So, you take the 5th eh?Don’t know if closed vs open communion is unique to IFB, but I’m betting you do.
IFB churches are staunchly independent, but in reality, they’re essentially a denomination not much different than the SBC or whatever. There are some slight variations between them, and these are usually college-educational differences in cultures of churches. In other words, a local IFB church pastored by a Pensacola Christian graduate is going to have some slight differences than another IFB church pastored by a Bob Jones graduate or a Hyles-Anderson graduate. I think there are also some slight geographical-cultural differences as well. However, these churches have much more in common than they do not in common.So, you take the 5th eh?
I just felt like the motif for the thread was a bit tenuous on this one, not exclusive to IFBs, though I’d split hairs narrowly and say it probably has Baptist earmarks in general.
Yep...I heard this crap from several of the church staff! Now, to be honest, I did carry mine for a while...but, then I stopped...I figured that I would be a better witness if I could just quote these scriptures myself.
And just for the record, I’m not it’s wrong to carry a Bible, but I think I like your philosophy on this.
Carrying a Bible was just a distraction...People didn't like the book...but, I had a lot of friends, and the teachers liked me...It allowed me to give the message of salvation more quickly and easily, and if I needed a Bible to show them that it was actually in there....I could always go to the school library and get the proof. I had some really good discussions with a teacher who was an atheist and another who was Jewish.
It’s doubtful if any IFB practices (even the strange and unique ones) are truly original thought designs and practices. I’m sure someone could find a modern schism of just about any denomination (especially in antiquity), and draw a distant parallel.Agreed on the comparison of SBC as far as demominationalism, which is what my previous post invoking Southern Baptists in this thread was refererring to. Also agree that there's not a huge difference in the quirky cultural conventions of piety that delineates the "Indy-fundy" variety of IFBs (Hyles, BoJo, Horton, etc), though I would quibble over the percentage which that version of IFB-land is representative of the whole of IFBs. Throughout the history of the FFF we had plenty of IFBs that came on and announced they had ZERO familiarity with these particular camps. Some of those folks were of the strict separatist and "standards" variety, but some were much more progressive in their church cultures (not against pants on women, Bible versions, etc). But mainly, with my interjection about closed/close/open communion I was just drawing attention the fact that it ain't an IFB exclusive doctrine, nor did it originate with them. Matter of fact, one of the heaviest inluences for this doctrine came via Landmarkism, which is steeped in SBC history. And of course the idea of closed communion has broader and more aged adherents from protestant (non-baptist) as well as Roman Catholic origins.
Anyway, as is the custom of this website from inception, back to the regularly scheduled lampooning of IFBs.
There is a good bit of variance here and it is not just IFB or even Baptist for that matter. Having the Lord's Table on Sunday Morning effectively makes communion open to everyone else you have to make certain "Not so nice" comments about communion open only to members in good standing. Having Communion on Sunday night or during Wednesday night prayer meeting better serves to "close" the communion table to the "faithful." I was member of a Baptist Church in Guam in the mid 80s where Church communion was so "Closed" that they held it outside of any regularly scheduled Church service (Tuesday night) and they did not announce the matter during regular services. It was a small congregation anyway so if you were "in," it was something that you knew about.
We have the Lord's Supper on a non-regularly scheduled service time, but it is announced ahead of time as to the exact date and time. That's enough to let people out of taking it that aren't committed members. And for the record, our church doesn't have an official position in writing, but to my knowledge of how we've operated since our founding in 1967 the practice of "close" communion has been observed, which is where I stand on the subject personally.
When I was in IFB churches, deacons (we didn't have "elders") were in charge of the preparation and serving of communion. That arrangement gave me the impression that communion and its handling was a HOLY thing and only those qualified were supposed to handle it. That wasn't an entirely bad thing; I did learn reverence and not taking communion flippantly. For the past 20+ years, it's usually the ladies who work in the church kitchen that prepare it and set it out. I've participated in the serving and the praying over communion until recently. Now, (since covid) we set the elements out and at the proper time congregants walk up and take their elements. Helpful folks (usually my wife) take elements to those who aren't able to get them either because of motility issues or being on the worship team or like me, working the sound table.
Ditto
Except when they began using versions other than KJV.
Especially of the infamous "slide."
That's not an IFB thing. My church isn't even Baptist per se, and we have an AWANA program.