What does it mean to be a Fundamental Baptist?

Hi, I'm new to the board (so don't shoot me just yet! )

Just to return to the subject of the thread, someone had refer to the definition of a Fundamental Baptist Church as "Legalist". Some have clarified the difference between "Legalist" as with the Pharisee (sorry, I'm not sure how to write this) and "stuck on the rules".

I've had the impression when I started looking at what made an IFB as some are really hung up with the rules, i.e. Women wearing dresses, No Alcool, No Dancing, No this or that... I think that some of those issues are OK, but don't forget that what a Church should be doing is evangelising the world, so if a church is stuck on the rules and that because of that someone doesn't want to come to that church because he/she has to wear this or that, stop smoking, stop drinking (before even accepting Christ as Savior) just to be able to hear the preaching, Then I'm affraid that we are not helping them. Most of those "rules" are example to follow.

Our previous Pastor (he's now with the Lord) never really preached about those things, which I feel as personnal preferences, but accepted us where we were and helped us grow at our pace.

If on the first time we got to the Church, he did preached on No drinking (for example), he would probably have lost us (me and my wife) at that time. Where we are coming, drinking is a way of life and that would have not been well received. Some teaching needs to be done one on one. and I think this specific one is one of them.

To me, an IFB is an independant Church basing it's belief on what the Bible clearly indicates. All other things are preferences. As for the KJVO, This would be a problem for us, we don't even use KJV, we use the Ostervald (a French version for a French Church!)

God Bless,
From French Canada (Québec)
Lord's servant