Ecclesiastical separation applied selectively

ShannonL....I do not know Ernie Gault. I never get to Vermont or have any fellowship with anyone there. I am in northern Maine and not much up here but moose and bear and we give them a hard time in the fall. As far as Gary Forney, I met him through our son in law and daughter. I talked to him on a few occasions but don't really know him. He seems like a likeable fellow but don't know what he has in the bank. I agree with squire on the issue of inclusiveness or maybe I should say exclusiveness. I remember the days of John Rice, Hyles and the Southern Baptist fight. Now the IBF bunch is as bad or in lots of cases much worse. I am an old fashioned Bible believing Baptist. I stand alone where I pastor and on here. However this thread has gone off track. I believe the subject started with a snide comment about the KJV and I nor anyone else answered the question. I believe God can use any one or anything He wants to preserve His Word.

 

"Excluding each other over pre-trib/post-trib; premill/amill; Calvinism/Arminianism; etc. is not healthy or right."

This may or may not be a valid differentiation in some instances- C. vs. A. would seem to have some merit, IMO, in at least some cases.

"Excluding each other over attending Promise Keepers is not right."

On practices, such as this sort of garbage, we are in full agreement.

In his grace,
Ed

 

Making it personal, Paul? Seems like you complained to me about that once.

No, I don't take close looks at myself. I refuse to. All of my righteousness is as filthy rags in Christ's sight. It doesn't pay to keep your eyes anywhere but on Christ.

I have my own standards of ecclesiastical separation, straight from the Bible. It is based on the mentoring of John R. Rice and Monroe Parker (a Ph. D. with work at Princeton, etc., contrary to your IFB straw man), who based his ecclesiastical separation on the holiness of God. If I am separated unto God, then I will be separated from false prophets and those who approve them and require me to walk their way.

But you would rather include me and the many other IBF folk like myself in your own definition of the movement. 10,000 churches, all just like Paul33 says they are.

 

The very fact that you mention this incident ought to mean that you understand that there are to this day various positions within the IFB movement. 10,000 churches, each believer made in the image of God, each believing in the priesthood of the believer, each unique in God's sight, each with different views.

I have 47 IFB supporting churches. The pastors vary from using the NASV to the NKJV to the KJV. They send their students anywhere and everywhere. They vary from very strict separation to almost New Evangelical. They are graduates of everywhere from Dallas Seminary to Midwestern Baptist Bible College.

10,000 IFB churches, Paul, all different, but every single time you talk about the movement it is "IFB do this" or "IFB do that."

 

In less than a week, you have had three anti-Fundamentalist threads shut down, and have started four more. You are riding a hobby horse, and I don't apologize for saying so. You need to know how some people view your practice. I truly hope this is just a phase you are going through. May God give you balance in your life. I only mean the best to you, in spite of your anti-Fundamentalism.

I have never seen you post other than the debate forums. I suggest you try the fellowship forums, too. They are a great blessing to me, and I wouldn't mind fellowshipping with you there. Talk about tracts or missions with me. That would make a great new hobby for you.

God bless.

 

Why do I defend Fundamentalism? I was raised by my IBF parents (an IBF pastor and wife), won to Christ at age four by my IBF mother, baptized at age six by my IBF grandfather (an IBF evangelist/pastor), taught and shown how to live the Christian life with total dedication and be a witness for Christ by IBF parents and grandparents and five IBF preacher uncles, surrendered to the Lord's will under an IBF evangelist at age sixteen, called to preach under the same IBF evangelist two years later, received my undergraduate and grad degrees from IBF schools under many great IBF teachers, was called to be a missionary through an IBF missionary to Japan and had the call confirmed through another, was mentored by the leaders of my IBF mission board, married an absolutely wonderful IBF wife who grew up in an IBF church and graduated from and IBF college, have been supported both by prayer and finances by dozens (up to 50 at one time) of faithful IBF churches, had the privilege of starting two IBF churches in Japan and helping training many Japanese IBF pastors and Christian workers in the Lord's work, have had the great privilege of an incredible 34 year friendship an IBF layman I've known since college. I could go on and on.

I am the first to admit there are problems in the IBF movement. But I highly value loyalty to and honor to those who have blessed me.

It bothers me not if someone wants to leave the IBF movement. We are very evangelistic so we'll just win more to Christ! In the meantime, I much respect someone like Rhetorician who, though he has left the movement and sometimes criticizes it, remembers his spiritual roots and gives due honor to his former pastor. God bless you, Rhet!

No, you and those like you are not a threat to the movement. It matters not in the slightest to me if you are a part of the IBF movement or not. I wish for you great blessing in serving God, however and whenever you do that, and with whoever you do that. I've preached the Gospel for 36 years, ever since my first stumbling effort at 18. It is such a privilege--and I hope you see it that way, too.

In the meantime, on our furlough last year, I saw many good, solid young people being trained up in our schools, and I have no fear that they will all abandon the movement. My own son, named Paul by the way, is now in seminary and is a solid, intelligent Baptist Fundamentalist, absolutely brilliant in the Biblical languages, if a proud father may say so. No, I'm not worried at all about the future of the IBF movement.

 

You evidently missed my praise for you last week.

I'm sorry you took it that way. I didn't mean it that way.

Rhet is a good role model for all of us on the BB.

 

Methinks the gentleman DO have a point!
Ed

 

For KJVOs, using the KJV is a category 1 truth because they have interpreted "clear scripture" to make it so.

 

I believe that Gold Dragon is absolutely correct.