Independent Baptist

Independent Baptist churches also called Independent

Fundamental Baptist or IFB are a closed Christian sect, holding to
ultra conservative primarily fundamentalist Baptist beliefs. Many IFB
churches are heavy proponents of King James Onlyism. Although
some Independent Baptist churches refuse affiliation with Baptist
denominations, various Independent Fundamental Baptist Church
denominations have been founded.
The Crowne Center at Pensacola
History Christian College in Pensacola,
Florida, an Independent Baptist
institution
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 and theological liberalism into national Baptist
denominations and conventions in the United States and the United
Kingdom.[1][2]

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 Tewkesbury Independent Baptist
local congregations and set about establishing new Independent Church in Tewkesbury, UK
Baptist churches.[3]

Although some Independent Baptist churches refuse affiliation with Baptist denominations, various
Independent Baptist Church denominations have been founded.[4] There is the World Baptist Fellowship
founded in 1933 at Fort Worth, Texas by J. Frank Norris.[5] 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.[6] Various independent Baptist Bible colleges were also founded.[7]

Beliefs
The beliefs are mainly Baptist and fundamentalist.[8] 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. Dispensationalism is common among
Independent Baptists. They are opposed to any ecumenical movement
with denominations that do not have the same beliefs.[9] Many IFB
churches adhere to only using the King James Version, a position
known as King James Onlyism.[10]
Service at Iloilo Baptist Church, Iloilo
City Philippines
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.[11]

Sexual abuse
In 2018, an investigation by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram identified 412 abuse allegations in 187 independent
fundamental Baptist (IFB) churches and institutions across in United States and Canada, with some cases
reaching as far back as the 1970s.[12][13]

In November 2023, Investigation Discovery released Let Us Prey: A Ministry of Scandals, a 4 part
documentary, highlighting sexual abuse and cover up within the Independent Baptist movement.[14]

See also
American Baptist Association
Association of Independent Methodists
Baptist Missionary Association of America
IFCA International
New Independent Fundamentalist Baptist
Landmarkism
List of Independent Baptist higher education institutions
Southwide Baptist Fellowship

References
1. Marsden (1980), pp. 55–62, 118–23.
2. W. Glenn Jonas Jr., The Baptist River, Mercer University Press, USA, 2008, p. 96
3. Beale, David O. (1986). In Pursuit of Purity: American Fundamentalism Since 1850. BJU Press.
ISBN 9780890843505.
4. William H. Brackney, Historical Dictionary of the Baptists, Scarecrow Press, USA, 2009, p. 297
5. William H. Brackney, Historical Dictionary of the Baptists, Scarecrow Press, USA, 2009, p. 623
6. Robert E. Johnson, A Global Introduction to Baptist Churches, Cambridge University Press,
UK, 2010, p. 357
7. William H. Brackney, Congregation and Campus: Baptists in Higher Education, Mercer
University Press, USA, 2008, p. 376
8. Bill J. Leonard, Jill Y. Crainshaw, Encyclopedia of Religious Controversies in the United
States, Volume 1, ABC-CLIO, USA, 2013, p. 387
9. Bill J. Leonard, Baptists in America, Columbia University Press, USA, 2005, p. 115
10. https://www.ligonier.org/guides/king-james-
only#:~:text=The%20two%20primary%20arguments%20are,of%20use%20in%20the%20church.
11. "Religious Composition of the U.S.". U.S. Religious Landscape Study (https://www.pewforum.o
rg/religious-landscape-study/). Pew Research Center. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
12. Kuruvilla, Carol (13 December 2018). "Investigation Unearths Hundreds Of Abuse Allegations
In Independent Baptist Churches" (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/independent-fundamental-ba
ptist-churches-sexual-abuse_n_5c117f67e4b0835fe326602e). Huffpost. Retrieved
27 November 2023.
13. Rick Pidcock, The horror of Let Us Prey may not be as far from home as you think (https://baptis
tnews.com/article/the-horror-of-let-us-prey-may-not-be-as-far-from-home-as-you-think/),
baptistnews.com, USA, November 30, 2023
14. Anderson, John (23 November 2023). " 'Let Us Prey: A Ministry of Scandals' Review: A System
of Abuse" (https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/television/let-us-prey-a-ministry-of-scandals-investi
gation-discovery-max-documentary-19c3100c). Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 27 November
2023.

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
Independent Baptists (https://curlie.org/Society/Religion_and_Spirituality/Christianity/Denomin
ations/Baptist/Baptist_Groups/Independent_Baptists) at Curlie
Directory of independent Baptist churches in the United States and worldwide (https://www.kjvc
hurches.com)

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