people there, but, there is a point where one has to make a decision to continue to be part of the slide down the slope to carnalism or to take a stand for Christ. We've been there almost 7 years.
Most of what served as the contentiousness of the older versions of the "fighting" forums was due to several reasons. The controversial nature of the lightning rod leaders of the IFB churches and organizations (Gray, Hyles, Goddard, Ruckman, Norris, Kidd, etc) spurred disagreements over moral issues/failures in leadership, as well as styles of authoritarianism. Secondly, how people disagreed was often referred to as "bringing more heat than light", because people would sling ad hominem rather than simply agreeing to disagree in an amicable fashion, nor would many people argue from a sound logical and exegetical basis (but would rather claim something like "preacher said..."). And lastly, the doctrines themselves (pants on women, bible versions, secondary separation, holiness standards of preference preached as conviction, etc) are by their very nature divisive, not to mention that the doctrines were often taught within those circles by poor hermeneutical principles and heavy-laden topical cotton-candy type preaching. As the internet became more open, and people discovered worlds of other Christians who openly shunned these "conservative" factions of IFBs then it became less a draw to fight on the FFF, as people migrated to social media platforms to get their theological wars settled.
This forum was originally named simply the "Jack Hyles Forum" because its founder added it to a site he had created with a bunch of Hyles-related resources. A few years later he changed the name to the "Fightin' Fundamentalist Forum," and though his involvement is long gone, the name has stuck with subsequent owners.
I was referring in a church attendance context, not a theological context. I do realize that’s an entire different conversation
I think the name change was due to a constant DDOS attack brought about by an offended person who didn't think a web site with the name "jackhyles.net" should allow criticism of Jack Hyles. I think the owner/moderator of the web site negotiated -somewhat publicly in the forum itself - to rename or create a new forum that didn't include Jack Hyles name where disagreements could be discussed. I may be remembering it wrong.
The name change came about because of an IFB pastor and Hyles sycophant, James "Yeller" Beller, complaining about the forum allowing criticism of Hyles, as you point out. My recollection is that the DDOS attack came after the change. There's no way of knowing if Beller had any hand in that. (If I'd known in 2000-ish that I'd be the most senior original member and de facto FFF historian, I'd have taken more notes!)
I remember both of those incidents....I lost all of my posts from the old FFF about five years back when our computers and servers were destroyed.