Independent Baptist churches (some also called Independent Fundamental Baptist or IFB) are Christian congregations, generally holding to conservative (primarily

fundamentalist Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that is characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguishi ...

)

Baptist beliefs Baptist beliefs are not completely consistent from one church to another, as Baptists do not have a central governing authority. However, Baptists do hold some common beliefs among almost all Baptist churches. Since the early days of the Baptist ...

. Although some Independent Baptist churches refuse affiliation with Baptist denominations, various Independent Baptist Church denominations have been founded.

History

Tewkesbury Independent Baptist Church - geograph

The modern Independent Baptist tradition began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries among local denominational Baptist congregations whose members were concerned about the advancement of

modernism Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...

and liberalism into national Baptist denominations and conventions in the United States and the United Kingdom.Marsden (1980), pp. 55–62, 118–23. In response to the concerns, some local Baptist churches separated from their former denominations and conventions and reestablished the congregations as Independent Baptist churches. In other cases, the more conservative members of existing churches withdrew from their local congregations and set about establishing new Independent Baptist churches. Although some Independent Baptist churches refuse affiliation with Baptist denominations, various Independent Baptist Church denominations have been founded. There is the

World Baptist Fellowship The World Baptist Fellowship (WBF) is a separatist fundamentalist Independent Baptist organization. The organization was founded by J. Frank Norris (1877–1952) of Texas, a southern fundamentalist leader in the first half of the 20th century. ...

founded in 1933 at

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the List of cities in Texas by population, fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the List of United States cities by population, 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, T ...

by J. Frank Norris. Doctrinal differences in the latter led to the founding of the Baptist Bible Fellowship International in 1950 and the Independent Baptist Fellowship International in 1984. Various independent Baptist Bible colleges were also founded.

Beliefs

Worship service at Iloilo Baptist Church

The beliefs are mainly

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul c ...

and

fundamentalists Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that is characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguishi ...

. They refuse any form of ecclesial authority other than that of the local church. Great emphasis is placed on the literal interpretation of the Bible as the primary method of Bible study. They are opposed to

social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals ...

and any

ecumenical Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

movement with denominations that do not have the same beliefs. Bill J. Leonard, ''Baptists in America'', Columbia University Press, USA, 2005, p. 115

Demographics

Members of Independent Baptist churches comprised 2.5% of the United States adult population, according to a 2014 survey by the

Pew Research Center The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan American think tank (referring to itself as a "fact tank") based in Washington, D.C. It provides information on social issues, public opinion, and demographic trends shaping the United States and th ...

References

Bibliography

*Timothy Gloege, ''Guaranteed Pure: The Moody Bible Institute, Business, and the Making of Modern Evangelicalism'' (2015). *Barry Hankins, ''God's Rascal: J. Frank Norris & the Beginnings of Southern Fundamentalism'' (1996). *Andrew Himes, ''The Sword of the Lord: The Roots of Fundamentalism in an American Family'' (2011). *George M. Marsden, ''Fundamentalism and American Culture: The Shaping of Twentieth Century Evangelicalism, 1870–1925'' (1980). *Robert F. Martin, ''Hero of the Heartland: Billy Sunday and the Transformation of American Society, 1862–1935'' (2002). *Daniel K. Williams, ''God's Own Party: The Making of the Christian Right'' (2010).

External links