Bible Church

[Ransom]

From the "You might be an IFB if..." thread:

Hey, go start your own "you might be a Bible Church guy if..." thread!

So, in a sense, here's that thread.

Can someone explain the "Bible Church" thing to me? It gets mentioned on the FFF every so often as a category, usually in a sense that is mildly derogatory, or if not, at least in a sense that it's "not Baptist."

My own church is called a "Bible Church," so I'm particularly curious, because apart from denominational affiliation, we're effectively a Baptist congregation. Perhaps it's an American thing?

So, inform me. What is a "Bible Church," how does it differ from a Baptist church, and why is it the butt of so many jokes?

 

[Tarheel Baptist]

I think that’s what some in the IFB movement call an evangelical church absent the vital doctrines of KJVO and other extra biblical standards which have been hashed here over and over. The intimation is that they falsely claim to be ‘Bible’ while going against those vital ‘Bible’ truths.

 

[ALAYMAN]

From the "You might be an IFB if..." thread:



So, in a sense, here's that thread.

Can someone explain the "Bible Church" thing to me? It gets mentioned on the FFF every so often as a category, usually in a sense that is mildly derogatory, or if not, at least in a sense that it's "not Baptist."

My own church is called a "Bible Church," so I'm particularly curious, because apart from denominational affiliation, we're effectively a Baptist congregation. Perhaps it's an American thing?

So, inform me. What is a "Bible Church," how does it differ from a Baptist church, and why is it the butt of so many jokes?

Ok, here is the contextual (and short) answer. Bob H, as you know, has a long history on the FFF. Part of that narrative is my awareness of his defense of many FFF fundamentalist principles (ie, against Calvinism, for "standards", old-school purist traditionalism thoughts and his defense of people of that ilk like PappaBear, Gman, etc). Yet Bob H wasn't a Indy-style Fundy (at least not from that direct tradition), so I was curious of his background, and eventually figured out that he was a Bible Church kinda guy, from which John Macarthur comes (specifically the IFCA). In addition to that, Bob H is a Michigan Wolverine fan and I am an OSU Buckeyes football crazy, so we are like oil and water on that plane....so, it's sort of a love-hate relationship (I love his theology and hate his sports teams ), consequently I harass him on the Michigan-OSU thing whenever possible, and he takes it in good fun. So, refocusing back to the point of the OP...

The Bible Church folk are like soft cousins of the militant branch of the IFBs, having lots of origination and influence from Dallas Theological Seminary. To make a crude analogy, it is similar to the relationship of the Hyles style fundies to the BoJoers. Both are militant, premillenial, conservative, separationist, etc, and have similar fundamentalist roots, but the very nature of the main common bond (INDEPENDENCE + MILITANCY) leads to constant one-upsmanship and division.

Here's some slightly more widely researched and orbed scholarly links to mark the delineation....
Link
Link
Link
Link
Link

 

[Ransom]

Ah, OK. Turns out that "my" kind of Bible Church and the American variety aren't all that different, though they probably developed in parallel. My denomination is a child of the Bible Conference movement in the late 19th century--basically an amalgamation of theologically conservative, independent churches--and its member congregations do tend to have "Bible Church" or "Gospel Church" in their names.

 

[AverageJoe]

I think that’s what some in the IFB movement call an evangelical church absent the vital doctrines of KJVO and other extra biblical standards which have been hashed here over and over. The intimation is that they falsely claim to be ‘Bible’ while going against those vital ‘Bible’ truths.

I know I've been a member in several Bible churches over the year, and was once instrumental in helping establish one....they held to most of what the Baptists call "fundamentals, but they got rid of the KJVO position, the "hymnal music only" stance, men must have extra short hair, women mustn't wear slacks positions. I have to say that I loved the Bible churches we were in. Some of those that have gone to "Bible" and dropped "Baptist" like Mr. Greg Lockes Global Vision Bible Church (very cultic in practice and mindset), are bad for the movement and give them just as bad a reputation as First Baptist Church of Hammond, IN (Jack Hyles) gave the IFB movement.

 

[illinoisguy]

I was saved and baptized in a Bible church. My Bible church required baptism for membership, but many Bible churches do not. My particular Bible church was solidly devoted to Scofield dispensationalism (a typical Bible church characteristic) and very much oriented toward Bob Jones University - no other Christian colleges were any good whatsoever, especially not Moody Bible Institute. Our church was still listed in the IFCA directory but our pastor had repudiated the IFCA because he said they were too soft on the issue of banning moviegoing. We used the KJV but there was no mention of KJV-Only or banning women's slacks.

 

[Bob H]

When I moved down south I joined an independent Methodist church pretty much in line with BJU. My pastor got his Masters there and was friends with Dr Bob Jr so I guess I was to. Though it wasn't hurtin' us, being methodist wasn't helping us either. We just decided to change to a bible church. BTW, we had all flavors including a cal who attended. We even had some preach for us. We/ I'm not a KJVO, people dress some what casual and we're conservative in music cause that's all I know. I'm a fundy and not a neo.........Hey Al, GO BLUE!

 

[IFB X-Files]

ALAYMAN already mentioned the IFCA, which was my first taste of a "Bible Church". Their doctrinal statement would have been pretty much identical to an IFB church at that time. The version issue was not really an issue in that church and wasn't really even known. Of course, this was years ago. The preaching would be the same as any average Baptist church not influenced by Jack Hyles, etc.
Before that church, I was going to another "Bible" church that wasn't a "Bible" church in the same vein as the other one. That church was more conservative and KJVO.
Another friend and I were invited to attend an IFB church in Pomona, CA to hear Jack Hyles and John Rice. I had never heard of either of them. It was then that I became "corrupted" with IFBism's. That church was running 40 buses. Our Bible church had a bus and we liked what we saw at the IFB church so we asked our pastor if we could use the bus and pick up kids. They only used it to pick up kids of church members who just wanted to ride the bus.
Our little Bible church didn't know what hit them. My friend and I had zero ideas of how to run a bus route so we took the bus with us on Saturdays and drove to neighborhoods and went door-to-door. Our first Sunday we brought over 10 kids. The church didn't know what to do with them! We kept doing this for several weeks, bringing in more kids each week. The Bible church didn't really like it. We were young and naive and didn't see what the problem was.
To make a long story short, we left that church and drove the distance to Pomona where they liked buses filled with kids. That was the beginning of my ruination.

 

[IFB X-Files]

Ok, here is the contextual (and short) answer. Bob H, as you know, has a long history on the FFF. Part of that narrative is my awareness of his defense of many FFF fundamentalist principles (ie, against Calvinism, for "standards", old-school purist traditionalism thoughts and his defense of people of that ilk like PappaBear, Gman, etc). Yet Bob H wasn't a Indy-style Fundy (at least not from that direct tradition), so I was curious of his background, and eventually figured out that he was a Bible Church kinda guy, from which John Macarthur comes (specifically the IFCA).

That IFCA link is not the correct IFCA. This one is: https://www.ifca.org/page/history

 

[aleshanee]

ALAYMAN already mentioned the IFCA, which was my first taste of a "Bible Church". Their doctrinal statement would have been pretty much identical to an IFB church at that time. The version issue was not really an issue in that church and wasn't really even known. Of course, this was years ago. The preaching would be the same as any average Baptist church not influenced by Jack Hyles, etc.
Before that church, I was going to another "Bible" church that wasn't a "Bible" church in the same vein as the other one. That church was more conservative and KJVO.
Another friend and I were invited to attend an IFB church in Pomona, CA to hear Jack Hyles and John Rice. I had never heard of either of them. It was then that I became "corrupted" with IFBism's. That church was running 40 buses. Our Bible church had a bus and we liked what we saw at the IFB church so we asked our pastor if we could use the bus and pick up kids. They only used it to pick up kids of church members who just wanted to ride the bus.
Our little Bible church didn't know what hit them. My friend and I had zero ideas of how to run a bus route so we took the bus with us on Saturdays and drove to neighborhoods and went door-to-door. Our first Sunday we brought over 10 kids. The church didn't know what to do with them! We kept doing this for several weeks, bringing in more kids each week. The Bible church didn't really like it. We were young and naive and didn't see what the problem was.
To make a long story short, we left that church and drove the distance to Pomona where they liked buses filled with kids. That was the beginning of my ruination.

.
what year was that?... ....did you ever pick up bus kids from east los angeles?... .or do you know if the churches ever did?..

 

[illinoisguy]

The IFCA (the one in Grandville, Michigan) has published the "Voice of the IFCA" magazine for many years. I reinstated my subscription a few years ago. For those who are interested, this magazine takes some really good, strong stands on many issues and has some real "meat of the word" compared to Sword of the Lord. The most recent issue deals with "charismatic error" and opposes claims of new revelations. Recent issues take a stand against women pastors and Critical Race Theory, and promote discernment ministry. I personally do not affirm or identify with the strong dispensationalist emphasis of the IFCA movement, but there is a lot of good to be found in this movement and in some IFCA churches in Illinois that I have visited over the years. An IFCA church just might be an alternative choice for worship, for those who cannot find a suitable IFB church in their community, other than the extremist groups with the buffoonish, domineering Mannagod.

IFCA International - Publications

IFCA International - What We Believe

 

[ALAYMAN]

That IFCA link is not the correct IFCA. This one is: https://www.ifca.org/page/history

Thanks for the correction, and posting the actual information to their history. I saw the acronym describing IFCA History but didn't pay attention to the body of information . Had I actually read what I linked past the first sentence I would have realized that ain't the same group.

 

[ALAYMAN]

........Hey Al, GO BLUE!

Glad y'all were able to make The Game a rivalry again.

Seriously, I figured everything about TTUN was legit from watching them play this year, but Georgia sure did make them (and the B10) look like mincemeat. But that Hutchinson is a beast! Hopefully Georgia can do something different to Bama this time so we don't have another Saban championship.