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- Jan 17, 2013
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I have been raised a IFB. Born into it, fed it, lived it, and was willing to die for it. The KJV was the ONLY version of the Bible, women wearing pants was a SIN, CCM was a perversion of God's sacred music, etc......then Christ saved me. He absolutely changed my heart and mind! Took my sin and is constantly conforming me into His image. I left a very successful position in the secular world and surrendered to His ministry. I was licensed and ordained, I've pastored, and am currently the Associate Pastor of a large IFB church where my father-in-law is Senior Pastor. My heart had changed, but my head was still very much entrenched in the IFB. Over the last few years His grace has changed my heart, mind, and doctrine to one that Christ, not man, is glorified. I'm leaving this position shortly to pastor a Convention/Association church at God's leading, my differences with the IFB didn't hurt either. I am no longer KJV Only, my wife wears pants, I love CCM, and I believe in election.
I have spoken with my pastor/father-in-law concerning some of these issues. I have had an amazing relationship with my father-in-law. For so long he was a man I looked up to, respected, and loved. I could talk to him about anything, and thoroughly enjoy his company. I still love him, very dearly. But talking to him about my differences with the IFB, namely the modesty issue and very specifically the KJV was one of the biggest mistakes I've made.
To put it lightly, my heart is killing me. He was on my Ordination Council and he talked about having his name struck from the documentation, that I was a disappointment, that I had compromised on the fundamentals of scripture and was on the slippery slope to liberalism and further compromise. Were I not his son-in-law he would have fired me, this was just on the KJV issue. I tried to talk to him about historical evidence, but wouldn't have it. I knew the crazies that believe the manuscripts are obsolete and not inspired anymore, but I didn't think he genuinely believed it. He noted some of the preachers I enjoyed listening to and said I was being influenced by them. He named one prominent Calvinist(who I didn't begin listening to until I firmly believed in election), and said because he believed in election he was a heretic. I hadn't even told him yet that I believed in election, and he was saying that anyone who preaches that is a heretic......it was a knife to the heart. Because I believe how I do, I am a lost, Hell bound sinner preaching the anti-gospel.....and he didn't even realize he was saying that about me....the father of his grandchildren. My mother was bothered by the pants issue, because it was one we had stood upon for so long, but she got over it. The KJV issue, wasn't even a issue. It brought me to a point, that I would have rather lived a lie to them and then they just found out one day that I was a "Calvinist-Liberal-Heretic", which I don't consider myself completely any of those, especially a liberal or heretic. If he only knew not one but two of his "most trusted and godly" men were Calvinist, I wonder if his position would still be the same.
I'm just hoping that there is someone still on here that has gone through something similar, and has some words of comfort or advice or something. I'm sure of myself, not cocky, but as far as where I stand, I know I stand with Christ and I will follow Him. But this is killing me. My mother-in-law called my wife and told her how dissapointed they were and accused her of "following" me to preserve our marriage. It's hurting them so bad.....do they not understand that it's killing US! To have been fed a lie they could have prevented, but refused to! My head is just spinning.....
I have spoken with my pastor/father-in-law concerning some of these issues. I have had an amazing relationship with my father-in-law. For so long he was a man I looked up to, respected, and loved. I could talk to him about anything, and thoroughly enjoy his company. I still love him, very dearly. But talking to him about my differences with the IFB, namely the modesty issue and very specifically the KJV was one of the biggest mistakes I've made.
To put it lightly, my heart is killing me. He was on my Ordination Council and he talked about having his name struck from the documentation, that I was a disappointment, that I had compromised on the fundamentals of scripture and was on the slippery slope to liberalism and further compromise. Were I not his son-in-law he would have fired me, this was just on the KJV issue. I tried to talk to him about historical evidence, but wouldn't have it. I knew the crazies that believe the manuscripts are obsolete and not inspired anymore, but I didn't think he genuinely believed it. He noted some of the preachers I enjoyed listening to and said I was being influenced by them. He named one prominent Calvinist(who I didn't begin listening to until I firmly believed in election), and said because he believed in election he was a heretic. I hadn't even told him yet that I believed in election, and he was saying that anyone who preaches that is a heretic......it was a knife to the heart. Because I believe how I do, I am a lost, Hell bound sinner preaching the anti-gospel.....and he didn't even realize he was saying that about me....the father of his grandchildren. My mother was bothered by the pants issue, because it was one we had stood upon for so long, but she got over it. The KJV issue, wasn't even a issue. It brought me to a point, that I would have rather lived a lie to them and then they just found out one day that I was a "Calvinist-Liberal-Heretic", which I don't consider myself completely any of those, especially a liberal or heretic. If he only knew not one but two of his "most trusted and godly" men were Calvinist, I wonder if his position would still be the same.
I'm just hoping that there is someone still on here that has gone through something similar, and has some words of comfort or advice or something. I'm sure of myself, not cocky, but as far as where I stand, I know I stand with Christ and I will follow Him. But this is killing me. My mother-in-law called my wife and told her how dissapointed they were and accused her of "following" me to preserve our marriage. It's hurting them so bad.....do they not understand that it's killing US! To have been fed a lie they could have prevented, but refused to! My head is just spinning.....